THE BOY FROM THE WOODS (Thriller-Wilde-New Jersey-Contemp) - Standalone - Harlan Coben Thirty years ago, Wilde was found as a boy living feral in the woods, with no memory of his past. Now another child has gone missing. No one seems to take Naomi Pine's disappearance seriously except Hester Crimstein who knows that Naomi was relentlessly bullied at school and asks Wilde to use his unique skills to help find Naomi.
Charlotte – Good – It was a fast-paced read but required much suspension of belief. Liked Hester outside the TV station. She didn't have a huge problem with the ending. Christine – DNF – Crash and his friends were hateful and she didn't like Hester. She only liked Wilde and was so pissed at the father. It just wasn't believable. Cindy – Good - went quickly - one of those action-oriented books. Now I don't remember a thing. Characters did not grip me as there was no real character development. Diane – Okay- The character Wilde was similar to Joe Pike in the Robert Crais series. I did not like Hester very much. None of the characters were well-developed. The weirdest part was the end. It seemed Coben ran out of steam and decided to end the book. Don - Good - Really liked this book; good protagonist, plot development, action, dialogue. However, no spoilers here- VERY disappointed by the ending- "Everyone happy forever after" Felicity – Good - I really enjoyed this--in fact I couldn't put it down. It was just the right type of escapism I needed at this time. I really appreciated how it was interesting all the way through and didn't rely on the standard gratuitous violence on young women that I keep running into. It ended somewhat abruptly with all the ends tied up--but I guess that is just how I wanted this. Gabriel – VG - Unpredictable plot (in a good way), 3-dimensional characters. I disliked Hester Crimstein at first, because in her first scene, she was insufferable. Generally, I liked her except when she was on TV. I also liked that, even though the author was probably enraged with Trump, he didn't make the presidential candidate a Trump clone, though he raises relevant issues. I'll probably read more books by Coben. Ginny – Okay –There were reasons to be drawn into the world of the boy, Wilde, who is now a grown adult. His background could have been a fascinating story woven through the book’s plot. Much of Wilde’s character swings wide like a pendulum. He sounded too good to be true. This was the first book I have read by Harlan Coben and I found it well-written and well-paced. Most of the characters were likable. However, there were too many unknowns to really hold my interest. And the ending was too farfetched and unsatisfactory. Helen – VG - The plot moves quickly, and it's pretty enjoyable if you just go with it. Let's talk tech stuff, though. Why Wilde has an iPhone with a data plan when he's so het up about security and privacy? The characters were better than I expected. Hester is a real pistol, although a bit cliched in her actions. Naomi was more interesting than I thought she would be. Crash is your typical bully. Wilde is all right, tropey behavior aside. The dialogue is pretty good too. Conversations flow naturally and are for the most part believable. I must say that the end scene is the airport is so ridiculous that I laughed out loud. It was a quick, entertaining read, although Coben needs a crash course in how cell phones work. Kathy - G+ - Light and fast read full of fun characters; lawyer/talk show host grandmother, detective mom with a minivan full of kids and the grown ‘boy from the woods’. Really enjoyed the quips between Wilde and Hester, Hester and the sheriff and Wilde and his foster sister. Causes enough diversion to not let the back plot feel too heavy. The timeframe it was written in (2020) pulls a lot from the Trump factor/fallout. Katie – DNF - Too much of a "those kids today and their woke twitters" vibe. Linda M. - VG+ - This was a nicely paced mystery that pulled me in and didn't let up. There were several threads through it. I particularly liked (and hated) the political part of the story. There were some surprises that I did not see coming, but I liked. Some of the threads ended in a satisfying way. Not all did, and one particularly was a bit heartbreaking for its basis in reality. It would make a good film. Steven Weber narrated the audio. I'm always a big fan of his. Marilyn – VG – It had flaws but she really enjoyed it. LJ – DNF - Harlan Coben's early books were fun to read. Now, it seems, he is writing them to be televised. His books are filled with stereotypical characters, and I'm so done with the Jack Reacher-type superhero. It is an acceptable airplane book. It may hold one's interest during the length of the flight, but is then a book one then leaves on the plane, never to be thought of again. It's also why it's good to have a back-up book.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: GOOD
NOT A CREATURE WAS STIRRING (Myst-Gregor Demarkian-Philadelphia-Contemp) 1st in series - Jane Haddam The Hannaford who made the family fortune called himself a tycoon. This Christmas, Gregor Demarkian is their reluctant guest. A former FBI agent, Demarkain arrives just in time to find his host bludgeoned to death in his study and a family of cold-blooded killers.
Diane – NR - I believe this was a first book by Jane Haddam. I did not like it. The plot was very complicated and didn’t make much sense. The motive of the killer was both complicated and vague. Gregor was apparently a crack detective, but his reasoning was not made clear. He just knew things. The setting with constant snow and Christmas decorations and tin brooches did not add much to the plot. Gabriel – Good - In the early parts, the parts covering the siblings were interesting. The mystery part was fairly interesting. The parts about Gregor's settling back into his Armenian community were kind of interesting, but there was too much of it. It got a little less compelling *after* the murder happened. I might read another book in the series, or not. Ginny – Good – First time she's read Haddam. Like that they included a blueprint of the house in the front. She was happy to find the book wasn't a cozy. She liked the setting but couldn't stand any of the family. She wasn't surprised by the killer. Helen – Good – It was pretty good for the first book. The characters and dialogue were well-written, although the plot took some time to get rolling. Once it did, the story got interesting. Gregor is a bit of a wet blanket in this book but does show promise as a main character. I wasn't terribly surprised by the ending, but the mystery was still interesting, and I was satisfied with the way things worked out. Joni – Okay - I found it mostly engaging, but due to set up, I thought the characters would have been much more interesting and/or evil. There were also a few inconsistencies. I figured out who the killer was very early on, which I rarely do I didn’t connect with the characters at all. LJ – Good – This familial version of Agatha Christie's "And Then There None," was saved only by the characters of Gregor Demarkian, and his friend Father Tibor. The family Gregor is investigating is filled with unpleasant characters, and none more so than the father. This was one of those books where you feel as though you should have figured it out, but didn't. I'd be interested to see how this series develops over time. Marcy – VG - Enjoyed the different characterizations, the flow was good. I mostly enjoyed the description of Armenian American life. I'd like to read more in this series. Nancy – Poor - I considered to be rather poor written. If the author was trying to use this ‘confusion’ as a mystery vehicle of surprise, it wasn’t well done. That being said, I did think that that most of the siblings as well as Gregor, Tibor and George were interesting and well done. Cavanaugh Street was well done too. The book’s ending, although somewhat predictable, was enjoyable as well.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: Good
YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN (Thriller-Grace Reinhart Sachs-NYC-Contemp) Standalone - Jean Hanff Korelitz Grace Reinhart Sachs is living the only life she ever wanted for herself. Grace is also the author of a book, in which she cautions women to really hear what men are trying to tell them. But weeks before the book is published a chasm opens in her own life: a violent death and missing husband.
Diane - G+ - The characters were very well drawn, for the most part, especially Grace. Grace’s self-awareness combined with her absolute blindness in some areas, was fascinating. The husband Jonathon was a case study in psychopathy. The murder was never really described, nor was the reason for it. The ease with which Grace was able to settle her son in the new school, etc., was a bit hard to believe. But in general, the book was a fascinating study of a woman coming undone as the truth of her world collapsed. It had some parallels to the Covid response, where everything we took for granted was suddenly smashed. Don - VG - Much better than "The Undoing"- It told the story of the protagonist's struggle without minimizing She had to deal with a horrific event, and show resilience and resourcefulness to develop a new life for herself. It was much more satisfying that the series Ginny - Poor - The book had the foundation to a compelling and gripping read. However I found myself reading a stream of consciousness style of writing which was endless and pointless taking me through a maze that had No Exit. The book was too long-winded, and I grew bored. The characters were underdeveloped and lacking insight which left me unsympathetic. Where was the book editor? Helen – NR - The book did keep me turning the pages, but it suffers from far too much telling instead of showing. The story could have been cut in two and either of those books would have been preferable to this one. The plot just drags. I got about 20% in and skipped/skimmed the next dozen chapters to Chapter 16, and didn't miss a thing. Depending on whether I want this to be a thriller or general fiction, the book ended either way after it should have or too soon, respectively. The characters are not great. They're not bad, but not very memorable Kathy – DNF - I tried, really hard, but I felt like I was listening to someone’s therapy session. Way too much description about NY life. I never got to anything that had the slightest to do with a mystery. Katie – Good - I read it several years ago and remember enjoying it, though thinking that some of the clues were a little heavy-handed. Linda M – DNF - I'm done at 12%. Our hero Grace is a therapist. She is smug and judgmental. She is contemptuous of everyone more privileged than her, and of everyone less privileged. Her friends are as shallow as she is. And nothing has happened so far except some grown-up mean girls doing what mean girls do. I think I have to swear off books with blurbs that start like this, they always disappoint: "Blahblahblah is living the only life she ever wanted for herself, devoted to her husband.. blah blah blah.." My assumption is that after telling everyone they're stupid for picking the wrong husband, hers turns out to be not great. And I don't care.
Thirty years ago, Wilde was found as a boy living feral in the woods, with no memory of his past. Now another child has gone missing. No one seems to take Naomi Pine's disappearance seriously except Hester Crimstein who knows that Naomi was relentlessly bullied at school and asks Wilde to use his unique skills to help find Naomi.
Charlotte – Good – It was a fast-paced read but required much suspension of belief. Liked Hester outside the TV station. She didn't have a huge problem with the ending.
Christine – DNF – Crash and his friends were hateful and she didn't like Hester. She only liked Wilde and was so pissed at the father. It just wasn't believable.
Cindy – Good - went quickly - one of those action-oriented books. Now I don't remember a thing. Characters did not grip me as there was no real character development.
Diane – Okay- The character Wilde was similar to Joe Pike in the Robert Crais series. I did not like Hester very much. None of the characters were well-developed. The weirdest part was the end. It seemed Coben ran out of steam and decided to end the book.
Don - Good - Really liked this book; good protagonist, plot development, action, dialogue. However, no spoilers here- VERY disappointed by the ending- "Everyone happy forever after"
Felicity – Good - I really enjoyed this--in fact I couldn't put it down. It was just the right type of escapism I needed at this time. I really appreciated how it was interesting all the way through and didn't rely on the standard gratuitous violence on young women that I keep running into. It ended somewhat abruptly with all the ends tied up--but I guess that is just how I wanted this.
Gabriel – VG - Unpredictable plot (in a good way), 3-dimensional characters. I disliked Hester Crimstein at first, because in her first scene, she was insufferable. Generally, I liked her except when she was on TV. I also liked that, even though the author was probably enraged with Trump, he didn't make the presidential candidate a Trump clone, though he raises relevant issues. I'll probably read more books by Coben.
Ginny – Okay –There were reasons to be drawn into the world of the boy, Wilde, who is now a grown adult. His background could have been a fascinating story woven through the book’s plot. Much of Wilde’s character swings wide like a pendulum. He sounded too good to be true. This was the first book I have read by Harlan Coben and I found it well-written and well-paced. Most of the characters were likable. However, there were too many unknowns to really hold my interest. And the ending was too farfetched and unsatisfactory.
Helen – VG - The plot moves quickly, and it's pretty enjoyable if you just go with it. Let's talk tech stuff, though. Why Wilde has an iPhone with a data plan when he's so het up about security and privacy? The characters were better than I expected. Hester is a real pistol, although a bit cliched in her actions. Naomi was more interesting than I thought she would be. Crash is your typical bully. Wilde is all right, tropey behavior aside. The dialogue is pretty good too. Conversations flow naturally and are for the most part believable. I must say that the end scene is the airport is so ridiculous that I laughed out loud. It was a quick, entertaining read, although Coben needs a crash course in how cell phones work.
Kathy - G+ - Light and fast read full of fun characters; lawyer/talk show host grandmother, detective mom with a minivan full of kids and the grown ‘boy from the woods’. Really enjoyed the quips between Wilde and Hester, Hester and the sheriff and Wilde and his foster sister. Causes enough diversion to not let the back plot feel too heavy. The timeframe it was written in (2020) pulls a lot from the Trump factor/fallout.
Katie – DNF - Too much of a "those kids today and their woke twitters" vibe.
Linda M. - VG+ - This was a nicely paced mystery that pulled me in and didn't let up. There were several threads through it. I particularly liked (and hated) the political part of the story. There were some surprises that I did not see coming, but I liked. Some of the threads ended in a satisfying way. Not all did, and one particularly was a bit heartbreaking for its basis in reality. It would make a good film. Steven Weber narrated the audio. I'm always a big fan of his.
Marilyn – VG – It had flaws but she really enjoyed it.
LJ – DNF - Harlan Coben's early books were fun to read. Now, it seems, he is writing them to be televised. His books are filled with stereotypical characters, and I'm so done with the Jack Reacher-type superhero. It is an acceptable airplane book. It may hold one's interest during the length of the flight, but is then a book one then leaves on the plane, never to be thought of again. It's also why it's good to have a back-up book.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: GOOD
NOT A CREATURE WAS STIRRING (Myst-Gregor Demarkian-Philadelphia-Contemp) 1st in series - Jane Haddam
The Hannaford who made the family fortune called himself a tycoon. This Christmas, Gregor Demarkian is their reluctant guest. A former FBI agent, Demarkain arrives just in time to find his host bludgeoned to death in his study and a family of cold-blooded killers.
Diane – NR - I believe this was a first book by Jane Haddam. I did not like it. The plot was very complicated and didn’t make much sense. The motive of the killer was both complicated and vague. Gregor was apparently a crack detective, but his reasoning was not made clear. He just knew things. The setting with constant snow and Christmas decorations and tin brooches did not add much to the plot.
Gabriel – Good - In the early parts, the parts covering the siblings were interesting. The mystery part was fairly interesting. The parts about Gregor's settling back into his Armenian community were kind of interesting, but there was too much of it. It got a little less compelling *after* the murder happened. I might read another book in the series, or not.
Ginny – Good – First time she's read Haddam. Like that they included a blueprint of the house in the front. She was happy to find the book wasn't a cozy. She liked the setting but couldn't stand any of the family. She wasn't surprised by the killer.
Helen – Good – It was pretty good for the first book. The characters and dialogue were well-written, although the plot took some time to get rolling. Once it did, the story got interesting. Gregor is a bit of a wet blanket in this book but does show promise as a main character. I wasn't terribly surprised by the ending, but the mystery was still interesting, and I was satisfied with the way things worked out.
Joni – Okay - I found it mostly engaging, but due to set up, I thought the characters would have been much more interesting and/or evil. There were also a few inconsistencies. I figured out who the killer was very early on, which I rarely do I didn’t connect with the characters at all.
LJ – Good – This familial version of Agatha Christie's "And Then There None," was saved only by the characters of Gregor Demarkian, and his friend Father Tibor. The family Gregor is investigating is filled with unpleasant characters, and none more so than the father. This was one of those books where you feel as though you should have figured it out, but didn't. I'd be interested to see how this series develops over time.
Marcy – VG - Enjoyed the different characterizations, the flow was good. I mostly enjoyed the description of Armenian American life. I'd like to read more in this series.
Nancy – Poor - I considered to be rather poor written. If the author was trying to use this ‘confusion’ as a mystery vehicle of surprise, it wasn’t well done. That being said, I did think that that most of the siblings as well as Gregor, Tibor and George were interesting and well done. Cavanaugh Street was well done too. The book’s ending, although somewhat predictable, was enjoyable as well.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: Good
YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN (Thriller-Grace Reinhart Sachs-NYC-Contemp) Standalone - Jean Hanff Korelitz
Grace Reinhart Sachs is living the only life she ever wanted for herself. Grace is also the author of a book, in which she cautions women to really hear what men are trying to tell them. But weeks before the book is published a chasm opens in her own life: a violent death and missing husband.
Diane - G+ - The characters were very well drawn, for the most part, especially Grace. Grace’s self-awareness combined with her absolute blindness in some areas, was fascinating. The husband Jonathon was a case study in psychopathy. The murder was never really described, nor was the reason for it. The ease with which Grace was able to settle her son in the new school, etc., was a bit hard to believe. But in general, the book was a fascinating study of a woman coming undone as the truth of her world collapsed. It had some parallels to the Covid response, where everything we took for granted was suddenly smashed.
Don - VG - Much better than "The Undoing"- It told the story of the protagonist's struggle without minimizing She had to deal with a horrific event, and show resilience and resourcefulness to develop a new life for herself. It was much more satisfying that the series
Ginny - Poor - The book had the foundation to a compelling and gripping read. However I found myself reading a stream of consciousness style of writing which was endless and pointless taking me through a maze that had No Exit. The book was too long-winded, and I grew bored. The characters were underdeveloped and lacking insight which left me unsympathetic. Where was the book editor?
Helen – NR - The book did keep me turning the pages, but it suffers from far too much telling instead of showing. The story could have been cut in two and either of those books would have been preferable to this one. The plot just drags. I got about 20% in and skipped/skimmed the next dozen chapters to Chapter 16, and didn't miss a thing. Depending on whether I want this to be a thriller or general fiction, the book ended either way after it should have or too soon, respectively. The characters are not great. They're not bad, but not very memorable
Kathy – DNF - I tried, really hard, but I felt like I was listening to someone’s therapy session. Way too much description about NY life. I never got to anything that had the slightest to do with a mystery.
Katie – Good - I read it several years ago and remember enjoying it, though thinking that some of the clues were a little heavy-handed.
Linda M – DNF - I'm done at 12%. Our hero Grace is a therapist. She is smug and judgmental. She is contemptuous of everyone more privileged than her, and of everyone less privileged. Her friends are as shallow as she is. And nothing has happened so far except some grown-up mean girls doing what mean girls do. I think I have to swear off books with blurbs that start like this, they always disappoint: "Blahblahblah is living the only life she ever wanted for herself, devoted to her husband.. blah blah blah.." My assumption is that after telling everyone they're stupid for picking the wrong husband, hers turns out to be not great. And I don't care.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: Okay