2007-08-17 Thriller Writing of a High Standard

Harlan Coben continues to prove that he is one of the best thriller writers around at the moment. A page turner is a much used phrase but in this case it is really appropriate. The author's books are always so well structured and his character's well rounded. He is obviously comfortable with his style and ability and this transmits itself to the reader making the reading of his books sheer pleasure from start to finish. Coben has now got a string of best selling crime novels behind him and all I can say is that I hope he continues to write for many years to come. The author lives in New Jersey with his wife and four children.

Marc Seidman finds himself in hospital after narrowly surviving a shooting in which his wife has been killed and their baby daughter went missing. When a handover of some ransom money supplied by his rich in-laws goes wrong, Seidman finally realises that he is not only without a wife and daughter, he has a sister who may actually be an accomplice to the crime and worse still he is the principal suspect . . .

As usual Harlan Coben has the reader wanting to do the unthinkable, turn to the end of the book to see how the plot turns out. Of course any thriller reader worth their salt would never consider doing this, but it is a measure of the ability of the author to bring such suspense into his writing.