If you’re a fan of Harlan Coben’s Myron Bolitar series this will be an interesting complement to these books. Unusually, Myron has a very minor role here as a character mentioned on odd occasions but never featuring in the developing story. In this book, the reader is treated instead to a full length novel that combines the trademark Harlan Coben fast-paced action and offbeat humour with an excursion into Win’s backstory and unusual family. Whilst this reader probably prefers the combination of Myron Bolitar and Win working in their loose collaborative mission to reduce the number of criminals in circulation the book certainly stands on its own and does not require prior knowledge of the wider series or characters. Harlan Coben writes, as always, with an easy style that sees the page numbers rapidly increasing and the irresistible urge to read at least another chunk before turning the light out. Highly readable and strongly recommended!

Firstly, I'm a massive and long-time fan of Harlan Coben and have read I think all his previous titles bar one (it's on my reading list!).
There's been loads of books based around Myron Bolitar with his pseudo-side-kick Win popping up regularly in each book, generally kicking-ass and adding humour/banter between them. This book sees Win front and centre, which is a refreshing change and maybe somewhat overdue! As the central character he maybe won't appeal to all and you kind of have to go along with the whole undefeatable aspect to every situation he's in (just think of him as Batman in plain clothes), oh, and the womanising. Most will hopefully just see it for what it is and enjoy the action and humour it brings.
For me another solid 5-star book. Enjoyed learning more about Win's character, which has mainly been kept very mysterious in the previous books. It's a fast-paced story and has plenty of variety.
The only minor complaint was that it ended up having a few too many minor characters to recall at times but I still loved every minute.
Thanks very much for the ARC.

I used to read all the Bolitar books years ago,but missed a few of the recent ones.
For that reason alone,when the first "articulate" was uttered I smiled.
Win is ruthless,and a little bit crazy.
He's also loyal as hell . And richer than you can imagine.
He really is Batman.
As a stand alone novel,its fast paced,just the right amount of violence,decent humour and plenty of secrets.
Using Win as the central character is genius,he's always been surrounded by mystery,but he was also familiar enough to feel it kicked the story up a notch.

I'm not excited for the next book,and off to find out which Bolitar books I need to read.



Review to be posted at later date.

This was definitely one of the best books that I have read all year! I have been a huge fan of Harlan Coben practically since he first began writing. I’ve read all the Win and Myron books and have always been intrigued by the very mysterious Wynne Lockwood III. We know so little about him, well this book certainly unearths everything you want to know about him and more. It has certainly been an eye opener. A great storyline, I just hope this isn’t the last we see of Win and Myron.

I'm a big fan of Harlen Coben so I was looking forward to Win.
I'll admit it took me a while to warm up to Win. He is by his own admission privileged, hugely wealthy and has a resting arrogant face that can certainly put you off! But there is a lot more to him which is slowly revealed during the course of the novel.
I don't like to write spoilers of the storyline suffice to say I very much enjoyed it-and I was pretty fond of Win by the end also!

I've been a fan of Harlan Coben for years and I have always loved the character of Windsor Horne Lockwood III. In this novel he takes the starring role instead of Myron Bolitar and it was a really nice change.
When a hermit is discovered dead alongside a valuable stolen painting and personalised suitcase, both belonging to the Lockwood family, Win begins his quest to discover the truth. A story unravels about family feuds, kidnapping and murder that keeps the reader guessing until the end.
This is an intriguing story that reveals a lot more of Win's backstory and helps to understand his tough persona and shows why he makes a great leading man!

In this new novel, Harlan Coben brings us a new hero in Windsor Horne Lockwood III - a character who has featured in his Myron Bolitar series in the past but never been the star of his own story until now.

Win is a charismatic, funny, rich, tenacious man with his own ideas when it comes to justice. In this story, he finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation when a man's body is found in an apartment along with a painting that was stolen from Win's family a long time ago - and a personalised suitcase with Win's initials on it.

Which leads us into a series of head-scratching cases that the FBI have been trying to solve for years. What happened to the valuable paintings belonging to the Lockwood family, that were stolen from the gallery they were on loan to? and how does the robbery connect to Win's cousin Patricia's kidnapping more than 20 years ago and an act of terrorism that ocurred before Patricia was born?

With Win's connections, power and refusal to stop until he finds out the truth, he manages to unsurface truths that the FBI have been trying to find for decades.

I have read previous books by Harlan Coben but none from the Myron series which feature Win - so this was my first time meeting him. I aboslutely loved the fast pace and quick wit of this book and character - who reminded me of Jay Gatsby meets Patrick Bateman! It was just a wonderful and enjoyable read.

From the shocking opening scenes to the way that the mysteries unfolded and kept me guessing throughout, this book was really hard to put down and a great mix of disturbing and hilarious. I couldn't wait to find out how it all came to a conclusion -and I was not disappointed when I did!

I hope that there will be more Win stories to come!

Windsor Horne Lockwood 111 is mega rich, supremely self-confident and something of a narcissist. He has the same self-awareness as James Bond, but with a greater edge and affinity to violence. He sums himself up for the reader with the words ‘I am quite the rake’. I am also, for those missing the subtext, rich.’ The story that follows shows the truth of those words.

The book opens with Win’s violent assault on a man known as Big T, which links Win with the willingness to do a violent act where he sees violence as the way of meting out justice. By not indulging in violence without what he sees as a good reason, he comes across as something of a vigilante, though I suspect he wouldn’t like the designation.

Later, Win is taken by the FBI to a prestigious Manhattan apartment where a man, who lived as a hermit and was described as a ‘full-fledged hoarder’, has been found murdered. The reason for Win to be taken there is that hanging above the man’s bed was the Vermeer painting that had been stolen from Win’s uncle 20 years earlier during a robbery in which Win's uncle had been killed, and after which his cousin, Patricia, had been kidnapped, raped and held in the ‘Hut of Horrors’.

Also found in the apartment was an alligator-leather suitcase, monogrammed WHL3, a suitcase Win hadn’t seen for at least twenty years. Missing was still a painting by Picasso.

The murdered man turned out to be one of the Jane Street Six. This starts Win’s journey into the past as he tries to track down the members of the Jane Street Six, who took on the world at the height of Flower Power, and in an attack fuelled by their Molotov cocktails, seven people were killed and a dozen injured.

By Harlan Coben telling the story in the first person, the reader gets a real insight into Win. He’s not a man you’d like or warm to, but he’s a character you’d follow with interest, and who can keep a story moving. The book is a page-turner with its various twists and turns, and with a surprise ending in which the truth about the Jane Street Six, and the robbery that killed his uncle, is revealed.

Many thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone, and to NetGalley, for an exciting read.

Investigation thriller with a vigilante tone - very good

Win is an ultra rich martial arts expert with a vigilante side to him who gets involved in an investigation into a murder and subsequently other crimes. This also involves members of his rich family as well as the relatives of the victims. There's some nasty violence as well as sex crimes. There's plenty of interesting characters; sometimes it's difficult to remember who is who. It's a quick read with lots happening and a fast-moving plot and I only gave it 4 stars in other reviews because I've preferred other books by the same author as well as the questionable moral choices.

Great story with so many twists and turns, is Win on the right track or is he barking up the wrong tree? Then a great shocker towards the end!

My first Harlan Coben book and I must admit I’m not a big fan. There was plenty in the plot to keep the reader engaged throughout, but the protagonist of this first person narrative, Win (Windsor Lockwood) is not a nice guy - he’s a misogynist, incredibly arrogant and a vigilante determined to solve a murder, a kidnapping and several disappearances, and theft of valuable artworks. Promising plot lines but the writing style put me off from the start, with its ‘in your face’ American basket ball references, and I didn’t feel it improved much as the book progressed. I’m sure this style will appeal to many readers, but it wasn’t one for me.

I have read this book in double quick time. I'm a big Harlan Coben fan and like the Myron Bolitar books very much. This one is written in the first person but from the perspective of Win Lockwood, It's a great story and interesting to get the perspective of another character. I always disliked Win's personality but he seemed more human in this book. There's lots of action and some detailed fighting but it's actually mostly about the story. Very good plot with lots of twists and unexpected diversions. Excellent read.

Let me start by saying I love the Myron Bolitar books by Harlen Coben, and always been a fan of Win. 'Articulate' what a way to answer the phone, I may have to try it!

Windsor Horne Lockwood III is an enigma and probably a character we should not enjoy, but he has been a co star of many Myron Bolitar books and I for one am so very glad he now has his stories. Win is a billionaire, lover of woman and the finer things of life, plus has an infinity with violence

A reclusive hoarder is found dead in his apartment, murdered, and above his bed is found a Vermeer which was stolen over 20 years from Wins' uncle's house during a violent robbery, where his cousin Patricia was kidnapped.

Let's throw in the FBI, a serial killer from 20 years before, an anarchist group and you have just a brilliant book which totally enthralled me.

Highly recommended and I cannot wait for the next book

Initially I was not over keen of the way in which the book was written - as the character “talks” describing the story. A strange but very interesting and intriguing plot with various twists and turns which keep you guessing and the ending is not obvious. A real page turner and would definitely recommend.

An extraordinary thriller by the master of the genre! The storyline grabbed me and I was immersed for hours. Highly recommended!

I always enjoy getting a new Harlan Coben to read.

This one's protagonist is Win - or Windsor Horne Lockwood III if you prefer the name he was given at birth. He's extremely rich, a know-it-all, a real-life Batman of sorts, and often a bit (a lot?) of an ass.

He has a strong voice, and you're either going to get on with it for the course of the book, or you're not. I quite enjoyed it - not because I liked him (frankly I found his constantly going on about his prowess in the bedroom a complete turn-off), but because he was entertaining.

Ok, so what makes this a crime/suspense, you're asking?

A dead man is found. Above his bed, a precious piece of art that was stolen from Win's family years ago. Close by, a suitcase with Win's initials on it.

The FBI (I think... it gets blurry), bring Win in on the case - and he's motivated to help solve it partly for his cousin, too, who was kidnapped decades ago by intruders at his family estate. The same intruders who probably stole the artwork... And there's a subplot about some accidental terrorism sitting on top of all this. Throw in Win, and you have someone who doesn't care too much about rules, who can buy all the solutions he wants, but he still has to deal with people if he's going to find the answers.

It's a knotty and complicated, but fun to work through. I did guess the whodunnit, but I'm okay with that.

This book, as the title suggests is about Win (Winston) Lockwood. He is also in his privileged, entitled life determined to win. He believes that “money tilts all scales. Money is power”. The book starts with an odd example of his willingness to act outside the law when he attacks a baseball player who has been harassing a friend. At one point, he acknowledges that he doesn’t sound like “the hero of the story”. That is true. He also admits that “violence gives me a rush”. The remainder of the book is triggered by the discovery of a murdered recluse who was part of a group that stole two valuable paintings belonging to Win’s family and his cousin’s luggage. The victim belonged to a group, the Jane Street Six who may have abducted the cousin and murdered other women. Win having got one painting back now sets out to solve the crimes. His privileged family gives him contacts everywhere which he exploits. The book is well written with a fast pace but the hero is not attractive.

This is my first time reading a Coben book (I know!!) and I loved it. Loved the characters, plot, twist and turns. Nothing is ever really as it seems

Another clever book from Cobden. You know what you will get when you pick up one of his books - a well written, sometimes complex, fast paced story. The main character, Win, is one readers will either love or hate. I loved him - prickly, arrogant and awkward as he was. If you liked Coben’s previous books, this is another great effort on his part.

“Articulate”

Well, I’ll try my best.
Harlan Coben’s twist on the title of his new book alone is a clear indication of the sharp wit that you will be graced with. ‘Win’ is in fact the protagonists’ name, but win is what he certainly does do. Money and entitlement have clearly opened many doors for Win, and allowed him to live with extra freedom and a lot more privilege than the rest of us. Sure, perhaps he can come across as arrogant, conceited and narcissistic at times, but really it is just his nature and his lack of interest in redundant details (even if those happen to people and their views and emotions). Come to think of it Win doesn’t even have time or interest in his own emotions.

The plot itself is great, with many subplots and nuances that make the entire read engrossing and enjoyable. But with Win at the helm, with his penchant for violence and a limitless access to resources there is no way the truth will be left uncovered. Win’s character is expertly portrayed, he is fun, intriguing, morally questionable and definitely unforgettable.

“The secret of fulfilment is not about exciting adventures or living out loud – no one can maintain that kind of pace – but in welcoming and even relishing the quiet and familiar”

A great quote by Win, although for now it can be said that he is certainly maintaining the pace.

Thanks NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for a review copy.