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)

Grabs you quickly and doesn’t let go.

Good story with well fleshed out characters. The man who performs it has a wonderful voice that is easy to listen to.

Scott Brick, narrator

Scott Brick speaks well, however, the consistent panic in his voice is exhausting. Please change cadence on some paragraphs.

Excellent storytelling

First, I love this narrator. Coben was able to intertwine so many characters’ stories so well. Just love how it all came together.

Gritty

Harlan Coben knows how to keep your interest at peak level. I wouldn’t call this entertainment.. a little to edgy for me. Story ends well.. but you will probably opt for the next read to be much lighter
However he ties it up very neatly

So many characters

This is a good book, but unless you have a fantastic memory, you need to find some way to keep track of all the characters—there are a lot of them.

Narration g

Narrated by Scott Brick who does a terrible job. Every sentence reads like a breathless B rated suspense movie. Not sure if I will go back and read print version.

Could not put it down

Parts were hard to hear as a parent and I have history with suicide familial and a friend’s teen. Hold Tight is a great title. As parents and as humans; sometimes that is all we can do is “hold tight” to our loved ones. This world can be a frightening place. I think holding tight to what we believe, what we dream for, what we want etc. - this is our power.

kept my interest!

great narrator. Murder, deceit, tangled stories and characters with the truth that doesn't come out till the end.

Couldn't put it down!

This was an excellent book! It had many twists and turns but it was not confusing to follow the path. It was interesting to see how all the intrique tied together. I hightly recommend it.

Too many sub-plots to keep straight.

This is the second Harlan Coben book I have tried and I believe it will be my last. This had far too many sub-plots going on to keep straight. It may have been a better choice to read vs listening to so that you could go back and refresh your memory on who all the characters were.
It felt like some of the minor characters were thrown in and not explained well enough to understand their purpose.
Not a very satisifying listen at all.