Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

The first poster(s) could please provide a synopsis of these chapters to guide the discussion.

1
Kat Donovan- NYPD detective. Had aspirations of being a lawyer, but wound up in the family business.
Stacy - Kat’s beautiful friend, private investigator.
Stacy sets Kat up with an online dating site.
Jeff-journalist whose picture pops up on dating site, has past with Kat (fiance)

2
Gerard Remington, about to propose to Vanessa Moreau. Works for Benesti Pharmaceutical. He heads to the islands for the proposal, but then his world goes dark and he awakens bound and possibly buried.

3.
Aqua-yogi
Kat tells Stacy that she was once engaged, and the guy is on the dating site.
Stacy thinks fate is at work here.

4.
Kat sends Jeff an old, sappy video to see how he responds.
She then goes to work , her boss being the cop who told her her father had been murdered years earlier. He was her father’s partner.
Monte Leburne- the guy who killed Kat’s father. Now in prison dying of pancreatic cancer. She wants to see him, he has answers to a case and has not been talking.

I might also mention that the "ass waffle" bar scene was quite well done.

I beg to differ on the "old sappy video" description, I'll have you know. Coben describing Kat's attachment to the video and song ""Missing You" by John Waites -- that could have been me. I don't think I connected with the song personally, wasn't particularly missing anyone at the time, but I can't hear it without stopping what I'm doing and singing along, I just loved it then and still do. I had forgotten the ending of the video, which made the song so much more poignant. Coben described it perfectly!

I thought Kat's use of it was very clever. I can't wait to see what comes of it.

Barry wrote: "4.
Kat sends Jeff an old, sappy video to see how he responds.
She then goes to work , her boss being the cop who told her her father had been murdered years earlier. He was her father’s partner.
M..."

I don't know, I could NOT believe a guy would be so clueless. Those supposed pickup lines ranged from dumb to despicable. I mean, really. Diarrhea?

Tell me you've never used one of those lines, Barry.

Please.

Barry wrote: "I might also mention that the "ass waffle" bar scene was quite well done."

I am liking the start of this book more than the other Coben novels I've read. Usually we watch as the MC goes through some devastating tragedy in real time. Kat has gone through some tough situations, but at least she is starting out with some distance between her past and her present. At least until Coben does his magic and starts to blow her life up. But for now it is starting off as more of a mystery/detective story than a thriller, at least for Kat.

Gerard, on the other hand, is in deep doo-doo. But he seems like a bit of an ass-waffle himself, so while I feel bad for him I don't feel awful.

OK
"I never used any of those lines"

I was always sure my natural charm would shine through.

I really liked the "ass waffle". Guys I think this is a very confusing start.

Merrilee, you ain't seen nothing yet.

Thanks for the summaries, Barry! I am not terribly cognizant of the chapters as I listen, the changes in POV are not subtle, but the announcement of a new chapter is fairly low-key. I am up through Chapter 12 and will comment on the next two chapter break threads too.
Initially the bar scene, or restaurant scene with Kat and Stacy and "Ass Waffle" brought to mind the perspective Harlan brings as a male writer writing female characters. Not too bad so far, and I thought the Missing You video was a touch of genius. Kat's reactions while surfing the dating site fit my expectations. There are a few glaring moments where the commentary jars the reader up away from the story.

From a different perspective, Harlan knows who his audience is, and is pandering to them.

Now that you mention that Barry, I must agree - I thought something very similar yesterday that he was targeting a specific demographic reader.
Barry wrote: "From a different perspective, Harlan knows who his audience is, and is pandering to them."

Carol: It was a bit more low key build-up for the beginning, lasting how long?
(not a spoiler) The pick-up lines throughout the entire first half are like a comedy routine. :)
Carol/Bonadie wrote: "I am liking the start of this book more than the other Coben novels I've read. Usually we watch as the MC goes through some devastating tragedy in real time. "

But I'm finding they (pickup type lines) are continuing with other characters in future chapters, which has me wonder, exactly who does Harlan think his audience is? If it's women, I don't think we enjoy those off the wall pick-up lines. They are so over the top I immediately found them preposterous and not so funny. If it's guys, well, it makes men look really stupid, which I don't think guys would particularly enjoy.

Ann wrote: "Carol: It was a bit more low key build-up for the beginning, lasting how long?
(not a spoiler) The pick-up lines throughout the entire first half are like a comedy routine. :)
Carol/Bonadie wrote:..."

Duh, uh, what did you say?

I haven't figured out the target audience yet, Carol -and I keep trying to decide what it is. Adolescent males comes to mind.
Carol/Bonadie wrote: "But I'm finding they (pickup type lines) are continuing with other characters in future chapters, which has me wonder, exactly who does Harlan think his audience is? If it's women, I don't think we enjoy those off the wall pick-up lines. "

Its not that the lines are good, it is that they are terrible, and the women on the receiving end effectively put the men down.

They definitely do that, Barry! Stacy particularly.
Barry wrote: "Its not that the lines are good, it is that they are terrible, and the women on the receiving end effectively put the men down."

I'm going to post what chapter I'm on here even though I won't read the comments. okay for some reason there is no bookmark in the tablet. so I'll have to figure out where I am and post the next time.
I'll try and get at least though chapter 4 in the next few days.

I know, I know. Its just that they are so bad that it takes me out of the story because they don't sound even remotely like lines that anyone would say. Maybe I've just been too long out of the dating scene. Thank goodness.

Barry wrote: "Its not that the lines are good, it is that they are terrible, and the women on the receiving end effectively put the men down."

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "I know, I know. Its just that they are so bad that it takes me out of the story because they don't sound even remotely like lines that anyone would say. Maybe I've just been too long out of the da..."
I'll see what I can do next time we're together.

That's perfectly alright, Barry....


Barry wrote: "Carol/Bonadie wrote: "I know, I know. Its just that they are so bad that it takes me out of the story because they don't sound even remotely like lines that anyone would say. Maybe I've just been too long out of the da..."
I'll see what I can do next time we're together.

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "I don't know, I could NOT believe a guy would be so clueless. Those supposed pickup lines ranged from dumb to despicable. I mean, really. Diarrhea?

Tell me you've never used one of those lines,..."

I got a kick out of those but you are so right about the guy being clueless. pretty bad.

seems like the book is off to a great start and grabbed me. tried getting the library copy from 2 different libraries which didn't happen. so will end up reading the nooks and mini I which is okay.

Funny, I found it difficult to get into...

I found it easier to put down in the early going. Even now (am at about Chapter 21) once I put it down I forget that I'm really into it, but when I pick it back up I don't want to put it down.

I have to figure out where I read too. I believe I'm further than the last chapter sections I posted on last. it seems the last time I picked up the nook or ipad to readit I realized after reading almost a chapter that it sounded like I read it already turned out I didn't move my bookmark up from where I read on probably the ipad. it got to the point I was only reading the ipad during the day and the tablet at night. so the S.T didn't got used at all. now I have to figure out where I am on all my books and get them all the same again.