The Boy From The Woods

Naomi is being bullied, both physically and mentally, at her High School in New Jersey. The ‘Plastics’ and the ‘Jocks’ revile her, making her life miserable. The only person who offers her any support is her classmate, Matthew Grimstein.

Then Naomi is gone. Vanished, taken, runaway? It’s a mystery Matthew’s grandmother, the renowned criminal defense lawyer and TV pundit, Hester is determined to solve.

She calls on the titular hero, Wilde for help.

Wilde was discovered wandering in the woods as a child, and eponymously provides Harlan Coben with this thriller its title and its motif. No one knew where this boy came from, or his real identity, but he has skills. He now lives alone, deep within the forest, shunning contact with the outside world. Hester’s late son was his best friend back then, so there’s a bond between them. Wylde’s tracking and former Special Forces abilities come into play providing him a real advantage in his investigation into what happened to Naomi.

What is the connection between Naomi’s disappearance, the ultra-rich Maynards and their son, Crash? What is the real connection between them and renegade would be President, Rusty Eggers?

Coben paints a rich, multi-layered picture of suburban life. Where the darkness on the edge of town is not just the forest, but the actual people and the social divisions that society can erect. The central characters are anything but ciphers and Wilde is a great protagonist. A man walking his own path, with his own set of rules and values, yet not quite the ‘lone wolf’.

The story is involving, contemporary and Coben expertly peels back the layers with consummate skill to reveal an intricate and twisted tale that’s well worth the read.

I highly recommend this terrifically unusual and well-paced thriller.