Play Dead - Harlan Coben

Having selected this novel from a pile of offerings by this author, I wish I had bothered to read the introduction before checking it out of the library. It begins like this: “Okay, if this is the first book of mine you’re going to try, stop now. Return it. Grab another. It’s okay. I’ll wait.” Coben goes on to explain that he wrote the book 20 years ago and has not edited it since. He states that it is flawed and implies that it is rather poorly written, but reassures the reader that he still loves this book. I hadn’t read anything by him before so I thought that I’d still give this a whirl ... more

Review of 'Play Dead', a novel by Harlan Coben. I am reviewing the paperback version of this novel, published by Orion books under ISBN 9781409120483. The book contains 518 pages and carries a cover price of £7.99. Genre:- Crime. I belong to a local book swapping group and this novel was among a batch I received at a recent 'trade in' session. The Plot Former model and successful fashion designer Laura Ayers is on her honeymoon. She and her sports superstar husband, David Baskin, are blissfully happy. They had married quietly in Australia as Laura's mother had taken a vehement dislike to the ... more

I've read and reviewed a few Coben novels now and consider him to be one of my favourite authors. Unfortunately, because this was one of his far earlier pieces, it doesn't have the same flair as the rest of what I've read and so it's not really one I'd recommend. Upon opening the book I noticed an introduction to the book itself that was written by Coben. He tells us not to read this if it's the first book of his we've ever picked up; It was written over 20 years ago when he was in his early twenties, just starting out as a 'naïve' writer. None the less, I picked this up before knowing this ... more

The synopsis of the story is quite simple. Laura Ayars, ex-model now successful business woman, has it all including the perfect basketball playing husband. Until he mysteriously dissappears on their honeymoon. The police believe David Baskin (sport super hero) drowned. Did he commit suicide or is there something more sinister behind David Baskin's disappearance? Laura begins to dig deeper and discovers a past that will destroy her family and tear her own world apart. So far so good. However, I found the gradual outcome of David's disappearance utterly preposterous. At the start of the novel ... more