My first ever Harlan Coben book, which is, I can see now, a real pain. I should have discovered this brilliant author a long time ago.

This is the second book in the Wilde series but I had no issues whatsoever to pick up what had happened in the first novel. The plot is very clever: action-packed and emotional at the same time, and the events leave you not one minute to get bored. Entertaining and intelligent, a quality crime fiction.

There are still loose ends to be tied up so I'm hoping for a third instalment in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK Cornerstone for an Advance Review Copy.

The Match (****)


Wilde has never met his mother, father or siblings. He doesn’t even know how old he is. He grew up alone and wild in the forests of the Ramapo Mountains where he was eventually found and became known simply as Wilde, the boy from the woods. Now, somewhere between 40 and 42 years old, Wilde has put his DNA into an ancestry site. He finds a match, that of his biological father. Wilde locate his father, but when he meets him, Wilde soon realises his father does not even know he had a son. He however continues his research for his family on DNA websites and unknowingly gets caught up in a highly secretive group of hackers who make it their goal to punish online trolls. Unbeknown to them, a serial killer is targeting the hackers. This is the sequel to The Boy from the Woods, but can be read as a standalone thriller. Apart from being a fast-paced action thriller – with a bit of romance thrown in - The Match also takes a very critical look at the world of reality TV. A world where contestants will stop at nothing to achieve fame and fortune, even if their nearest family members get hurt in the process. Highly entertaining and enjoyable. I look forward to reading more about Wilde in future. - André J. Brink

What a brilliant premise!

Wilde is a great character and you actually care about him and learning with him is really nice.

Well written and easy to read.

This is second book in Wilde series. I haven't read the first one but it didn't spoil the story. This psychological thriller follows Wilde, a man who was abandoned in woods as a small child and started life taking care of himself. He is still searching for his family and registers with a DNA register to find family.
Alongside this we look at reality TV and the effect on contestants and explore his relationships. I found the story absorbing. Wilde is such an intriguing character and you really want him to get answers.
Definitely recommend..

The Match is book 2 in the series, although I think it could be read without having read the first, as the book gives enough of a recap not to bore those who already know, but to provide a new reader with the relevant background to enjoy this book. The book holds the same characters as the previous, as their lives continue, with each having such depth and playing a role throughout.

Wilde gets to find out who his family is, but as always it isn't that simple and along the way he unravels other mysteries and other secrets.
There are twists and turns throughout, kept me guessing to the end. I loved the previous book and am a Harlen Coben fan but I did find the DNA connections in this storyline a little hard to follow at times.

I love a good Harlan Coben book and this one was no exception. Wilde, a man abandoned as a small child in the woods of New Jersey decides to try to find out why and whether he has any relatives. He signs up for a dna site and gets a match. The story that unfolds is intriguing and well paced. The characters are well defined and the plot is well researched. I was slightly confused by the end as to all the dna connections and there were some storylines that didn’t get resolved - but maybe that’s for another book.

Thanks to @netgalley for arc of Harlan new book
Didn’t find this as gripping as his normal books I have to say which I was a little disappointed with as they are usually so fast paced
The plot was good characters great just wasn’t quick enough for me but others may feel differently

I absolutely love Harlan Coben. This book had good character development and I was hooked from the beginnings. He tells stories in a unique way and I it’s perfect.

Second in this series featuring Wilde ,the boy who grew up in the woods. Complex and full of twists mixing his desire to solve his parentage with lots of other shenanigans.

I was wavering during the first 20% of this ARC. I remembered that I had liked but not loved the first in the series and maybe that was playing on my mind when I started.

I sat down and made an effort to either keep going or just give up and I am glad I did keep going. The overarching series plot regarding Wilde made leaps and bounds in this book but the interwoven criminal elements melded excellently. The pacing was insane, it didn't let up once and felt intense at times.

There were a few parts that didn't make great sense. There is part where Wilde describes breaking into a property as a kid and getting in through a window where he watches TV to learn to speak. Then later he says again that he broke into a property through a basement but he can't remember what he did after he'd broken in.

I also feel like the ending opened more questions than answers regarding Wilde's parentage but maybe that will be explored in another book. I can't really explain it without spoilering.

Definitely enjoyed this one. A Wilde ride. See what I did there? Good.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book from a very clever author.
Wilde was a very complicated character, who lived a very simple life. He had been abandoned in the woods as a very young child and reached a time in his life where he needed to find his blood-family.
The story has many facets, twists and characters; it through me off my predictions many a time.
A must-read!

As usual with Harlan Coben books there are twists galore and although this can be read as a standalone I would recommend the first book in the Wilde series as this one gives some nice back story to his life - the premise is an interesting one and anybody interested in DNA and it's implications in finding family will love this.

Always love a good Harlan Coben book and this one didn’t disappoint.
Kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through. Kept me awake into the early hours as I just wanted to read the next chapter, then another, then another. Just couldn’t put it down.Lots of suspense and an interesting insight in to DNA and finding missing family.

A sequel which reveals more of Wilde's backstory along with the main plot. Full of action, engaging characters and the requisite twist and turns this is an enjoyable read.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The match by Harlan Coben.
Book 2 of Wilde series.
He is known as Wilde, the boy from the woods.Discovered living a feral existence in the Ramapo mountains of New Jersey, he has grown up knowing nothing of his parents, and even less about his own identity.Until now.When a match on a DNA database puts him on the trail of a close relative - the only family member he has ever known - Wilde thinks he might be about to solve the mystery of who he really is.
A very good read with good characters. 4*.

Thankyou for giving me the chance to review this in advance. Having read a few from this author, this one didn’t disappoint. Page turner with twists. Would recommend

This is a thriller that focuses on the power of DNA sites and social media as the background of uncovering the mystery of Wildes life. We meet Wilde who was a feral kid, left to fend for himself in the woods since he was a young boy. Now older he decides to try and find the truth about his past.

I liked the mix of characters in this book. Hester and Matthew were a great surrogate family for Wilde and help him out in his search.

This is a current up to date book that had me wanting to finish to connect the dots.

Great to get the back story of Wilde in this book, and what a book it is.
Had me turning the pages right from the start and full of action and twists.
Can't wait for more!

Having previously read Harlan Corben books which link to this series of characters, I was delighted to have access to a copy.
Having gotten to know Wilde and the mystery around his background and how he came to be abandoned in the woods, I delved into the book having fallen in love with the characters.
This book follows the fast pace of twists and turns and keeps you guessing who is behind what! I love how the story tied up a lot of things but also kept things open so the characters can return.
A must read for fans of Harlan Corben!

This was my first Harlan Coben book and it won't be my last! I'd recently watched Stay Close on Netflix and when I saw this book I was immediately interested!

Wilde was discovered alone in the woods as a small child. With no idea of his history, he sends his DNA into a matching service to see if he can find any family members. As you can imagine, this opens a whole can of worms and mystery which leaves us reeling. What is true? In true Coben style nothing is ever as it seems.

I didn't realise this was a second book about Wilde and although it works as a stand alone, I'd have preferred to read the other book first. The plot is complex and requires your full attention, but its intriguing enough that you don't want to be distracted anyway!

I very much enjoyed this book and will look to read more by this author. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my ARC.