By: Harlan Coben
Myron Bolitar #11
ISBN: 9780525955108
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: 9/20/2016
Format: Other
My Rating: 5 Stars Ten years after the high-profile kidnapping of two young boys, only one returns home in Harlan Coben’s next gripping thriller, to be published in September 2016. A decade ago, kidnappers grabbed two boys from wealthy families and demanded ransom, then went silent. No trace of the boys ever surfaced. For ten years their families have been left with nothing but painful memories and a quiet desperation for the day that has finally, miraculously arrived: Myron Bolitar and his friend Win believe they have located one of the boys, now a teenager. Where has he been for ten years, and what does he know about the day, more than half a life ago, when he was taken? And most critically: What can he tell Myron and Win about the fate of his missing friend? Drawing on his singular talent, Harlan Coben delivers an explosive and deeply moving thriller about friendship, family, and the meaning of home.
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My Review
A special thank you to Dutton and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Fans, you are going to love HOME. Coben hits a "Home Run"! What an adventure.
Talented Harlan Coben returns following Fool Me Once (2016) with his much loved Myron Bolitar series with HOME. From Coben’s first Myron Bolitar thriller, Deal Breaker, in 1995, introducing a hero that would captivate millions. Over the years fans have watched Myron walk a tight rope between sports agent, friend, problem solver and private eye, his big heart quick to defend his client's interests so fiercely that he can't help but jump in to save them, no matter the cost. Myron, an ex-NBA player turned sports agent and often a PI returns with a cast of favorite characters from previous books, to an intense gripping mystery suspense, with some special Coben signature style. Way back when Myron Bolitar had founded a sports agent company clever dubbed MB SportsReps. The M stood for Myron, the B for Bolitar, and Esprenza came on as his assistant. Later MB Reps. Big Cyndi took over a receptionist and agency bouncer. It has been five years since Live Wire, and now he is back with two boys which vanished some ten years ago. One of the boys, Rhys, the son of Chick and Brooke Baldwin, is a relative of Windsor “Win” Horne Lockwood, III, who happens to be Myron Bolitar’s best friend.
Two boys go missing. Ten years ago. Win had received a tip leading him to London in pursuit of the boys. Myron was his back up guy-his sidekick. When Win had disappeared a year before, he had put the Manhattan place in Myron’s name. Myron had chosen to stay in his childhood home in New Jersey to try his best to raise his teenage nephew Mickey. Mickey’s dad was back so Myron had given them the house and come back to the city. There was also Terese, the anchorwoman on one of the news channels. They plan to get married and he needs his best man. Patrick Moore the missing boy. An uber-affluent community of Alpine, Patrick had been on what they insist on calling, a "play date" with Myron’s second cousin Rhys. He had come to rescue both boys. Someone had taken this boy from the opulence of his stone mansion to this filthy underpass. He needed to grab both boys, not just one. Had they been brainwashed? Their kidnappers? Who held the keys to their freedom? Can he bring both boys home? The ones which had been gone a decade. What horrors had they been through? What kind of abuse? How long had they been on the streets? The thugs would want money and blood. Years ago, the two boys were left years ago in the care of Vada Linna, an eighteen year old au pair from Finland. When Patrick’s mother Nancy came to pick up her son, no one answered the door. She had been tied to a chair and gagged. She was unharmed but the two boys -Patrick and Rhys, were nowhere to be found. Two armed men which wore ski masks and turtlenecks. Both fathers, a physician and a hedge fund manager, and a ransom request via email came to Chick Baldwin’s account. Warning them not to contact the authorities, if they wanted their children alive. Ransom amount, two million. One per child. The FBI was involved. Nothing until now. Ten years later. Something went wrong. Something big. They have to know in order to find the truth. A mysterious email to Win. What happened to Rhys Baldwin? Myron and Win delve deeper. They are about to shatter all, for the truth about these two young boys. One boy comes home. Where is the other? What really happened ten years ago? A cover-up? Guilt. Torture. A twisted scheme? The consequences of that day so long ago. Riveting! Long- time fans and new readers will appreciate the emotional bonds of friendship “bromance” of these two, in this intense and complex mystery suspense. Fans will love catching up with Myron, Win, Esperanza, Big Cindi, and the gang. “The ugliest truth is better than the prettiest of lies.” Explosive and powerful, a crime thriller about the strong bonds of friendship, family, and the meaning of home- with twists and turns you do not see coming!
Mixed with wit, Coben is in a class all his own, both in the adult and young adult market. His characters jump off the page and draw you into their world. . . the good and the bad. On a side note: Makes you think about the mysterious death of six-year-old, JonBenet Ramsey, which ironically will be featured on a special this evening. Sometimes you have to go back as the novel outlined- to discover the real reason behind a murder, when children are involved. When things are not always as they appear.
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Praise for Harlan Coben and his novels “Edgar-winner Coben's action-packed 11th thriller featuring sports agent Myron Bolitar (after 2011's Live Wire) blends family drama with a twisty plot… This page-turner is sure to please Coben's many fans.” —Publishers Weekly on Home “Series fans will be happy to see Myron, Win, Esperanza, and other recurring characters… given the size of Coben’s audience, this one is sure to be popular. With five years since the last Bolitar novel, expect holds.” —Booklist on Home “Coben is simply one of the all-time greats—pick up any one of his thrillers and you’ll find a riveting, twisty, surprising story with a big, beating heart at its core.” —Gillian Flynn, bestselling author of Gone Girl "Master of 'the hook'" —Charlotte Observer
"Coben is like a skilled magician saving the best, most stunning trick for the very end." —Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Fool Me Once "Coben hits the bull's eye again...masterfully paced plotting...a tale guaranteed to fool even the craftiest readers a lot more than once." —Kirkus (starred review) on Fool Me Once “Coben proves his thriller mastery once more.” —Entertainment Weekly on Fool Me Once “Harlan Coben, master of the suburban thriller, has written another compelling and twist-filled tale with ‘Fool Me Once.’…The unpredictability of the story will keep readers literally turning the pages to try and figure out what is really going on. Even those savvy enough to figure out some of the ending will not uncover everything, and the whopper of a payoff not only will have jaws dropping, but also demonstrates Coben's skill as a writer.” —Associated Press on Fool Me Once "Coben has done it again with this fast-paced, smart thriller.” —Library Journal (starred review) on Fool Me Once “Harlan Coben has long been the master of the jaw-dropping twist. But in Fool Me Once, he knocks our legs out from under us as well…Fool Me Once just might be his crowning achievement.” —Providence Journal "Harlan Coben is a master of his craft and a wizard with words… Fool Me Once is him at his best and there is no shame in having him trick us one more time. In fact most of us will be begging him to fool us again and again and again.” —Jackie K. Cooper, Book Critic, The Huffington Post
Where thriller writer Harlan Coben finds his muse Read More
About the Author
With over 60 million books in print worldwide, Harlan Coben’s last eight consecutive novels, THE STRANGER, MISSING YOU, SIX YEARS, STAY CLOSE, LIVE WIRE, CAUGHT, LONG LOST and HOLD TIGHT all debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and lists around the world. His books are published in 43 languages around the globe and have been number one bestsellers in over a dozen countries.
Winner of the Edgar Award, Shamus Award and Anthony Award – the first author to win all three – international bestselling author Harlan Coben’s critically-acclaimed novels have been called “ingenious” (New York Times), “poignant and insightful” (Los Angeles Times), “consistently entertaining” (Houston Chronicle), “superb” (Chicago Tribune) and “must reading” (Philadelphia Inquirer).
Harlan’s novel TELL NO ONE was turned into the commercial and critical smash hit French film of the same name, starring Francois Cluzet and Kristin Scott Thomas. The movie was the top box office foreign-language film of the year in USA, won the Lumiere (French Golden Globe) for best picture and was nominated for nine Cesars (French Oscar) and won four, including best actor, best director and best music. The movie with subtitles is now available on Netflix, Amazon Prime and DVD/Blu-Ray.
Harlan is the creator and executive producer for both THE FIVE, an original 10 episode TV drama for Sky1, and NO SECOND CHANCE, based on his novel, a six-part French series, which scored the highest ratings for any French TV show in nearly a decade.
In his first books, Coben immersed himself in the exploits of sports agent Myron Bolitar. Critics loved the series, saying, “You race to turn pages…both suspenseful and often surprisingly funny” (People). After seven books Coben wanted to try something different. “I came up with a great idea that simply would not work for Myron,” says Coben. The result was the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller TELL NO ONE, which became the most decorated thriller of the year. Two books later, Bookspan, recognizing Coben’s broad international appeal, named NO SECOND CHANCE its first ever International Book of the Month in 2003 – the Main Selection in 15 different countries.
Harlan was the first writer in more than a decade to be invited to write fiction for the NEW YORK TIMES op-ed page. His Father’s Day short story, THE KEY TO MY FATHER, appeared June 15, 2003. His essays and columns have appeared in many top publications including the New York Times, Parade Magazine and Bloomberg Views.
Harlan has received an eclectic variety of honors from all over the world. In Paris, he was awarded the prestigious Vermeil Medal of Honor for contributions to culture and society by the Mayor of Paris. He was won the El Premio del Novela Negra RBA in Spain, the Grand Prix de Lectrices in France, and the CWA/ITV3 Bestseller Dagger for favorite crime novelist in England. On the other end of the spectrum, Little League Baseball inducted Harlan into their Hall of Excellence in 2013, and Harlan is also a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame from his playing days at Amherst College.
Harlan was born in Newark, New Jersey. He still lives in New Jersey with his wife, Anne Armstrong-Coben MD, a pediatrician, and their four children. Read More
