... However, I've just finished reading "Tell No-one" and devoured it in less than two days. I often get really into books and find them quite compelling but it really is quite unusual for me to find it almost impossible to put them down but this one really hooked me straight from the off.
Harlan ... Read review
Advantages: Gripping, thrilling, mysterious, action packed story Disadvantages: Limited
...in with this character … Tell No-One was the result. It was critically acclaimed and nominated for a whole series of awards from the Edgar Allen Poe Award to the Macavity Award. It also won the French "Le Grand Prix des Lectrices de Elle" for fiction.
***THE STORY***
Childhood sweethearts Elizabeth and David Beck set off on a romantic 13th anniversary trip to Lake Charmaine. Lake Charmaine has been an integral ... .../>
On that 13th visit, tragedy strikes and Elizabeth is kidnapped and murdered, whilst David is attacked and left with life threatening injuries, but he survives. The eight years that follow David spends "existing" rather than "living" and throws himself into his career as a paediatric doctor in a social care setting.
All of a sudden his life is turned upside down when an image of his late wife appears on a computer ... more
***INTRODUCTION***
I can't recall where or when I first came across the author Harlan Coben but I have now read two or three of his books and thoroughly enjoyed them all. However, I've just finished reading "Tell No-one" and devoured it in less than two days. I often get really into books and find them quite compelling but it really is quite unusual for me to find it almost impossible to put them down but this one really hooked me straight from the off.
Harlan Coben hails from Newark, New Jersey. He studied politics and worked in the travel industry before launching into a highly successful writing career that has seen him gather a veritable treasure chest of coveted awards. In his first novels Coben concentrates on a sports Agent character called Myron Bolitar, but in 2001 came up with an idea that didn't fit in with this character … Tell No-One was the result. It was critically acclaimed and nominated for a whole series of awards from the Edgar Allen Poe Award to the Macavity Award. It also won the French "Le Grand Prix des Lectrices de Elle" for fiction.
***THE STORY***
Childhood sweethearts Elizabeth and David Beck set off on a romantic 13th anniversary trip to Lake Charmaine. Lake Charmaine has been an integral part of their upbringing all through their childhood.
On that 13th visit, tragedy strikes and Elizabeth is kidnapped and murdered, whilst David is attacked and left with life threatening injuries, but he survives. The eight years that follow David spends "existing" rather than "living" and throws himself into his career as a paediatric doctor in a social care setting.
All of a sudden his life is turned upside down when an image of his late wife appears on a computer screen, where all the buried, desperate memories are ripped wide open. David has to decide whether the image is some sick practical joke; an evil hoax or whether by some miracle his dead wife is somehow alive.
This is where the story really begins. David's rather safe, staid, ordinary life is thrown into turmoil whilst he starts investigating. The story focuses on the power of technology and coded messages being received by David that suggest Elizabeth is very much alive. The widowed David is, understandably, driven by the "live" image of his wife on a computer screen and the coded messages that he sincerely believes could only possibly come from her. But is he really chasing a "ghost" that sets him against all the people he trusts; pursuing an impossible dream? His most trusted friend Shauna goes to desperate lengths to try and help David, including hiring a "media" friendly lawyer. Although David tries to let Shauna help the sequence of events dictates that he has no choice but appear to "bite the hand that feeds him".
Despite Elizabeth's killer having been identified as a serial killer and the perpetrator being on death row, the killer was never charged with her particular murder. The series of events that follow lead to the Police and the FBI hunting David down as the prime suspect in this eight year old murder.
The narrative sees David picking up and translating the coded messages that send him searching for old friends; friends that he neglected after his wife's death, because they brought back tragic memories. More tragedy follows when one of these friends is tortured and left for dead.
One of the coded messages tries to set up a meeting - a meeting David is so desperate to attend that he flees from the Police and the FBI who are both convinced that he was the real perpetrator of his wife's murder. Whilst fleeing from the authorities, he assaults a Police Officer and hooks up with a black guy drug dealer whose child is one of his patients. The drug dealer leads David into a horrifying environment that previously David could only imagine, but provides him with escape and the highest level protection so that he can follow his impossible dream; the dream being that Elizabeth, his only love, is still alive and that there might possibly still be a future together.
The plot is complex but very intelligent and as a result is entirely believable. The author structures the story in such a way that the intricate threads are woven together with the quality of a first class seamstress. About mid way through the book, I started to think that the ending was going to be too predictable and although my prediction was correct, it was offset by an extremely clever twist in the tale right on the last page.
***CHARACTERS***
David, the young 33 year old grieving widower, is the central character in this novel and his narrative is delivered in the first person. In this story, it works extremely well and the author draws you in to such an extent, that you believe you are in David's psyche. However, the explosive ending goes to prove that you haven't been at all, but I liked that.
Shauna (an Amazonian built woman and a model) is David's best friend and his sister's lover. Shauna was David's room mate in his University days after a spelling mix up so instead of having a same sex "roomie" he got Shauna. They got on so well that they decided to live with it and had been firm friends ever since. Despite having implicit trust in Shauna, David cannot share everything with her because the "coded" messages all end with "Tell No-one".
Hester Crimstein is a high profile criminal lawyer who loves the media. She's recruited by Shauna to defend David and to get him bail upon arrest … before he flees from the Police.
Hoyt Parker is David's father in law and an NYPD veteran hides a dark and heart breaking secret whilst grieving for his murdered 25 year old daughter.
The characterisation in this novel is first class. The major characters are well developed, mature and believable. One of the most striking things in this dark thriller is that Harlan Coben demonstrates a wicked sense of humour that is borne out in his characters. Personally, I think that's an incredibly skilful feat to achieve in this genre.
Coben has focused in on two central characters really and the minor characters are woven in and out of the plot and sub plots in a way that works really effectively. I like this as it means that you get to identify with the main personalities and don't feel like you have to get to know every character in the story itself.
***MY OPINION***
This has to be one of the best thrillers I've read in quite some time. It was a real page turner with action, twists and turns on every page. I consumed it in two days which is pretty quick for me. At 346 pages it's not that long but I only really read during my commute and at weekends so two days was record time for me. I couldn't wait to find out what happened next and so picked it up at every opportunity.
The writer is mature, clever, and skilful and his characters are well developed within the overall structure of the plot. The sub plots are intriguing, sinister and amusing all at the same time; like I said before I think this is a real achievement and not easy to do.
The concept of the story itself was also fresh and different. I didn't feel that there was anything formulaic in here as I have read a couple of other Coben books and although the writing style is consistent, the idea is unique and the imagination used in this particular novel far surpassed anything that I was expecting.
I WILL read this again and that fact alone is testament alone to how brilliant I thought this book was. I'm almost certain that upon a second read I will gain more insight into the author as well as the story itself.
This thriller does contain levels of violence that are hard to stomach and descriptions can be explicit, although I don't find Coben's delivery as off putting as some other authors I like in this genre. It's difficult to explain but the violence here is in context and as a result probably not quite as shocking as it can be sometimes.
Overall, a good, entertaining story and a darned fine mystery. The twist in the tale at the end is one of the best that I've come across to date. Read it and see for yourself.
346 pages Published by Orion Fiction (paperback) £5.99 ISBN 0-75284-471-7
Advantages: Great suspense, characters, narrative Disadvantages: None
...hope- and warn him to tell no one. But soon Dr Beck himself is being hunted down…’
Now I don’t know about you but when I read that, once I’d received my novel from e-bay, it really heightened my anticipation and expectations for this particular book. This really book does not hang around! It plunges you straight into the deep end of things. This reminds me almost of a movie in a way.
Author
As I have previously mentioned, the author of this book ... ...other non- Bolitar books (like Tell No One) and has had international bestsellers. He is the first author to win the Edgar, Shamus and Anthony Awards for literature and the New York Times has called his novels ‘ingenious’.
Story
So, you have seen already what the blurb on the book say and this is quite an in-depth description of the book itself. I feel that this book undoubtedly attracts your attention from the very first page. We are given a little ...
ashtonluke 03.09.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Tell No One - Harlan Coben
Advantages: addictive read, great characters Disadvantages: a bit stomach-turning and violent in parts
Dr David Beck and his wife Elizabeth were one of those nauseating couples that fell in love at age 12, spend the teenage years of lust with one another and then ended up married in their adult lives. Every year they go to the same place to celebrate their anniversary and to make another notch under their initials in the tree in front of which they shared their first kiss so many years ago. It's on their 13th anniversary that the harmony is suddenly ... ...to move on with his life, dating women here and there, but never being able to form a meaningful and permanent relationship. Eight years after the anniversary of Elizabeth's disappearance, Beck suddenly realises that he may never be able to move on - as he receives a mysterious email and an image of Elizabeth on his computer screen that make him run around New York City in a wild goose chase to capture this ghost. And Beck is alone in his hunt as ...
Delicate_Orchid 19.02.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Tell No One - Harlan Coben
Advantages: You won't be able to put the book down Disadvantages: Too many "angles" covered in one book
...me so riveted? Let me tell you a bit about the story…
Elizabeth and David Beck have been childhood sweethearts and are now happily married, about to celebrate their thirteenth year together as a couple and are heading out to Lake Chermaine where they will be able to mark another year of being together on their old special tree. But on their thirteenth visit horror awaits them at the Lake as Elizabeth is kidnapped, mutilated and murdered, and ... ...occasion! : ) Tell No One is currently being made into a Hollywood feature film, and from my point of view I think it will be interesting to see how they go about it and whether it sticks to the actual storyline, I wonder who they will get to play the parts…I can just picture Brad Pitt as David….
The copy I have is paperback and 339 gripping pages long, and it cost me £7.99 from a book club. There is also a website: www.harlancoben.com.
...
nicci13 25.10.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Tell No One - Harlan Coben
Advantages: i great read Disadvantages: i couldnt put it down
...writing I am about to tell you my view on Tell No One.
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Tell No One by Harlen Coben is a suspense thriller. A young woman appears to be the victim of a serial killer, leaving her husband behind. Then one day out of he blue, something happens that is so unsettling that it turns his world upside down.
The story begins with Dr David Beck and ... ...to sit down with a bottle of wine and read another of his books ‘gone for good’.
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Tell No One is available from most books stores for 5.99 in paperback.
Thank You to Rachael (my girlfriend) for making me read it. I am now a fan. ...
justme 13.10.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Tell No One - Harlan Coben
Advantages: A true thriller Disadvantages: Your work will be put aside for this addictive read you can't put down!!
== TELL NO ONE ==
=== HARLAN COBEN ===
=== INTRODUCTION ===
I was never really a big crime/thriller reader, but since discovering the works of Harlan Coben I have found myself somewhat addicted. The latest Coben book that I have read is "Tell No-one" it took me a day to gobble up the 346 pages, I just couldn't put it down. This is the best Coben book that I have read so far - superb. === THE AUTHOR ===
Harlan Coben is an American author of mystery ... ...in the message is - Tell No One. David's life is turned upside down in his quest to solve the mystery. When David thinks he sees a woman who could only be his wife, his sister's partner, a close friend who's familiar with the world of advertising, tries to show David that he must be mistaken and demonstrates how the image of Elizabeth in the messages could have been done by technical means. David is not put off and continues to chase the clues...to ...
oldchem 21.08.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Tell No One - Harlan Coben
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Reviews which might be of interest for "Tell No One - Harlan Coben"
Advantages: gripping - lots of unexpected twists Disadvantages: detailed descriptions of violence
I first read 'TellNoOne' by HarlanCoben and liked it so got this, mostly because it was also £3.96 at Asda.
Harlan Coban has, it seems, been busy churning out several thriller books and if the others are like this and TellNoOne then I'm onto a winner.
~ The Cover~
I'm not sure, having read the book, of the significance of the cover picture, but the blurb is excellent because it doesn't give anything away.
I guess that's all there is to say on this, except that the book is a good handbag/holiday size.
~ Between the covers ~
The plot begins simply enough - a woman (I'll call her Grace, because that's what the author calls her) sends some photos to be processed and they come back with an extra one included. When her husband sees it he drives off into the night and disappears. The story is mainly about her figuring out what ...
Advantages: loads of plot twists, realistic action Disadvantages: irritating comments by the narrator
I very much enjoyed "TellNo-one" by HarlanCoben, (later a film with Michael Douglas, maybe Clifhanger could review that for us!) - so when I spotted "Gone for Good" on the bookshelves at my local Waterstones, I made a grab for it.
In this crime thriller, Will Klein tells us his story. The novel opens on the day of his mother's funeral. Sunny Klein was an unusually bright, intelligent and loved woman and yet the platters ordered for the mourners are left untouched and, aside from immediate family, there are precious few mourners.
Eleven years previously, Will's brother murdered a local girl and disappeared despite an international manhunt. Will's family privately believe that Julie (who happened to be Will's ex girlfriend) was murdered by a second man and brother Ken too, is dead. Neither family have moved from their homes ...
Advantages: Well written, entertaining and lots of suspense Disadvantages: None
I read TellNoOne by HarlanCoben several months ago and remembered liking his writing style when I saw No Second Chance on the library shelves. Harlan is a very good writer who knows how to draw you in and keep you interested with twists and turns in the plot, but the ending of TellNoOne lacked the punch that I expected and hoped for as I approached the final chapters.
As I began reading No Second Chance I felt a strong sense of familiarity and wondered if indeed it had been this novel that I'd read earlier. It wasn't but in both stories the hero is not long married and their wives are murdered in mysterious circumstances. I couldn't help thinking that Harlan maybe hates women or wives enough to make them victims but I pushed that thought from my mind as I read on.
Dr Marc Seidman is a plastic surgeon, one of the good guys who ...
Product Information for "Tell No One - Harlan Coben" »
Product details
Type
Fiction
Genre
Thriller
Title
Tell No One
Author
Harlan Coben
ISBN
0752844717; 0752846027; 0752865307
Manufacturer's product description
Every year, the Doctor David Beck and his young wife, Elizabeth, meet at the same deserted lake to rediscover their love for each other, and inscribe one more year into 'their' tree. But that year was the last. Elizabeth was kidnapped and Beck knocked unconscious. By the time he woke up, his wife had been discovered dead, and horribly mutilated. For eight years he grieves. Then one afternoon, he receives an anonymous e-mail telling him to log on to a certain web-site at a certain time, using a code that only the two of them knew. The screen opens onto a web cam and it is her face he sees. This starts an inexorable chain of events as Beck tries to find out if Elizabeth is truly alive and what really happened that summer night. Soon he's a wanted man, as the FBI try to pin Elizabeth's murder on him, and everyone he turns to seems to end up dead See all Product Description
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