Six Years

By: Harlan Coben

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Six years have passed since Jake Fisher watched Natalie, the love of his life, marry another man. Six years of hiding a broken heart by throwing himself into his career as a college professor. Six years of keeping his promise to leave Natalie alone, and six years of tortured dreams of her life with her new husband, Todd.

But six years haven’t come close to extinguishing his feelings, and when Jake comes across Todd’s obituary, he can’t keep himself away from the funeral. There he gets the glimpse of Todd’s wife he’s hoping for...but she is not Natalie. Whoever the mourning widow is, she’s been married to Todd for almost two decades, and with that fact, everything Jake thought he knew about the best time of his life - a time he has never gotten over - is turned completely inside out.

As Jake searches for the truth, his picture-perfect memories of Natalie begin to unravel. Mutual friends of the couple either can’t be found or don’t remember Jake. No one has seen Natalie in years. Jake’s search for the woman who broke his heart, who lied to him, soon puts his very life at risk as it dawns on him that the man he has become may be based on a carefully constructed fiction.

Harlan Coben once again delivers a shocking novel that deftly explores the power of past love and the secrets and lies that such love can hide.

©2013 Harlan Coben (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Edge of your seat thriller

One of the best thrillers I've heard. Coben kept me intrigued throughout the entire story. This is one of the few thrillers I've read that I couldn't figure out how the story would end. Scott Brick did a wonderful job of narrating this book. I would recommend this to anyone who likes thrillers!

Intriguing

What did you like best about Six Years? What did you like least?

Best: Kept you guessing until the very end.
Worst: I thought it was going to more of a psychological thriller (totally my fault) so I was a little disappointed that it was not.

What did you like best about this story?

It was very interesting and there were just enough clues to keep me listening without giving away the ending.

Did Scott Brick do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

He did okay. In general I am not a huge fan of male narrators and the way they make women sound. But Brick did an okay job of differentiating between characters. I also thought his voice was a little old for the age of Jake.

Did Six Years inspire you to do anything?

No.

Any additional comments?

I thought the premise was great. I enjoyed the story but thought the execution could have been a little bit better. I realize it is fiction and that the author needs to make certain things happen for the mystery to unfold and for the main character to be able to find the clues. BUT I thought there was a lot that was just a little to coincidental.

Where's Natalie?!!!!

That's the question that plagues Jake Fisher. When Jake is dumped 6 years earlier, after falling in love with Natalie, he was willing to bow out. Now, it appears she's missing and some very bad people want to know where she is. Everyone in this story has a secret and not telling it, which is driving Jake mad, but the worst of it all, is that Natalie is missing and he doesn't know if she's safe or not. The whole book is a huge dangerous puzzle that doesn't get solved til the end, but keeps you guessing as the clues mount up.
The kind of book that I wanted to go to the end and read it, just to get rid of the anxiety, but I didn't so I thoroughly enjoyed it, as everything unfolded.

A story infused with suspense, mystery and wit

Coben does it again with this title. An engaging story, written in the first person, that takes lots of twists and turns. The narrator/main character starts out very sympathetic, but there are times when his infatuation is exasperating and frustrating. But that is part of the construct that makes this work one that can be hard to put down. It has a few plot holes and some of the characters sometimes come across as a bit thick-skulled, but it is an interesting story and an enjoyable read.

Great story line, keeps you guessing!

This story is (finally!) not another Mylan Bolitar run on sentence, but stands alone in its characters and theme. Jake Fisher is a man pining for a love lost six years prior, but he has kept his promise to leave Natalie and her new husband alone. When Jake comes across the obituary of the husband, he is compelled to contact Natalie and find out why the relationship he valued came to an abrupt end.

An intriguing thriller and heartfelt story of longing and dedication, you won't be disappointed by this book!

Great From Start To Finish

A great mystery/thriller that will keep you guessing start to finish. I could not put it down. Highly recommended.

Great Listen

Would you consider the audio edition of Six Years to be better than the print version?

Don't know, didn't read the print version.

What did you like best about this story?

How I was kept on edge with all of the twists and turns. Just about the time I figured out who the bad guy was the story turned and it looked like someone else was the bad guy. It was wonderfully complicated but very easy to follow. I really enjoyed this book.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

I liked that I could differentiate between the characters and that he read very crisply without any annoying habits like sucking in a breath.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Kept me on edge.

Any additional comments?

I wish I could find more books like this one. It so hit and miss when I buy audio books.

so cheesy!

It may have been the narrator... or both. Not recommended! Glad I bought the book on sale. I'm surprised I managed to finish it.

Not his best.

Not a bad read, but not what I expected. The story floats a lot and you have to wonder is it real or a figment of the protagonists mind. The ending is rushed and easy to decipher.

Suspense mystery novel.

Suspense novel with all the expected plot twists and turns. Jake falls in love with Natalie during a summer retreat in Vermont. Natalie breaks it off, marries Todd, tells Jake to leave her alone. Heartbroken Jake never recovers. Flash forward six years, Todds obituary spurrs Jake to go to Natalie, only "plot twist" Todd was NEVER married to Natalie, he was married to Delia.
So starts the search for Natalie. With the cast of bad guys growing, plot twists popping up every few pages, this book kept my interest.
I did feel several times that Jake was the stereotypical TSSL hero. He keeps doing and saying stupid stuff. But overall a nice suspense novel that kept my attention.
Of course narrator Scott Brick does an excellent job bringing the characters to audio life..