Shelter

A Mickey Bolitar Novel (Mickey Bolitar, Book 1)

By: Harlan Coben

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

NOW A PRIME VIDEO SERIES from internationally bestselling author Harlan Coben

Mickey Bolitar's year can't get much worse. After witnessing his father's death and sending his mom to rehab, he's forced to live with his estranged uncle Myron and switch high schools.

A new school comes with new friends and new enemies, and lucky for Mickey, it also comes with a great new girlfriend, Ashley. For a while, it seems like Mickey's train-wreck of a life is finally improving—until Ashley vanishes without a trace. Unwilling to let another person walk out of his life, Mickey follows Ashley's trail into a seedy underworld that reveals that this seemingly sweet, shy girl isn't who she claimed to be. And neither was Mickey's father. Soon, Mickey learns about a conspiracy so shocking that it makes high school drama seem like a luxury—and leaves him questioning everything about the life he thought he knew.

First introduced to readers in Harlan Coben's adult novel, Live Wire, Mickey Bolitar is as quick-witted and clever as his uncle Myron, and eager to go to any length to save the people he cares about. With this series, Coben introduces an entirely new generation of fans to the masterful plotting and wry humor that have made him an award-winning, internationally bestselling, and beloved author.

©2011 Harlan Coben (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Not a Myron Bolitar story, but still good.

Would you recommend Shelter to your friends? Why or why not?

If you are a Harlan Coben fan and have his other books, add this one to your collection. If not, read one of his Myron Bolitar novels before this one.

Amazing Book

Really good book I don’t read often but this book was amazing and really got me into it I definitely recommend this book to everyone.

Excellent!

This is a Great book! Excited it’s a series. Can’t wait to listen to the next one.

Young Reader

Listened through as Coben is one of my favs and the Myron series seems done.
Seems this is a series for young readers.

Disappointing this time

Would you listen to Shelter again? Why?

No need to--the story wasn't complicated enough to need another round. And the lack of satisfying ending is irritating.

If you’ve listened to books by Harlan Coben before, how does this one compare?

Maybe I'm just more fond of Uncle Myron. I find Mickey to be not quite teenage enough; not quite adult enough.

What does Nick Podehl bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice didn't really convey the youth of Mickey Bolitar, but he does a fine job of differentiating characters by their voices. Maybe I'm just not taking the vocal chords of a 7' youth into account.

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

Nah.

Any additional comments?

The previous Coben books I've enjoyed have at least given an ending. This one just expects/demands that you'll docilely follow along to the next purchase. That should be MY choice, not Coben's.

Requires too much suspension of disbelief

I generally enjoy Harlan Coban novels, but this one was too much for me to really enjoy or continue with the series (and it is a series!). It's too improbable, even for fiction, to believe these 14 year old kids could be in these situations. Much less come out of them and be walking around unsupervised the next day. Not to mention the ages of the Bat Lady and the real villain. Even with the book release date of 2011, this is just too ridiculous and takes away from the overall enjoyment of the story.

Got it by mistake!

Where does Shelter rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have been a huge Coben fan for years. I bought this on that basis, but almost sent it back to audible when I realized in the first two chapters that it was for teens. I kept saying I was going to shut it off, but before I knew it I was hooked and completed the book in a few days! Coben is BACK! Great stuff, looking forward to reading the next one in the series. I really like the character Spoon.

Intricate plot, well read - really surprised!

The story picks up where the last Myron Bolitar story left off, only this is told from Mickey's perspective. Although none of the familiar Myron Bolitar characters are involved, Mickey stands on his own, with his own well-developed sidekicks to save him from himself. I listened to this with my 17 yr old daughter, and we both appreciated how the narrator was completely believable as a 15 year old without descending into stereotype. The story starts out almost like a halloween tale, but is actually quite intricate, from the disappearance of Ashley to the true identity of the bat lady. The story is compelling beyond the mystery - Mickey's loss of his father, his mother's addiction relapse, the resentment of his uncle, are woven throughout and create the image of a young man who is aching with loss, almost overpowering the mystery at times. A good listen!

Coben Goes YA

Well, it worked for Patterson, what with Maximum Ride and all.... And, thank goodness, it worked for Coben, as well! Mickey is Myron's nephew, his Dad dead, and his Mom in rehab. He's the New Kid in School, gets crosswise with the jocks, starts hanging with a Goth girl and a nerdy guy....But then the Big Mystery comes along. Mickey and his friends solve it, save the girl, and share the exciting romp with us. This is a typically gripping Coben yarn interpreted by Nick Podehl, who does a very good job. Mickey's well worth following!

intriguing

I enjoyed it very much, the reading and performance was outstanding, however the ending was well not cool, like it just stops, everything stops. it leaves you hanging. ..