Helpful Score: 3
I found myself plowing through this one but not because it was a good read but because I wanted it to end. Come on Mr. Coben you can do better than this. The plot really made no sense at all and the ending was rushed. The characters were boring. What happened to books like Tell No One. Take a vacation then come back and write like you did in the beginning. Sign me disappointed.
Helpful Score: 1
Was thinking this would be a exciting HC book and at some points it was but for the most part it really wasn't.
If you want to know what presumably goes on in a persons head who has PTSD then this is your book.
Page after page of her flashbacks and trauma about did me in.
The characters were not well developed, the story seemed disjointed at points and hard to follow due to her flashbacks and the ending was pushed on you.
I felt like really that is how a person would want to end it?
Not a fan of this one, not up to HC standards.
If you want to know what presumably goes on in a persons head who has PTSD then this is your book.
Page after page of her flashbacks and trauma about did me in.
The characters were not well developed, the story seemed disjointed at points and hard to follow due to her flashbacks and the ending was pushed on you.
I felt like really that is how a person would want to end it?
Not a fan of this one, not up to HC standards.
Helpful Score: 1
I am a big Harlan Coben fan but this is not his best work.
Helpful Score: 1
Not his best book. I usually enjoy his plots and they are usually way better than this one.
This is one of those books that you don't want to set aside until it's finished! An excellent thriller from Coben. I've read a few of his other books and they're all page-turners and this one was no exception. The protagonist of the story, Maya, a former special-ops pilot, has just buried her husband who was brutally murdered in front of her during an outing at the park leaving her to fend for herself with her 2-year old daughter. But then, one of her friends gives her a nanny-cam to keep an eye on her nanny and daughter while she is at work. When reviewing the footage from the cam, she suddenly sees her supposedly dead husband with her daughter! Is she losing her mind or is her husband not dead after all? Maya seeks to find out the answers which takes her down a dark path including looking at who had killed her sister while she was serving overseas. Like I said, this one kept me turning the pages and I was very surprised and didn't see the ending coming! Overall, I would recommend this one highly.
I took a risk after being disappointed with Coben's last book or two. This one was pretty decent - a page turner for sure. With so many implausible events, however, it seems he continues to write to the blockbuster movie buff and not to the reader who pays close attention to details. I think I am outgrowing him and that is so sad. I used to love reading his work.
Dollycas's Thoughts
I have a new FAVORITE COBEN!! Fool Me Once has edged out Caught. This story is absolutely brilliant!!
Maya flew helicopters overseas in Iraq but she has left the military after a mission goes way wrong. Home with her husband Joe and her daughter Lily, she is suffering from the mental effects of war and dealing with her sister's death a few months before. She tries to get on with her life but her troubles continue as her husband is viciously murdered. Two weeks later she returns home to find the nanny camera has images of 2 year old Lily playing with her dad. Is he alive? Who did they bury? Why is there so much death around her? Maya starts on a journey to find the truth and what happens with amaze you.
Maya is a very engaging character. She is a super strong woman fighting her demons. Joe and his family have secrets upon secrets and I just can't tell you more.
Twisted, woven together, plot lines cross and untangle just to mix all together again. Coben is a genius, the story is masterfully written. The reader is drawn into the story and the tension and suspense builds and builds until you get whiplash from the final spin that will leave you breathless. Fool Me Once, Mr. Coben is full tricks. He got me. He got me good! And I positively LOVED IT! This is his best book yet!
New to this author, this is a fantastic one to start with! Already a fan, get this book as soon as you can!
I have a new FAVORITE COBEN!! Fool Me Once has edged out Caught. This story is absolutely brilliant!!
Maya flew helicopters overseas in Iraq but she has left the military after a mission goes way wrong. Home with her husband Joe and her daughter Lily, she is suffering from the mental effects of war and dealing with her sister's death a few months before. She tries to get on with her life but her troubles continue as her husband is viciously murdered. Two weeks later she returns home to find the nanny camera has images of 2 year old Lily playing with her dad. Is he alive? Who did they bury? Why is there so much death around her? Maya starts on a journey to find the truth and what happens with amaze you.
Maya is a very engaging character. She is a super strong woman fighting her demons. Joe and his family have secrets upon secrets and I just can't tell you more.
Twisted, woven together, plot lines cross and untangle just to mix all together again. Coben is a genius, the story is masterfully written. The reader is drawn into the story and the tension and suspense builds and builds until you get whiplash from the final spin that will leave you breathless. Fool Me Once, Mr. Coben is full tricks. He got me. He got me good! And I positively LOVED IT! This is his best book yet!
New to this author, this is a fantastic one to start with! Already a fan, get this book as soon as you can!
Could not put this down once I read the first page. Grips you right from the start. And wow the shocking twists will have your head spinning (in a good way).
This author is an "automatic" read for me and I can't wait to get my hands on his books.
However, this one, along with the last couple of books were a total disappointment.
This was not an "edge-of-your-seat suspense and gut-wrenching emotion" as stated in the synopsis. I did not like the protagonist Maya, her husband and sister were killed and the only grief shown was for her sister.
I hated the ending, Maya never came to terms with her demons.
2 stars for this is one. Hope Coben comes up with something better next time.
However, this one, along with the last couple of books were a total disappointment.
This was not an "edge-of-your-seat suspense and gut-wrenching emotion" as stated in the synopsis. I did not like the protagonist Maya, her husband and sister were killed and the only grief shown was for her sister.
I hated the ending, Maya never came to terms with her demons.
2 stars for this is one. Hope Coben comes up with something better next time.
Harlan Coben is a "pre-order" author for me, but lately I am not sure why. The standalone novels are becoming formulaic: someone is suburbia has their life disrupted in some way, something or someone from the past is spotted which makes the suburbanite question everything.....
In fairness, Fool Me Once is the more suspenseful of the last few Coben novels. However, it still follows a pattern which is now becoming familiar, and the surprise revelation was kind of lame.
In fairness, Fool Me Once is the more suspenseful of the last few Coben novels. However, it still follows a pattern which is now becoming familiar, and the surprise revelation was kind of lame.
I could not read this book fast enough. It was fantastic. It reminds me why Harlan Coben is one of my ultimate favorite writers. This constantly thrilling novel had great character development, whether you love them or hate them and so much realism. the ending was great, there was a bit of twist I didn't see coming and then just a fabulous end to an already great book. Everything I love in a thriller!
I wasn't sure how to rate this and went back and forth between the 2 or 3 stars and 2 won.
Coben is a good writer and has written some very good stories but this one is very lacking.
1. moves very very slow
2. story didn't get really started until about 100 pages into it and by that time I was getting bored, around page 200 I skipped about 100 pages and I didn't miss anything
3. no suspense, no 'thriller' involved
4. mystery? not much it's too easy to figure out
5. storyline that has been told over and over and by the end you already know all the answers and 'who dunnit'
6. the ending was not very good at all and ended 25 years later---sorry spoiler
I keep reading his books because I know he can write a good one but this wasn't one of them.
Coben is a good writer and has written some very good stories but this one is very lacking.
1. moves very very slow
2. story didn't get really started until about 100 pages into it and by that time I was getting bored, around page 200 I skipped about 100 pages and I didn't miss anything
3. no suspense, no 'thriller' involved
4. mystery? not much it's too easy to figure out
5. storyline that has been told over and over and by the end you already know all the answers and 'who dunnit'
6. the ending was not very good at all and ended 25 years later---sorry spoiler
I keep reading his books because I know he can write a good one but this wasn't one of them.
I love when a new Coben book comes out and this one did not disappoint. The plot kept me glued until the last pages as I had to find out what was happening and who killed Maya's husband, Joe. Coben's excellent writing forces you to hate these characters and there are some nasty ones. The twists and turns keep coming as Coben shows you that you have no clue what is going on. In the end, you finally realize that all the clues were there and you just failed to put them together. I am now looking forward to the new Coben book to be released.
Fool Me Once is a new novel by Harlan Coben. Maya Stern Burkett is burying her husband, Joe Burkett. He was shot in the park on night when out with Maya. Maya is a former Army Captain (returned home amid a little scandal) back home after being in Iraq (suffering PTSD). Maya now teaches others how to fly. She also has a two-year-old daughter, Lily. Maya is devastated at the loss of her husband. Maya lost her sister, Claire Walker within the last year as well. A friend gives her a picture frame that is also a nanny cam. Maya can take out the SD card and view the coverage of her daughter with the nanny, Isabella. Maya is checking the camera one morning and sees a man that looks just like her husband (wearing her husband's clothes), Joe with their daughter, Lily. Maya confronts Isabella who denies seeing anything on the screen. She then sprays Maya with pepper spray, takes the SD card, and runs. Could Joe still be alive? Maya did not see the shot that killed her husband and it was a closed casket funeral (arranged by his family). Maya is determined to get some answers. Will Maya like the answers she receives? Of course, answers can lead to more questions!
I was excited when I was contacted and asked if I wanted to read and review Fool Me Once. However, I was disillusioned. Fool Me Once is a fast-paced book and quick book (above average writing). There is too much of the book devoted to Maya thinking (especially paranoid thinking). The ending was also a big letdown (and slightly odd). I kept waiting for a big twist or a shocking reveal, but I did not get it. What I got was predictable and just what I expected. I was surprised by the choices Maya made especially considering she had a child (a lot of parents will be appalled by Maya's decisions). This book was not what I expected from Harlan Coben. I give Fool Me Once 3.75 out of 5 stars. I did learn one important thing from Fool Me Once. Do not bring a nanny cam into my home!
I received a complimentary copy of Fool Me Once from NetGalley (and the publisher) in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.
I was excited when I was contacted and asked if I wanted to read and review Fool Me Once. However, I was disillusioned. Fool Me Once is a fast-paced book and quick book (above average writing). There is too much of the book devoted to Maya thinking (especially paranoid thinking). The ending was also a big letdown (and slightly odd). I kept waiting for a big twist or a shocking reveal, but I did not get it. What I got was predictable and just what I expected. I was surprised by the choices Maya made especially considering she had a child (a lot of parents will be appalled by Maya's decisions). This book was not what I expected from Harlan Coben. I give Fool Me Once 3.75 out of 5 stars. I did learn one important thing from Fool Me Once. Do not bring a nanny cam into my home!
I received a complimentary copy of Fool Me Once from NetGalley (and the publisher) in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.
Book Description
#1 New York Times bestseller Harlan Coben delivers his next impossible-to-put-down thriller.
You think you know the truth. The truth is you know nothing.
In the course of eight consecutive #1 New York Times bestsellers, millions of readers have discovered Harlan Coben's page-turning thrillers, filled with his trademark edge-of-your-seat suspense and gut-wrenching emotion. In Fool Me Once, Coben once again outdoes himself.
Former special ops pilot Maya, home from the war, sees an unthinkable image captured by her nanny cam while she is at work: her two-year-old daughter playing with Maya's husband, Joe--who was brutally murdered two weeks earlier. The provocative question at the heart of the mystery: Can you believe everything you see with your own eyes, even when you desperately want to? To find the answer, Maya must finally come to terms with deep secrets and deceit in her own past before she can face the unbelievable truth about her husband--and herself.
My Review
I love when a new Coben book comes out and this one did not disappoint. The plot kept me glued until the last pages as I had to find out what was happening and who killed Maya's husband, Joe. Coben's excellent writing forces you to hate these characters and there are some nasty ones. The twists and turns keep coming as Coben shows you that you have no clue what is going on. In the end, you finally realize that all the clues were there and you just failed to put them together. I am now looking forward to the new Myron book which is soon to be released and getting back on that roller coaster which Coben allows us to ride each time we read one of his novels.
#1 New York Times bestseller Harlan Coben delivers his next impossible-to-put-down thriller.
You think you know the truth. The truth is you know nothing.
In the course of eight consecutive #1 New York Times bestsellers, millions of readers have discovered Harlan Coben's page-turning thrillers, filled with his trademark edge-of-your-seat suspense and gut-wrenching emotion. In Fool Me Once, Coben once again outdoes himself.
Former special ops pilot Maya, home from the war, sees an unthinkable image captured by her nanny cam while she is at work: her two-year-old daughter playing with Maya's husband, Joe--who was brutally murdered two weeks earlier. The provocative question at the heart of the mystery: Can you believe everything you see with your own eyes, even when you desperately want to? To find the answer, Maya must finally come to terms with deep secrets and deceit in her own past before she can face the unbelievable truth about her husband--and herself.
My Review
I love when a new Coben book comes out and this one did not disappoint. The plot kept me glued until the last pages as I had to find out what was happening and who killed Maya's husband, Joe. Coben's excellent writing forces you to hate these characters and there are some nasty ones. The twists and turns keep coming as Coben shows you that you have no clue what is going on. In the end, you finally realize that all the clues were there and you just failed to put them together. I am now looking forward to the new Myron book which is soon to be released and getting back on that roller coaster which Coben allows us to ride each time we read one of his novels.
I hadn't read anything by Harlan Coben in a long time and was not disappointed. Fast moving, twists and turns. Just when you think you know how it will end, there is a new twist. Great read.
