Gone For Good by Harlan Coben

From the Publisher
"As a boy, Will Klein had a hero: his older brother, Ken. Then, on a warm suburban night in the Kleins' affluent New Jersey neighborhood, a young woman - a girl Will had once loved - was found raped and murdered in her family's basement. The prime suspect: Ken Klein. With the evidence against him overwhelming, Ken simply vanished, spending the next decade as the elusive subject of rumors, speculation, and an international manhunt. When his shattered family never heard from Ken again, they were sure he was gone for good." Now eleven years have passed. And Will, who always believed in his brother's innocence, has found evidence that Ken is alive - even as he is struck by another act of betrayal. His girlfriend suddenly disappears, leaving behind compelling evidence that she was not the person Will thought she was. As two dark dramas unwind around him, Will is pulled into a violent mystery, haunted by signs that Ken is trying to contact him after all these years. Will can feel himself coming closer and closer to his brother ... and to a terrible secret that someone will kill to keep buried. And as the lies begin to unravel, Will is uncovering starting truths about his lover, his brother, and even himself. He knows he must press his search all the way to the end. Because the most powerful revelations are yet to come.

My Comments:
This is my first by Harlan Coben and won't be my last! The Book Group has talked about this author and his Myron series for ages and I finally caught on.

I picked this book up before going to bed, and before I knew it, it was 2AM and I was a hundred pages in. I've never read a book that had me turning the pages so quickly before. I was hooked by the end of page one. A first for me.

I used to adore thrillers. It was my genre of choice. Then John Grisham began to bore me. I forgot all about Nancy Taylor Rosenberg, Joy Fielding, John Saul and John Sanford. Coben reminded me what I've been missing.

As you read this book, you'll be constantly surprised. Forget playing detective and figuring out who done anything. You'll be proven wrong by the end of the next chapter. Nothing is what you think it is. I've never read anything where the plot was turned upside down and inside out as much as this was. It was absolutely wonderful! I'm still blown away by the ending. Completely and utterly.

I can't wait for my husband to read it. He's the type who watches a TV show and tells you who did it and why in the first five minutes. This will leave him guessing for sure!

Keep It Or Pass It On?
I'm keeping it for Michael to read and then I think I'll www.paperbackswap it! I can't keep all this thrill a minute goodness to myself!

Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison

From the Publisher:
Publishers Weekly
This strong entry in Harrison's intricate Hollows series (after Every Which Way but Dead) plunges headlong into the action as Rachel Morgan, a sexy Cincinnati witch, finishes up her latest bounty hunting mission by taking down an alpha Were (werewolf). The book swings into gear when she returns home to find that her ne'er-do-well ex, Nick, has recruited her partner Jenks's son in a criminal enterprise and gotten them both imprisoned by Weres in Michigan, apparently for stealing a priceless Were artifact. With the help of some borderline black magic, Jenks a pixie is given human proportions in order to accompany Rachel on a mission to rescue his son. Finding the jailed pixie ends up the easiest task in an operation that quickly spirals out of control after Rachel decides she must also rescue the errant Nick. Harrison provides conflict aplenty as Rachel debates how far into the black arts she'll venture to accomplish a good end; past and present boyfriends vie for her attention; and Weres battle vampires for supremacy. (July) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

My Comments: *spoilers abound*
A Fistful of Charms left me... uncharmed. This installment in the series seemed wordy, long winded, and rather all over the place. Maybe it's the werewolf thing that made me feel that way. Pack politics and fights just don't fluff my fur if you will.

I was expecting more with her ex and absent boyfriend, Nick. I was also expecting a little more closure with that situation. I wasn't convinced by Rachael's reasons for going to so much trouble in rescuing him. Jenks' son, of course. But Nick? He made his bed, let him lie in it. I digress. I have abandonment issues on Rachael's behalf.

One of the most interesting aspects of the book was Jenks being full sized. That gave us a little levity and the occasional action packed thrills.

The situation with Ivy is getting extremely complicated and more then a little out of hand. I found myself almost relieved when Ivy showed up and the messy issues that were raised to rescue me from the drudgery of saving Nick and the craziness with the Were's. I also found myself really missing Trent Kalamack and could have really used some more Kisten action personally and less "Rachael needs danger to have a fullfilling relationship" introspection.

That being said, although this was my least favorite in The Hollows series, I am really looking forward to A Few Demons More. Trent is back, Piscary and Al are too. Things could get hairy... No pun intended.

Keep It Or Pass It On?
So far I've been collecting this series and I hate to post it on Paperbackswap.com. My husband likes the series too, so I think I'll keep it around for now.