Author: Harlan Coben
Series: Myron Bolitar (Book 11)
Publication: Dutton (September 20, 2016)
Description: Ten years after the high-profile kidnapping of two young boys, only one returns home in Harlan Coben’s gripping thriller.
A decade ago, kidnappers grabbed two boys from wealthy families and demanded ransom, then went silent. No trace of the boys ever surfaced. For ten years their families have been left with nothing but painful memories and a quiet desperation for the day that has finally, miraculously arrived: Myron Bolitar and his friend Win believe they have located one of the boys, now a teenager. Where has he been for ten years, and what does he know about the day, more than half a life ago, when he was taken? And most critically: What can he tell Myron and Win about the fate of his missing friend? Drawing on his singular talent, Harlan Coben delivers an explosive and deeply moving thriller about friendship, family, and the meaning of home.
My Thoughts: This is the story of a parent's worst nightmare. Two 6-year-old boys are taken from their home and never heard from again. At least, not for ten years. Rhys Baldwin and Patrick Moore disappear during a playdate at Rhys's house. Rhys happens to be a cousin of Win - Windsor Horne Lockwood III - who is Myron's partner.
The story begins in Win's voice as he has traveled to London because he received an email saying one of the missing boys has been spotted. He sees the boy hanging out with male prostitutes under a bridge but doesn't approach because it is Patrick and not Rhys. He decides to keep watch in the hopes that Rhys will show up too. Before too much time Patrick is accosted by bully boys and Win is forced to intervene. He winds up killing the bully boys and Patrick runs away. This is when Win phones Myron for some help.
Win has been missing for more than a year. His phone call finds Myron with his fiancee. But Myron drops everything to head to London to back up his friend. Together they extract Patrick from the clutches of a crime lord with ties to prostitution, hacking, and other stuff. But Patrick is swept up by his parents before Myron and Win can find out about Rhys.
This leads them to begin investigating the crime again from the beginning and leads them to lots of questions about what happened. Aiding in the investigation are a variety of characters from earlier books in the series including Myron's nephew Mickey and his friend Ema.
Myron and Win follow a twisted and twisting path to reach a conclusion that really surprised me. I have only read the first Myron Bolitar mystery and didn't know Win who turns out to be one scary dude with a unique sense of justice. I have read the YA books starring Mickey, Spoon, and Ema and was glad to see them again.
This was a book I found impossible to put down. I loved the relationship between Myron and Win and their clever repartee. I also really enjoyed Myron's relationship with both Micky and with his aging parents. We say a man who isn't afraid to love which contrasts greatly with Win who doesn't really care for very many people but will fight to the death for those he does care about.
This was a great mystery and makes me want to go back and read all the Myron Bolitar mysteries that I haven't yet read.
Favorite Quote:
"It has to end."I got this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
"What do you mean?"
"That was Brooke's confession. When the phone rings, do you know what she hopes?"
Myron shook his head.
"That it's the police. That they've finally found Rhys's body. Do you understand what I'm saying? The not-knowing - the hope - has become more painful than death. And that just makes the tragedy of it more obscene. It is horrible enough that you make a mother suffer like this. But this, she told me - wishing, no matter what, that it would just end - was even worse."
I have heard so much about Harlan Coben and have chosen this one as my 1st read by him. Great review, sounds exciting.
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