harlan-coben – Book Journey

How do you not read this book? Two fan favorites in one! ~Sheila

Maggie McCabe has been to the top of the mountain with an incredible career as a highly skilled surgeon – living by her rules …
Until one day, she wasn’t.
When life takes a turn, Maggie’s time on the mountain is now a landslide of having her medical license revoked, more debt than she can dig herself out of, and a low that she has never experienced before.
When a plastic surgeon/old colleague connects her to an elite group who value her skills, offering Maggie a chance to not only clear all her debt, but have more money than she has ever had, it is impossible to pass on the offer. This is her olive branch, and she has to take it. All she has to do is keep everything quiet – she can not tell friends or family where she is going or what she is doing.
Halfway across the globe, Maggie enters a state-of-the-art personal hospital room for her to use and a world of insane luxury she could have only imagined. Maggie fully plans to uphold her end of the agreement – but when the patient she is working on disappears, and Maggie finds things are not adding up and she is now on the run.

Photo from the Book Expo In New York
You all know I have a soft spot for Harlan… for that matter, Reese as well. Finding these two writing a book together… BRILLIANT.

I listened to this one on audio and enjoyed a different spin on a thriller that had a medical background. I enjoyed Reese’s narration and found the storyline to be unlike anything I have read/listened to.
I was engaged all the way through – admittedly not my favorite ending nor my favorite setting … but again…
It’s Harlan and it’s Reese!!!!

Little background if you are not familiar with Harlan Coben – first, he usually writes alone. I have been reading him since my 20s, and one of the few authors I can say that I have always enjoyed. I refer to him as a lighter version of Dean Koontz.
What I love about this author is that I have read him for 3 decades, and to see his Netflix movies based on his books is so exciting – AND a True Crime CBS Series that will launch on January 7th called Final Twist.

https://youtu.be/EXNOkyYfupI

Rated: 3.75 out of 5
Read Author Before: Yes!
Read Author Again: Yes

Fantastic revisit to a favorite author ~ Sheila

When college student Sami Kierce is backpacking in Spain with friends, he meets Anna, a girl who takes his breath away. When he wakes up one morning with a bloody knife in his hand and her body lying next to him, he panics, and he runs.

Twenty-two years later, Sami is happily married with a young son. He works as a Private Investigator and teaches night school to a group of want-to-be sleuths in New York City.
One evening while teaching his class, a girl hovers in the back of the room, and Sami’s blood runs cold. There is no doubt that this is Anna. When they make eye contact, she bolts out the door and out of sight in a matter of seconds.
Sami has no choice but to open the door to the past. Is this girl really Anna, and if so, what happened all those years ago…. Sami soon discovers that this particular door holds way more secrets and darkness than even he could have imagined.

A little history here…. in my twenties, Harlan Coben was one of a small handful of go-to authors for me. This was pre-book club, my boys were young, and I enjoyed reading in the evenings. This photo is from one of the years at the Book Expo in New York…. I would guess 2010, 2011…

I have been so excited to see that a series of Harlan’s books has been made to movies on Netflix.

How crazy cool is that?
So – in recent searching for that next read/audio… I came across his newest release, Nobody’s Fool and dug into a blast from the past.

Remember when mystery/thrillers were just that? A good storyline, a solid protagonist, and popcorn worthy? That is what Coebn feels like. No offense to the newer popular twisty unreliable narrator, psychological thrillers of today that can feel more like a jerky rollercoaster ride that is traveling through a haunted fun house… I like those too, but ya know what I mean.

Digging into this book, it felt wonderful to meet up with Coben again. I forgot how funny he is. There are MANY great one-liners throughout the book that made me laugh out loud. I wish I had written them down, but meh… also cool that you can discover them for yourself.

Great storyline that flowed well, kept me wondering what was going on, and came out the other side finishing well. I enjoy this read and can honestly say Coben still has that great touch – a solid thriller, and worth your time.

Here are some of my other Harlan Coben reviews (I have read more than this – but remember I started pre-book club, which was also pre-reviewing.

Don’t Let Go
Fool Me Once
Missing You
Six Years
Seconds Away
Deal Breaker
One False Move
Caught
Hold Tight