A good read though not quite up to Coben's usual standard. As usual, the lead character is a flawed hero. Dumas is a good cop with a touch of vigilante. Will Dumas find out who killed his twin brother 15 years earlier. Even though the plot does stretch the imagination, it's so well written that you have to keep reading.

EXCERPT: Dale Miller pulled the handle. When the interior car light came on, Daisy closed her eyes for a moment. Miller rolled out with a grunt. He left the door open, but Rex reached past him and slammed it closed. The window was still cracked, so Daisy could hear.

'Sir, I would like to run a series of field sobriety tests on you.'

'We could skip that,' Dale Miller said.

'Pardon me?'

'Why don't we go right to the breathalyser, if that would be easier?'

That offer surprised Rex. He glanced past Miller for a moment and caught her eye. Daisy gave a small shrug.

'I assume you have a field breathalyser in your squad car?' Miller asked.

'I do, yes.'

'So let's not waste your time or mine or the lovely lady's.'

Rex hesitated. Then he said, 'Okay, please wait here.'

'Sure.'

When Rex turned to go back to his squad car, Dale Miller pulled out a gun and shot Rex twice in the back of the head. Rex crumpled to the ground.

Then Dale Miller turned the gun toward Daisy.

'They're back,' she thought.

'After all these years, they found me.'

ABOUT 'DON'T LET GO': Fifteen years ago in New Jersey, a teenage boy and girl were found dead.

Most people concluded it was a tragic suicide pact. The dead boy's brother, Nap Dumas, did not. Now Nap is a cop - but he's a cop who plays by his own rules, and who has never made peace with his past.

And when the past comes back to haunt him, Nap discovers secrets can kill...

MY THOUGHTS: Don't Let Go by Harlan Coben is a maelstrom of a book. I was on edge the entire time I was reading. My heart was pounding, and my heart racing, as was my mind. Albeit in totally the wrong direction, but race and jump it did.

Coben has, as he usually does, written a compelling thriller. I love conspiracy theories, and in Don't Let Go, we have a group of teenagers who formed a conspiracy Club. Let's just say that this will prove to be the most dangerous thing that they will ever do, and the repercussions will be felt for many years to come.

The fast moving action is tempered with an examination of the relationships between the characters. Nap, at the centre of the story is stubborn, vengeful, and consumed by the death of his twin brother when they were both still in high school. The same night, his girlfriend Maura went missing and has never been seen since. His heart was broken by these two events, and it is only the friendship of Ellie and the guidance of Augie that has sustained him.

I liked the way that Nap continued to talk to his dead brother. It illustrated the hold his death has over Nap, although of course Nap has fallen into that trap that so many of the bereaved do, that of idolising the dead person.

So, why not five stars? The ending, while dynamic and thrilling, did not work for me. I can't explain why without giving away a major spoiler, but trust me, there's no way Nap can possibly get away with what he has done, and I really wanted to see him ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after.

The other down for me was some of the dialogue. Only some, but at odd times it was strangely stilted and not at all natural.

Despite these faults, I really enjoyed this read. Don't Let Go is a story of heartbreak and vengeance, of secrets and lies, and enduring love. The twists and turns are unpredictable, the suspense palpable, and I definitely didn't guess the outcome. Not even close. In fact, I was gobsmacked!

⭐⭐⭐⭐.2

#DontLetGo #NetGalley

I: @harlancoben @randomhouse

T: @HarlanCoben @randomhouse

#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #mystery #suspense #thriller

THE AUTHOR: Harlan was born in Newark, New Jersey. He still lives in New Jersey with his wife, Anne Armstrong-Coben MD, a pediatrician, and their four children.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House, Cornerstone, via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Don't Let Go by Harlan Coben for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC of this thrilling read. I am sorry to only get around to this book now, but it was worth the wait. Recommended for anyone who loves a good read! Recommended.

Unfortunately I read this book a while ago and seem to have missed it when writing reviews..
However, thanks to NetGalley for the ARC :-)

A stand-alone from Harlan Coben full of twists and turns as expected with this author. - not as strong as some of his work but nevertheless very clever and with a cameo appearance from Myron Bolitar. I listened to a little of it on an audio and it spoilt it a bit for me - not the best narrator for me.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Harlan Coben/Random House UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Another belter from the master of the crime thriller. Coben never fails to deliver. His work is consistently exciting, the plots intricate and always lead to a satisfactory conclusion.

This is the first Harlen Coben book I've read for a while! So I took the opportunity to get the galley of this.
I think Harlen can write book after book and have idea after idea, much like Karin Slaughter.
His books are enjoyable and easy to read and this was no exception.
I really wanted to get through this book to find out what was going on so it took me no time at all to read.
I liked the characters for the most part and he scene setting was as good as usual.
I'd recommend for people who like crime/suspense/thrillers.

Great novel from a writer who never lets the quality slip. Pacing, dialogue and characterisations are excellant and this one comes with all the twists and turns you would expect of Harlan Coben.

It is impossible to not finish a book by Harlan Coben within a couple of days max and this book is no exception. It is gripping from the first page and keeps you guessing. A phenomenal read!

A SMALL TOWN IS HIDING BIG SECRETS ...

Fifteen years ago in New Jersey, a teenage boy and girl were found dead.

Most people concluded it was a tragic suicide pact. The dead boy's brother, Nap Dumas, did not. Now Nap is a cop - but he's a cop who plays by his own rules, and who has never made peace with his past.

And when the past comes back to haunt him, Nap discovers secrets can kill...

I have only recently started reading Harlan Coben and I have to say I’m hooked, this story had so many twists and turns I was kept wondering right until the end.
The book sped along at a fast pace and I desperately needed to find the answers that Dumas was looking for regarding his brother and what actually happened the night he died, when I did, I was gobsmacked at how well the conclusion fit with the plot, which was both action packed and suspenseful.
The characters were solid, I sympathised with Nap from the off and truly hoped he discovered the truth that was buried under deep conspiracy.
The setting was dark and claustrophobic, tinged with paranoia, Coben really knows how to immerse you in the tale.
I highly recommend.

Another excellent read from this author. I have read and loved all his previous books and this one does not disappoint. Highly recommended. Five stars

Many thanks to Netgalley and Harlan Coben for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

I really enjoyed this book. Then again I always look forward to Harlan Coben's latest .

A small town with an apparent double suicide on railway tracks. A boy and a girl.
Fifteen years later the twin of the boy Leo , is a serving police officer in that small town Nat the police officer had a girl friend Maura who disappeared on the same night as the tragic suicide . Her finger prints turned up from a murder scene.

This starts a desperate search for the answers by Nat to find out out really happened that night to his twin brother Leo..

A great pace and page turner by the master himself ,full of his dry witticism.
Wonderful read ,. Loved it.

Harlan Coben is easily one of my go-to authors for a great thriller and psychological intrigue. This book did not disappoint. Highly recommended for any thrill-seeker

Don’t Let Go is a gripping domestic mystery thriller with an espionage slant that keeps things interesting. At a glance, the story is quite an interesting tale of intrigue and loss in a small town but like a classic David Lynch film, you scratch below the surface and things become even murkier.

The novel has some real interesting characteristics that really spark. Although I found Dumas quite a hard nut to crack, the character does grow on you and you get a fuller understanding as the plot thickens. The other characters are interesting and we have a central plot that connects a murder which fully branches out to a large web that works exceedingly well.

The characters are well developed and memorable. The plot is very intense and involved that gives the reader plenty of meat to chew into. The novel shoots out like a bullet never losing momentum even when it hits its target. There are some strong plot points and plenty of red herrings to coach you along until its diabolical conclusion.

Coben is in his element here and he is a true craftsman of crime mystery thrillers. He evenly approaches his subject matter and leads the reader by the hand as he professionally manoeuvres you through the minefield of information. Another fantastic read from a modern master of his craft. If you are looking for a great thriller that keeps you totally involved, you can not go wrong with this book.

Detective thriller which is a exciting, engaging page-turner

This novel by Harlan Coben DSL’s with Nap, a policeman with a vigilante streak, investigating his twin brother’s death. It also involves several murders, cover-ups, betrayal and multiple revelations which throw several spanners in the works. There are plenty of interesting characters, some likeable, some less so. The book moves along at a good steady pace, chapters are short, and the plot is intricate.

Recommended to all lovers of detective fiction, I read it in a couple of days. Well worthwhile. I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Nap Dumas is a cop. Fifteen years ago his twin brother Leo died with his girlfriend In what most people considered to be a suicide pact when still at high school. Nap never believed this and now more of their contemporaries are either missing or dead. Nat’s own girlfriend disappeared around the same time as his brother died and he has never been able to get passed this. He discovers that all those missing or dead belonged to a conspiracy theory group who were obsessed with events at a secret government installation in their home town. What really happened that night all those years ago and why are people disappearing now?
Events unfold at quite a pace, this is an easy read, classic Corben. I doubt you’ll guess the end.

This was my first by Harlan Coben and it definitely won't be my last.
Don't Let Go is suspense filled page-turner of a story that was full of twist and turns with a little bit of romance thrown in just for fun! Great characters and loads of action made it a great read!

As per usual Harlan Coben has written a brilliant thriller. I was hooked from page one and intrigued to discover what had really happen to this group of friends years earlier. I guessed the big reveal, but the book was still a great read despite this.

I have left a 3 star review only because the formatting meant I was unable to read this but I didnt feel I could leave 1 star or 6 as I physically could not read it. The sentences kept repeating words and it was very confusing so I was unable to continue. If you are able to send in a more kindle friendly format I would be happy to review fully?

I hadn’t read any of Harlan Coben’s books before so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed it. This is a well written, fast paced thriller, it’s an easy read., but that doesn’t mean there’s no substance to it, just that pulls you in. There’s a rhythm to it that flows so well.

I though the characters were great, Nap, Augie, Ellie, Maura and even Leo. There are some great one liners, such as ‘ a cleavage so deep it could tutor philosophy ‘...some actual laugh out loud ones too. It gets darker and more in depth as you read through to the surprise end. I will be reading more of Mr Coben’s books now, for sure.


I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review