Hold Tight

Title: Hold Tight

Author: Harlan Coben

Date Finished: March 10, 2009

Personal Book Count: 21 out of 100

Rating: 4 out of 5

Genre/ Subject: fiction/ suspense

First Line: Marianne nursed her third shot of Cuervo, marveling at her endless capacity to destroy any good in her pathetic life, when the man next to her shouted, “Listen up, sweetcakes: Creationism and evolution are totally compatible.”

Summery: Taken from the flap-

“Tia and Mike Baye never imagined they’d spy on their kids. But their sixteen-year-old son Adam has been unusually distant lately, and after the suicide of his best friend Spencer Hill, they can’t help but worry. Within days of installing a sophisticated spy program on Adam’s computer they are jolted by a cryptic message from an unknown correspondent that shakes them to their core: “Just stay quiet and all safe.”

As if Mike Baye isn’t dealing with enough, he also learns that Lucas Loriman, the sweet kid who grew up next door, is in urgent need of a kidney transplant. As the boy’s doctor, Mike suddenly finds himself in possession of an explosive secret that threatens to rip the Loriman family apart at the seams.

Nearby, while browsing through an online memorial for Spencer, Betsy Hill discovers a surprising detail about the night of her son’s death. Before she can find out more, Adam disappears, taking the truth with him and sending shockwaves through the neighborhood.

As the lives of these families collide in tragic, unexpected, and violent ways, long-hidden connections in their small suburb begin to work their way to the surface. And when an unidentified Jane Doe is beaten to death not far away, those connections threaten to turn this quiet community upside down—and force these desperate parents to decide whether there is any line they won’t cross to protect those they love most in the world. “

Why did I pick this book? : I had received a Harlan Coben for Christmas and liked it, so thought I would try another.

Review: I liked it. It wasn’t as good as Tell No One, I wasn’t in suspense on the edge of my seat the entire time, but it was still good. I really like how Coben takes multiple strands, all seemingly unrelated, and ties them together in unexpected ways. It really makes you think, and wonder if you should be looking over your shoulder.

I found the characters sympathetic, and it was easy to follow them on their journey for the most part. I could see why they made the decisions they made. And all were very distinct. As there were many of them, some never made an appearance as regularly as others. I may have forgotten their name by the time they came around again, but I never forgot their ‘character’. Once I started reading, they were easy to place once again.

It amused me, that Tia was a lawyer, and very logical, and Mike was a doctor, and sometimes didn’t approach things as logically, but still quite often, they came to very similar (if not the same) conclusions, at about the same time, but through very different ways.

It did raise some very interesting “make-you-think” questions. Like how much supervision/ knowledge of your child is too much? Is too much or too little a detriment? Is your child better off being too independent or too protected? How far would you go/ should you go to keep them safe? I know it is fiction, and the extreme, not the everyday, but still…

Will DEFINITELY be reading more Coben in the future. =D

Agree? Disagree? Recommendations? Any insights, suggestions, or comments on the book or format, or blog at all are most welcome. If you have read this and/ or review it yourself, please let me know. Can you think of any books like this? Give me a recommendation! =D