I first discovered Harlan Coben with TELL NO ONE and the novels which followed it, novels about ordinary people caught up in extraordinary situations. Later I found his Myron Bolitar series, with his series character, a sports agent come investigator. THE BOY FROM THE WOODS is almost a hybrid of the two. There is an unusual character, Wilde, the titular ‘boy’, who was actually discovered as a child living in the woods alone, who has the potential to be that series character, Coben’s own Jack Reacher or Joe Pike, with a dollop of IQ-like Holmesian deductive skills thrown in. This is not to suggest that Coben has become derivative - he is still the exciting writer of suspense he has always been - just that he has found a character with the potential to rival those mentioned.

The plot is intriguing - a disappearance or is it a kidnapping; rich media-types; spoilt, bullying school kids and those caught in their orbit - and is held together by a cast of characters, particularly Wilde and his surrogate mother-figure, TV-lawyer, Hester Crimstein, of whom we look forward to meeting again. A very good thriller from a master of the thriller and the promise of a first-class series.

Harlan Coben is famous for his edge-of-your-seat thrillers, usually in a domestic setting, where old secrets threaten to tear a family apart. This story is slightly different. I think it is now my favourite of all his books but please don't make me choose!

Hester Crimstein is a seventy-year-old defence attorney who is also famous for her own television show (something like Judge Judy). Her grandson, Matthew, is worried about a girl who has gone missing at school - a girl that nobody likes and whom everyone picks on. Hester asks Wilde (a family friend who is also a private investigator) to look into the case for her. Wilde is a very interesting character: a man who was found living 'feral' in the woods as a child. Although incredibly smart, he's not been able to adjust to 'normal' life and still lives in a self-contained 'pod' in the forest. As he investigates the girl's disappearance, another teenager goes missing - and a human finger is posted to the parents...

My favourite character was the ass-kicking Hester but I did love Wilde and his intriguing backstory, and was rooting for him to have his own happy ending. Harlan Coben is a master at writing fast-paced thrillers so I was chomping down on my nails for a large chunk of the book, and his twists are always second-to-none. I read a lot of crime fiction, so it's a big deal for me when I can't guess the ending. I shall definitely be re-reading to see how he fooled me. Utterly brilliant and thoroughly recommended for all Harlan's fans, and readers of authors such as Linwood Barclay and Lee Child.


Thank you to Harlan Coben and Cornerstone (Century) for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

The Boy From The Woods is an ok thriller, but honestly I found it to be far from Harlan Coben's best. The premise is that a teenage girl goes missing, but instead of a book about searching for her, the plot turns all political, and I found it to be ho hum. The book is not without memorable characters, Hester and Wilde both deserving of further novels, but the bit players were boring, the action pretty much non-existent and I was never riveted in any way. It's a shame as I've always found Coben to be a must read, however this book misses the mark.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

30 years ago a boy was found in the woods in New Jersey. He was said to be feral but resourceful with no memory of how he got there or who he was. He was given the name Wilde.

Wilde is now a former soldier and security expert, living off the grid, still in the woods. When a child goes missing he’s asked to help by his friend’s Mother and Criminal Attorney, Hester Crimstein. What he finds is a situation even darker and more twisted than he could have imagined.

Coben’s writing always hooks me and this is no exception. There are so many twists and turns, it definitely keeps you on your toes. My one complaint would actually be that there is a bit too much crammed in to what is really a fairly short book. There are kind of four threads to the story and some don’t get much time given to them at all and almost feel unnecessary, unless Coben is planning on doing a follow up and will expand on some of these threads then. I did feel the ends of some of the threads were kind of hastily wrapped up and if there was a bit less going on maybe this could have been done a bit differently.

As a fan of Bruce Springsteen and New Jersey in general but Asbury Park in particular, I’m always pleased to see references to songs or places I know.

The characterisation is great; Wilde is such an intriguing character and I’d love to read more about him so I’m really hoping for a sequel, there’s definitely scope for it. I also really liked Hester, she’s my kind of woman with her ballsy attitude but having her obsess over how attractive her potential new partner’s ex-wife is was a bit of a weak move.

Overall, I did really enjoy this. The plot was fairly topical and I particularly enjoyed one scene where Rusty Eggers, Politician, is discussing how to use social media bots to spin the narrative around an unflattering video clip that has been released. Definitely sounded realistic to me and has made me question everything I have ever seen on social media!

I’m still keen to read more of Coben’s work and would definitely read more books about Wilde as he has got me so intrigued.

I gave this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I can't believe I've never read a Harlan Coben book before - I always thought of them as very violent thrillers, but judging by this one I was very wrong and now I can't wait to read his back catalogue!
Wilde is a sympathetic and believable character and I enjoyed all the various plotlines which came together in a satisfying ending.
Thank you to netgalley and Random house for an advance copy of this book

Engaging and interesting thriller from Harlan Coben

This detective novel’s main plot is about missing teenagers but there’s a lot more going on involving kidnapping, murder, political machinations and the foundling of the title. The characters are very well-developed and the dialogue is witty and fun. It’s a highly enjoyable experience with many twists and turns. Why are all (nearly all) the characters so good-looking? I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It's no secret that I'm a fan of Harlan Coben. His action packed thrillers are a cut above and are right up my street. The Boy From the Woods is a solid, well written thriller that I enjoyed but if I didn't know it was written by HC, I would have never guessed it.

The storyline centres around a disappearance of two teenagers, one is a bullied girl with no friends and the other one is the most popular boy in school with powerful parents. Their disappearance seems to be linked, but when the boy's parents receive a ransom note, it is clear he's been kidnapped. Wilde, a man who survived as a child in the wilderness on his own for years gets involved to solve the mystery.

I found that the book lacked the usual suspense and heart racing moments so typical of HC's books. Perhaps I'm being a bit harsh with my 3 star rating but this author has set the bar very high.

Many thanks to the publisher for my review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Harlan Coben and it certainly won’t be my last. It was an easy read, it had many intertwined stories which were brought to plausible conclusions and it kept me guessing right up until the end, and pleasantly so. At times I did wonder if there were too many story lines and if so many were really necessary but it all made sense in the end. Wilde was such a mystery, yet a very likeable protagonist. My heart went out to Naomi. Hester too was very likeable and so too was Ava. The twists and turns were many, but they all had a part to play and no stone was left unturned. This was my first but certainly won’t be my last from this talented writer.

As twisty and taut as you would expect from Coben who excels as this type of thriller. Featuring Hester Crimstein and Wilde, who was found living in the woods as a child and was a friend of Hester's son, Coben creates a plot around a missing girl and the impact it has on the group including Hester's grandson. With twists and the snappy dialogue that is one of Coben's real strengths this is a great read.

I was so excited to be offered a Harlan Coben book on a NetGalley to review. I the story was interesting and there were mysteries that didn’t get solved till the very end but I didn’t find it flowed smoothly and the characters were a bit odd in places. The main character, Wilde, was fascinating and you wanted him to succeed in getting the bad guy and finding love. I would still recommend the book based on the satisfying ending.

I've always enjoyed Harlan Coben books and this, for the most part, is no exception.

'The Boy from the Woods' is a tightly constructed mystery puzzle and I do recommend it.

Drama, family, politics, money and privilege drive the main story and its subplots. Do look out for Hester - what a fun character!

A puzzling, mystery thriller that demands you turn its pages!

Another thrilling story from Harlan Coben . A man ,called Wilde ,who was found as a boy living rough in the woods is contacted by Mathew (whose late father was Wilde's best friend ) about his worries for his friend Naomi who has gone missing from school . Whilst investigating this another pupil, from a rich background(Crash) ,goes missing . It seems the 2 incidents are linked but this is not necessarily so . Crash's parents receive a ransom demanding that certain videos are submitted to secure the release of Crash . Wilde hunts for the perpetrators of this crime but continues to find out where Naomi has gone to .Loads of twists throughout this story but don't want to give away too much so not saying any more .

As always an excellent read from an excellent author, really enjoyed the story, the twists and the turns and sub plots and once again Corben makes the reader realise what a talent he is, ai wonder if there will be more about Wilde??? Great read

Thank you Mr Coben, I absolutely loved this story from start to finish, read it in one sitting finishing it late last night, or should I say early hours of this morning. Loved Hester Crimstein the 70 year old hip criminal attorney it gives me hope there’s life for me yet, Wilde is also a lovely character. I would love to see these two characters again as they bounce off each other so beautifully, made me chuckle a few times.

Wilde had been found in the woods as a child thirty years earlier, but when he was found he could read, he believes he learnt from breaking into houses and watching television, for him he felt he was left alone for a long time, but as children have no sense of time until they are a little older, was he really alone for very long? He is afraid of commitment, he still likes to live off the grid. His best friend David, Hester’s son had been killed in a car accident, Wilde watches out for David’s wife and his godson Matthew.

When Matthew approaches Hester for help as he is worried that a girl from school Naomi is missing, Wilde is called to give a helping hand, but what isn’t Matthew telling them? Then later when Crash another classmate from a wealthy family goes missing Wilde knows that there is more going on than they first thought. The story is full of the usual red herrings, not knowing who you can and can’t trust. The plot flows beautifully, there is some humour as well which I really enjoyed.

This is another brilliant book by one of my favourite authors, I think this goes forward of one of my favourites of his books. I just loved these main characters, they were likeable and relatable and Hester is kick ass good. I very definitely highly recommend this book.

Thank you to #netgalley and #CornerstoneDigital for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

Interesting enough plot but tedious, clunky writing and cringy dialogue that reads as if it was written by a teenager. Characters are one-dimensional and by the end of the story I couldn't wait for it to be over.

It would make for a decent holiday read and if you're a fan of Coben's previous work you will no doubt enjoy this but otherwise, I can't recommend this.

Thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for the ARC.

Believe it or not this is the first book I have read by this author and I was so disappointed. After reading the blurb I could wait to start reading. The first quarter of this book really held my attention when the young girl went missing. For me it started to go down hill and for me was far from believable. Maybe I just chose the wrong book by this author. Saying that I am sure other readers will enjoy it more just not for me.
Thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for the ARC.

Harlem’s usually excellent work. It’s not just his plot and characters are believable but his prose style is so good. I always finish one of his books hoping the next is round the corner.

Oh where to start! Harlan Coben is one of my all time favourite writers and I actually squealed when I was approved for an early copy of The Boy From The Woods. So no pressure Mr Coben, no pressure. I knew that I had to be free of other commitments when I picked up this book. Absolutely pleased to report that this book is fantastic 🤗

Not going to talk too much about the plot for this one. I did not know too much about it going in and left it all to be a surprise. There are wonderful surprises for long time Coben fans. This is a stand alone book most definitely. I do hope that Wilde is a character that we will meet again soon. I really enjoyed reading about him and would love for more. He is a very different character and one you won’t forget in a hurry,

This is a story of missing children, political scandal, family and money. It is constantly moving story that leaves you little time for recovery from the last revelation. It twists so many times you will never guess the ending.

I can not recommend this book or Harlan Coben enough. Thank you so much to Random House UK, Cornerstone Century and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

I’ve always liked books by Harlen Coben and have watched his two adaptations on Netflix. This book didn’t disappoint.
A tale of mystery, political intrigue and scandal, it keeps you hooked from the start.
What is the story of the boy from the woods and what is his connection to a well known respected lawyer?
What scandal surrounds Rusty Eggers, the up and coming presidential candidate and can it destroy his chances?
Lots of questions which you eventually find the answers to and it makes you want to keep reading!
If you like a good mystery you’ll love this!

Once again Harlen Coben has graced us with another brilliant action packed novel!

Just what we've come to grow and love, you are taken on a roller coaster ride with many things going on at once, overlapping and tying in knots but which all come together brilliantly at the finale.

A downside for me was that I didnt 'feel'this novel like all the others before it. I'm definitely an Emotional Reader and this one just didnt grip me in the way they have in the past. I didnt get that all consuming feeling of needing to know what happens next there and then.

In my opinion this will be a whole lot better on screen, it's full of action, twists and turns but its just a bit too unbelievable.

3.5*

Huge thanks to netgalley and Random House UK for the ARC.