Scan barcode
A review by suspensethrill
Win by Harlan Coben
5.0
"What's this about?" Sadie asks.
"We'd like to talk to Mr. Lockwood."
"So I gathered," Sadie replies with a bit of bite. "What about?"
Brynn smiles and puts her badge back in her pocket. "It's about a murder."
It's time to articulate, folks, and if you haven't had the absolute privilege of meeting Windsor Horne Lockwood III, you've come to the right place. He's a little bit this:
And quite a bit of this:
Truly, Win is the reason why I have an unhealthy, obsessive love affair with every fictional morally gray character I come across. He's a cheeky gentleman in public settings, and an absolute animal behind closed doors, and I mean that in multiple ways. He has no problem delivering a good beat down and toeing around the constraints of the law to get what he wants, and he's also the proverbial ladies man. If you're a long time Coben fan like moi, they you'll already be quite familiar with Win and his WASPish, deviant ways due to his reoccurring appearances in the Myron Bolitar series. Win is more times than not the avenue Myron uses when he needs access to things that the police have, but cannot obtain through his typical private investigating channels. If you know me, then you know that I'm a huge fan of Myron and co., and would beat myself up if I didn't take the opportunity to encourage the reading of said series for all the background and Easter eggs you might find in this book, but if you're not up for a massive 13 ish book binge read, I would at least recommend reading [b:Home|29430007|Home (Myron Bolitar, #11)|Harlan Coben|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1458586751l/29430007._SY75_.jpg|49018983] first, as there's a major twist dropped right at the end that could be helpful going into this book.
As someone who has been waiting for a novel from Win's POV for 12 years, this book is kind of a big deal. Clearly, a reader who is brand new to the author's work won't have the same visceral reaction to this story that I have, but if I can't win you over with the excellent characterization and "coming home" feeling that these books provide, perhaps I can win you over with the plot. win... see what I did there? hehe I'm actually not going to touch on any specifics, because I know a LOT of people have been desperately waiting for this book, and it would be an honest shame if I didn't give readers the same opportunity I had to go in blind. Here, we get not one but TWO mysteries to solve! The first crime was when Patricia Lockwood was kidnapped over 20 years ago during a robbery at her family's estate, and she's held captive for awhile before escaping. Unfortunately, so did her captors, and what they stole from her family. Fast forward to modern day POV, and a man is found murdered in a NYC apartment, and Win's briefcase, along with the family's missing painting, turn up at the crime scene. Clearly both crimes are tied together, and Win decides to branch out in his own investigation of sorts.
I think I'll leave it there, but this book truly exceeded my lofty expectations. It has action, intrigue, a dash of romance, and mention of some old characters that I think readers will be happy to be reunited with. Whether or not you're a fan of the Myron Bolitar series, I think you'll be able to sink into this standalone and enjoy it just the same.
*Many thanks to the author for providing my review copy.
"We'd like to talk to Mr. Lockwood."
"So I gathered," Sadie replies with a bit of bite. "What about?"
Brynn smiles and puts her badge back in her pocket. "It's about a murder."
It's time to articulate, folks, and if you haven't had the absolute privilege of meeting Windsor Horne Lockwood III, you've come to the right place. He's a little bit this:
And quite a bit of this:
Truly, Win is the reason why I have an unhealthy, obsessive love affair with every fictional morally gray character I come across. He's a cheeky gentleman in public settings, and an absolute animal behind closed doors, and I mean that in multiple ways. He has no problem delivering a good beat down and toeing around the constraints of the law to get what he wants, and he's also the proverbial ladies man. If you're a long time Coben fan like moi, they you'll already be quite familiar with Win and his WASPish, deviant ways due to his reoccurring appearances in the Myron Bolitar series. Win is more times than not the avenue Myron uses when he needs access to things that the police have, but cannot obtain through his typical private investigating channels. If you know me, then you know that I'm a huge fan of Myron and co., and would beat myself up if I didn't take the opportunity to encourage the reading of said series for all the background and Easter eggs you might find in this book, but if you're not up for a massive 13 ish book binge read, I would at least recommend reading [b:Home|29430007|Home (Myron Bolitar, #11)|Harlan Coben|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1458586751l/29430007._SY75_.jpg|49018983] first, as there's a major twist dropped right at the end that could be helpful going into this book.
As someone who has been waiting for a novel from Win's POV for 12 years, this book is kind of a big deal. Clearly, a reader who is brand new to the author's work won't have the same visceral reaction to this story that I have, but if I can't win you over with the excellent characterization and "coming home" feeling that these books provide, perhaps I can win you over with the plot. win... see what I did there? hehe I'm actually not going to touch on any specifics, because I know a LOT of people have been desperately waiting for this book, and it would be an honest shame if I didn't give readers the same opportunity I had to go in blind. Here, we get not one but TWO mysteries to solve! The first crime was when Patricia Lockwood was kidnapped over 20 years ago during a robbery at her family's estate, and she's held captive for awhile before escaping. Unfortunately, so did her captors, and what they stole from her family. Fast forward to modern day POV, and a man is found murdered in a NYC apartment, and Win's briefcase, along with the family's missing painting, turn up at the crime scene. Clearly both crimes are tied together, and Win decides to branch out in his own investigation of sorts.
I think I'll leave it there, but this book truly exceeded my lofty expectations. It has action, intrigue, a dash of romance, and mention of some old characters that I think readers will be happy to be reunited with. Whether or not you're a fan of the Myron Bolitar series, I think you'll be able to sink into this standalone and enjoy it just the same.
*Many thanks to the author for providing my review copy.