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Hold Tight  By  cover art

Hold Tight

By: Harlan Coben
Narrated by: Scott Brick
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Publisher's summary

Mike held his son's hand and told him to "hold tight", and he could feel the little hand dig into his. But the crush got bigger, and the little hand slipped from his - and Mike felt that horrible panic, as if a wave hit them at the beach and it was washing his baby out with the tide.

The separation lasted only a few seconds, 10 at the most, but Mike would never forget the spike in his blood and the terror of those brief few moments.

Tia and Mike Baye never imagined they'd become the type of overprotective parents who spy on their kids. But their 16-year-old son, Adam, has been unusually distant lately, and after the suicide of his classmate, Spencer Hill - the latest in a string of issues at school - they can't help but worry. They install a sophisticated spy program on Adam's computer, and within days they are jolted by a message from an unknown correspondent addressed to their son: "Just stay quiet and all safe."

Meanwhile, browsing through an online memorial for Spencer put together by his classmates, Betsy Hill is struck by a photo that appears to have been taken on the night of her son's death...and he wasn't alone. She thinks it is Adam Baye standing just outside the camera's range, but when Adam goes missing, it soon becomes clear that something deep and sinister has infected their community.

For Tia and Mike Baye, the question they must answer is this: When it comes to your kids, is it possible to know too much?

©2008 Harlan Coban (P)2008 Brilliance Audio

Critic reviews

"Parents will find this compulsive page-turner from Edgar-winner Coben...particularly unnerving." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Hold Tight

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,611
  • 4 Stars
    2,116
  • 3 Stars
    863
  • 2 Stars
    192
  • 1 Stars
    97
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,753
  • 4 Stars
    1,267
  • 3 Stars
    428
  • 2 Stars
    101
  • 1 Stars
    75
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,146
  • 4 Stars
    1,555
  • 3 Stars
    687
  • 2 Stars
    150
  • 1 Stars
    68

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Ed
  • 05-09-08

Will hold your interest till the end

With 20 minutes left in this listen, I had just about decided to award it five stars. The last 20 minutes brought it down to four. This should not dissuade people from purchasing the book. Coben does his usual excellent job of creating characters that the listener can identify with. He weaves together two separate but related stories that wil have listeners postulating and guessing. At the book's conclusion he inserts a final twist that borders on the preposterous. To say more might give something away. Luckily it doesn't seriously detract from the listening experience. Scott Brick does a fine job with the narration and makes the dialogue and who's speaking pretty easy to follow. Coben came very close to having a great book with many interesting and surprising twists and turns, except for the final one. It is still worth you time, especially if you're a Coben fan.

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72 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

One of Coben's best

I love Harlan Coben's standalone thrillers, such as Tell No One and Gone For Good. Coben knows how to build and keep suspense through the whole book, and Hold Tight is no exception.
It has an interesting premise: parents spying on their kids, and the author made a very interesting story out of that premise, adding some interesting notes on technology.
But the main theme with all his books is nonstop suspense. I love all Coben's standalone thrillers for that reason (I haven't read his Myron Bolitar books yet).
Each time I read a book my this author I'm always disappointed when I get to the end, I always want the story to go on. To me, that is the true test of a good story.

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60 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

My first Coben

This is the first Harlan Coben book I've read and I can't wait to get to the rest. The premise intrigued me and the book didn't disappoint. I would buy the phone book from Audible if Scott Brick were the narrator. Coben and Brick combined kept me glued to my headphones for two days of "don't you dare interrupt me" looks while listening to this intricately woven tale of seemingly unlinked events that left me in awe of a storyteller who makes his craft look effortless. I never felt manipulated, just extremely amazed at the way this tale unfolded.

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43 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

I am a commuter and listening to audio books keeps the road rage to non exsistent. I must say that this audio book was addictive. It kept me on the edge of my seat. I was actually getting angry, feeling torture and sorrow. Amazing writing. I highly recommend to anyone who loves suspense and mystery.

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39 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Hold Tight

Excellent! the best book of 2008 by far. A thriller beyond imagination, that might even happen in our own backyard!! Characters are well developed, the good guys are truly good,loyal and perfection itself. the "bad" guys are tough, ugly and meet all expectations. With everyone, good and/or bad, their lives are all entwined to bring this novel to the most thrilling, unexpected end.

Three cheers to Halan Coben. and three cheers to your best Narrator, Scott Brick.

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29 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

The best

I say the best because it is the best mystery book I have listened to. Mysteries are not my favorite genre. If they were I may have given this a five. It held my attention throughout the book and had many plot twists and turns. All were neatly tied up at the end though and it was nice to hear it all come together. There is some gore and torture in this book so just be aware that some parts are hard to listen to. Still an enjoyable "read" and worth the download.

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28 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Non Stop Listen!

This is my 1st Coben book and wow I couldnt stop listening. The title is perfect as you hold tight as the story unfolds. 5 stars for sure!

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Not one dull moment!

This was my first book I have experienced that is written by Coben and I will definitely be listening to others written by him.

The characters really come to life and the experience of listening to this book is as good as (if not better than) a watching a movie!

The story is fresh, suspenseful, interesting, and very realistic.

Scott Brick, as always, does a flawless job narrating!

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Unbearable Narration

I have been an Audible customer for quite a few years now - I have purchased and listened to well over a hundred books. Harlen Coben is one of my favorite authors. But his publisher should have known better than to hire Scott Brick to narrate his book. I couldn't listen to more than an hour of this overly, intensely, continuously dramatic reading. It wore me out, ticked me off, and made me forget to listen to the story. I'll never download another Scott Brick narration. I'm sorry I wasted the credit on this one. Two stars because Coben is such a great writer. I'm off to buy the paperback.

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Narrator ruined it

I love Harlan Coben books. There isn't a book he's written that I don't adore. This is the first one I tried in audio book format. I could not get through it. The narrator managed to make every character loathsome and pathetic by fading out the ends of sentences, or intoning them with an upward inflection. I finally gave up, deleted the files, and decided to wait for the paperback, lest this book be ruined for me altogether.

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21 people found this helpful