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I am a massive fan of US author Harlan Coben, so it was with great anticipation that I plucked The Boy From The Woods from the teetering pile of paperbacks that I received for Christmas. Coben is well-known for his Myron Bolitar series, however this is one of his equally excellent stand-alone thrillers.

The premise is as original as ever: Thirty years ago, a young  boy was found alone in a forested area of New Jersey. No name, no memories, nobody claims him as their own. Today, he is a decorated former soldier. He has friends and people that love him, but Wilde still prefers to live outdoors alone. But when a local school girl goes missing, Wilde is asked to help find her.

There are certain things that you will always get with a Harlan Coben novel, and each of them is here:

• Compelling, original and well-thought-out characters. Check.
• Suburban, middle-class New Jersey. Check.
• Sharp, witty dialogue that makes you laugh out loud, even though the book is not a comedy. Check.
• A twisting, turning plot peppered with surprises and reveals. Double Check.

If all that sounds a bit too much like a formula, then don't be fooled. Coben's books may have a loose framework, but that's because it is a damn good way to tell a story, and it is certainly never predictable. Instead, think of it as a list of the ingredients necessary for a meal. It's the quality of those ingredients and what you do with them that determines how good the meal is.

A couple of things stood out for me, as I raced through the book in four sittings:
Hester Crimstein, TV attorney - acerbic, unsubtle and witty in the way that Coben is so good at. Her dialogue is peppered with NJ Jewish phrases. Think Judge Judy meets Joan Rivers. I really hope they film it one day; this character will be worth the price of admission alone.
Coben's trademark journey of twists, reveals, apparent resolutions and double-backs. He manages to surprise repeatedly right until the very end.
A bogey man that will feel very familiar to anyone who has watched US politics over the past few years.

A final thought. This is ostensibly a stand-alone. The story is fully and satisfyingly resolved at the end as always. But of all his recent novels, this is the one with the most scope for him to dig back into the sandbox and bring out the characters for another go. If there is any sort of sequel or series, they'll be on my Christmas list again for sure.

Buy from Amazon.
Buy from Bookshop.org and support independent sellers.

This book is an absolute blinder. The first six pages of the paperback's front filler are testimonials from fellow writers and the media, and I can well imagine the publishers having to trim that list down. It really is that good, and is well-deserving of The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award that it nabbed in 2020 and the many other awards that it has won or been shortlisted for.
The premise is ingenious:
Rachel O'Neil receives an anonymous phone call. They have her daughter and if she doesn't follow their exact instructions, she will be killed. The kidnapper's own child has also been snatched and the only way that their kid will be returned safely to them is for Rachel to choose and then kidnap another child, whose parents need to follow her exact instructions... It's not about the money, it's about maintaining The Chain.

I love a story where an ordinary person is forced by circumstance to perform extraordinary acts; Harlan Coben's standalone novels are excellent examples of this.
However, an excellent premise is nothing if it isn't executed properly, and this is where McKinty has excelled. Doubtless there will be many suspiciously similar books published over the coming years - especially if the movie comes to fruition. Many good writers are quite capable of taking such a strong idea and making a solid and enjoyable thriller. But McKinty has taken his time and carefully crafted a masterpiece.

McKinty's prose is descriptive and skilled and the chapters are short and punchy, keeping the pace brisk without ever feeling rushed. The chapters switch between several different points of view, perspectives and even timelines, but are populated by characters distinctive enough that it the reader is easily pulled into their world. McKinty is also not afraid to occasionally foreshadow events, so that the reader knows more than the protagonists. This can be tricky to pull off - get it wrong and the characters can come across as foolish; instead, the reader finds themselves racing through the pages, desperate to see what happens.

I've already alluded to the great Harlan Coben, and I feel that even he would be extremely pleased with this effort. And if you've ever seen my bookcases, you'll know that is high praise indeed.
I very highly recommend this book!