Book Review: Caught by Harlan Coben

Harlan Coben is one of my favorite suspense/thriller writers. He keeps you going, sort of like a roller coaster ride where, just when you think you are coasting and looking around at the view, you are suddenly jerked and swept into a hair-raising plunge that leaves you breathless. His writing is pure entertainment with drama that flows seamlessly from chapter to chapter. And with every book, Coben gets better and better.


Caught is the story of three people (and their families): Haley McWaid, a seventeen-year-old good girl and high school senior, who turns up missing one night; Dan Mercer, a social worker and coach of a fourth-grade basketball team; and Wendy Tynes, a TV news reporter who targets Dan and accuses him of being a sexual predator. People in the community soon begin to suspect Dan of taking Haley, and there are those who want to take the law into their own hands and "take care of" Dan before he comes to trial. As Wendy investigates the case, what she thinks is true becomes more elusive and soon she finds herself involved far more than she ever imagined. Many twists and turns in the plot pull the reader into a tense story of revenge, murder, and deceit that will keep you guessing until the very last page.

I like how Coben writes. I feel like he's in the room with me, telling me a story and making it sound so real. The characters are at times funny and even the antagonists are likeable in their own way. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes suspense. And I would urge you to read Coben's other novels as well. I have enjoyed every one of them.

(Caution: some hard language and innuendo.)

Here is a quote from Caught that I found to be quite profound and very true:

"Did tragedy cause fissures, open them wider - or did tragedy merely turn on the light so you could see the fissure that had always been there? Maybe we live in darkness, blinded by the smile and facade of goodness. Maybe tragedy just takes away the blinders."

I didn't realize that Harlan Coben was a theologian. :)

(Click on the links and/or the book image to learn more about the author and his books.)