Simon is trying to find his heroin-addicted daughter, Paige. When he finds her, she is high and busking for change in Central Park. When he tries to talk to her, she runs away. Her boyfriend Aaron steps in to prevent Simon from catching her leading Simon to punch him in the face. The story goes viral and Simon is arrested. Thus begins Run Away, the convoluted latest thriller by Harlan Coben.

There is a lot of plot in here. I don’t want to describe it because the surprising twists are the best part of this thriller. Take my word for it, if you like twisty thrillers, you will enjoy Run Away. I took away one star because I figured out the climatic twist chapters before it appeared. 4 stars!

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I should have picked up on the title straight off. It isn't a descriptive noun so much as a command: RUN AWAY! While I have always enjoyed Harlan Coben's writing--especially the Myron/Win series--his stand-alone titles are usually better than this one. The narrative held my interest until about three-quarters of the way through and then things just got too far-fetched for belief--even for a work of fiction. Coben is capable of SO much more than this novel. I hope this was just a glitch in his otherwise spotless canon of work.

Things are happening, bad things, are they connected and where is the daughter.
Fragments, a trail, seek and find with parallel search and destroy set in motion and running its course to an inevitable end of two kinds.
Captivating and immersive reading with solid precise writing matching the intensity of the drama unfolding with all the things hidden, lives, wrong doings, unraveling piece by piece, with some good over evil ensuing at a cost.
Many whys and where with two parents with the need for answers hooking you till the end.

This book had me hooked from the first couple of pages! Like an episode of Law & Order SVU in book form. I couldn’t put it down, I had to find out what happened! There were a lot of twists and turns that kept me guessing and also resulted in me finishing it in two days. I liked that it was super entertaining and a departure from the domestic thrillers we see everywhere these days. A perfect change of pace and I’ve been recommending it to all of my friends! Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the early review copy!

4.5 Stars! Wow...this book really took me by surprise. What I thought would be merely a father’s struggle to find his drug addict daughter had ended up being so much more. At first I was a little confused with the chapters involving Ash and Dee Dee, but as the story continued to unfold and more connections developed, the pieces of the puzzle finally revealed what was really going on...and it was not what I expected. The end blew me away. I didn’t even come close to guessing the truth behind it all, but secrets always have a way of being revealed one way or another, and I was really impressed by the web Harlan Coben weaved in this story. Definitely recommend and I look forward to reading more from him!

I’ve been of fan of Harlan Coben for many years. His novels are suspenseful and never disappoint. Run Away ranks up with some of his best work. Paige has been lost to drugs when her father decides to try one last time to save her. There are many deaths and much suspense that leads to figuring out why Paige is connected to a cult, secrets have been kept too many years. I’m thankful to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Simon and Ingrid Greene live a normal life, with their 3 kids. But somewhere along the line, daughter Paige has started down the wrong road. She is now in a dark world of drugs, crime, and a crappy boyfriend. How far are Simon and Ingrid willing to go to get their daughter back? And what if she doesn’t want to come back?
When Paige’s boyfriend is found dead, suspicion falls on both Simon and Paige.
Run Away is a fast paced story, that seems to be particularly relevent in today’s world. Did a parent do the unthinkable to bring their child home? Or is their child too far gone?

This was a very quick read, kept me invested in the story throughout. As with most Coben books, the action is nonstop and there are some intriguing twists. The fact that his stories are so unpredictable is what keeps me coming back for more--you really don't know who is good and who is bad, and you don't know who is going to live or die. I don't know if it's intentional or not, but the way Coben solves mysteries brings up moral dilemmas that really cause the reader to think and ponder what they would have done in the same situation.
Coben is a master at suspenseful thrillers and I enjoyed this one from start to finish.

4.5 stars

Wow. Wow. Wow! Harlan Coben, where have you been all of my life!?

“Murder was simple if you kept it simple.”

Run Away has all of the elements that I look for in a thriller: action, intrigue, danger, secrets and lies, twists and turns. It’s well-written, intricately plotted and kept me on my toes! Furthermore, there’s a creepy cult, quirky characters, and commentary on popular culture! Yes, it’s a little over the top, but who cares, because it works!

This is a must read for thriller fans!


Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Harlan Coben is my favorite author and has been since Tell No One. I anxiously await his new releases. I was so happy to get this one ahead of the release. It was great as usual. Simon and Ingrid's daughter, Paige, is a junkie and is living with her boyfriend, estranged from her family. Simon sees her playing guitar in the park but isn't able to persuade her to come with him after the appearance of her junkie boyfriend. Eventually he ends up searching for her and opens up a whole can of worms. I felt like this was a fast paced mystery that kept me guessing until the end. Everything tied up with no loose ends and none of my guesses as to what was really going on were correct. I loved it and I am sad it is over because I will have to wait another year for the next one.

While there are many very good authors, Harlan Coben is definitely among the very elite! As with all of his books, this one was fantastic with each part of the story becoming more and more compelling! No one writes great characters better than Harlan Coben. Highly recommend!

Oh my - an exciting, can't-put-down thriller from one of my favorite authors. Toward the end, when the action really heats up, I thought I'd figured things out. But boy, was I wrong - and that made for even more thrills.

The first handful of chapters, though, did make me wonder how the rest would go. They skip from scenario to scenario - introducing new characters in each - making me worry that I'd lose sight of who was who (even though I expected the three main "stories" would merge at some point). And merge they did, in fairly short order - with each appearance adding details leading to the bang-up ending.

At the start, financial consultant Simon Greene is in New York's Central Park, following up on a tip that his runaway, drug-addicted daughter Paige would be there. And she is, but she's definitely not overjoyed to see him - and neither is her drug supplier and abusive boyfriend. Simon and the boyfriend get into an altercation that quickly turns physical - with Simon getting the worst of it - and both he and Paige get away.

At the same time in Chicago, hot-shot private investigator Elena Ramirez has been hired by the wealthy father of a son who's gone missing. Then there's a switch to Ash and his partner, religious cult devotee Dee Dee, who have a penchant for killing - at least when someone else is willing to pay for their services.

The story primarily follows Simon and his pediatric physician wife Ingrid as they try to figure out why and with whom Paige, in her first year at college, went off the deep end - with the ultimate goal of finding her and getting her back into rehab. In-between chapters document Elena's efforts to find the missing son - which in the process puts her in contact with Simon - as well as Ash and Dee Dee's murderous pursuits. The details of each scenario begin to come together, leading to that gobsmacking ending I mentioned at the outset.

I have to be honest: I absolutely loved this book, but there were a few things that didn't quite ring true-to-life as I know it. But also honestly, who cares? Not me, that's for sure. Kudos on a thoroughly enjoyable, highly recommended book for which I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

Coben knows how to write thrillers - whew!

I believe I've read all of author Coben's standalone books and love the twists he puts into each one.

RUN AWAY is built around the theme of "what would you do as a parent to protect your child or children." I believe that most of us parents would do WHATEVER it takes to keep our child/children safe.

Simon Greene is a successful New York financial advisor and his wife, Ingrid, is a pediatrician. They have three children. Paige, their oldest, went away to college a happy, outgoing girl, met an older man, and is now a heroin addict.

Simon has never given up on her even after he and his wife finally had to tell her not to come home anymore. So she disappears from their lives with no word and he looks for her often.

Then one day Simon sees her busking in Central Park...and this fast-paced thriller starts the reader on this bungee jumping tale of stepping off ledges and plunging to scary depths.

Paige's story is intertwined closely with a couple of other plot twists that, yes, stretched the imagination, but this is fiction. Bring it on!

I highly recommend this to fellow thriller readers and fans of Coben.

I received this book from Grand Central Publishing through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

I love Harlan Coben. His writing is amazing and this book did not disappoint. I loved the story and was so excited to finish this book.

Harlan Coben is my favorite author, and I love the little Easter eggs he hides for his fans. I enjoyed this novel, but the pacing felt off- dragged a bit in the middle and felt hurried at the end. This is also the first HC novel where I figured out the twist. But a good choice in general for anyone who likes thrillers!

Dollycas’s Thoughts

I absolutely devoured this book! When I had to put it down I couldn’t get it off my mind. Days later it has stuck with me.

Simon Greene and his wife Ingrid have three beautiful children. They are extremely successful in their careers and are living the good life in Manhattan. Then their daughter Paige goes to college where something happens that leads her down the path of destruction. She drops out of school and becomes addicted to drugs. Simon and Ingrid try to help her but she doesn’t want to be helped.

Now they have no idea where she is. They decide to back off their search but when a friend tells Simon he saw her in Central Park he just has to try one more time. He finds her there in the area called Strawberry Fields performing, but when he tries to get close she runs off and her boyfriend physically stops Simon from following. Their altercation brings the police and there are tons of witnesses taping on their phones. It doesn’t look good for Simon. It looks like some rich guy beating up a homeless man.

Three months later Paige is still missing and Simon thinks the assault case is behind him but then the boyfriend is murdered. Simon, his wife, and even Paige are now suspects. Plus Paige could be in danger. The Greene’s now know they have to find their daughter even if it means risking their own lives.

There are two subplots that at first seem unrelated but it soon becomes clear that everything is connected. I can’t say more without spoiling this amazing story.

The characters in this story are believable and so well written. Coben gives them all genuine feel, the good guys and the bad. I felt there was a real hero in this story too. I grew to care about several characters and was very invested to see how their journeys played out.

This story had surprises at almost every turn. I dropped my Kindle at one point, shocked by what had just happened. Mr. Coben takes us to the gritty streets where bad things happen to people with good intentions. As the book continues we are shocked again and again. But whoa, the ending just blew me away. An extremely gripping and powerful story.

Coben is my favorite author when it comes to mind-bending suspense. I have loved every one of his books. As soon as this book arrived I dropped everything to read it and am so happy I did. Previous to this one my favorite was Caught, but this is my new fave. Harlan Coben takes us on a wild ride as Simon Greene follows a dangerous path to find his daughter and get to the truth and for me, he has topped himself. It deserves way more than 5 stars. This is a Run Away hit!

I have always been a fan of Coben, and have pushed his titles for years, and the new book is a real roller coaster ride that will be a huge hit as always, and deserved.y so. The set up took a minute to get going, but once it did, it was a joy as always. Happy to continue to talk up an author who always delivers.

Harlan Coben gives us, once again, a well plotted, suspenseful thriller. Simon, a financial analyst, doesn't know how his life has fallen apart all he knows is that he must save his oldest daughter, but he can't find her. There is his beautiful wife, Ingrid, a pediatrician and his three children; the two younger kids are on the right path but the oldest went off to college and ended up drowning in drugs. Simon takes many paths to find Paige, most very dangerous. Coben gives us some seeming unrelated events that all coalesce into a heart pounding surprising ending. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves a can't-put-it-down read.

I should preface this review by admitting I’ve never read a Harlan Coben book I didn’t like. I used to have a list of powerhouse male authors that I couldn’t wait to read, but over the years because of their writing they’ve fallen off one by one, with only Coben remaining.
Simon and Ingrid have a close wonderful life with one problem, their daughter Paige is a junkie, and they can’t seem to help her. In the latest try Simon punches her controlling boyfriend in an attempt to free Paige from him, only he is in Strawberry Field with many witnesses, and is arrested. This starts a chain of events that leads to Ingrid being hurt, and Simons teaming up with a private investigator helping her find out why Paige’s name is intertwined in a case where male adopted sons are being murdered.
A little uneven and confusing in the beginning, but Coben still packs a powerful punch, and I highly recommend reading this.

It goes without saying that Mr. Coben knows how to write a book. Once I downloaded the book, it was off to the races, I was thoroughly engaged.

I loved the family dynamic and that Simon, the father, would do anything to bring his daughter Paige home. The plot was realistic, the book was fast paced, and the characters were interesting. I wasn’t quite sure how everything fit together until the end.