Member Reviews
Thank you NetGalley for the Advanced Copy of I Will Find You by Harlan Coben. I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who wants an intense thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat! This was such a page-turner and I devoured it! Action-packed, quick paced, thriller - a must read.
When it comes to knocking your socks off, Coben is your guy! Wow! This book blew me away. Propulsive and thrilling with an ending that satisfied most of my thoughts throughout this read. The plot and story were so well done. The characters had me on the edge of my seat. Grab a copy everyone you will not be disappointed
Harlan Coben’s consistency of excellence continues in his new book “I Will Find You” - I was immediately enveloped by the question: Is Matthew alive? The twists of the book keep you engaged and the ending reminded me of a classic mystery novel with a satisfying solve for the reader and enough suspense to leave some questions until you read them on the page. I highly recommend!
I am sad to say that this is a first read for my by Harlan Coben but I can promise you it won't be my last. This read was so captivating and kept my attention through the whole thing. The characters were highly developed and I could relate to them.
David Burrough's was wrongly convicted of killing his own son and is serving a life sentence. He did not put up a fight during his trial and just took his sentence. David's friends and family were no support either because they believed that David committed the crime. He said that since his son was gone, he had nothing really to live for. David had requested to not have visitors in jail and has not seen or heard from anyone in the 5 years that he has served. When the guard tells him that he has a visitor one day, he declines going to see who it is, but to his surprise the guard tells him that he can't do that since he hasn't updated his form to not have visitors. David reluctantly goes to see who has come to see him and finds out that it is his sister-in-law. Technically his ex-sister-in-law since his wife divorced him after the trial.
Rachel is determined to get David's attention but has a hard time even getting through to David since he is dead set on not talking to anyone from his past. After Rachel and David get past the pleasantries, Rachel shows David something that renews his determination for living life. Rachel shows David a picture and in that picture is a boy that looks just like his son. Same birthmark and all. How could it be though, didn't they do a DNA match on the body for the trial?
David is determined to get out of that jail and prove that his son is still alive. He has some obstacles to overcome first though. Someone is not happy with him still being alive and is paying some of the guards to help hurt and try to get rid of David. Will David be able to evade them and get to where he can prove that his son is still alive? You will have to read and find out what all David has to overcome to prove he is right, or will he? I highly recommend this book! You will not want to put it down until you are finished with it, Very fast paced.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.
In typical Harlan Coben fashion, this book was a shocking—and at times unbelievable—thriller.
David and Cheryl had what appeared to be the perfect life until he went to prison for the brutal murder of their son. While he had no memory of actually committing the heinous act, he accepted his fate and refused to receive any visitors while incarcerated. But when his sister-in-law, Rachel, showed up unexpectedly during visitor hours with a recent photo of what appeared to be his son, they were both convinced that he was still alive. How could that possibly be? What started out as a foolish plan to escape from prison, quickly turned into a race against time for David to locate his son, clear his name, and learn the truth begin what really happened that night.
This was quite the dramatic thriller, and I was completely enthralled by this story and these characters. At times the details seemed so outlandish that I couldn’t quite wrap my head around certain events actually happening, but people will do crazy things to get what they want, even if it means hurting other along the way.
Highly recommend!
*Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing a copy of this book to review.*
The story begins with David Burroughs five years into serving a life sentencing for murdering his son. He feels his life his over and never fought his conviction since he felt his life was over without his son. He never felt he would have murdered his own son but he had no memory of the night in question. David refused visitors in his first years at the prison until one day when his sister-in-law, Rachel, shows up requesting to see him. The visit causes him to question if his son is actually still alive. The book is an another great by Harlan Coben! I couldn’t put it down until the last page. I highly recommend this book and this author.
Published by Grand Central Publishing on March 14, 2023
I Will Find You sounds like a line from a movie delivered with threatening force by Liam Neeson or with understated assurance by Daniel Day Lewis. The unfortunate title aside, I Will Find You is a creative marriage of the “missing child” thriller and the “wrongly accused prisoner” story.
David Burroughs didn’t put up much of a defense when he was accused of taking a bat to his three-year-old son’s face and literally beating his brains out. David’s wife Cheryl was working the night shift at a hospital. All David recalls is drinking too much, passing out, and waking up to find Matthew’s unrecognizable body. He has no recollection of committing the crime, but he blames himself for not protecting his son and feels he deserves a life in prison. Nor does he recall burying the bat in his yard, despite his neighbor’s testimony that she saw him do it.
David is five years into his bit when Rachel, his former sister-in-law, visits him for the first time. She shows David a photograph taken at an amusement park. In the background is an eight-year-old kid who has Matthew’s distinctive facial birthmark. Could David have been framed for a murder he didn’t commit and, if so, who is the dead kid in his bedroom?
That’s a reasonably good thriller premise despite the holes that keep the story from being a smooth ride. It’s no less plausible than the average modern thriller, meaning not very plausible at all. Harlen Coben overcomes those problems by keeping the story in motion, leaving the reader with little time to say, “Hey, wait a minute.” Coben makes a valiant and reasonably clever attempt to explain the mystery while tying up most of the loose ends.
Naturally, David needs to bust out of prison, a problem that becomes more urgent after one of the guards tries to kill him. It seems that someone wants David to die before he learns the truth. Fortunately, the break-out isn’t difficult, thanks to the happy coincidence that the warden is David’s godfather. The warden isn’t convinced that Matthew is still alive but he also doesn’t want David to be murdered in prison.
David is assisted in his version of the search for a one-armed man by Rachel, the only other person who believes Matthew is still alive. Rachel has some baggage of her own, having sacrificed her career as a journalist by pushing a rape victim to tell her story, leading to a regrettable result. Cheryl has remarried and doesn’t want to think about Matthew, leading to a confrontation between the two troubled siblings.
Starting with the woman who testified about the buried bat, David and Rachel move from clue to clue. The plot twists nicely when David realizes that finding the person who framed him won’t necessarily help him find the kidnapper.
Harlan Coben’s standalone novels tend to be hit or miss with me. About half are misses. Constant motion, adequate attention to characterization, and clever plotting move I Will Find You into the hit category. David never actually says “I will find you,” making it unnecessary to decide whether Neeson or Lewis should play his part if the book is filmed.
RECOMMENDED
If you are a fan of prison break meets the fugitive meets emotional tale, this is the book for you!
When he was tried for the crime, he didnt take a deal or assist in his defense .He believed he failed his son - a fathers responsibility is to keep his son safe. He failed in that, so he belonged in jail. That was until his sister-in-law, Rachel, brings a photo to the jail 5 years later and it has his son in the background. Knowing that when an inmate claims innocence, no one believes them - not their family, nor friends, nor lawyer, David Burroughs decides he needs to break out of jail to find out the truth himself.
I Will Find You had everything I’ve come to expect in a Harlan Coben novel and more. This is a puzzling tale filled with coercion, lies, secrets, and deception. In this twisted and convoluted tale, David works to uncover the truth about his son and clear his name, all the while not knowing if Matthew is alive or if he has sacrificed his freedom for nothing.
I found myself immediately invested in this page turner. Coben has a way of weaving a complex and suspenseful plot that keeps the reader guessing. As a mom, I felt a strong connection to David, as he goes through all the ups and downs of trying to prove his innocence and find his son. I enjoyed storyline of the two FBI agents pursuing him. And even though the book does have some far-fetched ideas, I enjoyed this fast paced read.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for sharing this thrilling emothional read.
This is another pulse-pounding Harlan Coben book! I was immediately drawn into the story, and could not wait to find out what would happen next! It was a story full of twists just like I love, and I would recommend it to other suspense thriller fans.
Harlan Coben writes another fast-paced thriller in I Will Find You. The story is captivating and filled with twists. I couldn’t wait to see how this story would end. I highly recommend.
It’s been five years since David was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his three-year-old son Matthew even though he maintains his innocence. Then a visit from Rachel, his ex sister-in-law changes everything that David believed in .
I Will Find You from Harlan Coben is a fast paced , addictive rollercoaster ride that does not let up . A little over the top especially towards the end, but this aspect didn't take away from my enjoyment. A solid 5 stars !
I would like to thank Grand Central Publishing & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
I received a copy of this in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.
If you're a Harlan Coben fan, this is a must-read for you. If you're into thrillers, well worth the read as well.
Our MC David is serving a prison sentence for the murder of his 3 year old son. He's stood by his innocence since day one, but so many prisoners do, right?
But there's a twist. He's "presented" with some information that his son may still be alive. So what does he do? Have his lawyer work on that, right? Wrong. He breaks out and hunts for the truth. Naturally, haha.
There's obviously way more to the book than that, but that should catch your attention enough. The book was engaging and easy to follow. Worth the read if this is your jam.
One-sentence summary:
David is five years into a prison sentence for killing his three-year-old son - a murder he swears he didn’t commit, but when he’s presented with evidence that his child might still be alive, he breaks out of prison and hunts down the truth.
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This was such a fun read. Is the premise outrageous? Yes. Are some of the twists a bit implausible? Yeah, maybe. Guess what - I don’t care one bit. It’s a gritty and fast-paced page-turner filled with pure adrenaline, and I enjoyed every second of the read.
Thank you Grand Central Publishing for the ARC!
I'm a big Harlan Coben fan, and this had many of the hallmarks of his style. However, his recent books just don't have the shocking twists they used to. This was fast paced and intriguing but not as surprising as I would have liked.
Wow, this book is incredibly fast-paced! I read this in one day, and when I checked the page length in my Kindle, I couldn’t believe it was around 400 pages. There’s some measure of believability that you’ll have to give up because there are too many coincidences for the plot to have really happened. However, this is part of what makes it so readable. This is not your typical police procedural, for sure. I would have been interested in more development of the Payne family history and also David’s dad. Otherwise, I really enjoyed reading this one! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Harlan Coben has done it again. I could not put this book down. From the very first line, I was caught in the story and couldn’t stop until it had all unraveled and the truth was revealed. Of course there was suspense, but the characters were also likable, flawed as they were. I highly recommend to any suspense or Coben fan. It’s Coben at his finest.
I really enjoyed the first half of the book. The entire book really did keep me on my toes but I’ll be honestly. The last half was just a lot of unnecessary filler words. It was almost too descriptive and I felt like some parts didn’t need to be in the story at all. The twists and turns were great! It just felt like it dragged on to get to the point and the end.
If you have never read and Harlen Coben books, I envy you. His books are so good, you will not believe you've never read any of them before.
In I WILL FIND YOU, David Burroughs has been convicted of murdering his son in a most horrific manner. After serving 5 years in a maximum security prison, he learns that his son is still alive. What does he do? Notify authorities, call the Tv and paper? No, they'd never believe him. He must find his son and set the records straight himself. And so, the story is off and running.....
Coben's stories are original, no recycling the same story from his many, many titles or borrowing a line or two from today's best seller. The characters are originals. They all have their strengths and weaknesses and a few quirks too. They must figure out who they can trust, if anyone, and find the ways and means to solve their problems themselves. The stories are straight forward, well except for the twists that you'll never see coming. Even the books endings are not happily ever afters, the characters are left with scabs and scars that have changed them forever. Read them for yourself. You deserve a great book too.
This was a fast-paced thriller. I was caught up in the story more than I was invested in the characters. I will recommend this to readers who want plenty of action to keep them moving along through the chapters. Harlan Coben delivers!
I Will Find You is an exciting departure from Harlan Coben’s usual man in jeopardy stories.
David Burroughs has spent the last five years in jail for the murder of his son Matthew. David has maintained his innocence, but there has been no evidence to back his claim. Rachel, David’s former sister-in- law, pays an unexpected visit with a photograph that shows a child that looks like Matthew. David believes that the child is his son and breaks out of jail to go find him. David and Rachel team up only to discover not only that there’s a possible frame-up, but also questions about Matthew’s lineage.
The first notable difference from Coben’s previous novels is the timeline of the story happens in a 24 hour time period. The action and plot run at 100 miles. Second, the tone is darker which gives it more of an edge. Third, David is the hero, but he doesn’t always do heroic things. There are still Coben’s trademarks such as his knack for sarcastic humor, the occasional pop culture reference, and an ironic twist at the end.
I find myself hesitant when an author departs from their usual style, because they often try so hard that they I have to remind myself why I read their books in the first place. In this case, I never lost site that this was a Harlan Coben page-turner. The shift from his usual lighter tone was just right for this story especially when it comes to the villain’s motives for their crimes.
I Will Follow You will surprise his devoted readers, but the will discover that it follows in the tradition of his previous springtime blockbuster thrillers.