The Woods

By: Harlan Coben

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES!

The bestselling author and creator of the hit Netflix drama The Stranger takes listeners into the heart of family loyalty in this twisty thriller that proves that the darkest secrets are often closest to home.

Paul Copeland, a New Jersey county prosecutor, is still grieving the loss of his sister twenty years ago - the night she walked into the woods, never to be seen again. But now, a homicide victim is found with evidence linking him to the disappearance. The victim could be the boy who vanished along with Paul's sister. And, as hope rises that his sister could still be alive, dangerous secrets from his family's past threaten to tear apart everything Paul has been trying to hold together....

©2007 Harlan Coben (P)2007 Brilliance Audio

Critic reviews

“[The Woods] might just be the best thing Coben has written...A gripping story, filled with fine characters and dark secrets.” - Chicago Sun Times

“A lively, fast-moving entertainment, jam packed with the bizarre plot twists that are his stock in trade.” - The Washington Post

“Another surprising and emotional story that will remain with the reader long after the last page is finished. One of Coben’s best.” - Library Journal

excellent mystery

Great read narrated to perfection! lots of twists and surprises that totally kept me hooked. one of the things I really liked was the suspense without the gore or smut found in too many books. I will be reading more from this author and listen to more from this narrator for sure!

The Darkness of Night

Paul Copeland is the acting DA who is prosecuting two young boy's who belong to a fraternity at a nearby college, for the rape of an eighteen year old girl, who has a 15 month old child, taken money for sex and performs as a stripper. Both boy's parents are rich and have offered the DA a settlement, if the accuser will drop the charges. The girl would not concede to consensual sex, reiterating that she had been raped, even when cross examined by the defense attorney and they were brutal, she did not break. Copeland doesn't make her aware of the monetary offer because he wants the boy's to pay for their crime. Copeland believes his client, even with her history. She didn't lie to him nor the prosecutor. She was not proud of her behavior but told them she knew the difference between consensual sex and rape. And she had been raped.

This rape trial begins to unravel crimes that occurred 20 year's ago at a summer camp and this is why Paul Copeland, who attended this same camp when these crimes occurred, doesn't want to accept a monetary settlement. Copeland became a DA due to the crimes that had happened those twenty odd year's ago.

The belief was that two girl's and two boy's had been killed. One boy and one girl had been found buried in shallow graves. The other boy and girl, the girl was Copeland's sister, had never been found. A counselor had been questioned but was not arrested. The murderer had never been caught and prosecuted. Copeland's mother had left his father and son shortly after the occurrence because she could not deal with the loss of her daughter. Copeland grew up thinking that his mother didn't love him as much as his sister because he was left behind.

The defense begins to delve into the past of Paul Copeland and other people involved with the DA. The parent's hope is that this will create problems for the DA and Copeland will encourage his client to accept the money. The parent's continue to tell Copeland that the boy's are good and they don't want them to have a record. The DA put his investigator, Muse, to start searching for information that involved members of the defense and those affiliated with the defense. His client was truthful and had already admitted to her own incriminating evidence.

The Woods, was a great mystery. There was intrigue, suspense and it kept me very interested as to what would happen next. When I noticed that the narrator was Scott Brick, I was sure that with his narration and the reviews, the book would be a good one. I wasn't disappointed. I've listened to Harlan Coban before and liked his previous novels which added a bit more confidence that, The Woods, would be a good choice. The character's were well developed and I was given information that proved relevant to his/her actions. I didn't waste my credit when I purchased this book and I don't think that you will either. Your interest will be initiated from the beginning. You won't have to wade through chapter's before enjoying the book. I hope that you enjoy this book as much as I did.

Lots of twists and turns

This is a good story! I was not able to predict very far in advance what was going to happen. Often I discover the end half way through a mystery but this one was well written and I was surprised a few times. I will read more from this author!

As always Scott Brick was awesome!

Sit back, relax and enjoy....

Having listened to numerous Coben books already, I was not surprised to have enjoyed this story.
Coben's writing flows easily from one sentence to the next paragraph into a chapter very smoothly - progressively adding details but never leaving you behind.
A twist is expected from this genre and Coben achieves this. The revelation however is not an emphatic "Ha, bet you didn't see that coming!" but more of an emotional "oh my god!".
The characters (some stereotyped to a point) are believable, allowing you to easily associate and understand them.
Scott Brick is a master narrator and delivers the story with dramatic effect.

Interesting read - worth your time

Not the best mystery type book - but a decent listen for in the car. Quite the twist toward the end

Disappointing.

Kind of liked this book, my second of Mr. Cobin, adn it seems like he doesn't know how to end a mystery book. Well written, but predictable. Far fetched and drawn out.. Good narrator. Just not worth the 14 hour investment.

Great Story - Bad Narrator

The story was a real good one with lots of twists and turns. Worth a 'read' if you can stand to listen to the narrator. He definitely took away from the book. He made me want to scream with his sorrow-filled, monotone voice whenever he was in the main character - which was a good portion of time. I was going to download another Harlan Cobin but saw Scott Brick was also the narrator for that one and I instantly decided to pass.

Gripping and hard to put down!

We listen on roadtrips and end up sitting at our destination not wanting to stop.

I love Harlan

Typical Coben... But that's why I listen.
Twisted stories you dont see coming. Never disappointed.. And I will continue to listen to everyone of his stories

Like a fast-paced Lifetime movie

Loved how everything tied together.
Narrator made several characters sound the same.
Great for times you don't want to think too hard.