Harlan Coben is one of those ultra popular authors that I always thought I should try out, but when I finally did, reading Fool Me Once a couple of years ago, I was disappointed. (Click through for that review.) I've heard so many good things about him though that I decided to give him another chance, and I'm very glad I did. Long Lost turned out to be a much more appealing read.
The book starts with Myron Bolitar accompanying his step-son to his basketball game and getting into an argument with the coach. This doesn't go down well with the boy's mother - Myron's girlfriend - when she shows up and, ultimately, the two decide to go their separate ways. While I'm sure this was significant for those readers following the entire series - this is the ninth book - it was totally inconsequential for this book and just left me shaking my head, wondering why I'd wasted my time on a false start.
The real action begins when Myron, who is described as a crime solver and sports agent, receives a telephone call from Terese Collins, an ex in Paris, with whom he had a short but intense affair several years ago. She fills him in on her life over the past decade - she finally got pregnant, then lost her daughter in a car crash and, to top things off, her marriage ended in divorce. Following a call from her ex-husband, requesting that she meet him in Paris, she discovers that he is dead and she is the prime suspect. Myron agrees to help her out and the investigation begins.
The action moves across the globe, from France to England and back to America, with numerous surprise discoveries to keep the reader intrigued. The foreign police investigators seemed rather stereotypical and the terrorist plotline was a little thin but the fast pace kept my interest up and I raced through the whole book in just a few days. Myron's rich friend Win, along with the two former female wrestlers, now working for him, provide all the help and background information that he needs in his relentless quest to uncover the truth and escape the bad guys, which is handy, if, at times, a little too easy.
It's a book that is full of action and surprises and I raced through it - it would definitely be a great poolside or long flight read for this summer.
star rating : 4.5/5
RRP : £7.99
- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Orion (7 Nov. 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 9781409150466
- ISBN-13: 978-1409150466
- ASIN: 1409150461
Like you, I also read one of Coben's books in the past and was underwhelmed. Perhaps I should attempt reading another one and seeing if I get hooked? This sounds like a book great for a long trip on a train/aeroplane.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes think I have a hard job loving the really popular authors - maybe I come to them with negativity? Anyway, this one was much better than the last one ! :)
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