The Stranger: by Harlan Coben | Summary & Analysis

by Book*Sense

The by Harlan Coben | Summary & Analysis

This is a Summary & Analysis. Harlan Coben’s novel is a provocative crime thriller that will leave the reader guessing until its final pages. Set in the comforts of small town suburbia it invokes the theory that nothing is as it seems and sometimes the fairy tale with the white picket fence is just that – a fairy tale. Adam Price learns the hard way that the truth doesn’t necessarily set you free and sometimes it can do more harm than the deception itself.

When Adam Price is approached by an unknown person at a youth athletics meeting he is ill-prepared for the life-altering information the man presents to him. Learning of his wife’s deceptions from a completely unfamiliar person is even more unsettling than the secrets themselves. That conversation changes the course of Adam’s life forever and when he confronts Corinne her guarded response is puzzling. Then his wife turns up missing and Adam knows the only thing he can do is search for the stranger and get to the bottom of Corinne’s disappearance once and for all.

This companion also includes the
• Book Review
• Story Setting Analysis
• Story elements you may have missed as we decipher the novel
• Details of Characters & Key Character Analysis
• Summary of the text, with some analytical comments interspersed
• Thought Provoking /or Discussion Questions for both Readers & Book Clubs
• Discussion & Analysis of Themes, Symbols…
• And Much More!

This Analysis of Harlan Coben’s novel fills the gap, making you understand more while enhancing your reading experience.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller

67 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 28, 2015

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read "The Stranger" in one sitting! The basic concept of the book is highly creative; the plot of the book in it's most basic sense explores what happens in life when "The Stranger" takes it upon himself to "Play God" - in other words the stranger holds himself worthy to judge the ethics or morals of other people and, in doing so, alters the course of their life irrevocably. The secondary underlying plot that we protect our own families - even at the expense of other families - questions the heart of human nature. This idea really struck a chord in me - don't we all look out for our best interests?

[Patricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

BORING :-(

[Cariza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. God. Those where the first words that came out of my mouth after this book. The Stranger had my head spinning from one event to another, realizing only in the middle that I was treading through a well made spider’s web. I mean that in a good way (if that could have bad connotations at all). It’s like you thought you’re walking through a weird thread of events that have irregular distances between each other until you see the big picture. The plot is brilliant, the characters weren’t just popping out of nowhere so to speak. You start reading it and you think, “Oh it’s about Adam and the stranger.” And then you get through it, the frustrations, and then you get this nice blend of characters and intertwining circumstances. It’s not your usual protagonist-antagonist relationship. Everyone here has reasons of their own, morals that they try to live through, aspirations, it’s like the book just took a life of its own and then you start feeling for the characters. The mystery is there and after a few chapters you’ll actually start seeing the pieces you need to solve it, but like I said, it’s not your usual protagonist-antagonist relationship. It really gives you a new perspective about how secrets can make or break a person, relationships, lives, and a dilemma about what should and should not be revealed—how and when if the former, and why if the latter. It’s an amazing read.

[Barbaratroianos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book delves into the twisted mind of someone who wants to even the score by digging into the private secrets of people's lives. It's scary there are people who want to ruin other people's lives.

[Brent Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stranger didn’t shatter Adam’s world at at once.

That was what Adam Price would tell himself later, but that was a lie. Adam somehow knew right away, right from the very first sentence, that the life he had known as a content suburban married father of two was forever gone.

“We’re living the dream,” Tripp Evans tells Adam Price at their sons’ sixth-grade lacrosse all-star team draft. But it had already started to slip when minutes before a stranger approached Adam and told him of a dark secret about his wife, Corinne, adding “you didn’t have to stay with her”

When he confronts Corinne she doesn’t deny it but she runs leaving a text message saying, “YOU TAKE CARE OF THE KIDS. DON’T TRY TO CONTACT ME. IT WILL BE OKAY.

Corinne refuses to answer Adams question just saying, “there is more to this story”. Well that is exactly right, much more, and it is a well written story that you won’t want to put down.

For more on this book see https://connectedeventsmatter.com/blo...

[Myrna]

I am a fan of Harlan Coben. This story takes place in the life of a family. There are two sons and a mother and father. They are much like any suburban family. Then we get into the plot of the story. Little by little it becomes a mystery. I like way the reader is taken from the facts to the central story line. I did not guess the ending at all. Really good and highly recommend.

[Jesica · Rating 4 out of 5]

CALIFICATION: 4.0 ESTRELLAS

es de esas historias de las que comienzas y no esperas nada, pero a medida que va avanzando todo tienes un monton de preguntas y no sabes como va terminar todo y como todos los personajes estan relacionados... en fin me sorprendio mucho en un buen sentido

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. Suspenseful all the way through. I didn't expect it to end the way it did.

[Anjali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page turner! Can't pause once we start reading. The concept of the book is what caught me. Everyone keep secrets and that can kill!

[Rachel Lancaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but no great. Harlan could use a little bit more color in his prose, but he's a good story teller.

[Mike Motsinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book read by Harlan Cobin. I enjoyed and will read more.

[Peter Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Plot and I read the whole book in two days

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing concept for a book and very well written…loved it. (Not crazy about the show though)

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another page-turner murder mystery from Coben. Hard to put down.

[Elaine Ball · Rating 4 out of 5]

once again, Harlan Coban did not disappoint! Slow to get going, surprising ending, Excellent!

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book after I saw the Netflix show based on it. The show was pretty close. Book held my interest. I liked it.

[Victoria Stouter · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really liked this!!! its heartwarming how much the main character worked to save his wife but the ending is sad

[Jon Loney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Typical Harlan Coben wrote yet another amazing story where the words flow off the page and tell a unique, amazing story.

[Lindsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! I highly recommend. Full of twists and turns. Mr. Coben never fails to surprise me.

[Loly De Souza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente. Não consegui parar de ler . Muito melhor que a adaptação feita para o cinema . Netflix.

[Karen Zygmunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first HC book.
Love the short chapters and the twists.

[Kitty CK · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could not put it down

[Tom Tischler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Stranger pops up out of nowhere. A bar, a parking lot, a
grocery store. His motives are unclear, his information is undeniable.
A few words in your ear and your world is shattered. Adam Price has a
lot to lose. A beautiful wife, two great sons and a fantastic home.
Then he runs into the Stranger where he learns a devastating secret
about his wife Corinne. He confronts her and the perfect marriage
disappears as if it was never there. Soon Adam is tangled up in some-
thing far darker than even Corrine's deception and he realizes that
if he doesn't make the right move this conspiracy he's stumbled into
will not only ruin lives - it will end them. Another fine story from
Harlan Coben, it should keep you interested from start to finish and
you can't ask for more than that.

[Janell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good stand alone novel by Harlan Coben. I have read all of Mr. Coben's novels and find his stand alone novels so different from his Myron Bolitar series. Though not as good as the series, The Stranger is still a very good book to read. The book moves at a quick pace and keep you drawn in but the ending was a bit rushed and I finished reading the book a little bit disappointed. Interesting story line but a bit hard to swallow. I really don't think someone would go through all that trouble to dig up dirt on people to make a living. Some of the characters are well developed, mainly the main characters while the perpetrators remain vague. Still a good story to read and would recommend it to others.

[M.A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I miss the Bolitar series. Coben writes action well, but relationship stuff, well, not so much. I found the "daddy dearest" parts hard to take. (Perhaps trying to attract the mommy crowd?) The author needs to stick with what he does best: action, plot, humor and leave out the character stuff, or learn how to write it more convincingly.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I could not figure out how everybody fit into the Strangers plans until almost the ending. I was a little disappointed in the ending but this book kept me wanting to read and not put it down. Good story....

[Lavada Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rated this book 5 stars but it deserves more. I think it might be his best so far but then I usually say that about my latest read from him. Lot's of twists and almost impossible to guess the ending.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Harlan Coben's books and this one was a great read. It is a book about secrets and how they affect our lives and the lives of others. It had good suspense and I couldn't put it down once I started it. Fast paced, draws you in, good twist at the end. I Liked it a lot!

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another engrossing Coben novel. This one should be read by all who use the Internet so freely because the message is highly plausible. We should all think twice before we engage in any online activity!!

[Helen Carolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh my goodness. i wish Harlan Coben didn't write such good books. couldn't put this one down and was dismayed when i'd finished it. another winner.