Stay Close

By: Harlan Coben

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Megan is a suburban soccer mom who, once upon a time, walked on the wild side. Now she’s got two kids, a perfect husband, a picket fence, and a growing sense of dissatisfaction. Ray used to be a talented documentary photographer, but at the age of 40 he finds himself in a dead-end job posing as a paparazzo, pandering to celebrity-obsessed rich kids. Broome is a detective who can’t let go of a cold case—a local husband and father who disappeared 17 years ago—and spends the anniversary every year visiting a house frozen in time, the missing man’s family still waiting, his slippers left by the recliner as if he might show up at any moment to step into them.

Three people living lives they never wanted, hiding secrets that even those closest to them would never suspect, will find that the past never truly fades away. Even as the terrible consequences of long-ago events crash together in the present and threaten to ruin lives, they will come to the startling realization that they may not want to forget the past at all. And as each confronts the dark side of the American dream—the boredom of a nice suburban life, the excitement of temptation, the desperation and hunger that can lurk behind even the prettiest façades—they will discover the hard truth that the line between one kind of life and another can be as whisper-thin as a heartbeat.

Master of domestic suspense Harlan Coben delivers his trademark combination of pause-resistant thrills and unrivaled insight into the dark shadows that creep into even the happiest communities.

©2012 Harlan Coben (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Coben takes you to the Dark Side on this one.

I am a fan of Harlan Coben. However, this story's plot seems a teensy on the Dark Side. Scott Brick has a style ??? no matter what he is narrating; a overly dramatic New York/Jersey accent. It???s hard to get into the story???s character because it always Scott Brick. That said, this story does take place in ??? New Jersey, so, perhaps Scott was a natural choice for this book. Over all, I liked the way he read this book. Harlan Coben, takes his fans on a different ride ??? far away from the Myron Bolitar series. Over all, I would recommend the book.

Excellent Read

I found this book fascinating in that it gave me a view of the psychological things that happen to a person that turn them into a prostitute and then the the things that happen to turn a seemingly normal person into a serial killer.

a very happy choice

The book was very easy to listen to right from the start. there was a lot of action and raw emotions. it is very enjoyable

Audio Books Do Not Get Better Than This

The perfect combination of a great story and great narration. This review is being written by Platinum subscriber since 2001 and an owner and listener to more than 400 audiobooks. I often base my selections on narrators and purchased Stay Close specifically because Scott Brick was narrating. Scott Brick is the best male narrator in the business and 2nd only to Susan Erickson overall. He can make a mediocre story entertaining, but when he reads a perfect story like Stay Close, its difficult to stop listening. The reviews that I read giving him a 1 star rating have to have been written by audiobook neophytes who should be embarrassed to review any book.

Why all the Scott Brick haters?

Stay Close is on par with Harlan Coben's other stand alone novels. It was engaging and the story line continued to move through out the entire book. I'm not sure why there are some reviewers who seemed to hate Scott Brick's narration. I have listened to probably 30 books narrated by Scott and he does a great job through all of them.

Atlantic City in its Tawdry Glory

The last review I wrote was of Michael Connelly's "The Poet" (1996). I like Connelly well enough, but I've grown frustrated that he doesn't develop his women characters well. They are strong, but one dimensional. I keep thinking, "Why would she do that? Does she think beyond the fight? Does she ever look less-than-sexy?"

Harlan Coben, on the other hand, does a great job creating strong women who have reasons for what they do, doubts, courage, and aren't model thin cookie cut outs. I liked soccer mom Megan Pierce, who has an exciting, hidden past but now juggles kids' schedules, errands and games, two teenagers whose hormonal surges run their mouths, a beloved mother-in-law with dementia, and a husband who feels so lucky that Megan loves him he never questions her past too deeply. Megan's past doesn't 'come back to haunt her' like a bad cliche - she's bored and decides to visit Atlantic City, and she's recognized by an old friend.

Ray Levine, a former war photojournalist who's deeply and unapologetically frequently at the bottom of a bottle of Jack Daniels, is back in Atlantic City. Ray works as a paparazzi for hire, bolstering the egos of wanna-be's at the cost of his own. It's soul-sucking work, but it keeps him in his basement apartment and booze.

Detective Jack Broome can't let go of the case of a man who disappeared years ago - especially when Carlton Flynn disappears 17 years to the day later. Broome's tenacious and complex. This is a 'stand alone' book, but "Stay Close" would be a good start to a Broome series.

Atlantic City, in all it's cheap, skee ball playing, gambling, dive bar and Girls! Girls! Girls! live show pathos, is a friend and a foil for Broome, Ray, and Megan.

I liked the book because it's a thinker (and not just a puzzler about 'who dunnit'), not a formulaic mystery/suspense.

Scott Brick is a good narrator. It's always clear what character he's in.

[If this review helped you, please press YES. Thanks!]

Great story, Irritating narrator

I chose this one in spite of the narrator. Can't stand Scott Brick. His overblown style is like beating your head against a wall. It feels so good when it stops.

"She PLACED.....her SHOE.....on her....LEFT foot."
Sounds like the announcer for a three-ring circus.

Coben is an erratic writer. Some books...not so good. Some great. This is one of the great ones.

The Past Always Catches Up With You!

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

Yes, and I have indeed recommended it. Mr. Coben has a reputation and he very rarely lets his standards down. I can relate to that. This book did not disappoint. I had it figured out before the end but it was still a worthwhile read. And who doesn't love Scott Brick's narration?

What other book might you compare Stay Close to and why?

I haven't really thought about any other similar book. Three characters from very different backgrounds with a shared past meet by extenuating circumstances again to solve a mystery that occurred years ago. I'm sure there are other similar stories out there but, for me, it's more about the characters and the way the story is told.

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

Oh, yes, too many to name here. He did well, as usual. It's really difficult to not know him. I'm reading another book by another author right now who uses a different narrator than ever before and it almost spoiled the book for me. Don't lose Mr. Brick!

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

No extreme reaction. I did catch myself reminiscing about my own past and what, if anything, I would change if given the opportunity. The characters were kind of a sad lot but were better in the end, for me, so it was a positive ending with lots of opportunities for the characters.

Any additional comments?

Mr. Coben, keep 'em coming! This is just a good entertaining read, easy reading.

I found this book to be an average read

The best thing about this book is NO CURSING or VULGARITY. Thank you Harlan Corben!

This book seemed to have a motion picture deal as a goal. For example, one scene involved a lot of silence during a conversation. The tension was palpable in the beginning of this verbal exchange but the payoff was anti-climatic.

The epilog was a total bore. the conversations seemed to slow down the action.

Another positive thing was that most of the descriptions of torture gave just enough suggestions to titillate the imagination. That was wise.

The pace of the narration induced me to listen to this wordy book at 1.5X speed (thanks for a wonderful app audible!).

The narrator's petformance was 1 4.4 for me so overall it is a little kess than 3.5

Not Coben's Trademark Excellence

I admire Harlan Coben as the father of the Myron Bolitar novels. I am in love with Myron Bolitar and consider the repeat characters (Myron's parents, business partners, for example) to be among the best drawn of any series I've read. Additionally, I was always taken on an emotional roller coaster ride by Coben in the Bolitar books.

But this story comes nowhere near that level of excellence.

It is an OK story. I figured out "who dunnit" at the beginning of the book, but I didn't care. I had no investment in either the heroine (Megan) or the detective (Broome) or the old lover (Ray) or the killer. I was somewhat interested in Barbie and Ken - those characters went farthest towards engaging me.

It may not be fair to compare this book to the Myron Bolitar books, but I have to. That is the standard Coben has set.

And I strongly object to the publisher's comments:
"Master of domestic suspense Harlan Coben delivers his trademark
combination of pause-resistant thrills and unrivaled insight ..."

This was NOT Coben's trademark at all.

I suggest you spend your money on a different book.