You've lost your daughter. She's addicted to drugs and to an abusive boyfriend. And she's made it clear that she doesn't want to be found. Then, quite by chance, you see her busking in New York's Central Park. But she's not the girl you remember. This woman is wasted, frightened and clearly in trouble. You don't stop to think. You approach her, beg her to come home. She runs. And you follow her into a dark and dangerous world you never knew existed. Where criminal gangs rule, where drugs are the main currency, and murder is commonplace. Now it's your life on the line. And nowhere and no one is safe.
This is a book that I felt sorry for Simon. He was chasing his daughter throughout the whole book. We found out that she was hooked on drugs and a bit frightened. It wasn't until the end that he caught up to her and changed her mind. She made him promise not to tell her mother that she killed her friend. It was ok but not one of his best.
Dollycas's Thoughts
I absolutely devoured this book! When I had to put it down I couldn't get it off my mind. Days later it has stuck with me.
Simon Greene and his wife Ingrid have three beautiful children. They are extremely successful in their careers and are living the good life in Manhattan. Then their daughter Paige goes to college where something happens that leads her down the path of destruction. She drops out of school and becomes addicted to drugs. Simon and Ingrid try to help her but she doesn't want to be helped.
Now they have no idea where she is. They decide to back off their search but when a friend tells Simon he saw her in Central Park he just has to try one more time. He finds her there in the area called Strawberry Fields performing, but when he tries to get close she runs off and her boyfriend physically stops Simon from following. Their altercation brings the police and there are tons of witnesses taping on their phones. It doesn't look good for Simon. It looks like some rich guy beating up a homeless man.
Three months later Paige is still missing and Simon thinks the assault case is behind him but then the boyfriend is murdered. Simon, his wife, and even Paige are now suspects. Plus Paige could be in danger. The Greene's now know they have to find their daughter even if it means risking their own lives.
There are two subplots that at first seem unrelated but it soon becomes clear that everything is connected. I can't say more without spoiling this amazing story.
The characters in this story are believable and so well written. Coben gives them all genuine feel, the good guys and the bad. I felt there was a real hero in this story too. I grew to care about several characters and was very invested to see how their journeys played out.
This story had surprises at almost every turn. I dropped my Kindle at one point, shocked by what had just happened. Mr. Coben takes us to the gritty streets where bad things happen to people with good intentions. As the book continues we are shocked again and again. But whoa, the ending just blew me away. An extremely gripping and powerful story.
Coben is my favorite author when it comes to mind-bending suspense. I have loved every one of his books. As soon as this book arrived I dropped everything to read it and am so happy I did. Previous to this one my favorite was Caught, but this is my new fave. Harlan Coben takes us on a wild ride as Simon Greene follows a dangerous path to find his daughter and get to the truth and for me, he has topped himself. It deserves way more than 5 stars. This is a Run Away hit!
