Tell No One / Back Spin

by Harlan Coben

TELL NO ONE Eight years ago, David Beck was knocked unconscious and left for dead, and his wife Elizabeth was kidnapped and murdered. Every day for the next eight years Dr Beck re-lived the horror of what happened. Then, one afternoon, he receives an anonymous e-mail telling him to log on to a certain web-site at a certain time. The screen opens onto a web cam and it is Elizabeth's image he sees. Is it just a heartless practical joke? Or could Elizabeth be alive?

BACK SPIN The search for a missing boy gives Myron Bolitar far more than he bargained for. When Myron investigates, he crashes through a crowd of low-lifes, blue-bloods and liars on both sides of the social divide. And when family skeletons start coming out of the closet, Myron is about to find out just how deadly life can get...

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction

Paperback

First published September 1, 2004

About the author

Harlan Coben is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of the world's leading storytellers. His suspense novels are published in forty-five languages and have been number one bestsellers in more than a dozen countries with seventy-five million books in print worldwide.

His books have earned the Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony Awards, and many have been developed into Netflix Original Drama series, including his adaptations of The Stranger, The Innocent, Gone for Good and The Woods. His most recent adaptation for Netflix, Stay Close, premiered on December 31, 2021 and stars Cush Jumbo, James Nesbitt, and Richard Armitage.

Reviews

[Siobhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tell No One and Back Spin are two very different Harlan Coben books. One I really enjoyed, the other I had a lot of trouble with.

Tell No One was a story that hooked me from the start, a standalone with plenty packed into it that kept me turning the pages. It was a solid four-star rating, one I could not put down. Back Spin was a story I had a lot of trouble with, the fourth book in the Myron Bolitar series that I think I would have enjoyed more if I’d read the prior books in the series. It was a two-star rating, one I just couldn’t connect with.

All in all, the omnibus shows the good and the not-so-good of the author.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Couldn't put it down. It had everything, comedy, suspense, drama, thriller, you name it. If this was Coben's first book I can't wait to read his next. The twist and turns take the reader on an adventure no-one sees coming.

Fantastic!!!!!!!!

[LibraryCin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for Tell No One (Dec. 2012):
4 stars

David Beck and his wife Elizabeth were together since they were kids and very much in love. Eight years ago, Elizabeth was kidnapped and found murdered, and David never got over losing her. So why is David suddenly getting mysterious emails as if they are from Elizabeth?

Another really good book by Coben with plenty of twists and turns and a surprise right at the end. This one didn't have that great opening sentence like a lot of his books do, and took a little longer to get going for me, but overall, I really liked it.

Review for Back Spin (Nov. 2015):
3.5 stars

Myron Bolitar is a sports agent and there is a big golf tournament in town. The wife of one of the front-runners calls Myron to get his help (he is also a....... PI, of some sort?) when her son is kidnapped.

I think this is the 4th book in the Myron Bolitar series. I was told that they don't need to be read in order, but I think at least reading the first book might have been a good idea. The story in this one was good, but I never did quite figure out Myron's background – why he does this PI-type thing he does, how his friend Win is involved, their background, etc. I do have another Bolitar book (the 8th one, I think), but I will definitely make a point of reading the first one first.

So, except for losing some interest with Myron's interactions with his friends, as I wasn't quite “getting” how they all relate, the story itself was good. Not as good as Coben's stand-alone books, though. I'd either start with a stand-alone (they are amazing!) for anyone who hasn't read Coben yet, or at least the first book in the Bolitar series. This one was a quick read.

[Kathleen Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This edition is two books in one, and that's always a bonus! The first book is a stand alone story, which was enjoyable, and I really empathised with the main character. I won't bother explaining the story or setup, as the explanation on the book tells you all you need to know. The twists seemed evident to me, but that may be due to the sheer number of crime fiction books I have read, rather than any weakness in the plot/writing.
I did enjoy this story, but it didn't grab me the way other Harlan Coben books have, but again that's probably because after you have read a number of crime fiction books, there are no surprises, and it's the characters in the book that either sink it or lift it to revered status.
I like Coben's Myron Bolitar character, and he doesn't feature in the first book, so that may be why it was slightly lacking for me.
The second book is a Myron Bolitar one, and it is a very good one, with solid characterization. I don't like one of the main characters in these books, but he is well written and feeds into the whole feel of it. It's unusual to have a character that you don't like, but you agree is neccessary! It's full of american ways and thinking, without alienating non american readers, as some US crime fiction can, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys something not quite as mainstream.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to Back Spin on CD. The other book was not included. Back Spin was a typical mystery with a few rather predictable twists. I suppose justice was eventually done.

[Retno · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my opinion, Windsor Lockwood is the most interesting character in Myron Bolitar series. This book opens up a little of his family background and the reason why he becomes what he is.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed these, especially Tell No One. I'm also amused by the 90s-era technology references.

[Dorelle Ackermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book showed me that I like Coben's series featuring Myron Bolitar better. This book was too violent for my taste.

[Christine Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read Tell No One. Kept my attention and was good. Written in 2001 you can see the changes in technology. Good weekend read.

[Noninuna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only read Back Spin.

[Beth Shields-Szostak]

1st edition, signed by author