Customer Reviews: Read 114 more reviews...
 Plenty of action, with intersecting plots that don't come together until the end... August 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Another book that came into the library recently that was on my hold list was Harlan Coben latest novel, Hold Tight. This book kept me reading a bit past my bedtime. The action was constant and tight, although the plot was a bit difficult to keep straight at times. There are a lot of different stories that come together at the end, and occasionally it's hard to remember just who is who...
Mike and Tia Baye are struggling with their son, Adam. He's becoming more withdrawn and sullen, and the parents decide to monitor his computer to see what's going on. This monitoring reveals that Adam is keeping some sort of secret, and he decides to run away to attend a party rather than obey his father and go to a hockey game with him. Mike puts everything on the line to find Adam and reunite the family. Meanwhile, there are a number of other stories going on... A psychotic killer is picking seemingly random women off the street and killing them in a very gruesome manner, all to find out some information that he believes they hold. Another father is furious with his small daughter's teacher, as he made a snide comment about the child's physical appearance that has made her the target of ridicule at school. The teacher is someone who has always taken pride in his work, and the comment was something he highly regrets. But he also realizes that his mistake could cost him his career. All these stories (and a few others) swirl along at their own pace, and slowly start to come together as the relationships between the characters start to reveal themselves.
As I mentioned, the action was constant and the characters drew me into their struggles. I think every parent can empathize with understanding a withdrawn child, especially when it appears that there might be a life-threatening situation developing. I would have preferred see the plots start to intersect sooner in a way that started to hint at the relationships involved. As it was, things were kept up in the air until nearly the very end. And even at the end, a major twist happens that causes a few readjustments in the mindset of the reader. Hold Tight is an enjoyable read, so make sure you have some uninterrupted time before you get started...
Wow wow triple wow! August 13, 2008
Wow, wow, WOW! I challenge anyone to begin this book and then manage to put it down before the very end. Reading it is like eating Lay's potato chips... you can't read just one (page, that is!).
Gripping, exciting, interesting, unique... what appears to be two or three separate stories weave in, out and around each other until the final pages, when all is wrapped up... but not in an unbelievable, deus ex machina way, but in a "Oh my gosh, so THAT'S what was happening" way. I loved the juxtaposition of modern technology with the age-old concerns of parents -- how to, and how much to, protect our kids.
Some best-selling authors rest on their past accomplishments, with successive books becoming thinner in the plot and thicker in the page count. Kudos to Coben for raising the bar again and again.
 Thought provoking thriller August 12, 2008
A typically great thriller from the master Harlan Coben. This one really makes you think about how you raise your children and how much privacy you should give them. As usual, this is an exciting page turner that will stay with you long after you finish the final page. It give you some closure to The Woods as well, wrapping up the Cope/Lucy story.
Great Book- Impossible to Put Down August 11, 2008
I love Coben's writing, his heroes are ordinary people caught in extraordinary situations and they wrestle with ordinary issues that become extraordinary. This book focuses on a family with two professional parents-- Dad is a surgeon and Mom is a lawyer and they have a teen-aged son and a pre-teen daughter. Mom and Dad are concerned about the son so they put a snooper on his computer that captures and records his keystrokes. The doctor debates this with himself while the lawyer is more certain-- they should do whatever it takes to get their son to adulthood. The boy goes missing one night and the doctor uses a GPS tracking system in the boy's cell phone to try to track him.
Coben picks his way through the various plot and storylines with grace, focusing on his theme-- the meaning of family with each different story arc. Not only is this book a taut, suspenseful read, but it is a tribute to the strength of family ties. Whether you agree with the way Mike and Tia Baye go about trying to protect their son, you cannot escape the fact that they love him desperately. The conclusion of the book is satisfying and gratifying, and, if you are a parent, will make you want to hug your kids extra closely to your side.
A thriller August 8, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A thriller!! I kept imagining my grandchildrens' reaction if they were
confronted with a similar situation, and hoping their parents had forwarned them about this. I truly identified with the characters.
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