Hold Tight: A Suspense Thriller

Harlan Coben has a tendency to create mulitiple plot threads that never seem like they will ever come together. This book is no exception. In his new book, Coben, explores a problem in today's society. Privacy. He explores how the internet changed everything. Now, that anyone can post anything they want about you and there isn't much you can do. At the center of these themes is the Baye family (pronounced "by"). Mike and Tia have recently installed a spy program to keep an eye on their sixteen-year-old son, Adam. They do this after a friend of Adam has recently commited suicide. After a cryptic IM, Mike tries to keep Adam home but then he runs away. So begins the search for the teenager. The search takes Mike into the seedy part of the Bronx. Meanwhile, a killer is at large and killing what seems to be random women. The reason behind it all will keep you guessing until the end. Also, a patient of Mike and his partner needs a kidney transplant and the mother holds a devestating secret. A father tries to come to terms with the fact that he cannot keep his daughter from harm after a popular teacher embarrasses her in class. We also see the police working the killer's case. All threads converge very nicely into a sweet bow. Some are a little too forced but all in all, the suspense never relents and Coben once again keeps you guessing until the very end when the final secret is revealed.

I have read all of Harlan Coben's books - I was totally addicted to Myron, Win & Esperanza and at first, was disappointed that his new books did not include these favorite characters. But once I read the first non-Myron book, I had a different opinion about Coben's literary skills. I believe he not only develops interesting and pertinent plots and subplots, but does so with a commanding literary skill. I do not believe the Myron books were as skillfully written as his recent books. I could not put this book down once I started reading. It took hold within the first pages and I felt this is the best book he has written. I especially like how he develops subplots that seamlessly come together until there is only one plot. I also like the way he chose a topic that is very prevalent to every parent today - internet, text messaging. Before the advent of this technology it was easier to keep track of your child/teenager without totally invading their privacy. With this technology, it becomes almost impossible to know what your child is doing. I can't wait for his next book! or the TV series being developed on Myron.

Hold Tight sets up a range of stories in one community: a teacher who in a moment of temper mocks a student and ruins her life; a brooding teenage son clearly in trouble who disappears, his parent desperately trying to track him down; a sick little boy seeking a kidney transplant; a mother mourning her son's recent suicide; a pair of killers pursuing suburban women -- and more. Each individual story is tense and exciting in its own right, but I also loved wondering how they would come together. I won't give anything away but to say he did not disappoint; the stories do connect in ways that made me gasp. This Harlan at his best: real people in situations that could happen to anyone, struggling to survive, wondering what went wrong. Loved every minute of it.

Hold Tight is definitely one of Harlan Coben's top three books -- and it may be his best yet! It is a book that grabs your attention from page one and never lets go until the last word on the last page. Hold Tight is largely plot-driven, although Coben's characters are mostly interesting and ones that people, and particularly parents, will be able to relate to. They are not characters, however, whose visual profiles came strongly to life for me. Further, if you have read Coben's Myron Bolitar series, I think you'll consider the characters of Mike Baye and his friend Mo to be pretty reminiscent of his characters, Myron Bolitar and his friend, Win. As I said, the strength of this book is its plot, not its character development. But what a plot it is! Basically, the book revolves around two story lines: (1) Mike Baye and his wife trying to deal with the increasing withdrawal of their 16-year-old son after a friend's suicide, and (2) a pair of brutal, seemingly unrelated killings, which serve to highlight the domestic troubles that ensue and draw the Baye family, their friends and neighbors in a sea of tragedy. In addition to Hold Tight's exciting plot, Coben wraps the story around the following highly relevant ethical questions that most parents have to wrestle with: How do you weigh a child's privacy against a parent's right to know? How do you differentiate normal teenage rebelliousness from out-of-control behavior? When and how do you intervene if suicidal signs appear? Be prepared to put off whatever you were planning to do once you start Hold Tight, as you won't want to put this book down. I highly recommend Hold Tight to all readers of exciting, suspenseful plot-driven thrillers.

Mike and Tia Baye are worried about their son, Adam. Ever since Adam lost a good friend to suicide, he has withdrawn from the family. After much deliberation they decide to install spy software on his computer to keep track of his internet activity. Everything seems normal until an instant message from a mysterious source turns the Baye's world upside down. Betsy Hill mourns like any mother would over the loss of her son Spencer. As troubled as he was no one thought he would ever take his own life. While reading her son's Myspace memorial page she comes across a photo that changes everything she thought about her son's death. Now she must confront Spencer's best friend, Adam, who is the only person who may really know what happened the night Spencer died. Soon both families are intertwined in a desperate search for truth that will reveal shocking answers. As the questions are answered more families become involved and connections to a baffling police case come to light. Now Mike and Tia must dig through all the layers of secrecy if they hope to save their son before it's too late. Harlan Coben holds nothing back in his latest offering. This is high caliber suspense, gut-wrenching drama, and engrossing mystery all rolled into one. Coben brings the thriller genre full force into suburbia and gives us an eye-opening glance into the very real dangers that threaten families in our society. In Hold Tight we are effectively thrown into the middle of every parent's worst nightmare and what a scary and sobering experience it is. As always Coben's writing proves to be second to none as he effectively weaves several storylines together and somehow manages to link them all together without ever revealing where the story is heading. Coben's fans will also enjoy some character cameos from his last novel, The Woods. Hold Tight can certainly be read as a stand alone title, but I highly recommend readers pick up a copy of The Woods to get the full effect of both stories. Coben has not only created another addicting masterpiece, but he has blessed us with an unforgettable cautionary tale about parenthood. This one will no doubt keep you up all night nervously flipping through the pages. However, in the end you will want to hug your kids tightly and tell them how much you love them. If you haven't read Coben before you will indeed wonder why after this one.