Wilde was found in the woods as a young boy. Now it's 30 years later and he's helping his friend, criminal attorney Hester, find some missing teens. What I love about this is that it's only the surface of a bigger problem.

Now I just love Hester. She is a whip smart woman who doesn't take no for an answer. She genuinely cares about her clients and her family.

Wilde knows how to be invisible but he's really good at his investigations. He is still a mystery all these years later with not knowing why he was left in the woods. But he got really good skills having to survive in the woods by himself.

This book was so good and I loved the tiny glimpses we got of Hester helping out Simon from Run Away.

Another page-turner — a cut above his last one. It has his trademark twists, with somewhat fuller characters: Hester and Wilde make an endearing odd couple.

I'm a huge Harlan Coben fan. I'll read anything he writes and watch any show that is adapted from his books. This outing was only so-so and not one of his best stories. Fans will probably read no matter what, but new readers should look to his older titles if they want to find something more engrossing.

Harlan Coben knocks another out of the ball park! I wish this could be followed by a sequel: who doesn't want to know the "truth" about Wilde--his real background, his lineage, and the "results" of his DNA test? I mean, a lot of intriguing possibilities here. I also found the ending--unexpected; and certain of the events throughout, both current and as related of the past, perturbing and disturbing. For the most part, it was a "who can you trust?" story. But my interest was maintained throughout.


Now, please bring on that sequel.

The Boy from the Woods may be the start of a new detective series for Harlan Coben. I certainly hope so. Wilde was found as a young child living on his own in the woods. He doesn’t know his name or history and grows up in a loving foster home, but keeps his distance, returning to the woods he came from.

He remains close to the family who found him and his foster sister. When his best friend’s son asks him to look for a missing classmate, he does not hesitate. The missing girl was harassed and disappeared after a party hosted by the scion of some of the wealthiest people in the country who are close associates and life-long friends of a reality start running for the presidency.

Soon he is trying to solve two missing children and a murder that happened decades ago. It’s all propulsive and compelling and there are still mysteries to solve, such as the mystery of the boy from the woods.



I enjoyed Boy from the Woods a lot and seriously hope there will be more to follow. I like books that have flawed, but generally good characters. You get the sense that Harlan Coben likes people in general and that manifests in characters who are more complex than any perfect character can ever be. He is less strong in his political savvy when he brings up the horseshoe theory. While the far left and right may resemble each other in terms of their support for authoritarian governments, their ideology and understanding of the role of government are quite different. Some of the characters felt “ripped from the headlines” and not to good effect.

In the end, though, the story is so much better than its weaknesses and I enjoyed it a lot.

I received an e-galley of The Boy from the Woods from the publisher through NetGalley.

The Boy from the Woods at Grand Central Publishing | Hachette
Harlen Coben author site

This was my first Harlan Coben book. It wasn't earth shattering, but I liked the mystery enough to read more books from this author.

What I Liked:
*Hester! She's a tough-as-nails lawyer who's lived enough to see her fair share of heartache. Despite her success, she hasn't lost touch with her roots. I like that about her.
*Oren -- mostly because he's called a "beefcake" which cracked me up
*Matthew -- a typical teenager, described perfectly (Crash was also well-described. I know many Crash Maynards and when the parents are in denial, that's real, too.)
*It was mostly clean. There was talk of one night stands, but nothing in detail.
*The ending

What I Didn't Like:
*Meaningless drivel -- The writing was great, until it wasn't. There were so many unnecessary details thrown in. Does the reader really need to know that Wilde "urinated for a fairly long time"?
*Loose ends -- I'm hoping that there will be another book about Wilde, because so much was left unresolved about his past.
*Profanity -- I don't recall any F-bombs, but I don't like reading the gd word either. The book would have been even better without it; profanity didn't add to it in a good way.

Always brilliant, always riveting, always a five star hit! His books are always eagerly anticipated and never is there a letdown. He’s one if the really great contemporary novelists.

Thirty years ago a young boy, aptly named Wilde, was found abandoned in the woods. No one knows how long he has been out there, surviving on his own. Wilde eventually goes on to live with a foster family and as an adult he gets into the private investigation business. Aside from a few quirks, Wilde is a mostly functional, adjusted adult.

Fast forward to present day: A teenage girl from the same town Wilde lives in goes missing. Wilde takes an interest in finding her and teams up with attorney/ TV personality Hester Crimstein. Hester is a reoccurring character in Coben's work and I absolutely love her! She is in her seventies, hilarious, feisty, and so fun to read about!

In fact, all of the characters in The Boy From The Woods are fantastic. They are complex, intertwined in each other's lives, and all have such personalities.

The plot has many layers to it. We have the mystery and intrigue of Wilde and his upbringing, and the missing persons case. I found myself completely immersed in the story and just could not put it down! Coben's books have such a "readability" to them, making it very east to stay up all night reading!

Once again, Harlan Coben has blown me away with his storytelling and I can't recommend this book enough! Whether you're a long time Coben fan or you are new to his work, you'll find something to love about this book!

In 1986, a boy known as Wilde was found living alone in the woods with no known family to speak of, and was eventually turned over to the foster system. Now, 30 years later, famous TV attorney Hester Crimstein has asked for Wilde's help in finding a girl who has disappeared. While they're in the midst of trying to find her however, another teen goes missing and they fear they have a serial criminal on their hands.

I first heard of Harlan Coben after his runaway success with his book "Runaway," but anyone interested in diving into the mystery/thriller genre will more than likely come upon his books at one time or another. 

I was excited to finally get to know his writing, especially considering that his newest features an amateur detective figure quite unlike any other I’d encountered.

Over 20 years ago, Wilde was found in the woods where he had apparently been living for his entire life. No one knows where he came from, or why, or how. Now, Wilde must help his godson, Matthew, and Matthew’s grandmother, a TV Lawyer, to track down a missing girl. But she’s not the only one who will disappear…

This book is never boring. A host of interesting subplots trot along beside the main mystery, creating intrigue at every turn, and when they’re not in play, there’s plenty of drama between characters to be had in order to keep you reading. 

The somewhat large cast of characters is easily accessible despite their numbers, as they are all more or less mystery-trope types that most readers will be familiar with. But, admittedly, mystery-trope types done well...or at least in a somewhat interesting way. 

However, while Wilde’s past may have set him apart from many other mystery-genre main characters, I couldn't help but feel that the details of his backstory were incredibly underutilized. In fact, his being the 'boy from the woods' was not really a factor in the story at all, or at least not enough to seem like it should warrant title-hood. It’s a hook. Plain and simple. And, when combined with his ex-military status, explains his action-movie-hero moments, interesting skills, and...well, extreme paranoia. At times, with the sheer amount of backstory skimmed over for Wilde and some of the other characters, it felt like there was a whole other story between the lines of this book that had already happened, and that would have honestly been more interesting.

Readers will have to accept some plot holes and unrealistic details in order to fully appreciate the coolness factor of this story, which it is definitely trying hard for. Unfortunately, trying for coolness is probably my least favorite characteristic in a book, especially since it usually means that the relatability and realism of the characters usually suffers. Which was the case here. The cool-factor didn’t make up for the lack of investment I felt in all of the characters. It didn't help that they were all not only more or less unlikeable (not always on purpose), but weren't particularly unique...even when they were trying to be.

Inevitably, this meant that I also wasn’t very invested in the mystery, which ends up being surprising more so because there are so very many things going on to distract from the main plot than because the plot was particularly well laid out.

Disappointed, to say the least, and more than a little bit bored, I’d, unfortunately, have to rate "The Boy from the Woods" 2.5 out of 5 stars. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

Okay, I love Harlan Coben and his Myron Bolitar series. So I give him a lot of leeway. But still, I had a little trouble suspending belief to enjoy this book. A boy growing up alone in the woods? A lawyer with a TV show going public with a possibly missing girl because her grandson wanted her to? Don't think too much about it, just enjoy the book and the twists and turns it takes.

This is a fast paced action packed story that grabbed my attention from page 1. Harlen Corben is the master of writing a suspenseful story. However, as much as I enjoyed reading this book I felt the plot was all over the place. There were so many plot point...boy found in woods, missing girl, kidnapped teen, presidential hopeful, new romance, old romance, grief, neglect...I feel like I could add about 5 more to this. The plot ended up having to many different threads for me. I felt that the conclusion and answers weren't satisfactory for me.
Thank you for the ARC. This is my honest review.

Within the first 10% of this book, I was not just hooked but wanting both the present story and the pat. Wilde, so named because no one knows his real name, was found living as a child in the woods 34 years before. His fascinating story is the background for the new mystery. A 16 year old girl, troubled and mistreated, is missing. What a start is that? The glossing over of Wilde's past, from wild boy found in the woods to special forces to hermit, almost overshadows the missing girl. When Hester, the famous lawyer whose son had once found Wilde and was his best friend, is asked by her grandson to look into Naomi's disappearance, she asks Wilde.

Here's the thing about a good book-you are instantly involved. You are a part of it. You want to know more. You want to know the characters, see how they interact, wonder how two who don't interact will when they meet... They become real to you. This is how I felt about 1/5 of the way into this book. So many...they don't get you until the end. That wasn't the case for me here. It was enough that the feeling of dread for characters you had had so little time to get attached to was still...physical. Then, suddenly, there was a tilt toward the militaristic, almost reminding me of Ledger and Maberry.

Throughout, you are viewing the events not just through the eyes, but through the experience of the characters. Sometimes, it is perfectly natural to see the events from the experience of a 70 year old lawyer, Other times you are thinking like a 16 year old in over his head. Then you are seeing everything in slow motion like a well trained operative.

The best part about this book was that as soon as you thought you knew what was going on, it switched it up on you. Every character is flawed. Their own hubris is evident...partially because we have lived part of the narrative...but no one is perfect. Like life, I guess.

I finished this book by looking up other works by the author to read next. I would like to thank Harlan Coben, Netgalley, and Grand Central Publishing for the advanced copy.

This was the first book that I read by Harlan Coben. He's my co-worker's favorite author, so I was pretty excited when I got approved to read this book! I immediately fell in love with the characters. This book had me guessing the entire time, and I was SHOCKED by the ending! Great read!

I enjoyed this mystery which was basically about missing teenagers. Not having read any others by Corben I had expected more. It seemed over the top and contrived. I really had trouble believing the convoluted storyline. While not my favorite mystery, I didn’t expect the ending of the book and I wonder how things worked out for everyone.

First, I want to thank Harlan Coben, Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

Harlan Coben once again wrote an incredible must read book with The Boy From The Woods!!! Each book this man writes gets better and better and this one is no exception. He hooks you right from the first page and does not loose your attention at all through the book. I couldn’t put it down til I knew what happened to Niaomi.

I have been a fan of Harlan’s for many years as he was the one that got me hooked in this genre. Out of all the books I have read from him this is one of my favorites.

Like all of his books the story lines are filled with a lot of twists, turns, incredibly interesting characters (especially Wilde), intense suspense, an amazing storyline that will leave you speechless at the end.

This book deals with bullying, adoption, missing people, a challenge game, not a great home life.

Harlan did an incredible job of keeping me on my toes wondering what happened to Niaomi! I was just fascinated by all the stories that went into that one main story. Just something about a missing person story that I seem to be always drawn to.

My favorite character in the whole book had to be Wilde. He was such a unique character and a little off the wall. Unlike any other character Harlan has ever written about. However, he was such an important character in this book.

It’s not hard to see why Harlan Coben is among today’s most popular authors. Coben is a master at weaving together different elements of a story and creating an edge-of-your-seat thriller, which leaves you saying “Whoaaa....” when finished. This book is another of these tales, Weaving together different strands to create a who-dunnit fans (myself included) will love.

Naomi, an outcast teen, goes missing after a public humiliation. Hester Crimstein’s grandson, a classmate of Naomi’s asks for the famed attorney’s help to find her. Meanwhile, a powerful family is hiding some potentially explosive tapes concerning a presidential candidate and is clearly hiding something - the question is, what? Hester pulls in Wilde, a loner who was found as a child in the town’s woods, appearing out of nowhere, to help find the girl and unravel the mystery of what’s going on at the High School. And things get dark very quickly.

The book is broken up into various parts, which constitute episodes in this wild ride, which delves not only into the world of reality television, but social media, teenage hormones and senior dating, among other things. I loved the variety of elements that are included in the story, which provide a good variety to the story.

The central mystery was pretty good as well; it’s one of those that you look back when the answers are given and say “Oh yeah!” Because it should have been obvious. It’s like an Agatha Christie novel in that sense. I like that because it’s not so out in left field that you’re left bewildered or frustrated.

But there are a couple nice twists in there.

The only reason it’s not 5-stars is that I wish some of the elements had been more explained. There’s a lot of moving parts in this book, which is good!, but the ending came really fast and furious and I had to go back and reread parts to make sure I got everything. I wish some things were more explained. For example, someone is described as evil and terrible, but we don’t get a lot of reasons why. It’s just really hinted at. I wish that had been fleshed out a little more.

But overall, you won’t be disappointed in this book. It’s a page-turner that will leave readers satisfied and hungry for more of Coben’s excellent storytelling.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

My review can be found here: https://aubreysangle8.home.blog/2020/04/09/review-the-boy-from-the-woods-by-harlan-coben/

Author Harlan Coben can always write a great story and in THE BOY FROM THE WOODS he is true to form. He has created a protagonist that is part Tarzan and part Rambo with enough of a back-story to more than capture readers’ interests for a new series that I hope will be forthcoming. This particular tale was a bit twisty. Filled with Coben’s signature characters that are always helpfully duplicitous in all the right ways. Meaning it takes at least half of the book to figure out if the main story is really the ‘main’ story. But that is always the fun of a good mystery and this one kept me guessing right until the end about all of the pieces of an elaborate puzzle. Once I started this book I did not stop and that is saying a lot because I’ve had trouble focusing while sheltering-in-place. This is great reading. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

The boy from the Woods basically tells you that who's the main attraction but in a way it was pretty vague. Let me collaborate. Wilde doesn't remember who he is and how was he able to survive in the woods by himself was pretty much surprising. I don't see how the background story was suppose to be relevant to the missing girl and then missing boy. Nothing was relevant nor connected with the investigation. It wasn't bad, the plot but the author definitely wanted to throw everyone off with how this is all connected.

I feel like this is more of a tv series would do. Pretty good scenes main reason I am giving this 4 out of 5 stars. it was a fast pace novel so it was an easy read for me