The Boy from the Woods: Wilde, Book 1

I enjoyed the book and layers of stories/ character development and political themes weaves into the narrative. It did seem a little bit of a let down that not much more was discovered on Wildes background, lots of loose ends hanging on that issue- makes the title feel irrelevant because it’s not what the book is about at all, in most ways. I also thought Wildes detective work solving the two kids disappearances felt very sudden and convenient and superficial. But the story kept me guessing and turning the pages, enjoyable read overall.

This riveting thriller has a lot of moving parts. There are criminals, cover ups, rich kids acting out, and a man who was found as a boy alone in the woods with no memory of who he is or how he got there. The man, Wilde, is a Jack Reacher type of guy, and he is phenomenal. It isn't subtle, either, how the author is lecturing us about the existential dangers of following " leaders" who want nothing more than to destroy our democracy and will use deception to instill fear and distrust. I could not put it down!

This was an excellent book with one of the better endings I can ever remember.... with one exception, the ultimate person responible for an innocent person pay a huge price got away without paying any price at all (unless there is a sequel). Also, even the good guys could have righted a huge wrong, but for each for their own selfish reasons choose not to right a mysterious wrong. Sometimes the greater good needs to be sacrificed for a just outcome. Each of the primary characters choose their own greater good instead of righting a terrible wrong. Unless a sequel comes along that rights that wrong. I am very disappointed that one of the best writers today could not figure out how to right the biggest apparent wrong of the whole story.

I loved the moral dilemmas presented in this book. Fun to imagine how you might respond. The characters, a few familiar and some new were interesting. My only disappointment was in the reminder of how even in real life the innocent often suffer for the sins of the evil.

NJ definitely takes it on the chin in the US. Harlan Coben for some reason chose to locate Myron Bolitar there, but until this novel, he never painted a picture about why it might be better to live in New Jersey than NYC.A few NJ rockers' lyrics bounce up in this novel, making me Google one reference to see which song it was from because I didn't remember it, and I'm not a big fan of NJ rockers. I had however, heard the song many times, and probably never understood the lyrics. Maybe there's actually a poet's heart under those words.At the end of the novel, however, it was these lyrics from Dylan that pulled into mine:"One more cup of coffee for the roadOne more cup of coffee 'fore I go.....to the valley below."

The read keeps you interested yet not enough to not let it down. Interesting enough to buy more of his work..

There were lots of twists and turns in the plot, but the end didn't reveal the question always in the back of your mind. Who is this boy and where did he come from?

Avery interesting story of which we may never see again. Keep reading more stories by Harlem Cohen for suspense and intrigue.

This was the first Harlan Coben book which left me feeling really disappointed - I've loved every other one of his books and have eagerly awaited each new publication. However, this one left me cold - the main reason being that Hester Crimstein, who has worked well as a side character in other novels, is given a much larger role in this one and I feel that the character just isn't able to pull it off. It refers quite often to her penchant for witty comebacks but we really don't see much of them - she just tends to be, occasionally, rude without any wit attached. She copies the characher of Win (who doesn't appear in this book), as she answers the phone with 'articulate' (cringy enough when he does it but completely toe curling in this instance). The solution to the plot was also pretty apparent about half way through and just had to slog through even though the big revelation at the end wasn't actually going to be one. The character of Matthew also seemed to just fizzle out at a certain point without any warning. It just didn't feel up to Coben's usual standards - am hoping his recent success in having his books made into series hasn't distracted him and dulled his skills as a writer of novels. Will still read his next one when it comes out but more than a little disallusioned for now.

I grew up next to a large woods. Later down the line, after starting this book, I became the boy from the woods with disappointment and buyers remorse. What happened to HC? So many of his books are plot driven with great characters, but this was just sterile. Like every other book with a hero who has a military background and is an outcast. Of course the hero is smart beyond the normal realms of intelligence and good with the ladies. The hero is stacked and take out multiple security guards who also have military backgrounds. What other characters are similar? Reacher, Decker, Bourne, Smoak, etc.I quit this 25% of the way in. To conclude, this boy from the woods was looking for a great plot and some originality, but ended up thinking one of his favourite authors may have rushed this or just tried something new and not got it quite right.

I used to love Harlan Coben, particularly the early Myron Bolitar books, but this is absolute drivel. Not a single character rings true, and the plot is so bad it is almost funny. Our hero, Wilde, is supposed to be a genius, but does some really dumb things. Terrible nonsense, and I regret reading it to the end. It really did not deserve that respect, and the ending was execrable.

I love Harlan Cohen and have read all his stand alone novels. This one falls short of being one of his best as it leaves too many unanswered questions. Maybe he is planning a sequel?The story centres around Wilde, who got his name because he was found living alone in the woods. No one knows where he came from and he doesn't know his own name. He is found at the back of a property owned by Hester, the other main character. She is a criminal lawyer. Fast forward over the years, the mystery around Wilde has never been solved and he still spends a lot of his time living off grid in the woods. Hester and Wilde team up to try and track down a teenage girl who has gone missing. Some of the story is a little too dragged out, but some of it is classic Harlan. Fast paced, keeps you guessing, builds lots of strands together.I liked the book, but it isn't one of his best.

This is a bad book. Not just poor, but bad. I used to be a big Coben fan, but the days when I would automatically enjoy one of his books are long gone.This book is mostly Product Placement with a dull plot thrown up around that framework. The central character doesn’t make sense - he was in some kind of “ex-special forces” but he is a poor shot??? He is a woodsman and yet people track him with no difficulty??? And spoiler alert- this book has nothing to do with being wild in the woods. Nothing much to do with anything at all in fact. And the storyline of the “wild in the woods” boy doesn’t get resolved, and you know what? By now I don’t care.Even on deal of the day I won’t be reading any more.