The Innocent by Harlan Coben Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $4.25 You Save: $5.74 (57%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Innocent
Book Review: Not One of His Best, but Still, It's Coben
Summary: 4 Stars
In The Innocent by Harlen Coben, paralegal and ex-convict Matt Hunter's world is turned upside down when he is sent a video and picture from his wife's cell phone that suggest she is having an affair. As he investigates further, he finds that his wife is not who he thought her to be and is actually a former stripper from Nevada. In the course of learning the truth about his wife's past, he comes under scrutiny from the FBI and the local cops, who suspect he is responsible for the murder of the man who was pictured with his wife.
I love Harlen Coben-- I love the way he puts ordinary people into extraordinary situations, and I love the way he keeps the suspense and action running all the way through his books so they are impossible to put down. That being said, this was not one of Coben's better works. The situation was interesting enough and the main character, Matt Hunter, was certainly a sympathetic character, but there were just too many loose ends and plot elements that just plain didn't make sense. Just a few of the many questions I was left with:
How did the nun hook up with Olivia's daughter?
Why did Kimmy Dale kill the private detective?
Why was the father of the boy Matt killed brought into the plot?
What did the Aryan Brotherhood have to do with anything?
I enjoyed the book until the last few chapters when it became apparent that nothing was going to make sense. Coben can do much better than this. If you have never read Coben before, don't start with this one, in fact, don't read it at all. Go to one of his better books such as Hold Tight or Gone for Good. If you are already a Coben fan, go ahead and read it. Just be prepared for an ending that doesn't answer much of anything.
Book Review: Not So Innocent, Lined With Shady on the Side
Summary: 3 Stars
You can always count of the fact that Coben is a master of his trade. Even Bill Clinton and Dan Brown say so. And while Dan Brown may get you one of the greatest endorsements to make you a bestseller, that sometimes isn't enough. In the very end, what I say matters too. And this time, I say 3 stars. Why? Because it was a typical Coben thriller, and it was well written. But it was also shady in a few ways. And I didn't like that. And if others love that kind of crap, good for them.
Opening lines are genius. And they say, "You never meant to kill him. Your name is Matt Hunter." That got my attention, and I admit that. And we meet Matt Hunter, a man who attempted to break up a fight, ending up killing another man in the process. And after nine years later, he's getting on with his life, he's married, and they want children. But something isn't right. And through the jaded glance of a cell phone, Matt's life is about to go crazy one more time. And everything Matt Hunter thought he knew about anything in his present day life is in question. How will things go down?
This was good stuff, and very similar to TELL NO ONE, but I guess that's ok with Dan Brown, and USA Today. And I suppose if your standards meet that of Bill Clinton, then this is right up your alley. The thrills are great, and Coben does indeed turn a few heads. Although, unfortunately, while this turned my head, I was also shaking my head, and wondering why Coben has to mix in smut with such great storytelling. Here's your Harlan Coben present, in a nice, beautiful box, wrapped up with a perfect ribbon. But as far as I'm concerned, it was lined with a bit of shady stuff on the side. And I think, in my final conclusion, not so innocent. That's too bad, and hopefully Coben impresses me next time around.
Book Review: One of My Favourite Thriller Writers
Summary: 4 Stars
Harlan Coben continues to prove that he is one of the best thriller writers around at the moment. A page turner is a much used phrase but in this case it is really appropriate. The author's books are always so well structured and his character's well rounded. He is obviously comfortable with his style and ability and this transmits itself to the reader making the reading of his books sheer pleasure from start to finish. Coben has now got a string of best selling crime novels behind him and all I can say is that I hope he continues to write for many years to come. The author lives in New Jersey with his wife and four children.
This particular book seems to have attracted a mixed bag of reviews and to a degree I can understand why, but the fact the reviews are mixed tells its own story. It is very difficult as a reviewer to criticise a book or an author too much, as your thoughts on the book are personal to you. This does not mean that others who read it will also dislike it. In fact they may think totally the reverse and love the book..
I personally found the book an entertaining read, yes in parts the plot did stretch the imagination a little, but it is after all a work of fiction, a fantasy, there to entertain rather than educate. All I can really add is if you have read Harlan Coben before, you will probably enjoy the book immensely and if you haven't but like thriller writing, give it a try.
Book Review: Reviews by Nan Kilar and Bobby Miller
Summary: 4 Stars
I'll try not to write a confusing review about a confusing book. Matt Hunter, the main character, and the other assorted characters are each introduced in a separate chapter. Then the chapters start bouncing back and forth with one character's activities, then another's, and so on.
In his college days, Matt was sent to prison for manslaughter after he broke up a fight and killed a guy. Nine years later, he's happily married to Olivia and they're expecting their first child. Then, thanks to modern technology, he receives provocative pictures of her on his camera phone. Loren Muse, an investigator in the DA's office, a murdered nun with [...] implants, and assorted references to Nevada round out the various plots that the reader hopes will eventually come together.
The author artfully ties hundreds of threads together, throws in a few surprises near the end, and brings this well-crafted story to an end. His subtle sense of humor here and there helped the story move right along, too.
Book Review: Sometimes Love Really Does Find Away
Summary: 5 Stars
When Matt Hunter was in college he stopped off at a frat party with his pugnacious best friend. The friend got Matt into a fight where somebody died with Matt's fingers around his throat. Matt was coming to the aid of said friend who was being brutally beaten by a crowd, but that didn't keep him out of jail for killing a man.
He serves his time, gets out of jail, is reunited with Olivia, a girl he met in Las Vegas before the bad time. They connect, get married, she gets pregnant, then one day Matt gets an image on his cell phone of Olivia with another man. What is his pregnant wife doing in a motel room? He can't believe she'd be unfaithful, but the evidence is pretty damning. And it gets worse. Still Matt believes in his wife, even as things just keep getting even worse for him. Not only is he facing jail again, because the cops are looking for him as the suspect in a new murder, but some very bad guys are after him too.
Mr. Coben has written knock 'em dead thriller that you just will not be able to put down. Have you ever wondered about your partner's past? What he or she did before you were married? Matt didn't, perhaps he should have, but what the heck, he was in love and you know what, sometimes love really does conquer all. I swear I just can't get enough of Mr. Coben.