The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

Six Years by Harlan Coben is one of our group reads for this month.

Even though I was hoping my own novel might top the charts (a girl can live in hope), I'm delighted this one has. I've just bought it and can't wait for the discussion to start.

Hi everyone! I nominated Six Years before I read it because I'm a big Coben fan. I have finished the book and look forward to discussing it with all of you.

Love Harlan Coben!!! I need to run to the B&N and pick this one up!!!

But the header needs a slight tweak - it's Six Years, not Six Hours.

Fixed the title. Thanks for catching it.

Just added this one this morning after checking out NY times.

Can't wait to start it.

I,m a newbie on here and this will be my first group read. Just read the outline of the story, can,t wait

I love Harlan Coben books. I wish we had waited a couple of months on this one because our library doesn't even have it in yet. IT JUST TOO NEW!

I can't wait to get this book because I live Harlan Coben. It's on my wish list now.

Hello everyone. This will be my first book group read. I am excited to get started and see how things work.

Our library just got this in and has not even put it out on the shelf so I am first on the list. Can't wait to read it!

Harlan Coben is not an author I've read. I look forward to following this discussion thread.

Just finished the book! This is my 1st time with a book group read.

Just finished the book! This is my 1st time with a book group read.Not for sure what to do

Hi Stephanie- feel free to discuss the book but just use the spoiler feature as not everyone has finished the book yet.

what was your overall impression of the book? is this the first time you've read coben?

2,5 stars read for me.
As soon as I saw Coben's new book was nominated I picked it up, because I knew it's going to win. ;)
Ok, if you never read Harlan Coben before you are probably going to like this book more than me. He has interesting style, he knows how to hold reader's attention and he is one of those authors I like to call "reading crack". The thing is, if you read him before, you are not going to be surprised or particularly satisfied with this book.
Six Years is very similar to Tell No One or Gone For Good. I enjoyed it less than those two, so that lowered my grade. Jake reads like any other main character of his previous novels, and it was like I was in his head already.Mystery is again, Coben-like. If you read him before, you can pretty much guess where story is heading.
If this is your first attempt to read Harlan Coben, but you still didn't get a hold on book, don't be discouraged by this. I remember when I opened my first book from him, I ended up all night reading and then I went glomming on him. :)

"Glomming" ha! That's exactly what I did once I read my first Harlan Coben book. Ive read, i believe, every book he has written. His books in my opinion, are in a way a care free mystery, where they don't usually get too dark or in anyway are offensive, just fun mysteries u can get lost in and I always enjoy his bits of humor... I'm only on chapter 5, but so far so good! Looking forward to reading and discussing. Happy reading! :)

This was my first Coben book as well. He is different from my usual fare, but I did laugh out loud at parts and roll my eyes at others. It was an easy and quick read and I was very satisfied with the ending.

This was my first Coben book as well and it was a very quick read. I liked the flow and twists of the book and I probably will read another Corban book.

For those who have read everything Harlan Coben has previously written, I have both good and bad news. The good news is that this book pretty much contains everything that make his novels enjoyable reads: fast-pace, chapters that end with something that makes you want to keep going, plot twists, humor, funny insights into life, and even a couple of references to his Myron Bolitar series.

The bad news? It contains so much of what we have become accustomed to that the twists hardly seem surprising and the end is somewhat predictable (not in its entirety, but the main thrust of it was). On top of that, the writing felt a bit too much like his Young Adult books (which is fine for YA novels but didn't really grab me in an adult novel), and it ended up being the case I never really embraced the characters or the felt the connection to Jake's love for Natalie.

I think if I had never read a Harlan Coben novel before, I would have liked it a lot more than I did. So to end on a positive note, Harlan Coben still continues to be one of my favorite novelists and his books are still a must read for me as soon as they are published. He has set a high standard in the past that maybe he will have difficulty living up to in the future, but I will keep reading his work regardless.

Scott, you have expressed my feelings exactly! If I hadn't already read everything the man has produced, then this would have been an outstanding read. Set against other authors, it's still great. However, it didn't quite satisfy in the way his books usually do.

I am still a huge fan, though. He's a master storyteller. Maybe one day my fans will complain my latest is only great instead of outstanding. ;)

Scott wrote: "For those who have read everything Harlan Coben has previously written, I have both good and bad news. The good news is that this book pretty much contains everything that make his novels enjoyable..."

I am a huge coben fan so as I've mentioned before I nominated this book before I read it. unfortunately I have to agree that although this book had its moments I didn't think it was his best work. I also had a hard time with the main character and his intense love for a woman he knew for such a short time. that said coben remains one of my favorite authors.

I agree with all of you. The novel had a suspenseful beginning and it captured me with its bewildering turn of events. However, the persistence of this main character in his unrelenting pursuit of a woman he knew so little of, the intricate interlacing of nearly every character into the central mystery, and the reckless behavior of the protagonist grew to irritate me. Coben is a fine storyteller and I enjoy his books. I even enjoyed this one, but not as much as others I have read.

Well, I'm a Harlan Coben standalone reader from way back......... And I acquired this book from a avid (and fast)reader friend with a couple weeks left until it has to be returned to the library.
I didn't care for the last standalone Coben wrote... and I'm afraid he's going to disappoint me again.

Oh, I'll admit I'm already on Page 102 and slightly hooked...but what kind of obituary does not list the widow's name? Has this bright professor protag fallen on his head? Why can't his well-connected friends and even mere mutual acquaintances find this Natalie...the love of his life? Why doesn't her sister remember him? Who is sending those cryptic emails.

There's a lot going on...almost all unbelievable...in Jake's search for Natalie....

I'LL BE BACK... especially if Coben doesn't tie up the answers to all my questions...

Jane

I thought the advantage to big name writers at traditional publishers is that they had editors to point out: this story is implausible. I agree with VickiLee, Its premise lacks motivation. The plot is missing but the writing is great (as always).

Hi all. In case anyone wants to read the book but doesn't have a copy, I can email you the epub file. Let me know.

if a situation like this were to happen to me, i'd definitely let it go after the first encounter with bob & otto. screw love.

I'm a long time Coben fan, so this was a mixed bag for me. I'll read anything the man puts out, but I'd not rate this as his best work. It's a little too "routine" and reads too closely to a couple of his better books. Even though I felt it wasn't his best work it was still a good read. Just not a "great" read like Tell No One.

New readers will love the book and latch onto Coben as a regular read. And you should! Coben is sharp, clean, smart, snarky, and a hundred other words that make me come back time and again. Work your way through his early stuff.

I gave it three stars. I am a long time Coben fan and for me this one was meh! Nothing really reached out and grabbed me, it was a bit predictable. That said even at his worst he is still readable. The pages flew by as usual, but just okay for me.

I agree with the above reviews. I thought it was a fun read, but I didn't like it as much as some earlier Coben I read. However, I don't know if that is "him" or me =). I also agree that once I'd met Bob and Otto, I would have been done!
(Spoiler for end here) (view spoiler)[ I guess Natalie had been spending her missing years becoming a bad ass. Returning just in time to head shot the bad guys, and somehow managing to be in the right place. But I'll suspend disbelief, I guess. (hide spoiler)]

I think, like the majority here, that Coben is just an expert at "creepiness". Its not up there with Tell No One, but he grabs your attention, and the pages glide by and boom your done. Definitely entertaining as all that.

My review for this book! http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

just finished this book. this was the first Harlan Coben book I have read. it was interesting and a fast read. it didn't hit me between the eyes, but I'll try another of his novels.

Lege wrote: "2,5 stars read for me.
As soon as I saw Coben's new book was nominated I picked it up, because I knew it's going to win. ;)
Ok, if you never read Harlan Coben before you are probably going to like..."

Yes! The only other Harlan novel I've read is "Tell No One" which I liked a lot. "Six Years" is very similar: the protagonist who cannot forget the love of his life, is she forever lost? Could you suggest a title where he didn't use this storyline?

As I recall, Caught had a different storyline, so you might try that one. Also, I am one who likes series, as I find myself growing attached to the protagonists. Thus, you might consider something from the Myron Bolitar series.

I found the Myron Bolitar series difficult to get into at first, but by the end of the second book I was completely hooked.

Scott wrote: "As I recall, Caught had a different storyline, so you might try that one. Also, I am one who likes series, as I find myself growing attached to the protagonists. Thus, you might consider somethin..."

Thanks! I put them on my list-to-read

Frances wrote: "I found the Myron Bolitar series difficult to get into at first, but by the end of the second book I was completely hooked."

I would agree. I didn't think Deal Breaker was all that great but, after that, Myron and Win were quite addictive!

Im a big Harlan Coben fan and will read anything he writes. This was a good book, not the best Harlan Coben I read, but it held my interest.