Hold Tight by Harlan Coben Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Hold Tight
Book Review: COBEN maintains level high
Summary: 4 Stars
H. COBEN dodges risks of iteration and "burden" of being such a bestselling author: he grants us with another nice piece of work, perfectly written, managing even more than in the others books to give some wonderfully questioning slants on major social and familial issues, while leading us in a compelling plot as usal.
Denis CARAIRE (France)
Book Review: CONFUSING
Summary: 4 Stars
THE STORY LINE WAS GOOD, BUT I KEPT GETTING THE CHARACTERS ALL MIXED-UP. HE KEPT GOING BACK AND FORTH SO MUCH, IT WAS HARD TO KEEP TRACK OF WHO WAS WHO. VERY DISTRACTING!!Book Review: CONTROL IS AN ILLUSION
Summary: 4 Stars
Harlan Coben rewards his fans with yet another quality mystery, HOLD TIGHT written in typical Coben style: he writes about ordinary families with secrets that cause extraordinary problems, and he does this quite well.
The central family in this particular novel is Dr. Mike Baye, his wife Tia, their fifteen-year-old son Adam, and their eleven-year-old daughter Jill. Average family. The problem starts when Dr. Baye and his wife, who up until recently had the illusion that they were in control of their children, have enough reasonable motive to start spying on their son's internet activities and whereabouts. Like many of Harlan Coben's books, there are four or five sub-plots going on at the same time that seem to have no common denominator. Just when I started to grow a little weary of all the short stories within the story, they all started to tie together, then the illusions start to shatter and crumble like a house of cards.
What I like most about this book was that it brought up some viable situations concerning young people, technology, and parenting. Also, it was fun to have some old characters make an appearance here. However, HOLD TIGHT was not as thrilling as some of his other novels were and nowhere near as funny as his Myron Bolitar series.
Book Review: Coben can do much better
Summary: 3 Stars
Hold Tight, Harlan Coben's newest entry into what can now be considered a fairly sizeable body of mystery writings, is a disappointment. Actually, it is more that that - it is seemingly a total sell out by an author who had previously developed fun and interesting characters and wove them into a very good and taut story line. Now it appears (and one can obviously never be sure) that Coben is on some 5 book contract and he is just pumping them out. Hold Tight is all plot, and plenty of it. In fact - way too much and the author contrives to weave multiple sub-plots into an often disjointed main "theme". For those who have enjoyed his rich development of both characters and plot - keep hunting or read an earlier book. Coben is going the way of Grippando, but I remain hopeful and will give him one more book. After that his books will go on the shelf at my summer house that allows, nah, encourages visitors to bring the books home with them - no need to ever sent them back. Mr. Coben, you can go the way of Crais and Connelly or the shameless way of James Patterson. Your fans are holding tight.Book Review: Coben delivers once again; a real nail-biter
Summary: 4 Stars
Harlan Coben is skilled at devising very unusual thrillers with twists and quirks that take the reader all over the emotional and psychological map, and this book is no exception.
This time around, the parental nightmare of a teen suicide is the launching pad for an excursion into the world of adolescent angst and the dilemma parents face in how to deal with it, particularly when it spirals terribly out of control. Throw into the mix a psychotic killer trying to appease his own demons, and you have Coben's portrayal of a middle-class neighborhood that could almost be set in a Bosch landscape.
What really goes on behind the placid facade of our neighbors' public personas? This is essentially the question Coben poses in this engaging novel.
Vividly-drawn characters, taut pacing, and clever plotting help drive this work, and deliver a very fun and satisfying experience for the reader.
The only reason I held back that fifth star was that the ultimate fates of a couple of the "bad guys" were somewhat vaguely resolved, and this detracted a bit from the satisfaction factor of the book's finale. But it's a minor point, and doesn't at all affect my recommendation for this work.