What can I say but Wow, I haven't read a Harlen Coben book in a while and I am now wondering why? This was such a good book. Simon and Ingrid have 3 children but Paige takes a wrong turning somewhere and ends up estranged from the family and taking drugs. Simon gets a tip that she has been seen so he goes to see if it is her busking in the park and that starts a catalogue of bad decisions by both Simon and Ingrid. When Paige's boyfriend is found dead Simon is accused of murder but with no evidence it can't be proved. In the meantime Paige has fled and he is determined to find her. I found myself not wanting to put i down until I realised I did have to eat and go to work. He ekes out the clues throughout the book and you never get bored with the plot, When I got to the end I thought 'I have got this ' but (wham) it was much more than I thought.
I would recommend this book to everybody.
Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of the book

I'm a huge fan of Harlan Coben, especially his stand-alone novels, so I was thrilled to get my hands on an early copy of Run Away.

Simon Greene and his wife Ingrid seem to have the perfect life - until their eldest daughter becomes addicted to drugs and under the control of her abusive boyfriend. When she disappears, following a suspicious death, Simon has a race against time to track her down. This is one of those books where the less you know, the more you will enjoy it, so I'll stop there! Harlan Coben excels at the kind of story where it takes time for the reader to work out what is going on; I don't want to spoil it for you!

Run Away has a slightly different hero to the author's more recent books (more subdued, less wisecracks), mainly because Simon has had to face the nightmare every parent dreads: that his beloved child is in trouble and won't let him help. The story races along, with Simon venturing further into a dangerous and thoroughly seedy world he barely knew existed, making some unlikely allies along the way. And there are some excellent twists, which I only guessed because I have an interest in the subject.

My favourite characters were the very ruthless Ash and Dee Dee, who reminded me of Pumpkin and Honey Bunny from Pulp Fiction, and Simon's smart-talking lawyer, Hester. And I loved that Nap from the author's earlier novel, Don't Let Go, also made a brief appearance.

I loved Run Away and I'm sure Harlan Coben's regular readers will too. It should also appeal to fans of authors such as Lee Child and Linwood Barclay, and anyone who enjoys a cracking good thriller with emotionally engaging characters and jaw-dropping twists.


Thank you to Harlan Coben and Cornerstone (Random House UK) for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

My thanks to Penguin Random House U.K./Cornerstone for an eARC via NetGalley of Harlan Coben’s latest stand-alone thriller, Run Away, in exchange for an honest review.

I have previously read some of his earlier novels and found them both entertaining and page-turners. ‘Run Away’ was no exception.

It opens with financial consultant Simon Greene sitting on a bench in Strawberry Fields, Central Park waiting for a glimpse of his daughter, Paige. Six months previously he and his wife, Ingrid, had reached the end of their tolerance towards their daughter’s behaviour. In the intervening months Paige has slipped even deeper into drug addiction with the assistance of her boyfriend, Aaron.

When Simon attempts to talk to Aaron an altercation takes place. Then we jump ahead three months during which there’s been no sign of Paige. A police detective comes looking for Simon and from there the plot just goes into overdrive. At times it is rather bonkers (though in a good way) as events spin out of control and the bodies start to pile up.

Simon is not only trying to locate Paige but is seeking answers as why she changed so much in college.

I just sat back and just enjoyed it as a piece of fast paced, plot-driven escapism. There is also enough dry humour to temper its darker aspects. By the final pages things were wrapped up well. Even though I am not usually a reader of this type of thriller, it is easy to see why Corben is so popular.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

A pulse-pounding adrenaline rush, with nonstop action and a high stakes plot!

On a quiet morning in Central Park, horrified bystanders witness an angry, rich, suited man accosting a pan-handling young woman. He then proceeds to punch the Good Samaritan homeless guy who jumps in to help her. Captured on smartphone, the video goes viral, the attack condemned by millions of internet strangers.

But everything is not as it seems. The ‘rich man’ is Simon Greene, a desperate father, the ‘young woman’ – his drug-addicted daughter, living in squalor, whom he's trying to convince to go to rehab, and the ‘Good Samaritan' – his daughter's abusive, controlling, drug-dealer boyfriend, Aaron Corval.

Three months after that fateful day in the park, Aaron is found murdered, Paige is missing, on the run, and Simon will go to any lengths to find her and bring her home.

‘Run Away' had me furiously swiping through the pages to get to the conclusion, frantic to learn the fate of Paige. Binge-worthy, unputdownable, it incorporated all the elements I've come to love in a Harlan Coben read. Jam-packed with misdirection, originality, and unexpected twists and turns – two of which saw my jaw dropping to the floor. One, I saw coming just before it hit, which I'm grateful for as I needed that small window to emotionally prepare myself. The second was so shocking that I struggled to absorb and process it. Instead I sat there OMGing, and rocking back-and-forth. Days later, I still catch myself thinking about the after-effects of that reveal. There was a tense moment when I worried I wasn't going to get answers to some much needed questions – I should've known that the master of the suburban thriller, wouldn’t leave me hanging.

A subplot that always excites me had me particularly thrilled, but I can't share what it is as it's too much of a spoiler. Undertones of those from a higher level of social class having a greater sense of entitlement, leading to narcissism, made this a fascinating read from a psychological point-of-view.

I developed an instance rapport with the protagonist, Simon. He's the ultimate family man, – devoted to his wife and children, who never gave up on searching for Paige, but by the same token didn't neglect or abandon his family in the process. His vulnerability, as he wrestled with the guilt and shame, feeling like he failed his daughter, made him that much more human and relatable. My heart broke for him – his situation is every parents worse nightmare.

The setting was vividly brought to life – everything from the seedy underbelly of a Bronx drug den, the picturesque beauty of a rural campus, to a vegan cafe in Maine – it's the small details Coben thinks to include that I really admire. Cameo appearances by New Jersey Detective Nap Dumas (Don't Let Go, which is high on my tbr) and tough, no-nonsense Criminal Litigator, Hester Crimstein (Tell No One, Caught) were a welcome addition.

‘Run Away' is a guaranteed great read, that saw me putting real life on hold, and sacrificing sleep, to finish.

I'd like to thank Netgalley UK, Random House UK Cornerstone, and Harlan Coben for the e-ARC.

US Release Date: 19th March. 2019
UK Release Date: 21st March. 2019

Review uploaded to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

This author has in the past written fantastic books, I loved them, the themes and the style, so I was kinda excited after quite a few years since reading ‘one of his’ to be back.....
The start of the book is epic, Simon sees his runaway daughter in Central Park and approaches her, her boyfriend appears, Simon hits him and becomes a Youtube ‘sensation’.....then the boyfriend is murdered and well in very Coben esque style the story continues...and the story develops, rather unbelievably into a tale of cults and adoption, lies and secrets and more or less anything else you can imagine ‘thrown into the at times over boiling pot!!’
The story almost gets ‘silly’ and you ( well I ) had to think ‘right, ok, go with it and keep enjoying it’ and I did, up to a point!
Coben’s at times casual style of writing almost went off on a tangent as it went on but then the next minute you would be in a brilliant action scene that he writes so well!
The characters were at times distant and some faintly ridiculous to behold!
There was a random discussion on the use of ‘whom’ in a sentence and often little tidbits not relating to the story about for example NY cab drivers or feminism/PC issues which although interesting detracted from the story ( imo )
The ending was frantic and quite a shock but was all neatly tied up
You know though saying all that it wasn’t a bad book at all and was good to read Coben’s work again but it was a reminder that he is very much his own writer with his own style ideas and flourish!!
7/10 3.5 ( rounded to 4 ) Stars

It was the first book I read by Harlan Coben and I was hooked since I read the first pages.
I'm usually a sort of cozy mystery lover but I couldn't help loving the humour, the fast paced plot, and the amazing style of writing.
I started this book in a sort of "Let's see how it is" mood and I read half the book before realizing it was time for bed, I was swept away and happy to lose myself in this book.
I will surely read other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Coben does it again. Run Away is another fast paced action book. Simon's daughter, Paige is a drug addict and has run away from home. When he sees her in the park he tries to chase after her. Her drug dealer, Aaron helps her get away. When Aaron is murdered she is chief suspect. Simon tries to track her down. He soon discovers there may be other forces at work unrelated to drugs.


Coben, as usual, adds more and more twists and the truth is not revealed until almost the last page.

Another chilling and thrilling book from the master of the twists Mr Coben. Often after I read a book by this author, I'm rattled by the end of it. I didn't get that here. But what I did get was a gripping book that I couldn't put down, as I was so invested in the characters and the plot.

Thanks to Random House UK for giving me for giving me a copy of this book for review consideration. As always, no matter what the source of the book, you get my honest, unbiased opinion.

FIRST LINE OF RUN AWAY BY HARLAN COBEN

“Simon sat on a bench in Central Park – in Strawberry Fields, to be more precise – and felt his heart shatter.”

MY THOUGHTS ON RUN AWAY BY HARLAN COBEN

This book featured non stop action. And we were right in the middle of it, as we took a dark and dangerous journey with Simon to discover what has happened to his missing daughter Paige.

I loved how the book explored the guilt, the second guessing, and non stop what-ifs as Simon constantly speculated over how he could have prevented Paige from going off the rails.

He desperately and doggedly follows every path, until he gets the answers he needs. But those answers bring up more questions, and more danger, and my stomach was in knots from all the stress and tension. No wonder I read it in a single day, I literally couldn’t put it down.

Of course being a Harlan Coben book, the dry wit and tongue in cheek humour rolled off the pages, which I really appreciated. Roll on the next book already!

WHO SHOULD READ RUN AWAY BY HARLAN COBEN

If you enjoy books about family secrets that have you turning the pages quickly to keep up with the action, then I’d highly recommend this to you. Fans of authors such as Tana French, Linwood Barclay and Cara Hunter should also enjoy. As will fans of Harlan’s previous books.

This is another cracking standalone from Harlem Coben. Nice family’s daughter has left home and is a drug addict, living in the underbelly of New York. Her boyfriend is murdered and both she and her family are suspects. It’s a complex tale with numerous twists based on the run away from home theme. Why did Paige leave, how did she fall into addiction and what could have been done to prevent it?

Coben’s writing is slick and fast, particularly the dialogue where it’s easy to visualise the characters and the setting. The setting is realistic and I could almost see the drug dens, Central Park etc, so there’s a real sense of place and atmosphere. After a straightforward but action packed start, things are ratched up further and I was kept guessing as to how all the strands would pull together. Intricate and clever, this is a real roller coaster thriller and I loved it.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

All the twisty turns you have come to expect from Harlan Coben if you are a frequent reader of his work. A tightly plotted tale of a man uncovering secrets within his family and blowing open a conspiracy piece by piece. A gripping read with twists and turns and the Coben standard last twist you didn't see coming. Recommended!

4 Stars from me

This is a solid standalone by literary legend Harlan Coben and is a good, well orchestrated read.Simon's love for his family is pure and admirable and he is a man on a mission throughout this book - his mission to find and save his daughter, Paige.The descriptive elements are lovely, having been to New York at sat where Simon sat to watch Paige I could very easily picture the area and Harlan Coben captured the feeling of the place beautifully. In fact all of his descriptive passages are highly evocative.The emotions throughout and are and tangible and they are what pull this book up. However, there were some parts of the book where I find myself thinking 'sorry who are these guys?' and flicking back to try and find out who/what/why which detracted a little from the main story.Overall, any thriller fans out there are likely to enjoy this book.

Synopsis:You've lost your daughter.She's addicted to drugs and to an abusive boyfriend. And she's made it clear that she doesn't want to be found.Then, quite by chance, you see her busking in New York's Central Park.But she's not the girl you remember. This woman is wasted, frightened and clearly in trouble.You don't stop to think. You approach her, beg her to come home.She runs.And you follow her into a dark and dangerous world you never knew existed. Where criminal gangs rule, where drugs are the main currency, and murder is commonplace.

I really enjoyed this standalone by Harlan Coben. I hadn't read much of his work until a half a dozen years ago but he's become a favourite and with about 30 books published (as well as some television series under his belt) he's proved he's consistent and a reliable choice when it comes to entertaining reading fodder.

I really loved the way Coben opens this book. It means we meet Simon and get a good picture of who he is from the outset. I felt like I knew his wife Ingrid less, but when we do meet her she's not what I expected.

We've learned from Simon that he's been searching for Paige in secret, that Ingrid isn't supportive of the idea and is the one who threw her out of the house in the first place. But then Ingrid surprises us and is more feisty than I expected. However, our engagement with her is limited... for reasons that soon become clear.

I'm probably giving a little away here, but it's hard to talk much about the plot without mentioning that Simon's been looking for their drug-addicted daughter (their oldest child) for six months. Not long after he finds her and has an altercation with her boyfriend Aaron (who feeds her addiction) the latter is killed. Obviously Simon and his wife are key suspects. They're unlikely killers though and it's not long before attention falls on the now-missing Paige.

It's unthinkable to Simon and Ingrid that their daughter was responsible for the murder of her boyfriend, but of course the alternative to her being in hiding is that she too has been harmed by whoever killed Aaron.

Simon finds some unlikely helpers in his hunt for his daughter as he tries to understand how Paige went from seemingly happy college student to an addict who stole from her family to feed her habit.

It's on this journey he meets a PI (ex FBI agent Elena Ramirez - who seemed to have some backstory and I wondered if she'd appeared in a previous novel) on a missing persons case and together they find there may be more to Aaron's death than originally expected.

Coben also introduces us to a somewhat dysfunctional couple of killers. He's a cold blooded assassin (ie. it's his job) and she's caught up in some cult but kinda scarily excited by the killings.

We know the cases will intersect in some way but Coben keeps us guessing as to the how and why.

The plot and characters (particularly PI Elena and Simon and his family, his business partner and his droll lawyer) are enough to make this a great read, but Coben digs deeper (when I guess he didn't need to) as Simon questions the mistakes he and Ingrid may have made that led Paige down the path she's taken.

I suspect parents and relations of addicts (indeed, parents full stop perhaps) often ask these questions of themselves. "What could I have done differently?" Or... "Where did I go wrong?" And there's that debilitatingly nagging question of how well you really know the person you've raised after all. 

This is (yet another) great read by Coben and I almost feel bad in underselling his prowess or this book, as if I expect great things or too much of the author - as a parent has heightened expectations of a child.

I wasn’t very impressed by the story. It did not ring true and I found it hard to get totally gripped in the story. It started really well and then it was all downhill. A man who’s wife is in the hospital would not go around hunting for his daughter when all this while he hadn’t done anything to find her. Too many secrets kept from each other which wouldn’t really happen in reality. Even the relationship between the characters had no chemistry. Quite disappointed.

You always know that if you read a Harlan Coben book it is going to be a good read. This stand-alone is a great read. Simon Greene is a father who, of course, will do anything to protect his daughter who has fallen by the wayside. This is a great thriller with complications that are cleverly played out in this book. Despite the seriousness of this thriller there is still much of the humour that Harlan Coben is so clever at injecting into his tales.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Harlan Coben/Random House UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

A gripping and intense read. I was very excited to start this one since the blurb had fascinated me.

It was an easy book to read, the characters were interesting and I wanted to know more about them, the more the story went on.
I would recommend this book to my friends!

Simon is a financial advisor who loves Ingrid his doctor wife and their children. Paige is his daughter turned drug addict whose life has spiraled out of control. She has gone missing and her parents end up in a drug den desperate to locate her. This ends with a drug dealer dead and Ingrid shot and in a coma. Simon continues the search while his wife remains in hospital.
Dee Dee and Ash are killers for hire. They have had a traumatic childhood and have a strange relationship with each other.
Elena is the ex FBI agent turned PI and I really like how gutsy she was. Hester the feisty legal rep was another favourite character who certainly packed a verbal punch.
The storyline includes a weird cult. There is certainly an aha moment when I thought I could see a link. I realised there was more and would have to wait for it to become clear. Even then didn’t have all the answers.
This book has plenty of suspense and an ending with an opening for more to come. You realise a story like this may never be over!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Simon’s daughter Paige has become estranged from her family, and trapped in the clutches of someone who abuses her and gives her drugs. He desperately wants to help her escape, although Ingrid (Paige’s mother) seems to think that it will be impossible to help until Paige is ready.
The story explores the heartbreak of families when their child chooses the wrong road and becomes set on a downward spiral, becoming involved with dangerous drug dealers and abusers.
A gritty, descriptive and chilling story about the lengths Simon will go to rescue his daughter, risking danger to himself and his wife Ingrid. Characters are well drawn and believable, and you feel empathy for Simon as he explores the dirty, filthy tenement blocks where Paige has been living, talking to drug dealers and criminals, trying to find out the truth.
I didn’t like the beginnings of first chapters of the book where new characters are introduced with their own stories, and found it frustrating as it seems to detract from the main story. However, all fits together as the story unfolds.. A well constructed, complex interwoven plot about the underworld, criminals, drug dealers, secrets, and a father’s desperation to rescue his daughter. The ending was totally unexpected, a complete revelation written by a skilled author.

Well this just has everything. Excitement, a sense of what will happen next, a page turner, will they won't they. Who dunnit and why? A very good story with an eye opener on information from DNA results online. With the increasing trend of getting DNA analysed for genealogy purposes, this books shows what can happen with the information once it's out there for everyone to see. Just watch your back.....

Superb! Harlen Coben is a master of the thriller and this story does not disappoint, with his masterful character studies, depiction of believable ‘ordinary’ people caught up in situations beyond their experience or control, and several twists and turns that will keep you guessing right to the end – or surprise you when you thought you’d already reached the end!

We meet a middle-class family whose parents are genuinely good but whose eldest daughter has become lost to them, lost on the streets of New York, addicted to drugs. Dad Simon goes in search of her and finds a girl he can hardly recognise busking in the park, but as he recognises Paige and she flees, his chase sets him off on a path he could never have foreseen, where he is drawn into a murky story where people are being murdered and he and his family are themselves in the sightlines. Along the way, Simon discovers he may not know his own wife and family as well as he thought.

A brilliant work of suspense where the author has us fully invested in the characters within a short time, longing for Simon and his family to make it through. You'll be struggling to put this book down!

As with all this author's books, this one took me round the houses and back again as it twisted and turned its extremely clever plot to its eventual, explosive climax.
Simon and Ingrid have three children, Sam, Anya and Paige. Two have turned out right but Paige has taken a darker path, towards drugs and, when our story opens, is estranged from her family. Simon has never given up hope for her, despite all she has put the family through, and carries on searching for her behind Ingrid's back. He eventually tracks her down, busking in a park, but their reunion does not quite go according to plan, instead of the wonderful reunion he dreamed for, he gets arrested. And so begins a dark story, fraught with danger, that takes Simon on a harrowing journey which threatens to expose some rather nefarious dealings and more than a few secrets a bit too close to home.
Wow, this book hit the ground running and the pace didn't let up until the very end. In amongst Simon's search for Paige, we also follow Ash and DeeDee, another couple who appear to be a bit Mickey and Mallory in what they are doing. Throw in Elena, a PI tasked with finding yet another missing person, and you have a lot going on. Quite how this all connects isn't initially known so I had to sit with that for a fair while until all the threads eventually came together. A couple of times I thought I had it all worked out, only to get that scuppered as more of the truth was revealed. One of these days I'll beat the author at his own game, just not quite there yet. It takes a lot to pull the wool over my eyes these days as I eat, drink and breathe this genre book but, once again, this author's skills prevail which makes for a very pleasant, albeit frustrating, change!
Characterisation is great - so many secrets - so much going on, so they have to be strong enough to weather the storms. And they are, very well drawn and wholly believable.
The plot, when all is revealed, is shocking but also quite believable. At the start of the book, I had absolutely no idea we'd end up there! I'd love to wax lyrical about where we ended up but obviously, spoilers prevent me from doing so, so you'll just have to take my word for it all.
All in all, another cracking read that even with all my wits about me, I failed dismally to second guess. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.