RUN AWAY by Harlan Coben
There is nothing better than a good Harlan Coben book and believe me his latest novel RUN AWAY is a good Harlan Coben book. It is even better than that; it is a great Harlan Coben book. It is a suspenseful thriller told from the standpoint of a decent man involved in a world of corruption he could never imagine.. In that way it is Hitchcockian in that Alfred Hitchcock loved to put innocent people in threatening situations.
In RUN AWAY Simon Greene is a successful Wall Street financial advisor. He has worked hard to attain his success and it has paid off. In many ways he has it all. In addition to his business he is married to a beautiful woman named Ingrid, who is a prominent pediatrician. They have three children and are able to provide for all their needs. But then the serpent enters the garden. Paige, their eldest, goes off to college and comes under the influence of a man named Aaron. He leads her into a life of drugs.
As the book opens Paige has been under Aaron’s influence for a few years. Attempts by the Greenes to get their daughter back and get her to her senses have failed. Simon spots her in a park in New York and tries to make contact butis not successful. With horror he observes how much Paige has deteriorated both physically and mentally. With that failed act both Simon and Ingrid are stymied as to what their next move should be.
When they do figure it out it leads to more tragedy for their family. This next event nearly overcomes Simon but he manages to soldier on in his never ending quest. He does get some help when he discovers there is a private investigator looking into a case that could involve Paige. The fact they can combine efforts gives Simon some hope.
The fact Simon Greene is a sort of everyman adds to the enjoyment of this story. He is so innately average and thus has none of the skills a super hero has. He is just a man, without a plan, trying to save his daughter and keep his family intact. Coben, to be sure, puts him in one harrowing situation after another.
Still anyone could write a story about an every day man having terrible problems and it would be an okay book but not a great one. Coben, however, has the knack for making each one of his books something special and he does it by making his characters so lifelike. Readers come to know these characters in detail and never is this more so than in the case of the decent Simon Greene.
Plus there are a variety of sub-characters in this story that stand out in the reader’s mind. We have the good samaritan who gives Simon aid and support; the private investigator who is a bit quirky but always makes progress in her cases; and finally the two serial killers who are operating outside the sphere of Simon’s world but are connected to him. All of this is packed into RUN AWAY and is placed so that the reader just can not put the book down.
Finally there is a superb twist on the last page which is the perfect cap for this story. Do not dare read the final page first. Get there at the normal progression of the story and just let it happen. It will haunt you for ages.
RUN AWAY is published by Grand Central. It contains 384 pages and sells for $29.00.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com
