The Woods by Harlan Coben Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Woods
Book Review: "Screams In The Woods"
Summary: 4 Stars
Seven teenagers went into "The Woods" that night during Summer Camp, but only three came out. The three were affected for the next 20 years. Then one of the four who didn't come out appeared, but had been recently murdered. One who did come out was Paul Copeland, County prosecutor, and another whom they never found was his sister, Lucy. Paul begins the search for her and answers as to what happened in "The Woods" that night 20 years ago. More people are murdered as the screams in "The Woods" continue.Book Review: 3.5 stars. Nicely wrapped up twists - after a pleasant roller coaster ride
Summary: 4 Stars
It's been a Coben couple of weeks. Last week I read Hold Tight. I debated if this one was better or worse. In the end, I decided unlike most critics that it's different, but that's not bad. And it's as good orbetter than the last.
While some other reviewers thought it shallow - I found that somehow in Coben's unique way he managed to keep me hooked with multiples story lines throughout (Who killed the people in the woods really? Were any of them alive? Would he win the case against the college kids? Would he get back with his old love? What was his Dad involved in? What was the camp director involved in?...) All of which were organized enough to stay up with them and tied up beautifully into a couple of nice, pleasant roller coaster twists and turns and a surprise ending. (Gratifyingly, one that didn't end up with some maniac doing the ever-so-popular over-the-top action scene to drive the story to a conclusion.
And for all the talk of shallowness - this one shared a common Coben theme about the lengths parents will go to to protect their kids (something that must be weighing on him lately - but makes it a tad more thoughtful, all the same). Maybe because it was less action-oriented and more about the story - it's less a page-turner than some of his (I confess I did put it down in favor of another book I was reading at the time for a bit) - but I was hooked to find out the answers to my questions.
I've always found Cobens characters to be less developed than Koontz - who can create the delightful odd ball, but with rarely the roller-coaster thrills that Coben manages. This one is no exception - but I still cared about them ---- through all it's twists and turns.
Book Review: 5 star thriller!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm glad to see Coben's latest thriller on all the bestseller lists, he really is one of the smartest thriller writers around. Great plots involving real characters you can care about are this authors hallmarks. 20 years ago, two teens were murdered and two more were never seen again after they walked into the woods at their summer camp. County prosecutor Paul Copeland was one of the four teens involved in the camp incident, and he is now involved in the case of a Black woman claiming to have been raped by some rich, white frat boys at a party. Woods does an excellent job of weaving these two plots together in an entertaining and suspenseful read. If you like thrillers, I can highly recommend this one. Just make sure to clear out your schedule once you crack it open!.
Book Review: A Gripping Page Turner with a Multifarious Plot
Summary: 5 Stars
The Woods kept me reading until late at night. Coben is a great writer and has put together a suspenseful novel. The story gets complex and is certainly asking readers to expand their parameters of realistic story lines, but it is entertaining reading and keeps it thick until the end.
I don't think fans of Coben's will be disappointed at all. Those new to Coben will be glad to have found a new writer to catch up on.
Book Review: A beach read in The Woods
Summary: 5 Stars
Recently, I watched a French adaptation of Harlan Coben's novel Tell No One. It was a nice movie and a reminder of one of the mysteries of cinema: why is it that a writer like Coben - who's written a string of excellent, popular and readily filmable books - has so few adaptations, while lesser authors have more success. I can provide no answers here, but I can at least provide the assurance that his 2007 novel The Woods is another gem.
The hero of The Woods is Paul Copeland, a prosecutor involved in a high profile case: a pair of wealthy fraternity brothers are accused of the rape of a stripper. The father of one of the defendants is willing to do anything - and ruin anyone - to get his son off the hook, and Copeland is right in the father's gunsights.
This case, however, is almost a distraction compared to a more serious issue. A man has been found dead with information about Copeland on him. Copeland is briefly a suspect, but what really disturbs him is the identity of the victim, a man thought dead for two decades, the victim of a serial killer who also murdered Copeland's sister at a summer camp. Since her body was never found (it was supposedly buried in the woods referred to by the title), now Copeland has to wonder if she might still be alive somewhere.
Copeland also still has to deal with his guilt for his indirect role in her seeming murder: he was supposed to be on alert at the camp, but was instead having sex with the camp's owner's daughter. Trying to solve this mystery will bring Copeland back in touch with her and unearth a lot of hidden secrets that can cause more harm than good.
If there is a flaw with The Woods, it's that Coben is revisiting some plot elements from previous books, such as the idea of an apparently dead person possibly returning into the hero's life (as in Tell No One). Of course, are any plots completely original? Even with the revisited elements, this is still a distinctly different story, and as always with Coben, The Woods is a thrilling page-turner that will please both his existing fans and anyone new to his writing.