Name: alex 's review of The Boy from the Woods by Harlan Coben
Item: The Boy from the Woods
Rating: 1
Author: alex

Harlan Coben

In the shocking new thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Run Away, a man whose past is shrouded in mystery must find a missing teenage girl before her disappearance brings about disastrous consequences for her community . . . and the world. The man known as Wilde is a mystery to everyone, including himself.Decades ago, he was found as a boy living feral in the woods, with no memory of his past. After the police concluded an exhaustive hunt for the child's family, which was never found, he was turned over to the foster system. Now, thirty years later, Wilde still doesn't know where he comes from, and he's back living in the woods on the outskirts of town, content to be an outcast, comfortable only outdoors, preferably alone, and with few deep connections to other people. When a local girl goes missing, famous TV lawyer Hester Crimstein--with whom Wilde shares a tragic connection--asks him to use his unique skills to help find her. Meanwhile, a group of ex-military security experts arrive in town, and when another teen disappears, the case's impact expands far beyond the borders of the peaceful suburb. Wilde must return to the community where he has never fit in, and where the powerful are protected even when they harbor secrets that could destroy the lives of millions . . . secrets that Wilde must uncover before it's too late.

The Boy from the Woods

Jessica Koch

alex 

how did some people actually enjoy this ?

A man with a mysterious past must find a missing teenage girl in this shocking thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Run Away. Thirty years ago, Wilde was found as a boy living feral in the woods, with no memory of his past. Now an adult, he still doesn't know where he comes from, and another child has gone missing. No one seems to take Naomi Pine's disappearance seriously, not even her father—with one exception. Hester Crimstein, a television criminal attorney, knows through her grandson that Naomi was relentlessly bullied at school. Hester asks Wilde—with whom she shares a tragic connection—to use his unique skills to help find Naomi. Wilde can't ignore an outcast in trouble, but in order to find Naomi he must venture back into the community where he has never fit in, a place where the powerful are protected even when they harbor secrets that could destroy the lives of millions . . . secrets that Wilde must uncover before it's too late.

I accidentally read "The Match" before this one, so when I found out it was a sequel I immediately went back and picked "The Boy from the Woods" up.

I loved this book. It has a compelling story, likeable characters (I think Wilde is one of the best I've read in a while), many storylines that make sense and it keeps you glued to it. 

This isn't the first Harlan Coben novel I read and it certainly won't be the last one.

Roberta

I accidentally read "The Match" before this one, so when I found out it was a sequel I immediately went back and picked "The Boy from the Woods" up.

I loved this book. It has a compelling story, likeable characters (I think Wilde is one of the best I've read in a while), many storylines that make sense and it keeps you glued to it. 

This isn't the first Harlan Coben novel I read and it certainly won't be the last one.

sophia n

this book was certainly an action-packed ride, just like 'run away' was in every sense, but for some reason i was a little less invested in the plot of this one than i was in 'run away.' the thing that kept bringing me back to the unanswered questions was all my questions about wilde, and in the end i felt slightly let down with where things went. i think plot-wise it was solid, but just not what i wanted or completely expected. also this having been a sort of spin off story of one of the characters from 'run away' (which you don't have to read, but it adds an interesting sort of background) this then felt a little like a setup for more books that tie in down the road, and while that's mildly annoying, i'm invested enough to be okay with that.

Matilda grace

Nash

Thirty years ago, Wilde came out of the woods surprising the little town. A feral little boy, with no memory of how he ended up in the woods in the first place. Wilde is now an adult, and he still doesn’t know where he came from, still trying to adjust to a life surrounded by others. 

A little girl has gone missing and Matthew, a fellow classmate, asks for help from the person that has never failed him, his powerhouse of a lawyer, Grandma Hester Crimstein. 

Hester youngest son, and Matthew’s father, used to play in the backyard with Wilde when they were kids. When Wilde was anything but a legend in town. Matthew’s father, now deceased, made Wilde Matthew’s godfather. I hope this is not too confusing. There is a lot to unpack in this book. So many storylines and so many plot twists, it just keeps you engrossed in the pages until you’re done. 


Hester is willing to listen to her grandson’s story and is willing to help. She asks for Wilde’s help since he once was a lost boy and there’s no person in that town that knows those woods better than him. 

It turns out that everything was much more complicated than it appeared to be. No one is taking Naomi’s disappearance seriously. She is the ghost of the school. The girl that has done nothing wrong but that everyone hates. The ultimate outcast, being severely bullied by almost every classmate. The ones that don’t participate, let it happen just because they do not want to be targeted by the cool kids. 

That leaves Wilde and Hester to take desperate measures to find the girl, going publicly against the father’s wishes, just so later she can be found in her house basement, playing a sick online game just to impress everyone at school. The bullying turns dead and Naomi decides to leave again and this time no one really knows where she went. 

If this story was only about that, it would be interesting alright, but everything turns sideways when in the plot a senator running for presidency gets involved, a family with so much money that is stupid, who happens to be the family of the maximum bully in school is also now looking for him. A finger is found in the forest and they cannot figure out where did he go or who took them. The ransom is not even money. They want the very compromising tapes of the said senator, so he can be removed from the presidential picture.


Let me stop here before I spoil it for you. When I tell you that Coben delivers an action/mystery-filled plot with the feeling of a blockbuster movie, I’m not even exaggerating. I have yet to be disappointed by this man. I can honestly say that it is one of my favorites so far. I have The Match waiting for me and I cannot wait where Wilde’s story goes from here.

Karen Shimek

Thirty years ago, a child was found in the New Jersey backwoods. Living a feral existence and with no memory of his past, the locals just called him Wilde. Now a former soldier and security expert, Wilde lives off the grid, shunned by the community -- until they need him. A child has gone missing. Her family suspect she's only playing a disappearing game. Nobody seems concerned except for criminal attorney Hester Crimstein, who contacts Wilde and asks him to use his unique skills to find the girl. But even he can find no trace. One day passes, then another, then a third. On the fourth, a human finger shows up in the mail. And now Wilde knows this is no game. It's a race against time to save the girl's life -- and expose the town's dark secrets...

From the #1 Bestselling Creator of the Hit Netflix Series the Stranger

Pam Sartain

The Boy from the Woods by Harlan Coben is now a man called Wilde.  He doesn't remember anything before being in the woods, and his memories tell him he way there for years.

Wilde's now grown, joined the army, served, and now is living back near where he was found.  He's asked to help with finding a teenager that his godson knows.  Hester, his godson's grandmother, and mother of Wilde's late best friend, is a lawyer who also joins in to help.

It's a fast paced thriller, with story lines about politics, family, and bullying.   There's romance for an older couple, which is unusual to see, and so good it's being normalised.

I found the book enjoyable, but it felt like there was previous story I was missing, or that it was the start of a series.  Having a read around, it sounds like at least one of the characters (Hester) have been in other Harlan Coben books, which might explain that feeling.

 The Boy from the Woods  was published on 3rd September 2020, and you can order it from  Amazon ,  Waterstones , or your  local independent bookshop .

You can follow Harlan Coben on his  website ,  Twitter ,  Instagram  and  Facebook .

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to  Random House  Cornerstone.

Deniz Hasanzaadeh 

این اولین کتابی بود که من از کوبن خواندم و باید بگویم از آن خیلی لذت بردم. شخصیت¬ها همگی عمیق و باورپذیر بودند. خط داستانی به سادگی قابل پیگیری بود و سورپرایزهایی که گهگاهی پیش می¬آمد داستان را بیش از پیش جذاب می¬کرد. در ادبیات سال¬های گذشته کمتر پیش می¬آید که داستان جنایی و معمایی به این خوبی نوشته شده باشد و plot hole های زیادی در داستان وجود نداشته باشد.
یکی از معدود مشکلات داستان، شخصیت¬های زیاد آن است. در جریان داستان با شخصیت¬هایی آشنا می¬شویم که شاید فقط یک بار از آن¬ها نامی برده می¬شود اما با این حال نویسنده چند جمله در مورد آن¬ها صحبت می¬کند. مورد دیگر، کلیشه¬هایی درمورد شخصیت¬ها است که به دفعات تکرار می¬شود: تمام زنانی که در داستان حضور دارند بسیار زیرک، خوش¬اندام و جذاب هستند؛ تمام مردان خوش-قیافه، مهربان و خوش¬اندام هستند. وایلد که می¬توان گفت ستاره¬ی داستان است، احتمالا نواده¬ی شرلوک هلمز است (!) چون به چیزهایی توجه می¬کند که عموما نباید نظر فردی را جذب کند و با توجه به همین ریزبینی¬ها است که در نهایت معما را حل می¬کند. او همچنین دونده¬ی بسیار سریعی است و نباید فراموش کنیم که احتمالا چند سالی را در سن زیر 8 سالگی به تنهایی در جنگل زندگی کرده است! این¬ها همه در کنار هم کمی شخصیت او را غیرقابل باور می¬کند اما خب، همین قدرت¬های عجیب و مرموز بودن گذشته و شخصیتش است که از او کاراکتری عجیب و جالب می-سازد. احتمالا وایلد در آینده در داستان¬های دیگر کوبن نیز حضور پیدا کند.

The brilliant new thriller from the international bestselling author, described by Dan Brown as 'the modern master of the hook and twist'. _____________________________ Thirty years ago, a child was found in the woods. He had been living a feral existence, with no memory of how he got there or even who he is. Everyone just calls him Wilde. Now another child has gone missing - Naomi Pine - who may be playing some sort of disappearing game. No one seems concerned about her whereabouts, not even her father. No one - except criminal attorney Hester Crimstein, whose grandson knows Naomi is being bullied badly at school and is concerned for her safety. Hester is determined to find Naomi so she calls Wilde - now ex-military and an expert in security issues - and asks him to track her down. But even Wilde can't find Naomi. One day passes, then another, then a third. Four days later a finger shows up in the mail. And Wilde knows that what may have started as a game has now spiralled into something far, far darker...

Valentina Cherednichenko

Ehh, I just don't think this was for me. 

The writing was great and the story moved along so no issue there. I 100% did not realize that a large focus of this plot was focused around political candidate drama and honestly, with the current state of the nation... I've go enough of that in real life. The book flew by, like finished in two sittings with very little effort and while that could be a good thing, I really didn't have the time or depth to connect with any of the characters. 

And that ending... I mean, it does have a really pretty bow on it but it did absolutely nothing to me. I closed the book and was like, welp, that was a thing.

Amy Brown 

3.5 stars. Not riveting or all that believable (in the way of James Bond and detective TV shows) but an easy read nonetheless.

Jade Waistnidge

Rhiannon McQuaid

Michele Papa

Heather 

Matilda Liljestrand

Ashley Lock

Fatema

A man with a mysterious past must find a missing teenage girl in this shocking thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Run Away. Thirty years ago, Wilde was found as a boy living feral in the woods, with no memory of his past. Now an adult, he still doesn't know where he comes from, and another child has gone missing. No one seems to take Naomi Pine's disappearance seriously, not even her father-with one exception. Hester Crimstein, a television criminal attorney, knows through her grandson that Naomi was relentlessly bullied at school. Hester asks Wilde-with whom she shares a tragic connection-to use his unique skills to help find Naomi. Wilde can't ignore an outcast in trouble, but in order to find Naomi he must venture back into the community where he has never fit in, a place where the powerful are protected even when they harbor secrets that could destroy the lives of millions . . . secrets that Wilde must uncover before it's too late.

Jessica Koch &
The Boy from the Woods by Harlan Coben

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