The Boy from the Woods

Wilde, Book 1

By: Harlan Coben

Narrated by: Steven Weber

Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's Summary

A man with a mysterious past must find a missing teenage girl in this shocking thriller from the number one New York Times best-selling author of Run Away.

Thirty years ago, Wilde was found as a boy living feral in the woods, with no memory of his past. Now an adult, he still doesn't know where he comes from, and another child has gone missing.

No one seems to take Naomi Pine's disappearance seriously, not even her father - with one exception. Hester Crimstein, a television criminal attorney, knows through her grandson that Naomi was relentlessly bullied at school. Hester asks Wilde - with whom she shares a tragic connection - to use his unique skills to help find Naomi.

Wilde can't ignore an outcast in trouble, but in order to find Naomi he must venture back into the community where he has never fit in, a place where the powerful are protected even when they harbor secrets that could destroy the lives of millions...secrets that Wilde must uncover before it's too late.

©2020 Harlan Coben (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic Reviews

"The Weber-Coben pairing makes for a super suspenseful listen.... [Steven] Weber is perfectly in step with the pace of the action, which is interspersed with touching relationship scenes and terrifying depictions of the vulnerability that arises from our reliance on social media for our facts." (AudioFile Magazine)

"Coben never, ever lets you down." (Lee Child)

"Intense from the first page, with dramatic plot twists.... Fans of complex heroes caught up in world-changing events will relish this latest from a master storyteller." (Library Journal, starred review)

Coben could do a whole series on Hester!!!!

Count on Harlan Coben for believable characters. Add the way Coben spins this story out he makes the plot sound plausible.
The publisher’s summary gives a very good overview of the first half of this story which starts out in one direction. Then it changes directions a few times before you finally get to the heart of it all. Once again having almost nothing to do with what you were lead to believe in the beginning.
One thing I did like was next to Wilde (protagonist) the costar with chutzpah is Hester Crimstein. She’s been in a few Coben books and is a great character.
The ending is a real surprise that will leave you questioning some of the legalities of lawyer/client confidentiality. And a few other unexpected reveals.
Steven Weber does a great job narrating.
This book has my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.
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Thank You.

Simply, unputdownable

The Boy from the Woods is the electrifying new novel from award-winning and #1 New York Times best-selling author, Harlan Coben. In this simply unputdownable new work of fiction, Harlan Coben does what he knows best and delivers another amazing story for readers and listeners alike.

What opens as a search for a missing girl, fastly evolves into a brilliantly written, deeply immersive adventure, full of mysteries, drama and action.

Renowned actor, voiceover artist and narrator Steven Weber returns once again to this interconnected world created by the author and brings to life another extremely vividly depicted cast of characters. From the bullied teenager, to her bullying schoolmates, to a young boy feeling sorry for what’s happening, to a willful and outspoken lawyer, to a man ready to fight for what’s right and to many others, The Boy from the Woods is filled with lifelike characters from beginning to end.

You need to give The Boy from the Woods your undivided attention and be sure to have a lot of free time on your hands, as I have started listening to the audiobook at 11 a.m. in the morning and finished it at 2 a.m. the next day. Doing all daily activities while thinking about the characters I left behind and waiting while I paused this perfectly performed audiobook.

As always, this tremendously talented team formed by author Harlan Coben and narrator Steven Weber never disappoints, and with every new book, they take their game to the next level.

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Thank you,
Victor

Hester stands alone!Myron should be proud!!

If you are familiar with Coben's Myron Bolitar series, you will know Hester's name, know what kind of a --take no prisoners--spitfire she is. Was great to have her as the lead character in the story line, getting to see the character fleshed out in a broader scope, not limited to playing second fiddle to Myron and crew.

Standing alone, she is bigger than life, think Judge Judy mixed with some Linda Hunt as Hetty!

The new character being built in Wilde, is amazing.

(The last name...WIlde.....it made me chuckle, I mean...get it? No? You will.)

You look at the blurb and think
“Wait, what? A young boy in the woods, alone, surviving? No, com’on…gimme break, that's just stupid!!!”
But once you start listening, that thought process is going to vanish!
You’ll be captivated by Wilde, his back story and how (and why)he interacts with people overall.


He and Hester mesh in a way that is unique and intriguing. Together they are a force to be reckoned with! Look forward to seeing this dynamic duo play out in future story lines and watching Coben flesh out the character of Wilde.

As with all Coben’s story lines, where you start and where you end up not even close to the same zip code! It’s 100% quirky Coben ---at top speed, with lots of hairpin turns and drops-- rollercoaster ride.


I must admit the last three Coben books have left me underwhelmed. I wasn’t putting a lot of faith in this being something that would grab me right out of the chute, but it did. I binged the listen, lost sleep doing it, I’ll pay for later today, but it was worth it!!

So, I sing all these praises but only rate the story four stars. It would have been five stars but took one off cuz like so many authors now days, they all seem to feel the need to get some social justice warrior stuff in, give us a dose of their partisan political bent under the guise of story line.

If I wanted politics pounding into my brain….I wouldn’t have shut off the T.V. to plug into an Audible book to get lost in. It wasn’t so much it ruined the listen for me, but it was annoying enough to downgrade what would have been five stars to four.

As always, Steven Weber nails the narration.

This one needs to make it to the screen!!
Hopefully it will find it’s way to NetFlix as other Coben stories have!!

great book

it was a wonderful mystery one that you can't stop reading, I actually listen to it on Audible and I listen for 2 days and was done, how I wished I had another one to go with that, Harlan Coben you are a wonderful writer

This was just awful

I really tried to get into this book but it was just so bad. All of the characters were terrible, especially Hester, who has a truly repulsive obsession with everyone's sex life (her daughter-in-law? Seriously??). I think we were supposed to find Wilde fascinating and mysterious but I thought he was just a paranoid idiot. I kind of want to know the resolution because I love mysteries and I always want to know the solution but in this case, not enough to continue listening.

Best Ever!

this is one of Coben's finest. and I pray he continues with this main character. would love to see more!

The boy from the Woods

Cohen created some great characters in this one. I loved the older female lawyer. I cried a few times and laughed out loud a few times too. He could follow up with a series based on the two older characters who find each other at the end.

Not so subtle agenda

I have read everything from Harlan Coben. I love his characters and great storylines. This story, however, was transparent and had an agenda. I read for a distraction. If I wanted to know Mr. Coben’s political opinion, I would look for it. I did not care to have it “in my face” throughout this storyline.

Boy!!

This book had me laughing at times, surprised at times, and completely satisfied! I highly recommend. But then I like everything by Harlan Coben.

Never disappoints!

Another wonderful read- couldnt put it down! The worst part of reading this book is that now I have to wait until he publishes another one!