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.