Harlen Coban: Six Years

"Six Years" is a great stand-alone thriller from Harlan Coben. It is one of those books that is difficult to put down because each chapter unveils new surprises which advance the plot but leave you in suspense until the very end.

"Six Years" ago Jake Fisher falls madly in love with Natalie and they spend three idyllic months together in a remote retreat. Jake is stunned when Natalie suddenly ends the relationship and within days marries another man she claims she has known for a long time. At the wedding Natalie tells shattered Jake to leave her and her new husband alone and never contact them again.

Over the last "Six Years" Jake has become a successful college professor but has never recovered the loss of the only love of his life. He keeps his promise not to try and contact Natalie again until he reads that her husband has died. Jake attends the funeral in the hope of meeting Natalie again - but is stunned to see that the grieving wife is not Natalie and has 2 teenage children.

This starts Jake's quest to find Natalie. He encounters obstruction after obstructon, and meets many people who know something but not everything about Natalie's disappearance. Despite clear messages that he should leave things alone (including being beaten, kidnapped, and shot) Jake continues to follow all the clues to find out what happened to the only woman he had ever loved.

Coben is at the top of his game writing a suspense thriller with a highly imaginative, complex and compelling plotline. He slowly reveals layer upon layer of mystery, intrigue and secrets like peeling an orange and exposing different but unrelated segments. Corben holds your attention to the end by only giving you enough information so you want to keep turning the pages to find out more.

IMHO "Six Years" is destined to become another best-seller for Harlan Coben and is strongly recommended to those who enjoy his books and this genre.