Review: Run Away by Harlan Coben

I'm a huge fan of Harlan Coben, especially his stand-alone novels, so I was thrilled to get my hands on an early copy of Run Away.

Simon Greene and his wife Ingrid seem to have the perfect life - until their eldest daughter becomes addicted to drugs and under the control of her abusive boyfriend. When she disappears, following a suspicious death, Simon has a race against time to track her down. This is one of those books where the less you know, the more you will enjoy it, so I'll stop there! Harlan Coben excels at the kind of story where it takes time for the reader to work out what is going on; I don't want to spoil it for you!

Run Away has a slightly different hero to the author's more recent books (more subdued, less wisecracks), mainly because Simon has had to face the nightmare every parent dreads: that his beloved child is in trouble and won't let him help. The story races along, with Simon venturing further into a dangerous and thoroughly seedy world he barely knew existed, making some unlikely allies along the way. And there are some excellent twists, which I only guessed because I have an interest in the subject.

My favourite characters were the very ruthless Ash and Dee Dee, who reminded me of Pumpkin and Honey Bunny from Pulp Fiction, and Simon's smart-talking lawyer, Hester. And I loved that Nap from the author's earlier novel, Don't Let Go, also made a brief appearance.

I loved Run Away and I'm sure Harlan Coben's regular readers will too. It should also appeal to fans of authors such as Lee Child and Linwood Barclay, and anyone who enjoys a cracking good thriller with emotionally engaging characters and jaw-dropping twists.

Thank you to Harlan Coben and Cornerstone (Random House UK) for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

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Don't Let Go by Harlan Coben