I first discovered Harlan Coben about 18 months ago. I read one of books, "Caught,", I believe, and loved it. I read a second book, loved it. Mr. Coben jumped into my Top 5 favorite authors. Another novel by Coben cemented his spot. I read a fourth, a fifth, and then it dawned on me. The reason I like his books is because...well, they're all the same.I don't mean his writing style, his characters. I mean the plot. In each and every novel of his I've read, the storylines are almost identical. New title, new character names, same plot.I've read 8 books by Mr. Coben--some with Myron Bolitar, about 5 of the 8 not. And each one is not just similar but almost identical. You always get the following. Always:1) A person grieving over the loss of a loved one (ex husband, ex wife, old girlfriend, old boyfriend)2) The death of said loved one occurred 15 years ago, sometimes 20 years3) The loved one who died "mysteriously" or was killed 15 or 20 years ago now may not be dead after all.4) His stories always -always--take place in the suburbs of New Jersey.5) There is always a big bad scary mafia guy in the mix6) There is always a big bad bruiser who is the sidekick of the big bad mafia guy7) It always--ALWAYS--goes back to something that happened in college. Once or twice, high school but pretty much always college.While many others have written negatively about his `style,' I actually love his writing style. It's very casual, informal, almost conversational. He doesn't try to impress you with big multi-syllabic words. His conversations/dialogues are very realistic. He doesn't spend 3 pages describing a living room (Dean Koontz anyone?) His books are enjoyable and yes, are page turners. However, they are pretty much always the same---exact---story.For example, I've read numerous novels by Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, David Baldacci, Michael Connelly, Archer Mayor, Nelson DeMille, Stuart Margolin, John Saul. I've read fewer novels but more than one by authors I wouldn't consider myself a fan of--James Patterson, John Sandford, Dean Koontz, JA Jance. Now, you give me a title by any of these authors and I'll be able to tell you what the book was about. No, not every little minute detail but I'll be able to remember what the story was. I've read 8 books by Mr. Coben (6 Years, Caught, One False Move, Just one Look, The Woods, Deal Breaker, Gone for Good and Miracle Cure.) With the exception of Miracle Cure--his 1st novel and Just One Look, since I just finished it yesterday--I cant tell you a thing about all the others. Why? Because they were all the same, all identical.Honestly, I find it disappointing. I think Mr. Coben is a terrific storyteller with believable characters I like and `feel for' and identify with. He goes to great lengths--and succeeds--in making his characters come to life (unlike, say Stuart Woods.) However, since he keeps telling and retelling the same story over and over, I think it's a waste of a great talent.As for `Just One Look,' a novel I just finished yesterday, I really was a bit apprehensive starting it. Based on his track record, I figured I knew what I was getting. This book, however, started out well and grabbed me. It seemed like Mr. Coben just may move back into My Top 5. However, in the middle it became a bit too much. And the ending? The last 30 pages left me so confused, so mixed up and left me with my head spinning, I closed the book and said, "HUH?"**********(SPOILER ALERT)This character had a different name, that character had changed their identity, another one had assumed the identity of another character who was murdered, one woman was married to someone 15 years...only to find out he wasn't who he said he was.***end spoiler****I love a good book with a clever ending, a book with unexpected twists and turns. And Coben provides plenty. However, they have to be believable. They have to make sense. To have a big twist toward the end simply for the sake of having a twist is ridiculous. It's Pam Ewing seeing Bobby in the shower all over again: "Oh, Bobby, I had a dream you were killed."I want a book to entertain me, excite me, knock me for a loop, pull me in and yes, pass some time. Unfortunately, sadly and regrettably, Mr Coben's novels fall into the last category only: They pass the time.I'm not a big fan of James Patterson, for example. I read his books because they're easy reads and fast moving. I now view Coben in that same light--and nothing more. Will I read more Coben novels? Yes, I probably will...if I have nothing else to read and cause I prefer to read that watch TV. It's sad that just a year ago he was one of my favorite authors and now, after reading 8 of his books, he's been reduced to nothing more than a time killer.For someone who has never read a Coben novel, pick up one of his books. Any one of his books. Read it. You'll love it. You;ll enjoy it. And then never read another one. Once you've read one Coben book, you've read them all.I'm rating this 2 stars. I only give a 1 star rating to books that, to me, are so bad they are unreadable and that I don't finish. Books I finish--that are bad--get 2 stars
I liked this book by Harlan Cobain because it wasn’t seeped in lurid, gory details with bad language, and the lowest most debasing criminal acts, like some of the mystery books for adults. This novel did have clear, detailed, crisp writing, a twisty plot and hardly any bad language. It didn’t quite live up to the promised thrills and chills; but I liked how the main character was an ordinary person involved in an unordinary event. Grace is an artist, resisting suburban boredom but she loves her two kids and her devoted husband, Jack. One day, she gets her pictures developed at the local photoshop and when she picks the pictures up, there is a strange photograph mixed in with her prints. It shows a group of four people, one who looks like her husband. One of the girls in the photo has her face ex’ed out. Later, Grace shows it to her husband, Jack, and later that night, without a word to Grace, he drives away and disappears. Grace must unravel the mystery of the photograph, while protecting her children from some unsettling characters with shifting alliances which makes Grace question who she can trust. This unfolds against a background of an anniversary of a bigger event in Grace’s past, called “the Boston Massacre.” When Grace was in college, she went to a concert of a popular singer, Jimmy X, who was two hours late appearing onstage. His delay caused the raucous crowd to riot at the sound of gunshots, and Grace was caught in the melee, she was trampled. Eighteen other people died; Grace survived her memory-gap inducing brain trauma and other injuries to escape overseas, where she met Jack. It’s layered, and while slightly character heavy; I liked the overall story and all the questions were answered, even if some the motives weren't totally airtight. I found it entertaining and hard to put down. Favorite Quote:Being a mother, Grace thought, was a lot like being an artist-you are always insecure, you always feel like a phony, you know that everyone else is better at it thank you. The mothers who doted obsessively on their offspring, the ones who performed their numbing tasks with that Stepford-ready smile and supernatural patience-you know, those mothers who always; always have the right supplies for the ideal after school craft...Grace suspected that these women were profoundly disturbed.
What do You think about Just One Look (2005)?
Book Review: Just One Look by Harlan Coben 4/5 This book starts with much promise but as usual with these books it can be confusing at first with so many characters introduced in so many seemingly unrelated situations. However, just as you think you can’t take in any more disjointed facts the action picks up and as the book progresses all the separate lives are drawn together.Just One Look has an unlimited number of possible suspects when Jack Lawson disappears. Has he run away, been kidnapped, killed? His wife is left to find out and it all seems to stem from events 15 years before. As usual I cringed at the descriptions of sadistic violence but these are few mostly the book is filled with intrigue. After the dreaded kidnapper Wu is out of the picture (I won’t tell you how) there are still more loose ends than spiders have legs. However, these are quickly resolved with a few surprises on the way. Park of me wished these were resolved as the action took place as they all seemed more like a summing up or after thought when in fact they were crucial to all the events in the book.Overall an enjoyable read, as expected from Harlan Coben but a few answers earlier would have helped.
—Gail Jones
This is my first Coben book. It totally held my attention and was a pretty quick read for me. I couldn't wait to figure out who was responsible for Jack's kidnapping. While I felt for Grace who finds herself in a horrible situation, I just didn't really connect with her. She took off on her own search for her husband which seemed unrealistic to me. Especially with two children to protect. I can't imagine myself in that situation but don't think that I would have acted in the same way. Wu was an incredibly creepy killer. The details that emerge about his past and his knowledge of the human body are incredible and bizarre. I was more interested in him and his connection to Grace and her family than I was in some of the other aspects of this book. Overall, this book is hard for me to review. While it's not unforgettable, it's extremely convoluted, wordy and full of people. There are so many characters and so many twists that it was sometimes hard to follow. Even when I found out what I'd wanted to know about the whole scenario, I was still confused, yet I still kind of liked the book. I have two other Coben books in my pile that I'm planning to read. I'm just hoping that they are not all this messy.
—Becky
I am seriously conflicted with this book. I would have given it a 4-star rating if the reasons for all what transpired were not that shallow. I really liked the beginning and the middle part. As for the characters, I was inclined to Grace, Charlaine and especially to Cora (I don't know but Cora is my personal favorite). So when Scott suggested that Cora had something to do with the odd photograph, I was like I was willing to turn a blind eye. So after all was said and done. I wanted to strangle Scott. There were moments (e.g. when Grace was with Eric) when my heart was beating so fast and I started to read like a maniac. Then comes the big (or not so big at all, come to think of it) reveal. The reason that started it all. After all what happened (view spoiler)[Jack died because of that(he wasn't even in the backstage of that fateful concert that started it all) (hide spoiler)]
—Rolyn
