Harlen Coben: The Stranger

"Do you really think anything is truly a secret?"
One day a "Stranger" approaches Adam Price at a school sports meeting and tells him that his wife faked a recent pregnancy and miscarriage to keep him from leaving. He also speculates that Adam might want to check the DNA of his sons to prove that he is really the father.

Adam's world is turned upside down when he finds that his wife has purchased something from a website called Fake-A-Pregnancy.com. He confronts his wife who asks for time to think about a response - then she disappears.  The Stranger then tells someone else unpleasant things about how a family member is financing her college fees that has a serious impact on that person's life.

The story develops as the impacts of the Stranger's activity unravel and have more serious and complex consequences than anyone could envisage.

While the plot is fascinating the writing and the setting didn't grip me. I put the book down several times and moved over to other books that took my attention before eventually getting to the half-way point when the implications of the various revelations started to unravel and become more interesting. I think part of the reason for my lack of connection is that the US setting in a society absorbed in living the dream, especially in the competitive field of college sports is foreign to me as an Aussie.

I have read and enjoyed most of the the last few of Coben's annual mysteries, but this one didn't rank as highly as the others.

Harlen Coban: Missing You

Click to see in Amazon

Gone but not forgotten
In "Missing You" Harlen Coban returns to a similar theme to his ultra successful "Six Years" - enduring love despite being jilted. This time it is 18 years since NYPD Detective Kat Donavan was left inexplicably by her fiancé Jeff who she thought would be her soul-mate for life. Jeff also disappeared completey out of her and she doesn't know where he is.This happened about the same time as her beloved father, also an NYPD cop, was murdered in the line of duty.

Kat has not got over either event and has never married. One day her best friend, Stacey, gives her a most unusual present - a subscription to an on-line dating service with the message "You need someone. You want someone". With some hesitation Kat decides to have a quick browse through the site for potential dates and her world explodes when she sees a picture of Jeff staring back at her. His bio says that he is widowed with a daughter. Kat plucks up courage to send him an anonymous message that he will understand - a link to a video of their favourite song. She finds it disturbing and weird that Jeff doesn't recognise the song.

At around the same time Kat has a final near deathbed interview with her father's convicted killer, now dying of cancer while still on death row, and believes his confession that while he is guilty of other murders he was set up to take the rap for her father's murder.

Coben then takes us on a switchback of ups and downs and twists and turns as Kat follows up her father's murder, and tries to track down Jeff. She is also dragged into a case of multiple disappearances of people associated with on-line dating.. She becomes enveloped by a huge dark and dangerous envelope as she chases down these disappearances and tries to find the truth about what happened to the two big loves of her life who are "gone but not forgotten".

While Coben continues to display his skills at unfolding several apparently unconnected mysteries without providing all the clues until near the very end. This time Coben has used his author's licence to create some pretty unbelievable conspiracies and introduces some dangerous and violent sociopaths who prey on lonely wealthy people. He ties these together with a couple of shattering climaxes.

IMHO "Missing You" is not as good as "Six Years" mainly because it may have crossed my line in the sand for for implausibility for these kind of suspense thrillers. Nevertheless it is a page-turning top class thriller that will undoubtedly be devoured and enjoyed by most of Coben's many fans.

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.