Monday, July 7, 2008 9:25 PM CDT
REVIEW: 'Hold Tight' By Harlen Coben
Review by Juanita Sherwood
When his son was younger, Mike Baye told the boy to “hold tight” during the times the child needed reassurance that a tough situation was going to work out all right. In the book by that name, the whole Baye family must “hold tight” to overcome challenges that occur one after another in situations that depict the troubles — and then some — that can occur in modern family life.
Tia and Mike Baye are parents of two children. The elder of the two is 16-year-old Adam, who has suddenly done an about-face in his behavior, which is of a concern to his parents. They decide to have a spy program installed on his computer in order to discover what is going on in his life, as he has become withdrawn and uncommunicative with them.
The Bayes have some misgivings about this decision as they feel that they are invading their son’s privacy. However, their concern for his welfare overrides their misgivings. Complicating matters is the fact that one of Adam’s best friends committed suicide fairly recently, and his change in behavior seems to have occurred at nearly the same time.
They also have a 10-year-old daughter, Jill, who, along with her friend Yasmin, plays an important role in the plot. Both Jill and Yasmin are computer savvy, an important point as well.
Yasmin lives with her father, her mother having left them because she was unhappy with the confinements of being a wife and mother. Also, Yasmin has suffered an accidental humiliation at school, which others will not let her forget.
Attempts have been made from several angles to smooth this over, but Yasmin’s tormentors have not been entirely stifled as the story progresses. This schoolroom incident has a snowball effect, which affects several characters, but they are unaware of the situation’s effects on them at the time. Surprisingly, this is all tied together at the end.
After checking into the spyware on Adam’s computer, Mike decides to physically check up on his son. Adam is followed into an unsavory area of the community in which Mike is almost beaten to death. The way this was prevented is a surprise when it is revealed near the end.
Also, the suicide of Adam’s friend Spencer Hill was not what the adults in the story have assumed or been led to believe.
Further complicating matters are Tia and Mike’s professions. Mike as a surgeon is treating his neighbor’s son, who needs a kidney transplant. A blood relative would be the best match. The solution to this situation ties into the story also in an unexpected way.
Tia is an attorney who has recently returned to work for a well-respected law firm run by an older woman who accepts no excuses for one’s family demands interfering with job performance. This also complicates matters when events escalate and the suspense is building.
Adam, it turns out, is not the self-absorbed teen that he seems at the beginning. What he tries to do is admirable, but almost causes an end, in more ways than one, for his family. The family manages to “hold tight” through its challenges and emerge as a strong unit once more through the events they must encounter.
That one or more murders are a part of this story makes for suspenseful reading. This is true Coben: a fast-paced plot with many events going on that seem totally unrelated until the end reveals how the pieces of the puzzle fit together.
Sherwood of Charleston is a retired reading teacher.
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ItsJustDave wrote on Jul 12, 2008 6:46 PM:
Please read/listen to them in order:
Deal Breaker -
Drop Shot -
Fade Away -
Back Spin -
One False Move -
The Final Detail -
Darkest Fear -
And, afetr a seven year break, Promise Me.
Enthralling characters, a gripping story line, and, except for "Promise Me", read by Jonathan Marosz - a master audiobook performer unmatched except for perhaps Lorelei King, who does Patricia Cornwell's and Janet Evanovich's books, among others.
All can be had on eBay on CD or some on cassettet inexpensively; and you library may carry many. "