Member Reviews

I usually enjoy Harlan Coben books but was left feeling disappointed with this one. The book did just not grip me like some of the others and the ending was disappointing. Just an ok read. Not one of his best books. Thanks to Net Galley for my copy. Posted review on Amazon, Goodreads and Facebook.

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Don't Let Go is a page turning suspense full of twisty intrigue with a dash of romance. It's characters are reliable and witty with a real feel that I enjoyed from beginning to end. This was my very first Harlan Coben and it sure won't be my last.

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It never ceases to amaze me how this author delivers the most excellent read time after time. Each story delivering punch after punch as the plot slowly unravels. This book hit that same sweet spot perfectly as I cleared the decks and dove in, knowing that once I was in, nothing was going to drag me back out until I had finished it.
In this standalone, we meet Detective Napoleon "Nap" Dumas. He has a sad past as in his senior year he suffered a double loss. The death of his twin, Leo along with his girlfriend Diana, and the disappearance of the love of his own life, Maura. He has never accepted the official version of what happened to Leo and Diana, and has been searching for Maura ever since, knowing in his gut that she has more to say on what actually happened. But it's been many years since then. Many years that Nap has been fruitlessly searching for any news of Maura until, one day, a knock on his door brings the news that some fingerprints he entered into the system have been matched to those in a rental car connected to the murder of a fellow cop in another jurisdiction. Those fingerprints belong to Maura and he is the Detective tagged for contact should they ever be matched. And so begins an intriguing, plot, full of the usual secrets, lies and duplicitous behaviour that kept me on my toes throughout as I devoured every single twist and turn the author delivered, leaving me breathless and satisfied at its conclusion.
This is one of the very few "big" authors who never let me down. I know, going in, that I need to buckle up for a wild ride and this book was no exception. His mix of great characters, tight plotting and delicious, mostly black, humour just all completely works for me. He has me holding my breath one moment and then sniggering and occasionally downright laughing the next. He knows how to build up a scene and then let rip with an OMG moment. He is literally the master of suspense and intrigue. He also always seems to shock and surprise me. No mean feat given the sheer amount of books of this genre that I read, but never in a way that I feel duped or cheated. He seems to always treat his reader with the respect they deserve. Any misdirection he does include is delivered in a sublimely subtle way. He is an author where, when something seems off or doesn't make sense, you know just to hold that thought, safe in the knowledge that it will all come good in the end. And it always does. As with this book that left me wholly and completely satisfied. Albeit a little sad that, now it is over, I have the long wait for the next one.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

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Harlan Coben delivers as usual!

Nap is a great character, he jumps off the pages and is very believable. The story flows very naturally and was full of tense moments.
I really enjoyed reading this, as I do with all of Harlan Coben's novels!

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The title 'Don't let go' was very apt for my reading of this. I found the first few pages a little slow but it then soon picked up pace and I couldn't let go. A detective mystery thriller with a strong baseline and characters who became more convincing as the story developed. A definite for fans of Coben.

(Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this copy)

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Harlan Coben is an amazing writer and his books always pull me into a complex story with mysteries, secrets and highly intriguing characters. His writing is spot on and the many twists and turns keep me reading and reading until i've finished the story in under a day.

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Harlan Coben lures you in, walks you through it and it's a compelling, thrilling journey right up until the last word. His characters and plots are totally believable and makes the experience a scary pleasure. More please!

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Another story from the pen of Harlan Coben that twists and turns its way to an unexpected conclusion – do you know what I love about this authors books? The twists you ACTUALLY won’t see coming because you get so caught up in the lives of the characters he is portraying. Zero gimmicks needed here.

I fell for Nap immediately, which meant all I cared about was what he cared about – his obsession is his dead twin and what actually happened to him. Old sins haunt the present here, a girl who was gone turns up again throwing everything off kilter – from that moment on fates are sealed and truths will out – but on the way you get a barnstormer of a page turner that unless you have somewhere extraordinarily important to be you will read in one breathless sitting. I don’t know another author that can keep the story utterly character driven and still keep those surprises coming I loved every minute of it.

There is a beauty in the plotting that you don’t find in many crime novels, that super x-factor something that makes a book both emotionally resonant and completely gripping. Both of those things are true of “Don’t Let Go” and that makes it a genuinely top notch quality read from first page to last.

Fans of Mr Coben will find the short cameo appearance of a much loved character an absolute joy and even those who miss that little gem will want to bang through this one to find out what happens to Nap, to his classmates, to his community and what happened to Leo all those years ago.

Proper storytelling and some real book love from me.

Highly Recommended.

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