From Publishers Weekly
Supercharged by a father's fierce drive to rescue his kidnapped daughter, Coben's third stand-alone thriller proves far more gripping than his second, Tell No One. Marc Seidman, a plastic surgeon near New York City, wakes up in a hospital to learn that he has been gravely wounded, his wife shot dead and his infant daughter, Tara, snatched. The ensuing narrative, which shuttles between third person and Marc's first person, covers more than a year in Marc's hunt for Tara and climaxes twice with his fumbling of payments in response to ransom demands, plunging him into despair. A smartly drawn supporting cast supports Marc in his quest, including an old girlfriend-an ex-FBI agent-who reappears in his life; Marc's lawyer, who's also his best friend; a cop/FBI duo who for a while suspect Marc of engineering the snatch and ransom demands; and a working-class hero who joins forces with Marc near the end of his hunt and steals every scene he's in. On the villain's side lurk several shady folk, including a psychopathic former child star and her hulking boyfriend. The plot is overly complicated, and there's a revelation at book's end that veteran thriller readers will have sussed out long before. Those flaws matter little, though, in the face of the emotional onslaught of Marc's gut-wrenching, self-questioning, relentless narration, which will carry readers like a tidal wave through the novel's twists and turns. What Coben's thriller lacks in originality, it makes up for in sheer vigor; few browsers or dippers will put this down.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
NO SECOND CHANCE demonstrates that Harlan Coben is one of the finest contemporary suspense writers and that Scott Brick is among the elite audiobook narrators. When their skills are combined, the result is almost magical. Coben's story has plot twists aplenty, almost too many, and Brick's reading adds an intensity that propels the story at a breakneck pace. Coben wrote NO SECOND CHANCE in the first and third person, which makes this a particularly challenging novel to read. Brick not only meets the challenge, he triumphs over it, providing every character with a unique voice and personality, as well as an individual tone and pace. Coben has developed a loyal following, as should Brick. D.J.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
by Harlan Coben
by Harlan Coben
by Harlan Coben
by Harlan Coben
by Harlan Coben
