Review: Seconds Away

Book Two of the Mickey Bolitar novels
By Harlan Coben
Available now from Putnam (Penguin)
Review copy
Read my review of SHELTER

Sometimes you gotta have faith in people.  I really enjoyed SHELTER until the end revealed that the bad guy was a ninety-year-old Nazi.  Turns out SECONDS AWAY starts with Mickey frustrated because that makes zero sense.  But he doesn't have much time to ponder the bad-guy-who-doesn't-age before his friend Rachel gets shot in the head.  (It's just a flesh wound!)

Mickey, Spoon, and Ema band back together in order to discover who tried to kill their friend.  They're all dealing with fallout from the last book.  Mickey's being watched by the cops, who dislike that he always seems to be at the center of trouble.  Spoon is grounded for approximately forever.  Okay, so Ema's not in trouble, but as she and Mickey get closer Mickey gets more suspicious of her secrets.

I do think Harlan Coben has a talent for writing teenagers.  Mickey's often as worried about making the basketball team as he is about solving the various mysteries in his life.  The teens continue to be constantly connected through their phones.  And while Mickey, Spoon, and Ema have the makings of good investigators, their meddling often interferes with what the professionals are trying to do.  They lack the experience and knowledge of the law needed to get criminals put behind bars.  I disliked the stereotype of the belligerent police chief in SHELTER, but in SECONDS AWAY he eventually gets some nuance.

I did get the nagging sense during SECONDS AWAY that I should be reading Coben's adult Myron Bolitar mysteries to fill in a bit more of the backstory.  But looking up blurbs for the Myron novels shows that the most recent, LIVE WIRE, introduced Mickey and his family and thus there probably isn't much information to be found there.

SECONDS AWAY is a terrific follow-up to SHELTER, though it doesn't further the series arc much.  It is a decent thriller in and of itself.  SECONDS AWAY is a good choice for those who want a book with a lot of action.

Review: Shelter

By Harlan Coben
Available now from Putnam (Penguin)
Review copy



Mickey Bolitar has traveled the world with his parents. His experiences ensured that he's more tough and capable than your average fifteen-year-old. Unfortunately, Mickey's dad died and his mother is in rehab, leaving him to move in with Myron, his estranged uncle. Myron, who lives near the mysterious Bat Lady. Of course, even trying to discover the Bat Lady's secrets can't hold Myron's attention when his girlfriend Ashley is missing.

I devoured SHELTER extremely quickly. It's an effectively paced thriller, moving from one scene to another without much pause. There were a few things I didn't enjoy, such as the belligerent and useless police chief. The police tend to get a bad rap in detective books and it leaves a sour taste in my mouth. But there were good points to balance it out. Coben uses technology well in SHELTER. He remembers that today's teens have cell phones and use them - and that they leave texts, not voicemails. It gave a realism to Mickey, Spoon, and Ema's interactions.

I liked the characters too. Mickey is nicely balanced by the friends he makes on his quest to rescue Ashley. Spoon is somewhat Daffy and Ema is both hilarious and brave. Even rich girl Rachel turns out to have depths.

I would recommend SHELTER wholeheartedly except for the ending. As the mysteries surrounding Ashley unravel, the plotting falls apart. There's a good organization in play. One that has apparently been operating for decades without learning how to do its job properly. If the people involved in the organization had thought for two seconds, Ashley would've been fine. As for the bad guy, tell me: do you find nonagenarians threatening?

If you like thrillers or enjoy Coben's adult books, I'd give SHELTER a whirl. Otherwise, I'd go ahead and pass it over. I might read the next book in the Mickey Bolitar series, but I hope it has a more satisfying mystery at its heart than SHELTER did.