| Product: |
No Second Chance - Harlan Coben |
| Date: |
05/01/05 (98 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: gripping from the start, surprises
Disadvantages: bit disjointed at the start
Dr Marc Seidman wakes up in the hospital to find his wife has been murdered and his baby daughter, Tara, has vanished from their home. He has been shot and cannot remember events leading up to the awful events of that day. He spends weeks lying in bed, himself the subject of the murder investigation as the only witness, powerless to go out and find his daughter. Weeks later a letter arrives – a ransom note – warning him that if he contacts the police he will never see his daughter again. There will be ‘no second chance’.
Marc’s wife has a rich father, Edgar – therefore he stumps up the cool 2 million bucks that is demanded. However, Marc, torn between wanting to take the kidnappers on alone and seeking help, reluctantly involves the authorities. The ransom money is taken to a secluded area and collected – but the kidnappers don’t keep to their side of the bargain. Tara is not returned.
18 months later there is still no sign of her. But Marc hasn’t given up hope. And then another note arrives – WANT ONE LAST CHANCE?
If you think that’s given away alot of the plot, that’s just the first hundred odd pages. The rest of the book is a rollercoaster ride through Marc’s desperate attempts to get his daughter back and bring his wife's killers to justice. But is Tara still alive after all this time?
* What I thought *
This story gripped me right from the start. Clues are given to the reader but nothing so concrete that we are any the wiser as to who has taken the baby or why. The fact that Monica, Marc’s wife, is found unclothed at the murder scene convinces Marc something’s not right. The last thing he remembers is her pulling on her jeans after her shower. So who broke in and shot him and his wife and snatched the baby?
Hmm well obviously I'm not going to tell you!
Marc’s vulnerability is put to the test after coming to terms with his wife’s death when he sees an old flame, Rachel, in the supermarket. The 'one that got away' returning to his hometown rakes up old memories. Handily(!), she’s an ex FBI agent, and is soon on the case as his pardner, trying to uncover the mystery of the missing baby.
* Characters *
Rachel, Marc’s ex girlfriend was ‘the love of his life’ and the fact that her husband, also an FBI agent, was shot dead at point blank range, adds to the mystery of the surprisingly secretive Rachel. Marc hasn’t seen her in close to 15 years but photographic evidence shows that she’s been hanging around the hospital where he works – but why? Is she stalking him? Is she somehow involved in all of this?
Lenny - Marc’s best friend since childhood and (also) handily a top notch lawyer. Husband, father and most importantly always there for his pal, he’s already got his own theories as to who’s behind the abduction.
Marc himself is a likeable character and the reader senses his frustration and desperation when trying to find his daughter. He’s a bit of an all action hero. Leaping onto moving cars just after you've got out of hospital wouldn't be top of everyone's activities - of course he's badly injured (again) when the car throws him. He tends to go in all guns blazing rather than thinking things through, and seems to end up getting hurt more than necessary!
There are many others that come and go in the book but hold out to the end when Verne Dayton is introduced when Rachel and Marc stumble upon his house in the woods. He’s stuck in an 80s time warp and sports a mullet hairstyle, a ‘cheesy blond moustache’ and an interesting line in t-shirts.
* Other info *
ISBN 0-75284-280-3
RRP £6.99
(£5.49 on play.com or as part of a 3 for £15 deal)
391 pages, paperback.
* About the Author *
Harlan Coben lives with his wife and four children in New Jersey. ‘No Second Chance’ was a bestseller in Orion hardback.
Other books by Coben:
Deal Breaker
Drop Shot
Fade Away
Back Spin
One False Move
The Final Detail
Darkest Fear
Tell No One
Gone For Good
www.harlancoben.com
* Overall *
I think when one reads this type of book, there’s always a theory the reader adopts as to whodunnit. In Coben’s books there are always a number of possibilities and clues point cleverly to a number of suspects throughout the book. Nearing close to the end you are still none the wiser – neither are the cops that are investigating the case, although they seem to be barking up the wrong tree right from the start and they tend to be two steps behind the main characters anyway! To the reader this is kind of frustrating, but it makes it all the more exciting as you’re led up different pathways only to meet a dead end!
Ten pages til the end, I thought it was all wrapped up. But in true Coben style, there’s one last punch he wants to throw, and it’s a goodie!
I think a real plus in his books (this only being the second I’ve read) is the loyalty and friendship between the two lead men. Lenny the lawyer comes into play once Marc’s life is turned upside down and Lenny the friend is always there to lend an ear.
This is clever stuff. If you haven’t read a Coben book, make it this one.
Five stars – Mack read this one in a matter of days, so desperate was she to find out the identity of the killer! Highly recommended.
Thanks for reading.
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