The Woods
Ratings23
Average rating3.7
15
Ratings23
Average rating3.7
Twenty years ago, four teenagers at summer camp walked into the woods at night. Two were found murdered, and the others were never seen again. Four families had their lives changed forever. Now, two decades later, they are about to change again.For Paul Copeland, the county prosecutor of Essex, New Jersey, mourning the loss of his sister has only recently begun to subside. Cope, as he is known, is now dealing with raising his six- year-old daughter as a single father after his wife has died of cancer. Balancing family life and a rapidly ascending career as a prosecutor distracts him from his past traumas, but only for so long. When a homicide victim is found with evidence linking him to Cope, the well-buried secrets of the prosecutor's family are threatened.Is this homicide victim one of the campers who disappeared with his sister? Could his sister be alive? Cope has to confront so much he left behind that summer twenty years ago: his first love, Lucy; his mother, who abandoned the family; and the secrets that his Russian parents might have been hiding even from their own children. Cope must decide what is better left hidden in the dark and what truths can be brought to the light.
Reviews with the most likes.
A county prosecutor's complicated past is dug up, during a trial involving a loaded defendant.
Engaging writing as far as thrillers are concerned.
Humor✅️
Not too macho, lots of practical women ✅️
For some reason all women are hot. It felt a little unnecessary, to mention how his jaw dropped every time. Anyway feminine beauty is art for him. So, it's... fine. I guess.
You do see some of the twists coming earlier in the story, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable.
A good light read.
Some of the twists were a little predictable, but I still immensely enjoyed this Coben. Would of liked to seen more from his Russian ‘uncle' but it wasn't to be, perhaps he will feature in his own story sometime? Loren Muse has been in a few now, so can she have her own series or at least a headline act.
I haven't read many books recently (thanks to my manga obsession) but this was a really great, if somewhat predictable thriller!
This is my 3rd Harlan Coben book. I had a similar experience as the books before i.e. A DECENT Thriller. The major advantage of Harlan Coben's books is that they keep you interested from the very first chapter and are very easy to read. The disadvantage is the characters and it's a very forgettable story. Mind you, I am not someone who looks for unique or interesting characters when reading a Thriller book, but the characters in Harlen Corben's books are too lame and boring for me to care anything for them. They are not clever either. It is just the narrative that keeps you interested.
Coming to this particular book, as usual, starts out very interesting but slows down as the book progresses(One reason is the courtroom subplot). I thought I would end up giving a 2.5 stars but the climax is good/decent enough for me to push it up to 3. (Complaint 1)One thing that irritated me was the ML doing almost nothing except going from place to place and flashing his prosecutor ID at people's faces to get the information out of them. He does nothing to uncover the truth. Most of the information/investigation is given to him by his PA. (Complaint 2) I felt the subplots(KGB Russia and courtroom case) used as threads to complete the main plot were forced. They didn't seem organic.
Suggestion: If you are someone who is OK with absurd/ suspension of disbelief and looking for some quick, easy read, you can give this a try.
PS(slight spoilers)
After reading three Harlen Coben books, I realized that the surprise/shock factor he uses at the beginning of the book to keep us interested is almost the same( Bringing back someone who is presumed to be dead)
