Hold Tight

By: Harlan Coben

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 12 hrs

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)

You have to pay attention

You have to pay attention to the change in characters speaking. One scene flies into another & you're left dumbfounded rewinding trying to figure out what happened.

Beyond that with patience you learn it's a pretty good story. The premise was a bit weak but the upside is you don't see it coming.

Thrill Ride

A missing son, school bullying, prescription drug abuse, teen suicide, a child in need of a kidney transplant. Not to mention rape, revenge, war crimes, and a sadistic psychopathic killer. All in the nice suburban burg of Livingston, New Jersey (where author Harlan Coben and his childhood/high school friend Chris Christie grew up, right around the corner from where I went to high school in Hawthorne, which gets a mention here).

Harlan Coben always come back to the theme of family bonds -- what you would do for your kids, your siblings, your parents, your friends, even your in-laws, for good and sometimes for ill, all in what would normally be considered safe locales like suburban Livingston, or a small liberal arts college, summer camp, or wealthy Connecticut enclave in the other three Coben books I've read. Coben cleverly turns the paradigm on its head in the end.

Then there are the secrets. Always secrets, always long held, always ruinous. All of these slowly emerge as family ties are tested and widely divergent plot threads converge. Not only has this formula not worn down, for me it gets better with each title. Contrary to what I said in my most recent Coben review (Missing You), I am now ready after reading this excellent novel to elevate Coben to my list of favorite authors.

The only downside remains the narrator, Scott Brick. A female narrator read Missing You, so I forgot about Brick for a moment, but he reads most of Coben's audiobooks. Just about everyone has had it with Brick and his overwrought style. Can we initiate a moratorium on Scott Brick? If I'm on the fence about a book and I see Scott Brick as the reader, I won't get it (just as I'll try anything Wil Wheaton narrates).

The technical angle of Hold Tight could be a downside, but I thought it was hilarious. Coben starts off telling us that the technology used in the story is real -- GPS and spyware. Now commonplace. Written less than ten years ago, Coben relies on applications that are already passe -- IM, Mapquest, MySpace rather than text or Twitter, Google maps or Waze, Facebook or Instagram. Amazing how fast things change -- a book written today highlighting the latter set of apps will no doubt seem comical ten years from now.

Complex, intriguing plot twists you until the end!

What did you love best about Hold Tight?

The pacing was quick and tense. The story kept me guessing until the end. I am usually a fan of extremely well-defined characters where the novel is driven by character more than plot. But this story is different. The story kept my interest even though I wished to learn more about the main characters.

Any additional comments?

Scott Brick is outstanding with his narration. And the pairing of Scott and Harlan is superb. The narration added so much to the development. At times I do not like audio books because the narrators get the voices of women so wrong. Not here. Scott doesn't try too hard to speak with a high voice which comes off wrong. It is easy to listen and get lost in the plot because Scott never takes me out of the story -- which happens when the voices are wrong.

Coben never disappoints...

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Another excellent read by Harlan Coben! One thing I will warn (for any of you who haven't read Coben before) is that his stories have many layers---- and, therefore, many characters! If you're a visual person like me, you will need to pay close attention to characters' names so that you can keep all the plot lines straight. If you can do this, you will not be disappointed! Coben is great, and Scott Brick is hands-down the best narrator I've ever listened to!

Great story

Really enjoyed this book. Re narrator was great. The plot good and unpredictable.
Will definitely listen to more of Harlan Corban's books

Three story lines

I would have preferred one well developed story line than three loosely written that are tied together in the end.

GREAT BOOK AND SO REVEALING!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have four kids and after reading this book I am so happy they are grown. Otherwise I would spy on them and check everything they do. This books really makes parents look twice at their children and question everything they say. The endings were neatly tied and had some nice surprises. Not all kids are unaware of grown-folks-business.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, very engaging and keeps you guessing. I fell in love Mr. Bae

Have you listened to any of Scott Brick’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, excellent

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The twist

Any additional comments?

I am a huge fan of Harlan Coben. I love the Myron B series (mainly Win, such a good/bad boy) but I could not put down this book. Mr. Coben certainly knows how to keep his readers attention and he always seems to tie the stories together nicely. Some minor issues but not significant enough to mention.

Family first!

Interesting storyline about teenagers coming to term with life and just how far parents should go to protect them. Really liked the main characters and the realistic emotions faced by them and their families.

Hard to take a timeout

Compelling story is strong in this novel. The reader's different voices made keeping track of a lot of chsracters easy.

Solid Coben but not his best

I'm a BIG fan of Mr Coben but I found this one a bit hard to follow. Brick's performance only added to the challenge. There were a ton of characters and the scenes would sometimes change unnoticed due to the lack of space between them. Well worth the read but pay attention!