Saturday, August 30, 2008

The Woods - Harlan Coben

I met Harlan Coben several years ago at a convention, but I’d never read any of his books until now. THE WOODS is the story of Paul Copeland, a county prosecutor from New Jersey who has several tragedies in his past, beginning with the time twenty years earlier when his teenage sister disappeared, presumed to be one of the victims of a serial killer who struck at a summer camp where both the Copeland siblings were staying. Copeland’s mother abandoned her husband and son a few years later, and Copeland’s wife died of cancer a few years before THE WOODS begins. So he’s got plenty of angst on his plate, as well as a high-profile case he’s prosecuting against two wealthy frat boys accused of raping a black, teenage, exotic dancer.

Then a dead body turns up in Manhattan, and son of a gun, the corpse turns out to be one of the summer camp “victims” who supposedly died along with Copeland’s sister. But since this guy was really still alive, maybe Copeland’s sister is, too . . .

As you might expect, things get really complicated from that point. Copeland tries to compartmentalize his life, but that becomes impossible when all the compartments start slamming together. Most mystery readers will probably figure out some of what’s going on, but Coben throws in plenty of twists, some of which I definitely didn’t see coming. The book is paced well for a long novel and the writing flows smoothly. Since it’s the only Coben novel I’ve read, I don’t know where THE WOODS ranks among fans of his work, but I liked it quite a bit and plan to read more of his books.

8 comments:

pattinase (abbott) said...

I haven't read any either but we were quite impressed with the French film based on his work at theaters now TELL NO ONE. He really understands pacing, doesn't he. And he created three strong female characters, unusual to see in a movie today.

Mark Terry said...

Good writer, enjoyable books, nice guy... tall.

Anonymous said...

I haven't read all of Coben's series about sports agent Myron Bolitar but I have read all his standalones and you can't go wrong with any of them. "The Woods" isn't even one of the better ones. My own favorite is "Just One Look". And I'd like to second the recommendation of the French thriller "Tell No One". It's definitely the best movie I've seen this year, and so complicated it'll make your head spin.

James Reasoner said...

Mike and Patti,

Thanks for the recommendations.

Mark,

I don't remember Harlan being tall, but I'll take your word for it. It's been a decade or more since I met him, now that I think about it.

Mark Terry said...

Tall is relative. I think he's 6 foot 4. I'm 5-8, so to me, he's tall.

Anonymous said...

I liked THE WOODS, though a number of critics panned it, including my hometown paper, THE WASHINGTON POST, IIRC. I also agree JUST ONE LOOK is a better book, if not just for its striking premise.

Ed Lynskey

Anonymous said...

This one sounds really interesting and weirdly familiar (like- maybe I've seen the movie??)

I have a question for you but can't find a way to send you an email.. can you send me a note at lisamunleyATcaDOTrrDOTcom ? Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I just listened to the audio version and it suffered from lousy narration. Copeland comes off as a bit of whiner at times and his discussions about popular music with the long lost girlfriend made me grind my teeth.

I thought his plotting was really well done.