In the shocking new thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Run Away, a man whose past is shrouded in mystery must find a missing teenage girl before her disappearance brings about disastrous consequences for her community . . . and the world beyond. Thirty years ago, Wilde was found as a boy living feral in the woods, with no memory of his past. Now an adult, he still doesn’t … his past. Now an adult, he still doesn’t know where he comes from, and another child has gone missing.
No one seems to take Naomi Pine’s disappearance seriously, not even her father-with one exception. Hester Crimstein, a television criminal attorney, knows through her grandson that Naomi was relentlessly bullied at school. Hester asks Wilde-with whom she shares a tragic connection-to use his unique skills to help find Naomi.
Wilde can’t ignore an outcast in trouble, but in order to find Naomi he must venture back into the community where he has never fit in, a place where the powerful are protected even when they harbor secrets that could destroy the lives of millions . . . secrets that Wilde must uncover before it’s too late.
more
I’m a huge fan of Harlan Coben and I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t make this book into either the first in a series of books or a tv series. Loved it!
A good read! A Master Story Telling.. A weaving of lives that entwine, and twist on one another…
Excellent read!
Great story. Good mystery.
Entertaining. Good characters
I loved this book. I’ve read nothing by this author that I have not loved! He’s one of my favorite mystery suspense writers!
This is a good psychological thriller/suspense, but I did find that the plot meandered a little. I learned more about Wilde and Hester Crimstein in this book, so that was okay, but I do think the book could have been shorter if there were not so many paths off the main plot. I didn’t like the main characters of Dash and Delia Maynard at all because they were too fake. I did like Naomi and was surprised by the ending and her story. Fans of Coben will enjoy this book, but I did find it slower paced than his other standalone books.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I checked out a copy of this book from my local library using the Overdrive App. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Another great read by Coben….enjoyed every page!
Great story line with a good ending…..
While not as over the top crazy as some of Coben’s books, the characters drive the story.
Wilde was literally a wild feral boy found some thirty years earlier who is now working as an investigator figuring out a couple of missing teenagers. The investigation leads to the path back to his history. As the plots interweave and connect, Coben provides a cast of complex characters that I enjoyed reading about.
This is my first Harlan Coben book and now I know why Coben has such a loyal following. Coben is a master storyteller of thrillers and mysteries. This was an edge of my seat read that kept my interest from the very first page. This was a wow read that I was completely engrossed in, and had me turning those pages as quickly as I possibly can to find out what is coming next. There is just a lot going on and I really liked the complex plot twists and surprises sprinkled throughout.
This was a really enjoyable thriller read that I highly recommend.
My favorite Author. He is always great.
I have to admit that lately I read the book reviews prior to purchasing books from Coben — many of the themes and characters have become repetitious. This one seemed different, and I am glad I gave it a try. The protagonist, Wilde, is the mysterious boy found in the woods as a child. The book’s main protagonist is one that Coben readers will know — Hester Crimstein — high-powered and irreverent lawyer. Her grandson asks her to help find a missing classmate, and Hester enlists Wilde, a friend of her son’s, to help. The book has some great twists and turns, keeping the suspense high. I found the characters likable, although flawed. Plenty of room here for a sequel.
Another enjoyable Coben ride. Nice to see a new protagonist introduced. Hope to read more of “Wilde” and “Crimstein”
Mr. Coben has written a lot of great books that have kept me up at night and have made reading an adventure. “The Boy from the Woods’ is just that!! I think it took me about a day and half to complete. (Drat) Now I have to find one of the other books of his that I’ve somehow missed!!
I can see this character, Wilde, becoming a series to follow. With a mysterious backstory and powerful people who support him, he can be an intriguing guy to follow.
This story had enough suspense, adventure, and yes, a little romance for a couple of the supporting characters and Wilde, that it was, indeed, entertaining.
Keep up the great writing, Mr. Coben.
Coben’s new protagonist, known as Wilde, is a mystery to everyone, including himself. In 1986, he was just a boy found living feral in the woods. He had no memory of his past or how he came to be alone in the woods.
Thirty-four years later, high-powered celebrity lawyer Hester Crimstein is a widow who knows the pain of losing a beloved child. Her son, David, has been dead for ten years. After Wilde was discovered in the woods behind the Crimstein home, David and Wilde were close friends, and David’s death hit Wilde hard, too. Now David’s widow, Laila, continues residing in the family home where Hester and her late husband, Ira, raised David and his two brothers. Also still mourning David, she is raising their teenage son, Matthew. Day after day, Matthew watches his classmate, Naomi, being taunted and bullied at school. But he doesn’t stand up to her tormenters. So when she disappears, he feels guilty. Even Ava O’Brien, the only teacher who seemed to have a rapport with Naomi, has no idea where she may have gone. Matthew enlists his grandmother to help him find out what happened to her. And Hester retains Wilde because of his military background, as well as the time he spent running an investigative/security firm with his adopted sister.
Among the students who abused Naomi was Crash Maynard, the pampered son of Dash and Delia Maynard. Dash is a successful reality television show producer who allegedly films everything his unwitting cast members do and say, including private dressing room conversations. He is the long-time friend of Rusty Eggers, a controversial U.S. senator running for president. Rumors swirl that Dash could destroy the careers of many celebrities and politicians — including Eggers — by releasing video footage of them. And a group of citizens dedicated to ensuring that Eggers is never elected are calling Dash to do just that so the public can see what Eggers is really like in unguarded moments.
At the center of the story is Wilde, a man who learned as a child to navigate the world alone and has never been able to approach life any other way. He cares deeply about others, but cannot sustain relationships for any period of time. He lives in a customized spheroid-shaped pod called an Ecocapsule deep in the woods, and relocates it frequently. Keenly intelligent, fit, and highly trained at West Point before serving in special forces units overseas, Wilde either can’t or won’t assimilate into “normal” society. But Wilde feels a fondness for and sense of obligation to Hester because of his relationship with David and the fact that he was with David on the night he died. He is also fond of Matthew and has remained a presence in the fatherless boy’s life.
Coben slyly and effortlessly tackles social issues, including schoolhouse bullying, the existential danger to the country of electing a leader with a nefarious past and malignant disposition, and the lengths to which some are willing to go in the name of a cause. An undisputed master storyteller, he deftly weaves several story lines that initially appear disparate into a seamless tale. The pace of the book never slows as he gradually pulls the threads together into a cohesive narrative involving long-held secrets, political intrigue, and tenuous alliances. Devotion to the future of the country leads to the implementation of deadly, vigilante-like measures. Once Wilde pieces together enough information to understand the motivation and potential consequences, he races to stop further harm from being inflicted.
Hester appeared in prior novels, including Run Away in 2019, but Coben gives readers insight into her psyche in The Boy from the Woods. Her crisp, sometimes caustic repartee with Oren Carmichael, the divorced police chief, is both hilarious and endearing, illustrating her vulnerability and humanity. Wilde is an intriguing riddle — self-sufficient and guarded, compassionate and surprisingly sensitive to others’ feelings, but morally ambiguous. Why does he hesitate to avail himself of available technology to learn the identity of his parents and ascertain how he ended up alone in the woods all those years ago? What causes him to maintain his solitary existence when he seems to want to establish and maintain close relationships? Coben’s nuanced, empathetic, and surprisingly likable characters elevate the mystery and, in combination with the unexpected conclusion, leave many questions unanswered. Coben fans know that his characters, like Hester, have a way of resurfacing in subsequent novels. So there’s hope that Coben will ask “What if . . .?” and be inspired to continue Wilde’s story in a future release.
The Boy from the Woods proves yet again that Coben is one of an elite group of American authors who consistently deliver entertaining, inventive thrillers featuring intriguing, layered characters.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.
This was fantastic! I have been a Harlan Coben fan for a very long time. Since finding his work, I have worked my way through his backlist and always eagerly await each new release. I was really excited to start reading this book and had pretty high expectations. Coben did not disappoint! I found this to be quite the page-turner and was completely entertained until the final page.
This book is a stand-alone but readers who are familiar with Coben’s books will recognize one of the key characters, Hester Crimstein. I was delighted to see Hester step into the spotlight. She has been a great character that would show up for a scene or two in various other books but she really shined in one of the leading roles in this book. There were a few nods to other books and characters that Coben fans will appreciate as well.
Hester is a criminal attorney who is well known as a result of her television show. When her grandson asks her to look into the disappearance of his classmate, Naomi Pine. Hester enlists the help of a man she has known since he was found in the woods as a boy, Wilde. Wilde knows the woods like no one else and tends to look at things in a unique manner and quickly finds himself very involved in the things going on in his small town.
I found this book to be quite exciting. There were several different threads that wove their way throughout the story and I enjoyed seeing how everything fit together. I love the way that Coben is able to keep me guessing until the very end and this book was no exception. I do have to say that a couple of things felt a little too convenient but that would be my only complaint and it is very minor.
I would highly recommend this book to others. I had a great time with this book. I thought that the characters were well done, the mystery was captivating, and there were plenty of twists and turns to keep things interesting. I cannot wait to read more of Coben’s work and hope to see more of Hester and Wilde in future books.
I received a review copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing.
I loved this book! Of course I love everything that Harlan Coben writes. This book had so many twists, I never saw what was coming next. When I saw this book was coming out I knew I had to read it. I highly recommend this book!
Thank you Goodreads, Harlan Coben and Grand Central Publishing for my advanced readers copy.