The Match by Harlan Coben Book Review

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Written By Karen

I’ve long been a fan of Harlan Coben books, and have previously read Stay Close, Gone for Good, Fool Me Once and Promise me to name but a few.  

Therefore, when I was given the chance to read his new book called “The Match”, I didn’t hesitate.  I didn’t think it was possible that I could be even more intrigued and captivated by his latest book – but I certainly was. 

The Match by Harlan Coben

The Match starts with the story of Wilde, a little boy who was lost in the Ramapo Mountains in New Jersey from a young age. By accident, he makes friends with the son of celebrity lawyer, Hester Crimstein’s son David, and once discovered, they ensure that he is fostered and grows up surrounded by love and “Family”.

The story fast forwards 30 years, with Wilde a grown man. He decides to try and find his real family by trying to use one of the many DNA websites available.   He receives a match which is  likely to be his father, but when he goes to meet Daniel Carter, the man appears to know nothing about him.

Thinking it’s a dead end, Wilde goes back to his normal life until he comes across an email from a person known only as PB, with a 25% match, which is likely to mean a half sibling. 

This is when the story starts getting more intriguing, what with missing people, people being killed and a secret online vigilante groups.

PB ends up being a TV reality star who has supposedly committed suicide over sexual harassment allegations. As Wilde gets to know PB’s family, thinking it is his own true family, many things come to light that Wilde was not expecting.   As he digs deeper, more sinister things occur.

There are two parts to this story, from the side of Wilde and the other side of the character PB.  When they link together it is both intriguing and fascinating.

Wilde acquires the help of his foster sister who works in security, and as they both travel to various states in America to try to find out the truth, they discover plenty of clues to see where Wilde fits into this complicated jigsaw puzzle. 

Without giving away any meaningful spoilers, this book keeps you hooked from the very beginning to the very end, especially the little twist in the last chapter.  

Yet again I thoroughly enjoyed another Harlan Coben book and would highly recommend reading “The Match” when it is published this month. 

I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for giving me the opportunity to read this EBook in return for my honest review.