DENIAL!

2 REVIEWS = DENIAL! -- HARLAN COBEN - HOLD TIGHT

I would not describe myself as a great fan of NEW YORK BESTSELLERS -- so for this challenge, I thought I should try a few.

I had vaguely heard of Harlan Coben and so, after wikiing him, I have since learned that he has written many many mystery novels and thrillers. Contrary to my agonizing experience with James Patterson, I actually found this novel to be interesting. I must also confess, I feel somewhat guilty being entertained by the worst imaginable, horrible rapes and murders.

The opening chapter, which you can read online at the Official Harlan Coben website, begins on a bar stool with a discussion concerning the Bible and Darwinism. So begins the hunt, the drugging, the kidnapping and the systematic torture of Marianne. "The man peeled off his mustache and smiled at her...She couldn't move, couldn't breathe. He sat next to her, pulled his fist back, and punched her hard in the stomach. If the pain had been bad before, it went to another dimension now...And then he began to hurt her for real." (p. 9)

The second chapter jumps to a discussion between a couple of parents who are preparing to spy on their eldest child, who since the suicide of his friend, has become withdrawn and depressed.

The subsequent chapters introduce a group of seemingly unconnected characters carrying on with the often tragic events of their daily lives. Intertwined with these chapters is another capture and torture of a second victim. The discovery of this body leads to a determined investigation and eventual discovery of the mustached man and his connection to all the other characters in the novel.

Here is a plot teaser from the cover of the novel (from the Official Harlan Coben website):

Tia and Mike Baye never imagined they’d spy on their kids. But their sixteen-year-old son Adam has been unusually distant lately, and after the suicide of his best friend Spencer Hill, they can’t help but worry. Within days of installing a sophisticated spy program on Adam’s computer they are jolted by a cryptic message from an unknown correspondent that shakes them to their core: “Just stay quiet and all safe.”
As if Mike Baye isn’t dealing with enough, he also learns that Lucas Loriman, the sweet kid who grew up next door, is in urgent need of a kidney transplant. As the boy’s doctor, Mike suddenly finds himself in possession of an explosive secret that threatens to rip the Loriman family apart at the seams.
Nearby, while browsing through an online memorial for Spencer, Betsy Hill discovers a surprising detail about the night of her son’s death. Before she can find out more, Adam disappears, taking the truth with him and sending shockwaves through the neighborhood.
As the lives of these families collide in tragic, unexpected, and violent ways, long-hidden connections in their small suburb begin to work their way to the surface. And when an unidentified Jane Doe is beaten to death not far away, those connections threaten to turn this quiet community upside down—and force these desperate parents to decide whether there is any line they won’t cross to protect those they love most in the world.



In literary terms, the characters were well-rounded, realistic and sympathetic. The settings very realistic. The multiple plots of the murders and the parents and the other families, sufficiently detailed and intriguing. As the parent of a teenager who often accuses me of being overprotective, I found the dilemma of the parents thought provoking and relevant.


As a result, I will give this a rating of THREE Critical Monkeys out of FIVE.