Suspense/Thriller

The trouble starts when Matt's wife, Olivia, goes away on a business trip. Matt gets a call on his new camera phone - which Olivia wanted so they could share everything about the pregnancy - and in it, Olivia appears to be lounging on the bed in a blonde wig with a man in the foreground, who whispers to Matt over the phone, "You'll never guess what I'm going to do with your wife". Obviously Matt, who thought Olivia was the total love of his life, is plunged into despair and doubt as he tries to find Olivia, and this is the twisty journey of the novel. Being Coben there's always a sidebar character to add "color" - in this novel, an amazon P.I. with a body that won't quit. She's also good at what she does, discreet, and loyal to Matt. Add to that mix a slightly sleazy lawyer who's a partner at the firm where Matt's a paralegal (his felonious past making it difficult for him to be an actual lawyer) who helps them both out. Being a Coben novel, this is also a journey for the character - a journey of self discovery, but not in any kind of nauseating way. And while this is a formula for Coben, it's an iron clad formula. The writing is crisp, the plot sizzles, the characters are memorable, and the pages seem to turn almost faster than the speed of light. The fact that I miss the funny edginess of Coben's Myron Bolitar series (who I am still introducing customers to), doesn't mean I don't enjoy his standalones. I'm a sucker for a good read as much as anyone else, and good reads don't come any better at the moment.