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THE WOODS
by Harlan Coben
Dutton, April 2007
416 pages
$26.95
ISBN: 0525950125


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

I always used to resent somewhat Harlan Coben's standalones. After all, they were keeping him away from the business in hand of keeping the wonderful Myron Bolitar series clipping along. Then I read TELL NO ONE and THE INNOCENT . . . and yes, I was hooked on those as well!

THE WOODS doesn't stray too far from Coben's successful standalone formula – fairly normal bloke's everyday life disturbed by secrets from the past that threaten to ruin his and his family's existence. In this case it focuses on Paul Copeland, a county prosecutor in New Jersey.

Twenty years ago Paul and his sister Camille were at a summer camp. Four teenagers, one of them Camille, walked into the nearby woods. Two were murdered; two were never seen again.

Cut to the present day and the whole nightmare is reawakened as a homicide victim is found with Paul's details on him. Paul, used to asking questions for a living, begins to unravel what really happened in those woods, leading him to wonder if the missing two are still alive, and also to ask questions about his Russian parents' mysterious past.

Coben is the master of books that you have to finish in one sitting, and THE WOODS is no exception. He's such an exceptional storyteller that the narrative feels effortless and the dialogue crisp and sparky.

The characters in the standalones feel like people you'd live next door to, with family hassles and secrets they'd rather keep hidden. Our hero Paul is a widower with a young daughter Cara to care for. He's got political aspirations, but Coben always succeeds in ensuring we're not presented with Goody Two-Shoes lead characters.

And you should always expect the unexpected with Coben, as his books resemble a particularly manic ride on a rollercoaster. So what looked like a picture-perfect genre cliché was given a final chapter twist – and which played fair with the reader if you'd had your detecting hat on all through.

I'm still pondering how successful the ending was, as the last 20 or so pages had a slight 'home in time for tea' feel to them as lots of plot strands were tied up rather too tightly and quickly – with one exception that may annoy you, or make you shrug. Whichever, Coben takes you on a tantalising ride to get you to that point.

Reviewed by Sharon Wheeler, June 2007

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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