Good book let down by the ending
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I don't want to spoil the end so can't say too much, but suffice to say this is a gripping and multi layered book until about two thirds of the way through when there is a huge plot hole which makes the ending just too trite and obvious. I get the impression that Coben has got himself onto a treadmill that means that good ideas (and the basic premise of this book is excellent)are just not explored sufficiently and he ends up having to rush us into a satisfying conclusion to meet a publication deadline. If he is happy to churn books out like this then fine, but I would like to think he has a bit more about him, and has enough prestige within the industry to get off said treadmill and take a bit of time to craft a more satisfying piece of work which with his talents should be eminently possible.
Having said all that I still got through it in just about one hit so it is a page turner all right, just not as good as previous works.
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Has done better......
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Having been fortunate enough to stumble across Harlan Coben a number of years ago, I have enjoyed every single one of his books, whether the standalone stories or the Myron Bolitar series. He has a comfortable way of creating atmosphere, characters and settings, yet is never too far away from smashing that with some form of brutal act of unexpected twist. There is also a pace to his stories that tends to keep you sucked in from start to finish.
This, therefore, is a good example of that pace and has a number of the twists and turns that grab. However in this case, they seem to rather too trite and some rather fortunate occurences, not least of which is someone rather fortuitously being recognised off some CCTV that just happens to have become available which effectively brings the whole ensemble to a conclusion. Too many close coincidences, too many secrets from the past shared out amongst people who are all neighbours means that I found this to be a little too hurriedly put together compared to virtually all of his other books. It is however a compelling read and I support much of the comments that have given more starts; I do not share their shade of rose tinted specs however!
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debacle
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I am surprised by the 16 reviews I have read. Contrary to their lavish praise, this book is a great disappointment after the very good Tell No one and The Woods. The style is pulp fiction quality: simple phrases, witless dialogue, many one-sentence paragraphs for the hard of reading.
The plot is not as simple as some reviewers claim. Different plots, which cleverly come together at the end, are juggled all the way through, even switching in the middle of chapters. Newcomers to this kind of fiction should start making notes on page one - but they may still be startled by the twists and turns, which is of course the author's laudable intention. However, the two climactic scenes are just laughable. To give a line by line exposure of the absurdities would spoil the surprises for new readers, but kids of 13 trying to write an adventure story for English homework would do well to ignore these episodes as models. I hope Coben's next novel will return to form.
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Fasten The Seatbelt On Your Favorite Reading Chair And Get Ready For A Roller Coaster Of A Read!
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Hold Tight is definitely one of Harlan Coben's top three books -- and it may be his best yet! It is a book that grabs your attention from page one and never lets go until the last word on the last page. Hold Tight is largely plot-driven, although Coben's characters are mostly interesting and ones that people, and particularly parents, will be able to relate to. They are not characters, however, whose visual profiles came strongly to life for me. Further, if you have read Coben's Myron Bolitar series, I think you'll consider the characters of Mike Baye and his friend Mo to be pretty reminiscent of his characters, Myron Bolitar and his friend, Win. As I said, the strength of this book is its plot, not its character development. But what a plot it is! Basically, the book revolves around two story lines: (1) Mike Baye and his wife trying to deal with the increasing withdrawal of their 16-year-old son after a friend's suicide, and (2) a pair of brutal, seemingly unrelated killings, which serve to highlight the domestic troubles that ensue and draw the Baye family, their friends and neighbors in a sea of tragedy. In addition to Hold Tight's exciting plot, Coben wraps the story around the following highly relevant ethical questions that most parents have to wrestle with: How do you weigh a child's privacy against a parent's right to know? How do you differentiate normal teenage rebelliousness from out-of-control behavior? When and how do you intervene if suicidal signs appear? Be prepared to put off whatever you were planning to do once you start Hold Tight, as you won't want to put this book down. I highly recommend Hold Tight to all readers of exciting, suspenseful plot-driven thrillers.
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Another good thriller from Coben
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What shall I say? If you like Coben, you will not be disappointed. This is an entertaining read. Although it is not as a surprising read as "tell no one", it has a good pace and of course is very well written. Certainely worth the read.
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