Hold Tight by Harlan Coben Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Hold Tight
Book Review: A Tepid Chiller
Summary: 2 Stars
Harlan Coben, once known for his edgy, sassy Myron Bolitar series, has staked out suburbia as his domain for thrillers that... well, aren't all that thrilling. Part of the problem is that he jumps repeatedly from one person's point of view to another. None of these stereotypical characters is very memorable, and there's no mystery about their words or actions because they're always analyzing their motivations for us. The only suspense is when someone opens an e-mail, gasps in shock -- and then Coben starts a new chapter in another POV without telling us what the first character saw. Maybe the story is scary if you're the parent of a teen (a situation that's scary enough by itself), but I couldn't summon enough empathy for any of the characters to care what happened to them.Book Review: A complex jigsaw that marks a change of pace
Summary: 3 Stars
Harlan Coben specializes in writing intricate and suspenseful mysteries that keep you turning pages late into the night. His first (and to my mind, his best) standalone murder mystery was "Tell No One". Since then he has written several more novels which have been increasingly similar in plot. I was pleasantly surprised that "Hold Tight" marks a departure in formula, in that it doesn't center on an ancient murder case or the long ago disappearance of a family member. While this does mean that the book struggles a little to find its own momentum, at least Coben is trying something different instead of giving us more of the same.
"Hold Tight" juggles a number of different stories, all of which in some way center on the theme of parents trying to protect and/or understand their children. While initially they seem to be quite disparate plotlines, eventually the connections between them become apparent and it is this process of putting the jigsaw pieces together that is the most satisfying part of reading "Hold Tight". One of the things that I really like about Harlan Coben's writing is that there are never any loose ends or things that get left unexplained.
"Hold Tight" is a little slower in pace than his other novels and at times it gets confusing keeping track of so many people, but it's still is a satisfying mystery that keeps the suspense going right until the final pages.
Book Review: A gallant attempt by Coben falls just a little short
Summary: 2 Stars
First of all, I have always enjoyed Coben's work and I also feel that just about every one of his stories falls short of what it could have been. Coben seems to have a very powerful positive gene that forces his stories to be created with great moral characters and purpose. It is impossible to pick up one of his novels and not feel as though you are drowning in the most all American family you will ever come across. Coben also has a fault in my mind for getting way too attached to his characters. Myron Bolitar, his primary alter ego for example was slowly transformed into a comic book super hero, and the further the series progressed, the further Coben became attached to the character, and the further the character lost any semblance to reality.
What makes Coben's stand alone novels such as `Hold Tight' more engaging than his Bolitar series is that he has no real attachment to the characters and you are left with the idea that something bad just might happen. Characterization is not a primary concern of Coben, from one book to the next; the protagonist is pretty much the same. Here as with his other stories, you find a man with no real flaws other than being blinded to his everyday life due to pressing work concerns... the normal everyday life disassociation effect. But you don't read Coben for great characters, you read him for the action that he occasionally pulls off with great success.
So I am primarily giving this book two stars not based on the 2 dimensional characters, not based on the better than average but not great prose style, but on the plot. I have to hand it to Coben here. He really goes for his greatest triumph with this book. The plot is totally complex, original, and interwoven. You follow a dozen or more characters over the course of two days and it fits together fairly decently. A lot of the threads felt underdeveloped or utilized, but this was a stretch for Coben and I appreciate that. On the down side, there were so many characters and the story jumped so often, I had to take a moment time and again to remind myself just who and what this or that person were and what they were last doing. The story also added weakly, Coben had so many threads, you could see him trying to wrap up maybe three dozen of them over the last few chapters and only a couple felt complete.
I like Coben a lot; I will read him again and again as his new books come out. I don't think that this was his most successful effort. I think he gave it a good try. I hope he broadens his scope even more with the next one and pulls it off.
Book Review: A page turner, but too may subplots
Summary: 4 Stars
Harlan Coben is one of my favorite mystery writers. His books are always well written and definite page turners that keep you reading long into the night. However, there were a few too many sub plots and characters in this one. Although Mr. Coben was able to integrate all of them by the end of the book, things seemed a bit too pat and over the top. Still, I rated it above average, as it definitely held my interest throughout. This book also represents a divergence from his usual formula. Although I don't feel he totally pulled it off, I do commend him in his attempt.Book Review: A surprise package
Summary: 4 Stars
Reading this novel was like opening a surprise package. You want to see what's inside but you want to savor the anticipation too. While I felt as if I couldn't read Hold Tight fast enough, I still didn't want it to end. Harlan Coben has never disappointed and I look forward to reading more of his books. In fact, I highly recommend this book to my fellow readers. Loved the plot/storyline, loved the writing, cared about the characters, made me wonder what I would do in the same circumstances -- all the characteristics of an excellent novel.