Wanted: Dead or Alive? (Tell No One - Harlan Coben)

Member Name: TigerTiger

Product:	Tell No One - Harlan Coben
Date:	10/02/02 (310 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Keeps you on the edge of your seat right until the last page; Not at all predictable, Intelligent and thought provoking, Excellent writing style and characterisation

Disadvantages: Very fast pace, which some may struggle with

“Tell No One” by Harlan Coben has to be the most underestimated crime novel that I have read in a long long time. I read a lot of crime and forensic novels and so think I know what I am talking about (sort of!!). Harlan Coben has already won many awards for his novels and has written six other novels, “Deal Breaker”, “Drop Shot”, “Fade Away”, “Back Spin”, “One False Move”, “The Final Detail”, “Darkest Fear” and now “Tell No One”. He lives In America with his family and can also be contacted on email at bolitar@aol.com.

In “Tell No One” we meet David and Elizabeth Beck, the perfect couple. The couple had been inseparable since childhood, and despite parental concern at their relationship they had been together 12 years and had finally married. Now to mark their anniversary they go back to the Lake where they had spent much of their childhood. On their 13th anniversary Lake Charmaine proves to be less than lucky as Elizabeth it kidnapped and David is left for dead.

Days later Elizabeth is found murdered by a roadside with the letter “K” branded on her cheek. The serial killer known as “Killroy” is eventually jailed for her murder, as well as many others. Although for the families the pain is far from over, with her killer on death row some closure is provided.

The novel catches up with David Beck (known as Beck) eight years later when he is working as a successful doctor. Elizabeth may be long since buried, and David may have gone on many meaningless dates, however not a day has gone by when he hasn’t thought of Elizabeth and longed to have her back. David has found great support from his sister Linda and her girlfriend/ partner Shauna, as well as in his work.

Things are ticking over until one day the police turn up on his door with news that two more bodies have been found buried
up by the lake. What does this mean? Soon after Beck receives an email which proves eve more disturbing. There is Elizabeth, older, but most definitely Elizabeth. What does this mean? Is Elizabeth dead or alive? If alive, where has she been for the past eight years and why did she have to leave everyone she loved behind? If dead, what does someone have to gain from doing this and what do they hope to gain? A seemingly open and shut case all of a sudden starts to get very complex.

Beck now desperately sets out to discover the truth, but ultimately ends up finding some home truths that he would have rather never heard. Why has his house been bugged for the past eight years? Who is Griffin Scope and was it just a coincidence that his son Brandon Scope was murdered at around the same time as Elizabeth? What does his own dead father and father in law have to do with all this? More importantly why is Beck’s own life in danger and how much time does he have. At the same time the finger of blame for Elizabeth’s death starts to point in Beck’s direction and as the case’s evidence is re-examined he finds himself on the run from both the police and some ruthless killers.

The strap line of the book is “the past will haunt you” and they don’t lie. “Tell No One” is a fast moving thriller that kept me on the edge of my train seat for the entire six hour journey. This book is most certainly a one sitting read and it is very hard to put down as the twists just keep on coming and more and more people in Beck’s live become implicated. What was refreshing for me was now “Trust No One” was never once predictable. I love crime fiction and read a great deal as I mentioned, however, at times I get very bored with all the predictability and clichés that the writers seem to use. This for me is the best reason to read this novel. At the end I was left with the feeling that I had been on a real rolle
r coaster ride, and I loved it. I was left feeling tired, as it had been so eventful; amazed at all the twists and turns the novel had taken from the initial seemingly straight forward plot and also disappointed that it was all over and I had no more to read.

My liking for this book is hard to hind, it was great and I cannot say much more than that. I liked the way the characters were portrayed. Beck came across as vulnerable; yet strong at the same time in his battle to discover the truth about the woman he loves. His sister and her partner, who just happens to be Beck’s close friend, were also well portrayed and I was relieved that the author didn’t see fit to go on and on about their lesbian relationship. We were aware of it, but it was just included as part of every day life, as it should be.

The writing style is very easy going as well, but it is very fast paced and you need all your wits about you. This is not the kind of book to read when you are very tired and just wanting a bed time read. There are so many twists and turns that you need to be concentrating in order to keep up.

I admittedly have not read any more of Harlan Coben’s books, but I now intend to. You can currently buy this book in the three for two offer in Waterstones, but regularly it costs £5.99 and is worth every penny.

Contrary to the book title, I felt the need to tell everyone about this book! My book of the year so far.

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