Tell No One: A Novel

It started off as a nice, easy read, and then it picked up quickly. I could not stop. Page after page. This book had me on tenterhooks.

If you are a fan of his prior series' featuring the sports hero Myron Bolitar, you will probably like this book, but be a little wistful at some of the missing elements as he changes genre. Bolitar is the hero of 7 prior novels that fall in the "Comic Mystery Thriller" category populated by Lawrence Sanders, Lawrence Block and Janet Evanovich. Characterizations in the Bolitar books are so over the top that they make you giggle, even as you are consumed in a pace so fast that you finish the book without taking time to get a snack. Conversation is witty and cynical and you wonder if the author was a stand up comedian in a prior life. When looking for a beach book or just a great read to get over the rest of the stress, Coben is a hero to most. So, "Tell No One" is a big departure, and only Shauna, Tyrese & Eric Wu, supporting characters in the story, will remind you that this is Coben. If you loved "Tell No One", be prepared that you may find Coben's earlier books too light for your taste, if you believe a thriller is a thriller and any comic touches are just wasted words. Only 2 things hold "Tell No One" back from a five star rating. Coben's hero, his weaving of a tale of romance and familial loyalty, his pace and his ability to leave you guessing as his plot twists and turns are terrific! His cops are believable and admirable and his hero spins in every direction when discovering how easily he has been duped about the murder of his wife and how he has incredibly passed 8 years since her murder in absolute ignorance. The 2 things: The final unveiling of the murderer was one twist too many...we could have left the tale much more enthusiastically without it. And, the dust jacket is horrific and looks as though a middle school child covered his English text in something his mom brought home. Small things. Tell No One might be the most exciting book you read this year!

This is another stupid requirement, but I hope you will read this and enjoy it as much as any of Coben’s other thrillers

In this mystery/thriller, Coben displays his storytelling talents as well as his character building skills. Is it a perfect novel? No. But it is certainly a great page turner with a strong romantic flavor. The reliable characters are not necessarily wearing cop uniforms. And one can sometimes count on bandits more than on cops; on family friends rather than on direct family. For Dr David Beck, who lost his wife eight years ago, it is impossible to start over. Perhaps because a sixth sense tells him something no one else wants to hear, that his wife may not be dead after all, that his obsession with her might not be ghastly or even ghostly. From then on, a new truth unravels and puts him in danger. This author is very agile with twists and turns, as well as with the handling of redemption when it comes to some characters with bendable ethics. Managed by less adroit writing, this could have easily become too heavy or religious, but Coben dodges most of this by using drama where drama is needed. This said, he might have handled one circumvolution too many in the end. The surprises that keep adding up at the very end, while deviant and exciting, make the plot a bit too baroque perhaps. His supporting characters are, in my view, stronger than the main ones. The lesbian couple—one member in particular—adds much spice to this novel. So does the sexist drug trafficker with a sick child who, ironically, is more helpful to the innocent than the police. The corrupt cop could inspire scorn, but he’s too powerful and complex a presence not to exhort pathos instead. There is much to say here about Cohen’s social and racial commentaries as well. But I’ll just add this: Cohen tells and he entertains, which is what a self-respecting novelist is supposed to do. Stimulate the reader’s brain, whether or not the reader is aware of it. This is my first Cohen experience, but I suspect it won’t be my last one.

This is my first novel I have read by Harlan Coben. Although it has been printed over 25 years ago, it just recently showed up on my books you may be interested list. This novel is fast piece, filled with mystery and suspense. The protagonist, David is a very likable young pediatric physician. In the very beginning of the book, we learn that David’s lifelong love, and Wife Elizabeth was murdered by a serial killer. Eight years later, in the present time, while working David receives a strange email with some information that only his late wife would know. This is the start of a roller coaster of emotions, leading him on a life changing week. After every strange piece of information he learns he seems to lean something even more perplexing. He questioned his sanity several times. I’m going to share some spoilers, lol but for others, I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes thrillers, suspense, mysteries, etc. SPOILER ALERT: David and Elizabeth have been nearly inseparable since they were seven years old. They had the kind of love that both their parents and friends always thought would not last, but yet it did. These two were clearly soulmates. My reason for knocking a star off the reading is simply because I feel things didn’t quite stay consistent throughout the book. For example, we learn later in the book that Elizabeth fled the country because she thinks her husband drowned, and the killers will seek her out in killer if she stays. Ok, that’s believable. However, at some point, she learns that her husband did not die, and eight years later, she decides to come back and send him cryptic messages to meet. Of course she has to do this believing the killers are monitoring her. my issue with this, is that when it appears it didn’t work and her husband, who has been grieving for the last eight years and never fully got over her, his life is now in utter ruins, as he’s facing a framed murder charge. He’s got killers chasing him and she’s willing to just leave to save herself? She even says those words. Self preservation. Those two people are not the same. A person that love someone that deeply does not act that way. Lastly, the very last page we learned that David is essentially the one that started the whole vendetta against the family by killing a man who rightly deserved to be killed. However, throughout the story, David can’t quite understand why these people are doing the things they are doing. Again, that doesn’t make sense. Maybe he wouldn’t know everything. But if you murdered a billionaire son. It shouldn’t take too much effort to think they may be after the person that did it. I realize the author probably wrote this way to add to the mystery, but it just doesn’t add up to me. All in all, it is still a good fast paced, and exciting read

I enjoyed this one & will be reading more...but be ready for this to read as a bit dated. Microfiche? Caller ID? Screaming dial up modems?? There are several databases mentioned that I believe have long since been replaced. These were not badly used at the time, but they did pull me out of the story and make me wonder how old this book was. The writing itself is not as fast-paced as Patterson, but I was hooked and trying to piece together the story. I can't say that all of the hints were there... there were several moments of "if I had only told her the truth..." where we don't actually know the truth which are not foreshadowing or subtle but work nonetheless - you know there's more to the story even if you don't have the ability to put it together if you're paying attention. Credit for using the evil billionaire 25 years before it became de rigueur. I enjoyed the use of morally sketchy characters... they're not necessarily heroes but they have their moments & they get called on them. Make your own judgements.

If there is one drawback to being a suspense novelist, it's that you are so familiar with the "behind the scenes" mechanics of the genre that you can accurately predict where other suspense novelists (or screenplay writers) are headed long before you reach the end of a book (or movie). The trouble is, you have planted so many clues and red herrings and set up so many twists in your own work that you can usually see them coming from three hundred pages away in somebody else's. This was not the case for me with TELL NO ONE. Harlan Coben has deftly created a true page-turner. For literally the first time in years, I was thoroughly entertained and stumped by a suspense novel, was reluctant to put it down, and found myself pondering the plot whenever I did have to put it down. I had no idea whether the protagonist's wife was truly alive. Though the answer is revealed long before the end of the book, the tension is heightened, rather than diminished, when we find out the truth. The twists are fast and furious as the plot heats up and the pace quickens. Coben manages to create a foreboding atmosphere with the subtlest of details--the mere mention of plastic tarp crinkling in one scene gave me goosebumps. The romantic elements of Beck's relationship with his lost wife were effectively emotional without crossing the line into gratuitous and sappy. Another plus: most of the secondary characters are vividly three dimensional. In particular, I was touched by Coben's poignant characterization of Tyrone, and was pleased that he stuck with gritty reality rather than going for the expected, too good to be true cliche. The story was so streamlined and cinematic that I could practically see the movie's credits rolling when I reached the end. Thanks, Harlan Coben, for a terrific read!

Harlan Coben is easily one of my favorite mystery writers. He has a knack for building suspense from the beginning of his books and building the tension until it’s almost unbearable. Tell No One is a perfect example of this skill. From the first page the reader knows something bad is going to happen. Even as Coben weaves a strand of romance through his introduction of Dr. David Beck and his wife Elizabeth as they go for an anniversary drive, there is an underlying note of danger that will make you hold your breath. As David remembers their thirteenth anniversary, glimmers of warning shift into the memories. By the end of the first chapter the foundation of the tale. I already felt as though I knew the happy couple. The story picks up eight years later as Dr. Beck cares for his patients in a low-income neighborhood. He’s everyone’s dream of a good guy, a doctor who cares more about his patients than making big bucks. He’s the kind of character you root for from the beginning. And when he is thrust into situations where painful memories are rejuvenated you ache for him. The good doctor starts receiving mysterious e-mails and they send him into a tail spin. Although warned to tell no one, he is desperate to talk about the bizarre occurrences. Is his beloved wife Elizabeth alive or is someone playing a terrible and cruel joke on him? And who can he trust? This is a brilliantly woven tale of dark secrets, deadly misunderstandings, and a love that won’t die. Even when things seem most bleak, David hangs on by a thread, desperate to believe Elizabeth has survived. But why has she been hiding for eight years and why won’t she come out now? Most people have favorite characters in the books they read. While all the characters in this book have solid personalities, my favorite is Tyrese Barton. The only thing I’ll say about him is he reminds me a lot of guys I knew growing up in New York City. I think Coben must know the people in the neighborhood where I was raised, and I thank him for representing Tyrese with a raw honesty that gives a genuine picture of New York “gangstas”. There is a delightful twist at the end of the book that I confess took me completely by surprise. There was a secret hinted at throughout the book and I believed I had figured it out. But Coben tricked me again and I’m grateful. Mystery lovers, readers who need suspense with the flavor of reality, and the kind of tension that makes you clench your teeth and stay awake all night reading, need to grab a copy of this book and settle in for a ride down a dark and dirty road.

Incredible book. Once you start reading it you wont be able to put down the book. A story magnificently written and told from a brilliant autor. Highly recommended

巻頭の書評が大げさなくらい誉めまくっているので、 ほんとかよ！？と思いつつ、 半信半疑でページをめくってみたらその面白いこと！ 気づいたら朝になってしまいました。 プロットがすごく凝っていて、先が知りたくて知りたくてしょうがなく、ものすごい勢いで読了しました。 何か面白いミステリーを探している方、この本なら絶対後悔しません。 激しくオススメです。

Story is excellent, thrilling, and chapters are short so it flies by.

Suspense interminable, très prenant. Superbe histoire. A lire et à relire.

Excelente