Caught

The first Harlan Coben book I read took me less than twenty four hours. I read it solid, couldn't put it down. Since then I have been a massive fan of his. I prefer the stand alone novels to the Myron Bolitar series and one or two of the books I found a little predictable or I guessed the ending, (which I don't like to do!) but this wasn't one of them. We first meet Dan Mercer, the coach for a hockey team of foster and orphan children. He's going to see a girl named Chynna who needs his help. As soon as he arrives he gets jumped on by a camera crew led by reporter Wendy Tynes, who picks up the narrative from then on. I like the way Coben writes Dan Mercer, you feel like you're in his head and that you understand the man. From the off I got a judgement of him and I never doubted him. I won't say too much because I'll give away the story. Wendy Tynes is a decent female lead, and strong, which I particularly admire, but can be a little annoying at times. Her sense of humour is great, and she gets sarcastic quickly which I relate to. Her faith in the other characters is also interesting. The only thing that I didn't really like about this story is the American High School stuff, and I know, seeing as it's set in America and about a missing school girl, it has to be, but I find it all a bit cringey. The couples are all high school sweethearts and I doubt that's the case in real life. The ending also fell a bit flat for me. I had my sneaking suspicions all along that it had to be one of a few people, so I wasn't shocked at the ending, not as much as I like to be at the end of a Harlan Coben thriller!

Caught was propulsive and written so well, I shuddered at some descriptions. This is my first Harlan Coben and I can guarantee that this won't be the last. Sure, I have battle scars—a lot of them—from the intense ride this book took me on, but I'm willing to go again for that exhilaration. ————— Here's where I obsess over fictional characters and talk about books, movies, and music nonstop: https://litdarlings.com/

I read this book over the past few days and once I got to Part 2, I couldn't put it down. The book is full of surprises throughout its entirety. The storyline is something I felt like I should have known from the start but it's a constantly twisting plot that keeps you guessing. I think the only thing that seemed kind of cliche was the main character's description. Single mother who is extremely attractive only wants to do good in the world. There are some characters who don't seem to be relevant until suddenly they know all this information, like Win. He was used more as the guy who isn't useful unless you need information and the book never chronicles how he and Wendy came to the understanding that she could call anytime she needed to dig up dirt on someone and he would willingly do so without asking anything in return. That bugged me. However, that wasn't something I focused on while reading since the plot and minor backstory of the side characters keeps you busy enough. I wouldn't read the book over and over but if there was ever a sequel, I'd be interested.

I am addicted to Harlan Coben