The story flies by, it’s nonstop action. Yes, it’s convoluted. And the ending gives the reader twist after twist. I give Coben credit that I never saw any of them coming. So when he runs into the stranger—whose motives are unclear and information is irrefutable—it turns his life upside down. No sooner does he confront his wife, Corinne, about the devastating secret he learns, than his mirage of a perfect life disappears as though it never existed. Where could he have possibly been for the last ten years? Does he have any recollection of the day, more than half a life ago, that he was separated from his family? A congenial marriage to a stunning woman, two wonderful sons, a big house and a good job: Adam Price has a lot to lose.

She tells a looooong story to explain how Wilde got abandoned in the woods: she got involved with a crime boss, also got pregnant by Daniel, then tried to leave the crime boss. (That did not go well.) Discovered living a feral existence in the Ramapo mountains of New Jersey, he has grown up knowing nothing of his parents, and even less about his own identity. Wilde had spent the last few months in Costa Rica, and it was time to return to his remote Ecocapsule deep in the heart of the Ramapo Mountains, in New Jersey, where he belonged in the woods alone. A follow-up from The Boy from the Woods, Wilde was called "Little Tarzan" and no one ever came forward to claim the abandoned little boy in the woods. He was around 6-8 yrs old when he was found.A match is actually found - a close relative, but the relative deletes their details immediately. However, Wilde doesn’t give up, but his research results in him becoming embroiled in a secret online community, intent on exposing trolls - and then people start to die - one by one! There was the right amount of drama and mystery. Even though I haven’t read the first book, I liked the characters and enjoyed the complexity in Wilde and his relationships. Peter Bennett is a reality star on the show “Love is a Battlefield”. I, of course, thought the same as Wilde as in Pat Benatar’s song “Love is a Battlefield” is now a reality show?

Things go horribly wrong for Dr. Marc Seidman, almost too bad to believe. Marc lies in bed after being shot twice by an unidentified assailant; his wife has been murdered, and his six-month-old daughter, missing.

While you don’t have to have read the first book to appreciate the mystery of this one, I’d encourage you to do so to better understand Wilde and get the weight of his transformation in this one. I love the narrator as he manages to capture his personality perfectly along with so many others, including Hester, my favorite. This story has so many dimensions and the vigilante group called Boomerang was a chilling factor. As with any of the author’s stories, there are a host of red herrings and delicious twists, all providing a reason for me not being able to put this one down until I got my answers. However, there’s still more to Wilde’s story, right Mr. Coben? Please say yes. 4.5 stars Five years ago, an innocent man began a life sentence for murdering his own son. Today he found out his son is still alive. The facts of the book (Sofia’s age of early 60s and Shirley having dementia and being in a care home) do suggest a greater age difference between Sofia and Shirley than typical siblings. When a match on a DNA database puts him on the trail of a close relative - the only family member he has ever known - Wilde thinks he might be about to solve the mystery of who he really is. Reporter Wendy Tynes is on a mission to identify and bring down sexual predators through highly televised sting operations. Wendy and her team, with the help of the local police, have publicly shamed dozens of men through her news program “Caught in the Act”.

Reluctant at first, Myron undertakes to help her not just to become her agent, but because he realizes that they have tie from the past that binds them together. Horace, Brenda’s father, coached Myron during his heydays in basketball, although the two lost touch after Myron's career tragically ended following a nasty knee injury. While enjoying their honeymoon on the renowned Great Barrier Reef in Australia, David went out for a swim-only to never return. Question for others - was Hester in Coben’s Myron Bolitar series? I remember her “articulate” phrase from other books and am thinking it must have been from more than possibly The Boy in the Woods. But provided this chart is correct (because the first-second cousins vs cousins removed might be the most confusing thing I ever tried to understand) the diagram above does NOT reflect what Harlan Coben just tweeted about the characters being second cousins sharing a great-grandparent connection. As usual Coben’s writing makes reading effortless and the pacing of this novel will keep (even) someone with a goldfish-like attention span engaged. Though the plots on offer link in kinda complex ways they’re not confusing and of course he’s left some unanswered questions until next time*.The gripping new thriller from the No 1 Sunday Times bestselling author and creator of Stay Close and The Stranger . . .

I think that this chart might better reflect Harlan Coben’s explanation. That would mean that Shirley and Sofia are not sisters, but perhaps that Shirley is Sofia’s aunt? Purposive to prove her innocence, Myron endeavors to uncover the truth, despite Esperanza’s refusal to speak to him on advisement by her lawyer who doesn’t want Myron anywhere near the case, or his client. This is the second book with MMC 'Wilde' and whilst I'd read the first, I don't recall it clearly because it was ages ago so this could be read as a standalone for sure.

Wilde is the “you” in our chart. We know his parents are Daniel and Sofia. We’re putting Sofia’s sister Shirley in the aunt category. Wilde gets abducted and beaten by vigilante cops from Henry’s force. They let him go and he shows up at the home of Oren, Hester’s boyfriend. There's a very good reason why I've read a lot of Harlan Coban's books - he writes darned good thrillers! I stayed up very late with this one because its so engrossing and I'd suggest up there with some of his best. Pleased to see “hot” 70 something, defense attorney Hester Crimsten is once again staying connected. She, of course, has been in other Coben novels. Coben’s wit comes through in Hester.