The Boy From The Woods

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I am a massive fan of US author Harlan Coben, so it was with great anticipation that I plucked The Boy From The Woods from the teetering pile of paperbacks that I received for Christmas. Coben is well-known for his Myron Bolitar series, however this is one of his equally excellent stand-alone thrillers.The premise is as original as ever: Thirty years ago, a young  boy was found alone in a forested area of New Jersey. No name, no memories, nobody claims him as their own. Today, he is a decorated former soldier. He has friends and people that love him, but Wilde still prefers to live outdoors alone. But when a local school girl goes missing, Wilde is asked to help find her.

There are certain things that you will always get with a Harlan Coben novel, and each of them is here:

• Compelling, original and well-thought-out characters. Check.
• Suburban, middle-class New Jersey. Check.
• Sharp, witty dialogue that makes you laugh out loud, even though the book is not a comedy. Check.
• A twisting, turning plot peppered with surprises and reveals. Double Check.

If all that sounds a bit too much like a formula, then don’t be fooled. Coben’s books may have a loose framework, but that’s because it is a damn good way to tell a story, and it is certainly never predictable. Instead, think of it as a list of the ingredients necessary for a meal. It’s the quality of those ingredients and what you do with them that determines how good the meal is.

A couple of things stood out for me, as I raced through the book in four sittings:
Hester Crimstein, TV attorney – acerbic, unsubtle and witty in the way that Coben is so good at. Her dialogue is peppered with NJ Jewish phrases. Think Judge Judy meets Joan Rivers. I really hope they film it one day; this character will be worth the price of admission alone.
Coben’s trademark journey of twists, reveals, apparent resolutions and double-backs. He manages to surprise repeatedly right until the very end.
A bogey man that will feel very familiar to anyone who has watched US politics over the past few years.

A final thought. This is ostensibly a stand-alone. The story is fully and satisfyingly resolved at the end as always. But of all his recent novels, this is the one with the most scope for him to dig back into the sandbox and bring out the characters for another go. If there is any sort of sequel or series, they’ll be on my Christmas list again for sure.