The Boy from the Woods

Another fabulous read from Harlan Coben!

Wilde, “the boy from the woods,” was found as a child 30 years ago after local rumor spoke of a wild boy in the woods, reportedly seen by locals over the years. With no memory of how he got there or where he came from, he has no family to speak of until he meets the Crimstein family and befriends famous TV lawyer, Hester Crimstein's son.

With Hester's son now gone after a tragic accident years ago, Wilde is still close to his widow and son, Matthew, who is Wilde's godson. When Matthew reaches out for help about a school friend and a prank turned bad, things start to get interesting and Hester and Wilde have to use every resource available to dig for answers. Two students now missing and a family's secrets are starting to come unearthed.

Fabulous at every twist and turn, in true Coben style. I will say that what stuck with me most about this book was the rich, so full-of-life characters that I instantly fell in love with. Hester may be my favorite characters of all time, so sharp, with such wit, intelligence, and an incredible sense of humor. This story was suspenseful and unexpected, yet full of humor - one of those books you just can't put down!

So, this is the second Harlan Coben novel I've read. The first one had non-stop suspense, but this one is better; it has suspense, romance, childhood angst, thrills, humor and more. The plot was clever, and while the denouement was a little abrupt, you have to end a book somewhere. I think the finish was extraordinary, and I really enjoyed it.

Since I've started this year with him, nothing more fair than finishing it with him. And it was really worth it; the plot is well built, the twists are good, surprising but not unbelievable, the characters solid and human, not flat as other mysteries sometimes make the mistake of having... it's a winner.