The Woods by Harlan Coben ~ Fiction Book Review

11729283This is the second book that I’ve read by Harlan Coben, and I’m happy to report that I wasn’t disappointed. Coben’s writing is sharp witted, fast paced, and easy to read. His characters are interesting, well developed, and likable. And so far, his plots have been nice and twisty.

One of the things that sticks out the most to me about Coben’s writing is the use of first person from a male character. Maybe it’s just the books I’ve been reading lately, but the trend seems to be to use a female character’s point of view when writing in the first person – even for male authors. I found being inside the male mind of Coben’s character a refreshing change.

(Not that reading two books by the guy makes me an expert), but family strife seems to be a common underlying theme in his books, which works to make his stories and characters more relate-able. I look forward to reading more by this author. 5 stars.

Gone for Good by Harlan Coben ~ Fiction Book Review

bookHarlan Coben is a best selling author. He is also a prolific writer. So why haven’t I read anything by him before???

The book was immediately good. It was well written, the pacing was spot on, the characters were believable, and more important, like-able. But I just couldn’t get settled in. At one point I even thought to myself, ‘This is a very guy book,’ which is absurd, because there are tons of ‘guy’ books that I love. Then I realized – there’s something about the way this book is written that is intimate. Not in a romantic sense, but in a the writer considers you a friend way, which I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced before. Once I was able to put my finger on it, I settled comfortably into the story. (Apparently, my stranger danger alarm from childhood is still ridiculously high.)

I really enjoyed this book and will definitely read more by Coben. I’m not even going to touch on the plot because there were a couple of twists that I never suspected, which rarely ever happens. I love being blindsided!!! More, please. Highly recommend. 5 stars.

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