The Woods

by Harlan Coben

Book Overview

Twenty years ago, four teenagers at summer camp walked into the woods at night. Two were found murdered, and the others were never seen again. Four families had their lives changed forever. Now, two decades later, they are about to change again.For Paul Copeland, the county prosecutor of Essex, New Jersey, mourning the loss of his sister has only recently begun to subside. Cope, as he is known, is now dealing with raising his six- year-old daughter...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0525950125
• ISBN13: 9780525950127
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Dutton Books
• Length: 404 Pages
• Weight: 1.29 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.5" x 9.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Another great read by Coben

I couldn't wait to finish my day and curl up with this thriller. Another great book by Coben. LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!

4 1/2 Stars...Soft-Hearted, Shallower, Suspenseful

With "The Woods," Coben proves again to be one of the most consistent thriller writers around. This is familiar territory, with familiar themes and characters (even a few carryovers from previous stories), and yet Coben manages to connect with us on emotional and intellectual levels. Twenty years earlier, the Copeland family dealt with a horrific situation involving the woods surrounding a summer camp. Now, one of the original homicide victims has resurfaced--with a different name and hints that he survived. Paul Copeland finds himself dragged back into the anguish of that dreadful evening. Not only did he lose his sister, he lost real connection with his parents, due to their grief. As he explores the widening mysteries, he is faced to confront hard truths about each and every person he has loved. As always, Coben mixes suspense, mystery, subplots, and twists, with themes of family and loyalty and loss. "The Woods" is a fast read. Although a bit shallower on some levels than "Gone for Good" or "Tell No One," this story still gives us more reason to care than many other thrillers out there. Coben's soft heart comes through once again--and for that, I'll keep coming back.

Excellent Thriller

Harlan Coben is a writer who specializes in domestic thrillers with a twist: Instead of the protagonist being a woman, Coben's heroes are men with deep dark secrets. Coben takes folks who, at first glance, are fairly ordinary and then puts them in extraordinary situations. This helps makes the novels stand out in a genre populated with cops, private detectives and world weary types in general. In The Woods, the main character is a single father who is also a prosecutor. His latest case is a headline grabber involving wealthy fraternity boys who are accused of raping a stripper. The father of one of the accused is trying to warn the prosecutor off the case. As it happens, the prosecutor has a skeleton in his closet that has a distinct bearing on this case. If it is publicly revealed, then all could be lost. The Woods is an excellent, highly original thriller.

5 star thriller!

I'm glad to see Coben's latest thriller on all the bestseller lists, he really is one of the smartest thriller writers around. Great plots involving real characters you can care about are this authors hallmarks. 20 years ago, two teens were murdered and two more were never seen again after they walked into the woods at their summer camp. County prosecutor Paul Copeland was one of the four teens involved in the camp incident, and he is now involved in the case of a Black woman claiming to have been raped by some rich, white frat boys at a party. Woods does an excellent job of weaving these two plots together in an entertaining and suspenseful read. If you like thrillers, I can highly recommend this one. Just make sure to clear out your schedule once you crack it open!.

Ordinary people with extraordinary secretes. . .

Just started reading Coben recently; I had recommended "Tourist in the Yucatan" to a friend. He already read "Tourist" and recommended I should also like Coben as thier styles were similar. Well, I took my friends advice and have become a big Harlen Coben fan! I like the way Coben takes seemingly ordinary people and then puts them in extraordinary circumstances. I think it makes for a much better thriller than the typical world weary cops and detectives or the super-human antics of some of the genre's characters. With Coben we real people in unreal or terrifying situations and that makes it seem all the more real. He also knows how to create emotional connections between the reader and the characters. In this one we have a county prosecutor who is pulled into reliving an old tragedy from his youth and his loss of innocense. The story is ultimately about redemption. If you are looking for a smart thriller that does not follow the rules, I highly recommend this book!