Tell No One by Harlan Coben

Tell No One by Harlan Coben
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I had heard good things about Harlan Coben; amazing things even, from friends and reviewers alike. Most of his book plots sound intriguing and draw you in.

The first downside, as I discovered with this, my only Coben book so far, is the absolutely terrible writing: he presents, at best, two-dimensional characters; he uses some quite awkward dialogue; and he crow-bars in some of the most unnecessary and extraordinary similes.

The second downside is the plot development. It twists and turns so much that it becomes illogical and insensible – it is not a satisfying read. The description on the back of the book described it as having “the most jaw-dropping plot twist ever” – a week later I am still waiting for my jaw to drop. I am not even sure which of the various twists this refers to as none really qualify. By the last page I literally didn’t care about what was revealed because somehow it managed to be simultaneously both predictable and unbelievable.

I have given this book two stars because, despite all my criticisms, I did at least keep turning the pages. I did, to some extent, want to see what happened next, although, by the last chapter my interest had waned.

I’ve picked up two or three other Coben books second-hand so I probably will try them, to see if this was an unlucky one-off.