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Hold Tight

Author: Harlan Coben
Publisher: Orion
Category: Book

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Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

19 reviews
Sales Rank: 1504

Media: Hardcover
Edition: Hardback
Pages: 432
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.6

ISBN: 0752885219
EAN: 9780752885216
ASIN: 0752885219

Publication Date: April 17, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days

Customer Reviews:

Showing reviews 11-15 of 19

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A satisfyingly complex jigsaw May 6, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

Harlan Coben specialises 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 mysteries which felt increasingly similar in plot. I was pleasantly surprised that "Hold Tight" marks a departure in formula, in that it doesn't kick off with an ancient murder case or long ago disappearance. 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 centre 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 until the final pages.

5 out of 5 stars

Hold Tight - Harlan Coben May 3, 2008
Coben writes in an "easy" style that initially projects to the reader that the subject - in this case parenting - is an ordinary one. Far from it, in true Coben style there are the issues associated with bringing up children that could affect any family and cause chaos and frightening upheaval.
Whilst he tackles parenting issues, this work is full of suspense and moves at a good pace.
There are several characters and how they are associated with one another is once again cleverly revealed producing thrilling twists along the way.
This is a gripping and thought provoking read.

4 out of 5 stars

Classic Coben April 30, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

Another classic from Coben where he introduces a whole host of characters from a US town (Parents with a worrisome son, a couple who have recently lost their son to suicide, a couple with a son urgently needing a new kidney, a divorcee parent looking after his teased daughter, and local school teachers) as well as a paralell plot of daytime abductions and muders of a couple of housewives. Surely better than Wisteria Lane!

As we expect from Coben he weaves this altogether extremely tightly leaving the reader with eager anticipation of how it will unravel and then he delivers the tantalising piecemeal revelation right to the last page.

Hold Tight is a great dependable read.

4 out of 5 stars

Harlan Coben is Up There With the Best of Them April 27, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful

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.

The author is always there or thereabouts in the best seller lists and his books are consistently good and this one is no different, although having said that I did not think it was his best, but still eminently readable. Always one to keep the reader guessing the books has lots of twists and turns but Harlan Coben has the happy knack of keeping the reader guessing almost until the last page.

It is difficult to provide a synopsis of the storyline without spoiling the enjoyment of the reader, suffice to say that a pair of overprotective parents, worried about the welfare of their sixteen-year-old son install a spy programme onto their son's computer, only to find out far more than they had bargained for.

5 out of 5 stars

Coben's masterpiece April 25, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

I'd never heard of Harlan Coben a year ago and now I've nearly read the lot - he is that gripping.

While there are one or two things the editors will no doubt catch between this hardback and the paperback, the novel, its plot and the inter-weaving of sub-plots make this his chef d'oeuvre so far.

One or two of his thrillers have had slightly too many twists a little too quickly near the end. This one delivers the right number at a good pace, yet keeps you wondering until the very last how the two main plot strands can possibly come together, each of which is fascinating in its own right.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.