This is a fast paced book that is a rollercoaster of a ride. This is what you come to expect now from Harlan Coben. You know nothing is going to be straightforward.

There are many strong characters in this book, from the main protagonist, Military woman and widow, Maya Stern-Burkett; her Brother in Law Eddie and the secretive Burkett Family. The characters are very well written.

Maya has buried both her Husband and her Sister. Are the murders linked? What about the death of her Husbands Brother Andrew, several years before.

It's a really good book to keep you guessing, with twists and turns around every corner. The plot is exciting and with a twist at the end that you don't see coming.

Fool me Once. Or if you are Harlan Coben fool me once, then again, then just when I’ve got a grip on things do it again.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

If your husband was murdered,
And you were a witness,
How do you explain it when he appears on your nanny cam?
You thought you trusted him.
Now you can't even trust yourself.

I don't know - I think my years-long liking of Harlan Coben might be coming to an end. Don't get me wrong - this is still a first-class mystery with some very cool twists and turns along the way. The very things that hooked me with his writing early on.

But, for me, that is also the problem. I want authors to grow and adapt, try something a little different. Coben's idea of different was a YA novel with Mickey Bolitar, Myron's nephew, as the lead character. Some of his earlier standalone novels were great - now they just feel like space-fillers for the next Bolitar family novel...

For me, this had a lot of filler, a lot of waffle that isn't usually in his books. Was there really a novel in the idea he came up with? Is he on a contract that says "As close to 400 pages as you can, Harlan"? This just felt like it could have been done 100 pages less and still told the same story.

Will I read another? Probably - I have been reading his books a long time but I am hoping it is better than this!


Paul
ARH