Caught

By: Harlan Coben

Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie, Danny Campbell

From the #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense comes a fast-paced, emotion-packed novel about guilt, grief, and our capacity to forgive

17-year-old Haley McWaid is a good girl, the pride of her suburban New Jersey family, captain of the lacrosse team, headed off to college next year with all the hopes and dreams her doting parents can pin on her. Which is why, when her mother wakes one morning to find that Haley never came home the night before, and three months quickly pass without word from the girl, the community assumes the worst.

Wendy Tynes is a reporter on a mission, to identify and bring down sexual predators via elaborate--and nationally televised--sting operations. Working with local police on her news program Caught in the Act, Wendy and her team have publicly shamed dozens of men by the time she encounters her latest target. Dan Mercer is a social worker known as a friend to troubled teens, but his story soon becomes more complicated than Wendy could have imagined.

In a novel that challenges as much as it thrills, filled with the astonishing tension and unseen suburban machinations that have become Coben's trademark, Caught tells the story of a missing girl, the community stunned by her loss, the predator who may have taken her, and the reporter who suddenly realizes she can't trust her own instincts about this story-or the motives of the people around her.

Critic reviews

Praise for Caught

“The thrill-a-minute action zooms on sharp, slippery twists and turns in a white-knuckle race from start to finish.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts

“With Caught, Harlan Coben knocked another one out of the park!”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson

“A Tilt-A-Whirl of a story....Buckle up and prepare for whiplash.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown

“Quite simply, Harlan Coben is one of my favorite authors. His books have it all: nail-biting suspense, roller-coaster plots, relevant social issues, and pitch-perfect characters.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah

“Caught is dark-hearted, quintessential Coben...guaranteed to make you both look over your shoulder and sign up with the good guys.”—New York Times bestselling author Luanne Rice

“This is Harlan Coben at his best.”—The Huffington Post

“[A] tour de force of storytelling...All the secrets interlock and reinforce each other like tiles in a grand and seamless mosaic.”—The Washington Post

It's Coben at his best!!

The narration was a bit off-putting at first, Scott Brick or Harlan Coben himself might have been better, but by about the third chapter I didn't care who was reading it. It was the story and the story was really great. Twists and turns are Coben's style and this stand alone novel does not disappoint. It was especially nice to see Win again along with a few others from the Bolitar series. If you're a Coben fan, you'll love it. If you just like a good story, this works.

You Know What You Think You Know

Harlan Coben is at his best when he writes about the seamy underbelly of suburbia, in his case most often suburban New Jersey. Caught is firmly within that oeuvre. But Coben also adds some other element to his stories, which in Caught is tabloid TV -- no longer the force it was just about a decade ago when this book was written, what with TV propaganda having made tabloid TV seem downright quaint, but still a nice focal point for a story about a missing girl and the pedophile who possibly killed her.

Wendy Tynes is the star reporter of the tabloid TV show that pins the missing girl on the pedophile. But then things start to get complicated, as they always do in Coben's thrillers. Red herrings, subplots, reveals, and twists continue right down to the closing minutes. This is one mystery that was not easy to guess. There are some credulity defying coincidences and actions, but they don't really take anything away from the overall fun.

But plot is not enough to get to 5 stars. The characters have to be good. What I especially liked in Caught is that just about all of the supporting characters are quite good, starting with familiar ones like Win Lockwood and Hester Crimstein, the former a mainstay of the Bolitar series and star of his own eponymous entry, the latter the ace lawyer, herself a tabloid TV star, who will figure heavily in future Coben novels.

If you're already a fan, what's not to like? If you're new to Harlan Coben, what's not to like?

Story Didn't Entirely Make Sense But Was Enjoyable

I downloaded this ages ago but was so upset by the premise of the good guy being "caught" that I stopped listening. I tried again and finished the book in a day. The story was pretty engrossing and I enjoyed trying to figure out "whodunnit." Having said that, though, there were parts of the story that I just didn't follow - in particular, the part where the tv judge/attorney stymies the police with superior logic that completely lost me. I also wasn't sure I bought how closely the police were willing to work with a reporter but, ok, suspend disbelief. In the end, I couldn't stop listening. As for the performer(s), they didn't bother me. That said, my husband finds almost all my audiobook narrators irritating so maybe I have a high tolerance.

Intriguing

This was such a good book. It kept me on the edge of my seat. The twists and secrets. It was amazing.

Complex, Well Written Mystery

A well written mystery but the subject matter was unsettling. Not a fun read.