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I have so many ARCs to read that publish before this one, but I could not help myself and dove right into this one. I loved reading about Wilde again! I really felt like I was left hanging on some things after book 1, so I loved seeing them addressed in book 2. I also really like all of the other returning characters, so that was nice too. I love ancestry, so that aspect added a lot for me. I am definitely making this author an auto-buy author!

Wow! That was one surprise ending! I absolutely loved this book! It was just full of suspense and some feel good stuff too! Harlan Coven is a must read!

We always buy multiple copies of Harlan Coben for our library. He writes a compelling book with plenty of twists, I think I know the ending; then it veers off into another diverting direction. I've lost lots of sleep with his books over the years.

Wilde is a great character. It was interesting to follow his search for birth parents through the DNA sites. of course he had to solve a series of crimes on the journey

The Match by Harlan Coben

DNA matching is quite the rage. Kids want their parents to do it to see what disorders might be passed to them. (Besides the normal how my parents screwed me up societal issues.) Coben’s main character is mysterious. A feral child with no record of family, Wilde inputs his DNA to a commercial site in hopes of tracking down some family. This is how the plot train leaves the station.

Coben reflects a dismay and distain for reality TV. Despite the fact that some very nice folks I know actually watch that drivel, I heartily concur with Coben. There is NO reality in reality TV just horrible scripting. (personal bias perhaps) A reality star reaches out to Wilde and then disappears. Wilde is determined to discover family connections and is not afraid of diving into some deep waters.

In addition to the DNA theme is that of Internet Trolls, bot farms and Karma. A cyber-vigilante group comes into play when PB the reality star is cybernetically raped. The ugly reality (actual reality) of fake news and Internet Trolling is shown.

Coben addresses may social issues in a highly readable format.

I recommend the book.

A solid thriller with a host of intriguing characters.

I’m new to Harlan Coben’s books, with The Match being the first I’ve read. But it won’t be my last. His long and celebrated career as a novelist suggests he consistently produces quality work and this, his latest novel suggests the same. The Match, the second book is Coben’s Wilde series, offers a solid and satisfyingly suspenseful plot and a host of intriguing characters.

Thirty-five years ago, Wilde, our main character, was discovered living alone in the woods at an age doctors estimated to be between six and eight years old. He had no memory of parents or caregivers. After his rescue, he was raised by foster parents. The book opens with Wilde somewhere between forty and forty-two.

Deciding to learn something about his origins, Wilde submitted a DNA sample to a genealogy website and locates his sixty-one-year-old biological father (Daniel Carter). But when he visits Carter, Wilde discovers his father never knew he existed. Carter says Wilde must have been conceived during a one-night stand during Carter’s military service in decades past. Learning nothing from his father, Wilde tries to follow up with another contact from the genealogy site, and second cousin, who he eventually identifies as Peter Bennett.

Unfortunately, it proves more difficult to connect with Bennett than Wilde expects. Bennett, a one-time reality television star, caught in a scandal and canceled, has disappeared. Bennett’s sister believes he took his life, but Wilde is unconvinced. He keeps looking and enlists the help of his foster sister and his deceased best friend’s mother, a high-powered attorney, to help. When someone murders a retired cop who had trolled Bennett after his fall from grace, Wilde’s cousin becomes a suspect. But Wilde can’t let it go and continues the search, only to end up in the sights of a ruthless killer.

I like that Coben provided the background on Wilde at the beginning for the benefit of readers like me that haven’t read the first book in the series. And I’m sure those who have, also appreciated it since it likely continues Wilde’s character arc from the first book. There are a few other threads in this book beyond the main story—Wilde’s relationships with his foster sister (Rola Naser), David’s (his dead best friend) widow (Laila), his godson (Matthew), and David’s mother, renowned criminal defense attorney Hester Crimstein—that offer readers more access to who Wilde is and the man he is. Another intriguing and important thread concerns a group of six people led by a man named Chris Taylor. The group identifies and wreaks vengeance on destructive trolls they learn about who harass and torment innocent people online. The group plays a significant role in the overall plot.

Coben offers twist upon twist in this face-paced, well-written thriller with an imaginative plot that keeps readers guessing as the suspense builds to the ultimate climax. I found the book hugely entertaining and satisfyingly suspenseful. Now I plan to pick up the first book in the series to catch up before the next one comes out. Fans of other mystery and thriller writers like Baldacci and Crais will feel right at home with Coben’s writing style. I can’t believe I haven’t read him before and appreciate another reviewer friend who recommended Coben to me. If you’re new to Coben as I was, The Match is not a bad place to get acquainted.

Grand Central Publishing publishes The Match by Harlan Coben from March 15, 2022. I received an advance reader’s copy of the book used for this review from the publisher via Net Galley, representing my honest opinions.

Bringing back Wilde and searching for his past was a wonderful journey for him and for the reader. It’s a great Coben, novel, but also incredibly timely because his search is so closely connected to the current DNA searches that are so popular now. So, here you have a readable, novel, chock full of information about reality television shows and DNA/ ancestry searches

Coben pulls it all together and allows the reader to share an end to his journey. I think Coben fans will revel in this fascinating story. I highly recommend it.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC In return for an honest review.

(4.5) This is my eighth book by Harlan Coben, and wow. In true Coben fashion, this book was packed with mystery and layered plot. I was kept guessing up until the very end. Normally, I can pick up on where a thriller is headed and can kind of figure things out. Not this time, I did not have any clue what was going on until it was all revealed. This plot was complex but in the best way and the characters were all great. Coben is such a master at creating differing complex characters and adding to them more in each story. It is a great modern mystery, I couldn't put it down and I hope there is a third in Wilde's story to come!

*potential spoiler* but the tie into The Stranger was magnificent and unexpected. My only issue was the DNA part towards the end got to be a bit hard to understand and follow. It does make sense once the big twist at the end occurs, but for a bit, I was lost. The court story with Hester kind of felt out of place and like it didn't really belong, but it did give us a good insight into her as a strong-willed woman.

When Wilde was a young boy, he was found abandoned in the woods. Nobody knew who his parents were, how old he is, or where he even came from. Now, more than 30 years later Wilde is open to the idea of digging into his past. When he gets a match on a DNA site, he isn't sure what he will discover. Not sure what to make of it, he looks to another anonymous connection he made, a distant cousin. But when he starts to dig into who it is, and realizes that cousin has disappeared, it seems something sinister may be going on. Wilde is a solo man, so he shouldn't have to help uncover the truth, but he can’t seem to turn away. Only thing is, things go deeper than he could have ever imagined and he can't backdown now, but how far is he willing to go to help a stranger?

Disclaimer: I’m a huge Harlan Coben fan who thinks every book he writes is 5 star. He never disappoints with his incredible plots, interesting characters and non stop action. In The Match Wilde once again stars as the main character along with the irrepressible Hester Crimstein. Through a DNA site for the first time Wilde has a clue as to the identity of his biological father and he discovers another match, possibly a cousin which leads him into a mystery of murder, suicide, and the world of reality tv. Multilayered plots move the exciting story along, as we find out more about Wilde’s past and where his future is headed. I love spending time with one of my favorite characters, top notch lawyer Hester Crimstein, who is feisty and brilliant, the best combination. These two have become my favorite Coben characters, along with Myron Bolitar of course. I hope we continue to read about them in many books to come. Thank you Harlan Coben.

Haraln Coben did not disappoint in this new book, The Match. This really explains Wilde's back story more and why he is the way he is. Now Wilde learns that another person has no memory of how their childhood and maybe they are related. What starts as a simple DNA discovery of Wilde's family leads into a mystery of murder and/or suicide. Great book with an amazing twist. This is for anyone wanting something new and fresh to read. Great book, will be recommending this to the book club, great discussions will be made from this book.

4 .5 Stars!!! Rounded up
Wow Wow Wow! What an amazing imagination!
How in the world does Harlan Coben think of these things?

Harlan Coben is one of my fav authors this is book #33 for me. This is Book #2 the ‘Wilde’ series. “The Boy in the Woods” was Book #1. In that story we meet Wilde who actually wasn’t a “boy” as the title indicates; Wilde is in his mid-30s. However, the story does take us back to when he was abandoned; he survived by breaking into empty cabins and summer homes searching for food. When he was rescued he was described as ‘Abandoned and Feral”. There were several subplots in Book #1, all had me curious.

Pleased to see “hot” 70 something, defense attorney Hester Crimsten is once again staying connected. She, of course, has been in other Coben novels. Coben’s wit comes through in Hester.
Hester and Oren are still a couple. Hester states she is much too old to say she has a boyfriend but is fine with Oren being her beau!

As the title indicates, Wilde is trying to find his family. He used a genealogy site and finds Daniel Carter who is a DNA match and believed to be his biological father. When Wilde travels to Vegas to meet him, Wilde is not only a surprise but a shock to Carter as he never knew he existed. However, knowing his age, his Carter states he was in the Air Force at that time and had perhaps 8 one-night stands but really doesn’t remember the women; therefore is no help in finding Wilde’s biological mother.
The DNA site that Wilde is using finds Peter Bennett a cousin on his mother’s side of the family.
Peter Bennett is a reality star on the show “Love is a Battlefield”. I, of course, thought the same as Wilde as in Pat Benatar’s song “Love is a Battlefield” is now a reality show?

Story kept me turning pages as I, too, wanted to know ‘Wilde’s background was he left as a baby or was he abandoned short before he was found when he was six years old. Wilde cannot remember!

Hang in there as we find out the whole truth in this story!!!

Harlan Coben never disappoints. Have to admit I was sad when Coben decided to part ways with Myron Bolitar (my favorite character ~ read every novel in that series!).
However, now excited with Wilde!!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 15, 2022

I love Harlan Coben. The way that he is able to make such deep and related characters, just keeps you coming back for more. I wish more of his books would get picked up to be made into miniseries.

This book was a great follow up to “the boy in the woods” and Wilde is starting to become one of my favorite characters. I love a good thriller series and I haven’t been able to find one that is captivating in awhile. Can’t wait for the next book!!

Thank you Netgalley and grand central publishing for the eARC

What a great follow up from "The Boy in the Woods". Harlan Coben never disappoints and it's worth the read.

Wow. Just wow. Wilde is giving Win a run for his money as my favorite Harlan character, and I am here for it. All the twists and turns you’d expect from a master of suspense, but so much more too! Just brilliantly spectacular!

I have been waiting for this book, and it was well worth the wait. Harlan Cohen creates some of the most interesting characters but none as interesting and as complex as Wilde, who is supported by a cast of characters who are believable, well defined and likeable. I hope we see more of them soon.