Stay Close

by Harlan Coben

[ibeforem]

This was a decent Coben stand-alone, but in my opinion, far from his best.

Megan is a run-of-the-mill so, ccer mom in suburban New Jersey, except she has a secret. She used to be a stripper, and for years, she's been on the run from a terrible event in her past. Except history is repeating itself and the urge to return to her past life is getting stronger.

Basically, men who are treating women badly are turning up dead, and the prime suspect is Megan's ex-boyfriend, a once-successful photographer who has now lowered himself to being hired as fake paparazzi. There are several twists and turns, and while I found the final resolution satisfying, there was something missing in the journey.

I think I just didn't connect that well to Megan. She claims to love her family (a husband and two children), but you don't really see it or feel it much. She seems to long for the excitement and lack of stability she used to have as opposed to the secure and fortunate life she currently has, and I couldn't relate. So if you've never read Coben, this probably isn't the place to start. Pick up Tell No One or The Woods instead.