|
| Hold Tight | 
 enlarge | Author: Harlan Coben
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Category: Book
List Price: $26.95
Buy New: $8.89
You Save: $18.06 (67%)
New (64) Used (41) Collectible (7) from $8.70
Avg. Customer Rating:  103 reviews
Sales Rank: 409
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.4
ISBN: 0525950605
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780525950608
ASIN: 0525950605
Publication Date: April 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand NEW!
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
#1 bestselling author Harlan Coben asks that provocative and terrifying question with his fifteenth thriller. How much do parents really want to know about their kids?
#1 bestselling author Harlan Coben asks that provocative and terrifying question with his fifteenth thriller.
#1 bestselling author Harlan Coben has become an unstoppable force in suspense fiction. His most recent novel, The Woods, spent more time on the New York Times bestseller list than his previous books and sales reached his highest levels to date. His latest page-turner, which is about just how far parents will go to protect their kids, is destined for the top of every bestseller list.
Tia and Mike Baye never imagined theyd become the type of overprotective parents who spy on their kids. But their sixteen-year-old son Adam has been unusually distant lately, and after the suicide of his classmate Spencer Hillthe latest in a string of issues at schoolthey cant help but worry. They install a sophisticated spy program on Adams computer, and within days are jolted by a message from an unknown correspondent addressed to their son: Just stay quiet and all safe.
Meanwhile, browsing through an online memorial for Spencer put together by his classmates, Betsy Hill is struck by a photo that appears to have been taken on the night of her sons death . . . and he wasnt alone. She thinks it is Adam Baye standing just outside the cameras range; but when Adam goes missing, it soon becomes clear that something deep and sinister has infected their community. For Tia and Mike Baye, the question they must answer is this: When it comes to your kids, is it possible to know too much?
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 98 more reviews...
 Coben can do much better April 21, 2008
31 out of 48 found this review helpful
Hold Tight, Harlan Coben's newest entry into what can now be considered a fairly sizeable body of mystery writings, is a disappointment. Actually, it is more that that - it is seemingly a total sell out by an author who had previously developed fun and interesting characters and wove them into a very good and taut story line. Now it appears (and one can obviously never be sure) that Coben is on some 5 book contract and he is just pumping them out. Hold Tight is all plot, and plenty of it. In fact - way too much and the author contrives to weave multiple sub-plots into an often disjointed main "theme". For those who have enjoyed his rich development of both characters and plot - keep hunting or read an earlier book. Coben is going the way of Grippando, but I remain hopeful and will give him one more book. After that his books will go on the shelf at my summer house that allows, nah, encourages visitors to bring the books home with them - no need to ever sent them back. Mr. Coben, you can go the way of Crais and Connelly or the shameless way of James Patterson. Your fans are holding tight.
A complex jigsaw that marks a change of pace May 6, 2008
27 out of 34 found this review helpful
Harlan Coben specializes in writing intricate and suspenseful mysteries that keep you turning pages late into the night. His first (and to my mind, his best) standalone murder mystery was "Tell No One". Since then he has written several more novels which have been increasingly similar in plot. I was pleasantly surprised that "Hold Tight" marks a departure in formula, in that it doesn't center on an ancient murder case or the long ago disappearance of a family member. While this does mean that the book struggles a little to find its own momentum, at least Coben is trying something different instead of giving us more of the same.
"Hold Tight" juggles a number of different stories, all of which in some way center on the theme of parents trying to protect and/or understand their children. While initially they seem to be quite disparate plotlines, eventually the connections between them become apparent and it is this process of putting the jigsaw pieces together that is the most satisfying part of reading "Hold Tight". One of the things that I really like about Harlan Coben's writing is that there are never any loose ends or things that get left unexplained.
"Hold Tight" is a little slower in pace than his other novels and at times it gets confusing keeping track of so many people, but it's still is a satisfying mystery that keeps the suspense going right until the final pages.
 Do parents really want to know the truth about their Teenagers? April 15, 2008
26 out of 31 found this review helpful
In my opinion Coben is one of the most consistent writers in the thriller writer genre. All of his novels have been great reads, and I have been waiting for the release of "Hold Tight" since I finished "The Woods." This time out Coben has crafted a page turner that will make parents shudder. Coben is able to weave a number of real life concerns into this convincing thriller. This is something he is a master at---taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary. The issues of teen suicide, a teen's right to privacy, parental spying, single parent families, and what should kids need to know and when are all explored. These issues are brought into focus though the eyes of parents who are dealing with the teen angst of their 16 year old son who's best friend recently committed suicide. When Mom and Dad start snooping on their son's computer they find something that chills them to the bone, something they might wish they did not know....I wont ruin the surprise but in typical Coben fashion things are not what they seem. Just be ready to settle in until the last page is turned.
Twists and Turns and an Ending You Never Saw Coming April 15, 2008
24 out of 32 found this review helpful
How far would you go to protect your child? How well do you know your children? When they go out in the world, should you let them go with a smile on your face or should you hold tight? What should you do if your child becomes moody and withdrawn as has Adam Hill, sixteen-year-old son of Mike and Tia Baye? Now factor in that Adam's best friend Spencer has committed suicide. Add in the fact that Adam spends most of his time in his room on his computer, while his grades are going south. And can you blame his parents for wondering why he quit the hockey team?
Mike and Tia maybe over react a bit as they start spying on Adam. They track his movements through the GPS system in his cellphone. They install spyware on his computer so they can monitor every website he visits and monitor his e-mail too. They can't help themselves. They should know better, he's a doctor, after all. She's a lawyer. But they do it anyway.
Then they hit paydirt. They find a message from person or person's unknown on his computer which says "Just stay quiet and all safe." They wonder about the meaning of this, then Adam goes missing.
From there the story turns into a typical Harlan Coben thrill ride, complete with an investigator who won't quit, a serial killer and characters a plenty who will keep you entertained as you, like Loren Muse, try to figure it all out before Coben's twists and turns take you to a climax and an ending you never saw coming.
Ken Douglas, author of Dead Ringer, Desperation Moon & Running Scared.
4 1/2 Stars...Modern Technology, Age-Old Values April 18, 2008
23 out of 37 found this review helpful
Over the last few years, Harlan Coben's name has become synonymous with plot twists and family issues and pulse-pounding storytelling. His last book, "The Woods," was no exception, yet it moved toward caricature and implausibility. Apparently, though, he listened to the naysayers and came up with "Hold Tight."
Imagine you're a parent. Your teen son has lost a friend to an overdose of prescription pills. You worry that your son is headed down a similar path. And so, to alleviate your concerns, you have someone install spyware on his computer to monitor his activities. Soon, his activities have everyone spiraling toward confrontation, and no one is to be trusted.
Coben, once again, has mixed the ethical questions of modern technology with age-old values of family and trust. He touches on many angles of this, using plot-relevant dialogue to address parenthood, nature vs. nurture, as well as teen rebellion and Internet temptations. He blends these issues seamlessly into a fast-paced mystery. He provides his expected--or unexpected!--twists and turns, and he unravels them as clearly, yet as satisfyingly, as he's ever done. This makes the story more believable than his last effort, while somewhat taming its overall shock value.
For those familiar with "The Woods," there are fun surprises throughout, involving Paul Copeland and Loren Muse, not to mention a reference or two to characters from the Mylon Bolitar series. Coben continues to take current concerns and make them not only entertaining, but also thought-provoking. His writing has pared down a bit, with some loss in overall character depth, but there's a reason Coben has risen to the top of the bestseller lists. With stories such as "Hold Tight," I expect he'll stay there for years to come.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
