Monday, September 17, 2007

The Woods

The Woods by Harlan Coben (2007)


Description: Twenty years ago, four teenagers at summer camp walked into the woods at night. Two were found murdered, and the others were never seen again. Four families had their lives changed forever. Now, two decades later, they are about to change again.

For Paul Copeland, the county prosecutor of Essex, New Jersey, mourning the loss of his sister has only recently begun to subside. Cope, as he is known, is now dealing with raising his six-year-old daughter as a single father after his wife has died of cancer. Balancing family life and a rapidly ascending career as a prosecutor distracts him from his past traumas, but only for so long. when a homicide victim is found with evidence linking him to Cope, the well-buried secrets of the prosecutor's family are threatened.

In this homicide victim one of the campers who disappeared with sister? could his sister be alive? Cope has to confront so much he left behind that summer twenty years ago: his first love, Lucy; his mother who abandoned the family; and the secrets that his Russian parents might have been hiding even from their own children. Cope must decide what is better left hidden in the dark and what truths can be brought to the light.

Review: This was my first time reading something by Coben. I have to say that I am a fan. This was a great read that didn't take me too long to finish. I can see why we have a hard time keeping any of his books on the shelves at the library. I thought the original story was interesting, so I checked it out. Wow, there were so many different turns and revelations. It was very true to life though. Do we ever really know those closest to us? I also loved the sarcastic character of Cope. He was a great "hero". He had his faults, but at the end he knew what was right and did it. A really great mystery that I think everyone should check out. I will definitely check out some of his other works.

Score: 4.5 out of 5

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