Review – The Match by Harlan Coben

Posted March 15, 2022 by Carole in Reviews / 8 Comments

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review – The Match by Harlan CobenThe Match by Harlan Coben
Series: Wilde #2
Published by Grand Central Publishing on March 15, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Thrillers / Domestic
Pages: 352
Format: ARC, Hardcover
Source: Publisher
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From the creator of the #1 hit Netflix series Stay Close comes a gripping new thriller in which Wilde follows a tip that may finally reveal the truth behind his abandonment—only to end up in the sights of a ruthless killer.

After months away, Wilde has returned to the Ramapo Mountains in the wake of a failed bid at domesticity that confirms what he’s known all along: He belongs on his own, free from the comforts and constraints of modern life.

Suddenly, a DNA match on an online ancestry database brings Wilde closer to his past than he’s ever dreamed, and finally gives Wilde the opening he needs to track down his father. But meeting the man brings up more questions than answers. So Wilde reaches out to his last, most desperate lead, a second cousin who disappears as quickly as he resurfaces, having experienced an epic fall from grace that can only be described as a waking nightmare.

Was his cousin’s downfall a long time coming? Or was he the victim of a conspiracy as cunning as it is complex? And how does it all connect to the man once known as The Stranger, a treacherous fugitive with a growing following whose mission and methods have only turned more dangerous with time?

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I would definitely recommend reading The Boy from the Woods before reading this one if at all possible. You could probably get by with reading this book as a stand-alone but Wilde has such an interesting and unique history that is dealt with in the first book. Of course, Coben does a good job of catching the reader up in this book. I liked this book even more than the first book. I thought that it was exciting with a lot of twists and turns and I love the way it kept me guessing until the very end. I can always count on Coben to keep me entertained.

Wilde puts his DNA into one of those heredity websites and ends up with a couple of matches. His past is a complete mystery so it is a big deal when he is connected with his father and a cousin. Of course, things can never be easy and it turns out that his cousin is missing and Wilde soon finds himself knee-deep in an incredibly complex mystery.  I really liked the way that Wilde approached this mystery. He seemed to be able to see the big picture from the start and was ready to deal with whatever outcome turned up.

There were several different threads going at any one time during this novel and I was eager to see how things might be connected. Not only is Wilde dealing the trying to figure out what really happened to his cousin, but he is also trying to decide what the next steps in his life might be. I really enjoyed seeing Wilde work with Hester, Rola, Matthew, and Laila again and love how they all really care about each other. We even get some answers regarding Wilde’s past.

I would highly recommend this book to others. I found this to be a very exciting fast-paced story that kept me turning pages just as quickly as possible. I love Harlan Coben’s style of writing and look forward to reading, and re-reading, more of his work in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing.

8 responses to “Review – The Match by Harlan Coben

  1. I didn’t realize it was part of a series. Guess I need to read the first book before jumping into this one.

    • You could probably read it as a stand-alone if you need to. Coben does a good job of sharing the important details within this story.

    • I think that his first book was published in 1993. I have read almost everything he has written and love his writing style.