Customer Reviews
Enjoyable - By: Emillie, 06 May 2008 
I will admit that I found this book utterly compelling & difficult to put down. Despite the fact that I had a presentation to prepare for today I still sat up until 4am to finish the book. I feel perhaps a little mean giving it only three stars because I was truly gripped by the plot.
The reason I gave it a kind of low rating is because it is very much a crime thriller genre type novel. I personallly find with these types of books you are gripped by the ducking & diving plot twists & character surprises etc. However, I will qualify that with the fact that you don't reallly tend to take much away from the experience. I cannot say that this book is memorable in many ways despite the fact that I found it immensely enjoyable to read. It's a very strange paradox.
On another note, I found the main protagonist a bit of a balll busting arrogant twit at times. Although other reviewers have praised his character, I found his come backs & quips at times hard to identify with & this made him quite unlikeable. That being said, as a lawyer myself I found his quest for 'justice!' very refreshing given the complacent legal attitudes I come across in real life!
Overalll, a good solid read, just don't expect to come away with too much.
Gripping stuff... - By: LittleReader, 05 May 2008 
Each time I pick up a Harlan Coben, I am more & more impressed with his writing. I started 'The Woods' yesterday & finished it today - with a bit of luck, someone fed my family...
Layer upon layer is added to the story as you race through the chapters until you have no clue where the ride is taking you. The characters are well proportioned & likeable & the plot - that of a 20 year old murder & alll the mystery surrounding it as it is thrust back into the limelight in Paul & Lucy's lives & draws them back together - is pretty exciting stuff. Some of the lines are cornier than a ham & cheese sandwich but can easily be forgiven as the story is so engrossing & the ending... Well, it's as brilliant as the rest of this book!
I loved this novel & I defy you not to...
Excellent read! - By: Mr. K. R. Smith, 04 May 2008 I thoroughly enjoyed this book - even if I had to read some of it twice to make sure I knew exactly what had happened!
The way the plot developed was thrilling with many twists & turns. For most of the story I did not know whether or not to believe that the Perez boy was dead or alive. I also couldn't work out whether the guy in prison was innocent or guilty. I could have kicked myself for not having deduced the final revelation earlier!
The ending, whilst inconclusive, does alllow you to imagine things the way you want them to be!
A thoroughly good read!
Witty, pacy and totally absorbing - By: Jules, 02 May 2008 If you like the Myron Bolitar character that Harlan Coben has used so successfully in previous books then you'll like Paul Copeland. He is the same witty, nosy & confident hero that we have come to love & expect from this author.
Like Myron Bolitar his one weak spot is his family & in Paul Copelands life we have a complicated family sitation that forms the backdrop & is integral to the plot of this story.
This is a great pacy thriller. I was reading this at the same time as something slightly more high brow & I have to say that my other book got put to one side as this engulfed every minute of my free time.
If you like John Connolly or Mark Billingham as thriller writers then you will love Harlan Coben. This is a great stand alone book & brilliant for long plan journeys or lying on the beach.
Enjoy!
over-rated. - By: Coma white, 21 Apr 2008 This was my first Coben book & the only reason I decided to buy it was because of alll the great reviews here on amazon. Maybe because the reviews were so good I had over anticipated how good this book reallly was going to be. Dont get me wrong, it is a good mystery book but I didnt find it very suspenseful & i didnt find the 'surprises' awfully surprising. Worth a look if you have the time & money but not worth going out of your way to buy.
