Tag: Harlan Coben

Favorite Author – Harlan Coben

9 Comments

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Harlan four times, once in Houston and three times when he’s come to Cleveland. He is ALWAYS a hoot.  He is charming, smart, and quick with the humor.  You will never regret seeing him in person.  I’ve read all of his books and have liked them all, some more than others. I first read Tell No One, a great place to start if you’ve never read him, and then read his first book and haven’t looking back.

Even if you’ve never read his books, you’ve probably seen at least one of his book adaptations on Netflix or Amazon Prime. They are always well done.

His thrillers are always full of twists and turns, humor, and fantastic dialogue. If you love thrillers, the kind that you can’t put down until you’re finished, this is the guy for you.

Myron Bolitar series (Harlan calls them the Myron and Win books)

Myron is a smart ass, but one with a certain humanity and goodness and I am always rooting for him and his even bigger smart ass friend, Win, to save the day.  And they usually do, but they do not come away unscathed.  Myron is the heart and Win is the muscle and both are whip smart and loyal to each other. This series has a fantastic cast of characters and I love that time does go by and they are showing their age, but still kicking ass. I love all of these books.

Win got his own first person book.

And Myron’s nephew Mickey has his own trilogy. This was made into a fantastic series on Amazon Prime.

Wilde series

So far this only has two books, but I loved them both.

Standalones

Here are my other Top 100 authors.

Think Twice by Harlan Coben

6 Comments

Think Twice. 4.25/5 stars, Thriller, 368 pages, 2024

Don’t even start a Harlan Coben book unless you have time to read the whole thing. He’s been a favorite of mine since I read Tell No One (read it), but it’s his Myron and Win books that are my favorite. This is the 12th book featuring them both (13 if you include Win) and they’re both getting a little older, but still just as sarcastically fabulous as they e always been.

Myron was a star on the Duke basketball team and played one game for the Boston Celtics before a cheap shot took him off the court forever. So, he went to law school and opened his own sports representation business. The cast of characters in these books are so chock full of warmth and humor that you will fall in love with them. Personally, I’d read the books in order so that you don’t miss a minute, but you can read this as a standalone.

These are all thrillers full of twists and turns you don’t see coming. He’s the master. This one has a serial killer and some old scores being settled. And Myron’s parents are in Florida living their best lives with the help of edibles.

I adore Myron and Win and loved this one.

Long Lost, by Harlan Coben

4 Comments

Cover ImageFinished 4-5-09, rating 4/5, thriller, pub. 2009

Two days before I learned the secret she’d kept buried for a decade – the seemingly personal secret that would not only devastate the two of us but change the world forever – Terese Collins called me at five AM, pushing me from one quasi-erotic dream into another.  She simply said, “Come to Paris.”

 Chapter 1

This is the 9th Myron Bolitar novel.

Myron, Win, and Esperanza are back in a mystery that takes Myron to Paris, Britain, and an unknown location before returning home to New Jersey and New York lucky to be alive.  Myron is called by an ex-lover, Terese, and she asks him to drop everything because she needs him in Paris.  Myron, coming to the end of a relationship, meets her there and is almost immediately taken into custody under the suspicion of murder of Therese’s ex-husband.   

Therese comes clean to Myron about the death of her daughter and the ex-husband Myron did not know about and Myron confesses that the French police have evidence that her dead daughter may have been at the murder of her ex.    So, the two must enlist the help of badass, best friend Win to help them not only stay one step ahead of police custody, but to learn the truth about her daughter’s death.

I have read all of the Myron books and love the witty repartee and humor.  The mysteries have gotten better over the years and this is the case with this one.  The mystery involves digging up graves, Mosad, secret torture locations, and terrorists sleeper cells in America.  It had much of the sarcasm I’ve always loved with the hard edge of today’s terrorism fears.  The resolution of the book was creepy and on the surface, thought-provoking. 

I loved the back drop of Paris (maybe a nod to the country who made Coben’s book, Tell No One, into an award winning movie?) and Britain and the long lost love of Therese.  Myron is such a romantic that it is always interesting to see how Coben manages to keep him single.  And no one does dialogue better than Coben.

You do not have to read the Myron books in order to enjoy them but I have to think it would make them better if you did.  The first Myron book is Deal Breaker.

One more thing, if you are on Facebook you should add Harlan Coben as a friend.  He updates daily and always has something fun to say.

Free Books for April

6 Comments

Leave a comment, tell me which book you want and I’ll get the book to you for FREE either by mail or personally if I’ll see you soon.  The first one to request each book wins.  Once you’ve ‘won’ the book I can get your shipping address if I need it.  Also, you can come back and get a free book every month if you want. These have all been read a few times.

1. Kiss An Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips – contemporary romance – paperback in excellent shape- review here  for Mary

2. The Pleasure Trap by Elizabeth Thornton – historical romance – paperback in good shape – review here  for Gautami

3. Velocity by Dean Koontz – first-rate thriller – paperback in good shape – review here  for Bridget

4. Just One Look by Harlan Coben – another first rate thriller – book club hardcover in pretty good shape- review here  for Kathy

5. Behind the Mask No More by Byron Nease – memoir – trade paperback in excellent shape – I reviewed it here

Thanks for helping me clear some space on my shelves.  Happy Reading 🙂

2009 Anticipated Books

3 Comments

Here are a few of the books I can’t wait to get my hands on this year… What are yours?

Diana Gabaldon’s An Echo in the Bone

Janet Evanovich’s Plum Spooky – out next week. 

Susan Elizabeth Phillips’  What I Did for Love – out this month.  I’ve read all of her romances and am always looking forward to the next one.

Harlan Coben’s Long Lost – out in February.  Don’t know what I’d do without my yearly Coben fix 🙂

John Sandford’s Wicked Prey – out in May.  I love the Lucas Davenport series.

Judith McNaught’s Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You – out in May.  I love all of her romaces and they don’t come out that often, so I’m overdue.

Any that you are eagerly anticipating?

Free Books for January

3 Comments

I’m cleaning off my bookshelves again and am ready to offer these books I’ve already read to you, free of charge.

Leave a comment, tell me which book you want and I’ll get the book to you for FREE either by mail or personally if I’ll see you soon.  The first one to request each book wins.

Once you’ve ‘won’ the book I can get your shipping address if I need it.  Also, you can come back and get a free book every month if you want. 

1. Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, trade paperback, read once.  Read my review here.

2. Promise Me by Harlan Coben, oversize mass market paperback, read once.  Review here.  If you’ve never tried a Harlan Coben thriller, you should!  for Heather

3. Cloud Nine by Luanne Rice, mass market paperback, read a few times.  Review here.  This book convinced me never  to buy down pillows again.  for Sarah

4. Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati, mass market paperback, read a few times.  Review here.  This is one of my favorite books (it’s on my 100 list).  If you like epics, romances, native american culture, or early America.  You’ll get lost in its 876 pages.

5. 3rd Degree by James Patterson, mass market paperback, read a few times (cover has a water ring, must have used the book as a coaster once, sorry).  My review here.  for Katie

Happy Reading!

Hold Tight, by Harlan Coben

Leave a comment

Cover ImageFinished 4-19-08, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 2008

“In the end we’re just their caretakers, Mike.  We get them for a little while and then they live their lives.  I just want him to stay alive and healthy until we let him go.  The rest will be up to him.”  Hold Tight, Chapter 2

I mentioned in an earlier post that Jason and I went to a book signing by Coben in Houston a few years ago.  He was charming and smart and just goofy enough to make him interesting.  I was already a fan, but it was nice to know that I liked the guy whose career I was supporting.  I’ve read all of his books and have liked them all, some more than others.  I generally prefer his novels written in the first person because so few authors really do it well.  This wasn’t in first person, but it was fun and I finished it in one day so that must mean I liked it!

This is a book about parents – the love, the fears, and the lengths they’ll go to to protect their kids.  The Bayes fear that they are losing their teenage son, Adam, so they install a spyware program on his computer to keep tabs on him.  The decision was a hard one for them and one that plays out to reveal the real dilemma parents face today.  The Bayes are not the only parents with problems.  Their next-door neighbors need to find a kidney donor for their son.  Their daughter’s best friend was ridiculed by a teacher, school has become unbearable, and her father wants to move to protect her.  The Hills have just lost a son to suicide and the father needs to move on while the mother needs to know why.  The police chief has a stoner son and is willing to lie and intimidate to protect him. 

Amazingly all of these stories come together in a fast-paced thriller that will leave you hoping for the best until the end.  This is a terrific book, especially if you have a teen in the house.  It wasn’t just about the technology, but also many of the pressures kids face today like drugs and bullying.  Coben manages to hit on current issues while keeping the story compelling and the action swift. 

This is just the lastest installment in Coben’s bestselling library.  Enjoy!