Cover Image: Don't Let Go

Don't Let Go

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I have left a 3 star review only because the formatting meant I was unable to read this but I didnt feel I could leave 1 star or 6 as I physically could not read it.  The sentences kept repeating words and it was very confusing so I was unable to continue. If you are able to send in a more kindle friendly format I would be happy to review fully?
Was this review helpful?
I’ve got to say, I LOVE when a) a book drags me in, and b) I just ‘didn’t see *it* coming’.
Don’t Let Go delivered on both of these, but to be honest, I’d expect nothing less from Harlen Coben. Good Lord, I love this guy’s writing. I read a heap of his Myron Bolitar books a good few years back, and well as some of his psychological thrillers, and I’ve even watched a TV show written by him – and loved them all.
So let’s talk about Nap. I defy anyone female out there not to fall at least a little bit in love with this guy. Such, such a great lead. Since his brother and then his father have died, Nap has spent his life searching for answers about his brother’s death many years earlier, as well as for his then girlfriend who just happened to go missing at exactly the same day. Despite knowing this is one he should probably let go of, he can’t, and he tracks down clues and information, using whatever force/method necessary, until he wades his way through to the very bitter end – where he discovers that some secrets are simply best left uncovered. But that’s the problem with hunting so high and low for answers: you might not like them when they finally land in your lap.
And those answers, I just didn’t see coming. He was warned, along the way, that he wasn’t going to like everything he’d find out. That his brother wasn’t quite the ‘great guy’ he’d bulked him up to be inside his own mind. And they were right. Because I didn’t like them either, and I’m not even Nap.
In case you didn’t get the memo, I really, really liked this one. I loved the pace, the characterisations, the witty, almost understated, humour. I loved the unfolding of events and the betrayals and forgiveness, and I even loved the supporting characters carrying Nap along the way. Oh, and the cameo from Myron? Yeah, digged that, too.
Would totally, totally recommend to all Harlen Coben fans. AND I’d recommend to any who haven’t read his stuff before – because, really, why haven’t you?
Was this review helpful?
I hadn’t read any of Harlan Coben’s books before so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed it. This is a well written, fast paced thriller, it’s an easy read., but that doesn’t mean there’s no substance to it, just that  pulls you in. There’s a rhythm to it that flows so well.

I though the characters were great, Nap, Augie, Ellie, Maura and even Leo. There are some great one liners, such as ‘ a cleavage so deep it could tutor philosophy ‘...some actual laugh out loud ones too. It gets darker and more in depth as you read through to the surprise end. I will be reading more of Mr Coben’s books now, for sure.


I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review
Was this review helpful?
I usually enjoy Harlan Coben books but was left feeling disappointed with this one. The book did just not grip me like some of the others and the ending was disappointing. Just an ok read. Not one of his best books. Thanks to Net Galley for my copy. Posted review on Amazon, Goodreads and Facebook.
Was this review helpful?
Don't Let Go is a page turning suspense full of twisty intrigue with a dash of romance. It's characters are reliable and witty with a real feel that I enjoyed from beginning to end. This was my very first Harlan Coben and it sure won't be my last.
Was this review helpful?
I have read Harlan Coben before, and though I’ve enjoyed a couple of his stand alones I’ve never quite got into his serial character, Myron Bolitar. Clearly I’m in a tiny minority, however, as his last seven consecutive novels have debuted at #1 in the New York Times bestseller list, he has over 60 million books in print, and is one of the most successful novelists on earth.
Why didn’t I take to Myron? I actually don’t thoroughly dislike him or the novels, they are highly readable. And I enjoy Myron’s close, healthy relationship with his parents – he still lives in their basement, which is refreshing to say the least. I think it’s maybe his height (though I forgive that uber-easy physical dominance in Jack Reacher) and his billionaire friend Win. It’s so easy to find stuff out when you’ve got endless cash and are amazing at martial arts…
Anyway – despite the lukewarm start to this review, Don’t Let Go is a corker. 

When a woman’s fingerprints turn up in the rental car of a suspected murderer, suburban New Jersey Detective Nap Dumas is contacted: he loaded those fingerprints into the system. They belong to his highschool girlfriend, Maura, but this is no simple creepy stalking obsession. Fifteen years ago, Nap’s twin brother Leo and his girlfriend Diana were found dead on the railroad tracks. Two days after their horrific deaths, Maura disappeared without explanation. 
For fifteen years, Nap has been searching for Maura, in the belief that she holds the key to his brother’s death. 
So when Maura resurfaces, Nap embarks on a quest for answers about the woman he loved, about his childhood friends, about the abandoned military base in suburban New Jersey where he grew up, and most of all about Leo and Diana—whose deaths, of course, turn out to be darker and far more sinister than he could ever have imagined.

This book has a few Coben go-to themes: childhood loves and catastrophes, changed identities, secrets from the past. The characters are true and immensely engaging, and the secrets and twists come fast and believable. Coben is a true master of suspense. Even the twists are never fake: the misdirections, such as they are, are supremely subtle and believable, and the outcomes true to the characters. It’s a wild, read-at-a-sitting stampede of a ride, with delicious laugh-out-loud black humour and a great heart. A terrific read, that treats readers with respect.
Was this review helpful?
It never ceases to amaze me how this author delivers the most excellent read time after time. Each story delivering punch after punch as the plot slowly unravels. This book hit that same sweet spot perfectly as I cleared the decks and dove in, knowing that once I was in, nothing was going to drag me back out until I had finished it. 
In this standalone, we meet Detective Napoleon "Nap" Dumas. He has a sad past as in his senior year he suffered a double loss. The death of his twin, Leo along with his girlfriend Diana, and the disappearance of the love of his own life, Maura. He has never accepted the official version of what happened to Leo and Diana, and has been searching for Maura ever since, knowing in his gut that she has more to say on what actually happened. But it's been many years since then. Many years that Nap has been fruitlessly searching for any news of Maura until, one day, a knock on his door brings the news that some fingerprints he entered into the system have been matched to those in a rental car connected to the murder of a fellow cop in another jurisdiction. Those fingerprints belong to Maura and he is the Detective tagged for contact should they ever be matched. And so begins an intriguing, plot, full of the usual secrets, lies and duplicitous behaviour that kept me on my toes throughout as I devoured every single twist and turn the author delivered, leaving me breathless and satisfied at its conclusion. 
This is one of the very few "big" authors who never let me down. I know, going in, that I need to buckle up for a wild ride and this book was no exception. His mix of great characters, tight plotting and delicious, mostly black, humour just all completely works for me. He has me holding my breath one moment and then sniggering and occasionally downright laughing the next. He knows how to build up a scene and then let rip with an OMG moment. He is literally the master of suspense and intrigue. He also always seems to shock and surprise me. No mean feat given the sheer amount of books of this genre that I read, but never in a way that I feel duped or cheated. He seems to always treat his reader with the respect they deserve. Any misdirection he does include is delivered in a sublimely subtle way. He is an author where, when something seems off or doesn't make sense, you know just to hold that thought, safe in the knowledge that it will all come good in the end. And it always does. As with this book that left me wholly and completely satisfied. Albeit a little sad that, now it is over, I have the long wait for the next one. 
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Was this review helpful?
Harlan Coben delivers as usual!

Nap is a great character, he jumps off the pages and is very believable. The story flows very naturally and was full of tense moments.
I really enjoyed reading this, as I do with all of Harlan Coben's novels!
Was this review helpful?
The title 'Don't let go' was very apt for my reading of this. I found the first few pages a little slow but it then soon picked up pace and I couldn't let go. A detective mystery thriller with a strong baseline and characters who became more convincing as the story developed. A definite for fans of Coben.

(Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this copy)
Was this review helpful?
Harlan Coben is an amazing writer and his books always pull me into a complex story with mysteries, secrets and highly intriguing characters. His writing is spot on and the many twists and turns keep me reading and reading until i've finished the story in under a day.
Was this review helpful?
Harlan Coben lures you in, walks you through it and it's a compelling, thrilling journey right up until the last word. His characters and plots are totally believable and makes the experience a scary pleasure. More please!
Was this review helpful?
Another story from the pen of Harlan Coben that twists and turns its way to an unexpected conclusion – do you know what I love about this authors books? The twists you ACTUALLY won’t see coming because you get so caught up in the lives of the characters he is portraying. Zero gimmicks needed here.

I fell for Nap immediately, which meant all I cared about was what he cared about – his obsession is his dead twin and what actually happened to him. Old sins haunt the present here, a girl who was gone turns up again throwing everything off kilter – from that moment on fates are sealed and truths will out – but on the way you get a barnstormer of a page turner that unless you have somewhere extraordinarily important to be you will read in one breathless sitting. I don’t know another author that can keep the story utterly character driven and still keep those surprises coming I loved every minute of it.

There is a beauty in the plotting that you don’t find in many crime novels, that super x-factor something that makes a book both emotionally resonant and completely gripping. Both of those things are true of “Don’t Let Go” and that makes it a genuinely top notch quality read from first page to last.

Fans of Mr Coben will find the short cameo appearance of a much loved character an absolute joy and even those who miss that little gem will want to bang through this one to find out what happens to Nap, to his classmates, to his community and what happened to Leo all those years ago.

Proper storytelling and some real book love from me.

Highly Recommended.
Was this review helpful?