THE BOY FROM THE WOODS (WILDE #1) by Harlan Coben ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Boy from the Woods has a lot of questions to answer, but at least the Man that was the Boy is a solid character to roll with.

Is there anything like a good thriller? Sometimes I think this genre is the core of what makes reading fun. And a talented author can make the time go by that much faster. Enter my first Harlan Coban read (and bonus points for getting to it within a year of publication, this was an important one to catch on-time).

Another quick read here, aided by a healthy amount of dialogue speeding it right along. This has to be the highest dialogue-to-description ratio I’ve ever seen, and it works! The characters are witty and real and fun, as is everything they say. It’s an impressive ability that might get overlooked since the pages turn so fast.

Also, looking for a politically topical backdrop with characters possibly too close to our insaner-by-the-second reality? Here you go! Many of us probably wonder about the skeletons in the elite’s closets, and what lengths some will go to gain power and keep it. It’s not a far stretch to apply the events of this book to our actual public figures. A great imagining of what’s behind that dark curtain.

And all the while, somehow the guy that grew up in the woods is still the most interesting character. Maybe because that’s where the real fun of fiction is. Maybe because he makes me wish I could live off the land on my own. But why was he there? Who left him there? What foreshadowed trauma is there to reveal? He’s the main character, but all the cause and effect is happening to others. He’s just there to solve problems with a quick hike and sharpened investigating skills that don’t end up changing much in the end (which is fine, by the way, he still rocks).

This has to be setting up a series, right? If not, there’s way too many key mysteries left open to let it go. Too many eggs laid. If it is, I’ll be reading the next one. I just hope it focuses on the titular character more. I’d rather relive his story than another version of ours.