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Topic: Anyone read books by Harlan Coben?

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Froggie avatar
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Subject: Anyone read books by Harlan Coben?
Date Posted: 10/16/2008 9:32 AM ET
Member Since: 10/27/2007
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I am almost done reading "The Woods" by Harlan Coben and wanted to know if there was anyone else who has read books by this author.

This is my first book by him and I have to say I am thoroughly enjoying it.  It is almost like a story within a story.  I can't wait to finish.  I have seen other books by Mr. Coben and was wondering if his others are just as good?  I was also curious if the main character, Paul Copeland is repeated again in any his books. 

 

Twill avatar
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Date Posted: 10/16/2008 12:13 PM ET
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I have read all of Coben's stand alone books and love them.  I think my favorite is No Second Chance.  I don't believe the Paul Copeland character is repeated that I can remember.  He does have a series with a repeating character, Myron Bolitar.  I haven't read any of these but hear they are very good.  I highly recommend his stand alones.  Read No Second Chance.

ETA:  You might also enjoy Greg Iles if you have not read him.  The Quiet Game or 24 Hours.



Last Edited on: 10/16/08 12:15 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
bears1 avatar
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Date Posted: 10/16/2008 3:20 PM ET
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I love Harlen Coben.  I agree that his stand alones are better.  The Myron Bolitar series is ok but not as good as his other books.

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Date Posted: 10/16/2008 3:46 PM ET
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His stand alone books are better then his series, i think so anyways.  Paul Copeland in also in another book by Harlan Coben, Hold Tight.

MediumDebbi avatar
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Date Posted: 10/16/2008 4:02 PM ET
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I read Gone for Good first and something else ( I don't recall the title right now) and yes, I did read " the Woods", which was very engrossing! I want to read some more of his series but not very attracted to the sports theme, how are they? He does seem to get deeper with his characters and I like that, similar to P.D. James~ more than a superficial mystery.

Has anyone read Elizabeth George?I hear that she digs deeper too. Another more classic writer that is engrossing and mysterious is Joseph Conrad ~ I am reading "The Secret Sharer" and "The Heart of Darkness"  they deal with murder and the darker side of humanity so I think that they would fall into this category too.

Right now : reading "The Children of Men"  again, really good and engrossing.

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Date Posted: 10/16/2008 6:35 PM ET
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The Woods was my first and only so far by Coben...but I plan to read more.  I found the plot a bit complicated but enjoyed the book very much...all those plot twists were fun! 

tashar avatar
Date Posted: 10/16/2008 6:43 PM ET
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Recently finished "The Woods" and loved it!  I tend to finish his books in no time...you should read No Second Chance.  It was excellent.

Twill avatar
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Date Posted: 10/16/2008 7:17 PM ET
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Hold Tight is his newest, right?  I haven't read that one yet.  It's on my wish list.  And I forgot about Gone For Good, another excellent book.

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Date Posted: 10/16/2008 8:33 PM ET
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I think I will add a few of these books to my WL.  I am very excited to find another author that I like.

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Date Posted: 10/17/2008 8:47 AM ET
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Yes Hold Tight is one of his newest. I enjoyed it. 

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Date Posted: 10/17/2008 11:46 AM ET
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Well, chalk me up for the opposite opinion... I absolutely LOVE the Myron Bolitar series. The series in order: 

  • Deal Breaker
  • Drop Shot
  • Fade Away
  • Back Spin
  • One False Move
  • The Final Detail
  • Darkest Fear
  • Promise Me

The next, Long Lost, is due in March. Though the main character is a former basketball player and current sports agent, the sports "angle" really does not overpower the stories/plots at all, and the cast of characters is very colorful and engaging.

While I have enjoyed some of Coben's stand-alone novels quite a bit (No Second Chance and Tell No One in particular), I do find them to be somewhat hit-or-miss, and the ones that are "misses" are almost unbearably so. The "problem" (and I use the word loosely) I have with the stand-alone novels is that in many cases they are only minor variations on the exact same theme. JMO :-)



Last Edited on: 10/17/08 11:46 AM ET - Total times edited: 1
esjro avatar
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Date Posted: 10/17/2008 8:43 PM ET
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I have read most of the standalones but haven't started the series yet.  I LOVED Tell No One (and can't wait til the DVD comes to Netflix!) and Gone for Good.  The Innocent was pretty good too.  I was disappointed in Hold Tight.

 

You might try Kevin O'Brien also - his books are also suspenseful and have plot twists.

 

 

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Date Posted: 10/18/2008 9:42 PM ET
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I also love the Coben books.  Haven't tried the series yet, but I may later on. 

You could also try Jeffrey Deaver, Ridley Pearson, or John Sandford.  Can't forget Alex Kava, Karin Slaughter, and the Monkeewrench series by P. J. Tracey.  Oh - and Michael Connelly and the Instinct series by Robert Walker.

If you like a supernatural twist - you HAVE to read the Repairman Jack books by F. Paul Wilson.  Completely awesome!

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Date Posted: 10/20/2008 8:12 AM ET
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I've read a lot of his books and they are really good quick reads.  (not too deep, suspenseful and enjoyable).

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Date Posted: 10/20/2008 8:29 PM ET
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I'm a Harlan Coben fan, too, but in the Bookmonkey minority - I LOVE the Myron Bolitar series!  Don't get me wrong, the stand-alones are great, but my heart belongs to Myron and Win.  

And Cindy P is right, the Repairman Jack series is phenomenal - I just finished the most recent one last week!

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Date Posted: 10/22/2008 11:43 PM ET
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I loved TELL NO ONE.  I started THE FINAL DETAIL, and just couldn't get into it.   ( I gave it 50 pages, and didn't care enough to continue)  My next Coben book is THE WOODS.  I'm looking forward to reading it!

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Date Posted: 10/23/2008 10:31 AM ET
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I have read and loved all of Coben's books.  I hope he is planning on writing more books.   If you like Coben, give David Rosenfelt a try. 



Last Edited on: 10/23/08 10:31 AM ET - Total times edited: 1
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Date Posted: 10/23/2008 7:15 PM ET
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I loved the Myron Bolitar series.  They're better when read in order.

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Date Posted: 10/24/2008 12:40 AM ET
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Hello Cindy M.  Nice to see another Repairman Jack fan out there.  They are all on my keeper shelf.  Since joining this site and 1 other site I have traded books that I never thought I would be willing to part with - but my RJ books will be here forever!!!

Will have to check out David Rosenfelt - never tried his books.

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Date Posted: 10/24/2008 8:43 AM ET
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If you reac the books by David Rosenfelt, it is better if you read them in order.  You don't have to, but you will enjoy them more if you do.  His main character is Andy Carpenter.  If you like Golden Retreivers, this series is a must for you.

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Date Posted: 10/24/2008 10:08 PM ET
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Cindy, my RJ's are definitely keepers, too!

One of my PBS buddies who knows I'm a big fangirl geek was kind enough to get me a signed copy of By the Sword a few weeks ago!  Woo hoo!   :)

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Date Posted: 10/28/2008 6:51 AM ET
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I got No Second Chance in the mail recently but now I have to finish up some other books so I can get to it. Now I'm torn between that and a couple of others I've gotten and that are on their way. Sooo many good books to read, so little time.

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Date Posted: 10/28/2008 12:27 PM ET
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OMG... so I told you I got No Second Chance in the mail, thinking I didn't have any of his books but it turns out I do have one (I haven't read it yet and thanfully it's a different one). I found it while searching my shelves for Anne Rice books I'm going to do as a deal. haha

In all fairness though, I had that book PRE PBS (like that makes it any better???) haha

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Date Posted: 10/28/2008 7:27 PM ET
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I loved his first stand-alone, Tell No One.  I even wrote him on his website and he answered -- we had a good discussion about it becoming a movie.



Last Edited on: 10/28/08 7:45 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
Froggie avatar
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Date Posted: 10/29/2008 9:21 AM ET
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Carly, a friend just gave me Tell No One to read.   I am at the beginning of a book right now but I think when I am done I will read this one next because I loved The Woods.   That is soo cool that you and he wrote to each other.  I think I will have to look up his website too. 

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