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Since his first Myron Bolitar novel, DEAL BREAKER was released in 1995, Harlan Coben has waster no time at all in establishing his credentials as a superb writer of thrillers. To prove this claim, he has won the coveted triumvirate of the Edgar, the Shamus and the Anthony Awards. His novels, TELL NO ONE, DARKEST FEAR, THE FINAL DETAIL, ONE FALSE MOVE, BACK SPIN, FADE AWAY, DROP SHOT, DEAL BREAKER and GONE FOR GOOD could, perhaps be described as having circuitous and tricky narratives but they lose nothing in their maze of plots. While Coben's output is primarily concerned with his sports agent protagonist, Myron Bolitar, his standalones, of which NO SECOND CHANCE is one, are just as suspenseful as his series. It is a tribute to Coben's inventiveness that he appears equally at home playing in a strange yard as in his own garden. NO SECOND CHANCE tugs unmercifully at an adult reader's fears, especially one who might be a parent. What parent could be other than affected by a tale of a baby's kidnapping? Who would not tiptoe to his own child's room, not that they would really believe anything had happened to the child but, well, just for reassurance, on reading of such a dreadful thing? This book is written in a combination of first person and third person. The narrator is Dr. Marc Seidman, a reconstructive plastic surgeon. He is happily eating his breakfast of a granola bar when the first bullet hits. The next thing he knows, he is in hospital recovering from multiple wounds which nearly terminated his life.To his horror, he is told that his wife has been shot dead and his six-month-old daughter, Tara, has been kidnapped. To add insult to injury, he also finds that he is a suspect in the murder/kidnapping, despite his own grave wounds. Seidman's millionaire father-in-law receives a ransom demand with a promise that baby Tara will be returned to her father should they follow instructions in delivering two million dollars. Needless to say, or the book would be considerably truncated, things go wrong at the drop. The FBI as well as local police have become involved and this involvement is only one of the factors complicating the baby's return. A former child star of a TV sitcom has long disappeared from the public's memory. Why would they want to remember Pixie Trixie, after all? Well, perhaps if they had known how cruel and ruthless the grown-up Lydia would become, the seemingly innocent child may have remained with them! Lydia and her lover, the brutal in both appearance and nature Heshy, are involved in the kidnapping and ransom scheme, as well as with an adoption racket. Seidman is told there will be no second chance for him to recover his child, yet 18 months after the kidnapping his father-in-law is presented with proof that Tara is still living, and again receives a demand for two million dollars. In the meantime, Marc has again met his former, and only true, love, Rachel. Rachel was an FBI agent who still retains her skills but because of the shooting of her husband, a more senior agent, is now retired. The duo seek to ensure the return of Tara but this time without the involvement of the law enforcement agencies which they feel wrecked the chances of the earlier return of the kidnapped infant. It is something of an understatement to say the pace of this novel is both hectic and thrilling. Coben has certainly outdone himself in his tortuous plotting. I, for one, had absolutely not the faintest idea of how the plot would be resolved. Characters become well-known to the reader only to unveil themselves later as something other than they have been portrayed. Along the way, the author touches on genuine adoption rackets and imported slave labour schemes. Coben acknowledges help he has received from experts but instead of the disclaimer that any mistakes are not theirs but his, reverses the blame, arguing that he should not bear the fault for others' errors. Good upon him! Coben has written such intriguing non-series books that one can only hope he continues with his adventures into non-sports related worlds.
Reviewed by Denise Wels Pickles, December 2003
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