Book Review: "Tell No One" by Harlan Coben

“Don't show me paradise and then burn it down”

- Tell No One by Harlan Coben

Harlan Coben's stories are great. I've read many of his books and the American author has also had his works as the inspiration for many a Netflix show (which I have also seen the majority of). Many people don't know that I like his works and apart from going off on weird tangents in his books (which I have slowly come to appreciate) - his output into the world of thriller is at least, less formulaic than James Patterson (though, the Woman's Murder Club was a huge part of my late-teens - I loved 5th Horseman it was probably my favourite from the series). But Tell No One by Harlan Coben was not only a great thriller - it was also free on my phone. Yes, that is why I read it!

Dr David Beck is a pediatrician who looks back on the time he spent at a place where he and his wife made some great memories whilst growing up. After s dip in the lake, his wife gets out and he remains in the lake for a while, floating around. Suddenly, he hears his wife scream and when he tries to find out what's happening, he is hit over the head with a baseball bat. Many years' later, he is still revisiting the time when he wife went missing in his mind, trying to make sense of what happened. A sheriff has told him that more bodies have turned up - but this time near his own home - along with a baseball bat with blood on it. Harlan Coben basically builds up the narrative of 'could haves' by presenting us with things that sound like they are impossible and chcaracters who are essentially flawed. There's a whole cast around Dr Beck and none of them are perfect.

After some weird emails and some strange happenings, Dr David Beck decides to check some footage where he sees a woman moving towards the camera. It is unbelievably but also unmistakenly, his wife. His wife who has been dead for many years. It seems impossible but she mouths the words 'I'm sorry' before disappearing again. It is either a cruel joke or something that happened the night she disappeared simply doesn't quite work out. Harlan Coben's ability to raise questions about the validity of all the people telling their own stories in the book. One thing I really enjoyed is that even Dr David Beck's story is questioned by the reader. Everyone else may feel sorry for him but sometimes, when the Sherrif comes out with his statements, there is a little creeping feeling inside of us that perhaps he was involved somehow. The prologue to the whole book does not quell this theory but in fact, strengthens it.

Harlan Coben's books are always filled with mystery and probability. One thing I love about Tell No One is the fact that not only are all the characters essentially flawed (including the narrator, Dr David Beck), but we end up changing our opinions about them as the book progresses. The moment Dr Beck's wife shows up again and mouths the words 'I'm Sorry' we get that pang of resentment for her. Her husband is going through it, he's trying to be tough and show face all the time but because of his inner monologue, we know he's dying inside. Then, our opinion changes about him - many moments in the book allow us to find him shallow and often making the wrong decisions. We wonder whether this man being a pediatrician is really all that of a good idea. We also judge his sister who has apparently got 'further ahead' in life than he has - she has a partner and her own life. The sister's partner often turns up to see David and man is she a whole character! I quite enjoyed learning about the 'model' which happened to be his sister's girlfriend. She was probably my favourite character for the majority of the book.

To conclude, I am trying to be vague about the ending or even about the twists - I was almost not going to tell you about his wife turning up again but it is essential to understanding why things happen the way they do in the story. What I can say is that this is definitely one of Harlan Coben's most sinister of books. The ending is something of a mystery. There are a whole lot of convoluted pathways that are taken and sometimes, I did find myself getting frustrated trying to connect all the dots. What I did therefore is every time there was an important point about Dr Beck or his wife towards the end, I made a bullet point of what it was. I suggest you do the same. It helps.