this may be one of the hardest articles i have ever had to write: rating harlan coben’s top 10 books.
If you’re not a regular reader, then you won’t know I just started reading this. i read them over the course of april and may 2014 – i read all the standalone novels coben wrote. every book I picked up and started and just couldn’t put it down.
You are reading: Best books by harlan coben
I haven’t read any of your myron bolitar or mickey bolitar series yet. One day I will contact them. but man, these standalone books are absolutely amazing.
I’m writing this in June 2014. The last standalone novel published by Harlan Coben was missing from you in March 2014. Every time I publish a new book, I’ll be sure to update this list if it fits. 13 standalone harlan coben novels right now.
You can also see the full list of Coben’s books in publication order here: Harlan Coben.
Now let’s go through all of these and, ugh, try to pick which ones are the best. It’s going to be difficult considering that each one of them is incredible. here we go with my top 10 harlan coben books:
#10: don’t tell anyone
The crazy thing about making this list is that I went through it book by book. this was one of the first books I added, and it immediately went to second place. however, as he added more and more, he ended up at No. #10, that should tell you how good the quality of these books is because I loved this one. very good, i even watched the french subtitled version on netflix and i hate subtitled movies.
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8 years ago, david beck’s wife was murdered. she then receives a message on his computer, a secret message known only to him and his wife. Does that mean she’s alive?
#9: trapped
This is a great article about a reporter trying to catch sexual predators. start slow and just build and build and build. it just keeps you going and going, leading to a very satisfying ending. this was good to see how the two stories come together near the end.
#8: gone forever
will kleins ex-girlfriend is murdered, and her brother is the person suspected of it. however, he disappears left for dead. 11 years later, there is evidence that her brother is still alive. this one is amazing – the ending still amazes me, and I had to go back and read the last few chapters 2 or 3 times to fully appreciate how amazing it was.
#7: the forest
20 years ago, there were a bunch of murders at a summer camp. It all comes back as Paul Copeland, the Essex County District Attorney, tries to work a big case. like all coben books, you think you’ve figured it out, then twist after twist (which makes sense) hits you and changes everything, leading to the usual believable but surprising ending.
#6: no second chance
dr. Marc Seidman is shot. when he wakes up he discovers that his wife is dead and his 6-month-old daughter has disappeared. what comes next is just… wow. so many layers that fit so well and so many twists that you never see coming and literally blow you away.
to explain how cool this one was: i was driving back from toronto and had about 20% left on my kindle. despite only 3 hours of travel, I stopped at a restaurant to eat and finish the rest. I wasn’t even hungry, I just couldn’t keep driving until I had read how it ended.
#5: just one look
the plot of this one is enough to give me goosebumps. grace lawson, happily married and mother of two, reveals some photographs. there is a photo there that she has never seen before. she shows it to her husband, who quickly gets into his car and disappears without saying anything. this is an amazing book that sets up the mystery early on and keeps you guessing constantly. and like any coben book, you always guess wrong.
#4: six years
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This is another one where it starts out almost slow, but in a good way. Jake Fisher saw her soul mate walk down the aisle 6 years ago, vowing never to contact her again. she then finds out that her new husband has died. so she decides to contact her, only she can’t. no record of her, no record of her wedding, nothing. the person who died? he was married to someone else for 20 years. just an amazing story that hooks you and makes you go on and on and on.
#3: I miss you
kat donovan, a new york police detective, is browsing an online dating site. she sees her old fiancé jeff de ella there and decides to contact him. but after her approach to him ends with her entangled in a crazy conspiracy where the murders keep happening. There weren’t as many twists in this one as some of them, but it was still a very exciting story that you just can’t put down.
#2: stay close
Megan is your typical soccer mom. married, 2 children, the usual basic life in the suburbs. however, megan has a past, a pretty crazy past, and it will all come back and alter everything around her.
Not giving too much away: Of all the coben books, this one had a twist that still amazes me to this day. I’ll always remember it like I never saw it coming: it was very well done, and that’s why this is my second Harlan Coben book, because it stands out from the rest because of that twist.
#1: play dead
coben’s first book. the fact that i read it almost 25 years later and still loved it really says a lot. On top of that, it’s a very different style of book where everyone knows the answers, but no one talks. coben gives us the perspective of people who might say things but don’t, and while that’s something i would normally find frustrating, i found that it was written in a very good way where it didn’t annoy or make fun of the reader. instead, he only gave you enough while leaving you more.
ugh i did it, my top 10 harlan coben books.
what are your favourites?
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