Rating:  Summary: Look Away! Review: Who cares? Plot twists for their own sake just give you a headache. I good story where you care about the characters and care what happenes and why can benefit from such twists. But here, the twists are just to twist, like in a noose! I've read everything Harlan's written. Looks like he owned his publisher one. Looks like he played games with his plot just to show you he could. Looks like he puts in irrelevant suburban details to add pages to the plot. Looks like you should Tell No One about this book. I hope his talent isn't Gone For Good. After reading this book you may consider No Second Chance. But if you Look Away! you'll be grateful. This Fade Shot may be a Deal Braker.
Rating:  Summary: Just One Look Review: See storyline above.Coben's writing style has a tendency to pull you in. The pace. The mystery. The suspense. This book is worth reading, though it's not his best. Most of the mysteries and questions were thrown at you in the last few pages (making it complex enough to make you loopy). Recommended.
Rating:  Summary: The threads of Harlan's new and exciting novel are Review: masterfully and mysteriously woven into a tapesty of suspense. A tense thriller that will have you forgetting about the world about you and immersing yourself into the over-turned life of Grace Lawson. Happily ensconced in the role of suburban housewife and mother, she is surrounded by a truly thoughtful and dedicated husband and two beautiful children. Like so many of us do on outings with those we love Grace captures the happy times with her camera and brings the pictures to be processed. It takes "Just One Look" to realize that among them is one that surely does not belong to her. It was taken at least 10 years before and captures unfamiliar people grouped together...unfamiliar except for one...her husband Jack. Where did the picture come from...why was it given to her...who are these people? She shows Jack the picture and he is so shocked that he leaves without saying a word and then is not heard from again. Grace's search for both her missing husband and the answers to the myriad questions that have arisen because of this picture is presented to us by this multi-talented writer who uses his intimate knowledge of the english language in such a way as to capture our imagination and sweep us along from page to page. You may have to put the book down from time to time to attend to the world around you...but the story never leaves you and you know you will return to it as soon as time permits...or if you are like me; you will carve out a piece of time no matter what. "Just One Look" is a gripping novel ... read closely and you will find allusions to some of his Bolitar characters; which I for one thought was clever. But then, I would expect no less from Harlan Coben. You bet he is one of my most favorite of all authors and his continuing success in writing complex mysteries (as opposed to the many simplistic ones that are on the market) proves that many, many other readers enjoy his imagaination and his style. A wonderful thinking man's mystery from mystery's forever-thinking man. Thanks for another great one, Harlan!
Rating:  Summary: Great Review: First introduced to harlan Coben via his NO SECOND CHANCE, I worried that the author wouldn't be able to compete with that bestseller. Boy, was I wrong! JUST ONE LOOK is even better. With its character driven plot and svelt writing style, this book really "moves." Not in the page-turner way of some of the more commercial books, but in a thinking man's way. I highly recommend this book, along with another great read I've come across lately: THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD by Jackson McCrae.
Rating:  Summary: Good beginning, weak ending. Review: Grace Lawson is a happily married mother of two whose world is suddenly shattered when her husband, Jack, disappears. Harlan Coben's "Just One Look" follows Grace's desperate efforts to find out where her husband went and why. Did he leave of his own volition or was he abducted? The one clue that Grace has is a twenty-year-old photo that shows her husband with four other people. Who are these people and what do they have to do with Jack's disappearance? "Just One Look" has a strong opening but it falters towards the middle and completely falls apart at the end. Many books deal with a husband or wife who vanishes without a trace. It's one of the oldest and most effective hooks, since a missing spouse is sure to grab the reader's attention and gain sympathy for the protagonist. However, in order to sustain interest, the author must also create well-developed characters and an engrossing plot. Coben does neither. Jack is a cipher, Grace is little more than a frightened and confused woman, and the villains are straight out of central casting. Two of the clichés in "Just One Look" are a mob-connected wiseguy out for revenge and an Asian killing machine who disables his victims with his bare hands. In almost every thriller written today, the reader expects the obligatory twists and turns towards the end, and Coben dutifully provides plenty of surprises. These unexpected plot developments do not save the book because they are too illogical and melodramatic to be taken seriously. "Just One Look" promises a great deal with a very exciting opening, but the convoluted and overwrought conclusion undermines everything that has gone before.
Rating:  Summary: Not His Best Review: Having devoured the past three or four Coben books, I found Just One Look to be extremely disappointing and frankly boring. I kept reading the book in the hope that Coben's signature surprises and twists/turns would redeem the book. Unfortunately, such was not the case as the storyline is altogether implausible with characters that are hardly compelling. Finally, the story simply does not make sense. Hopefully, Coben's next book will be return to his previous efforts. If you're looking for other enjoyable authors pick up anything by Lee Child (Jack Reacher series) or Clinton McKinzie (Antonio Burns series).
Rating:  Summary: I love Coben,but this is not his best Review: I agree with the other reviewers that this book is not Coben's best. It is not in the class of "Tell No One" or "Gone For Good". There are too many characters and none of them are as well developed (this is usually not a problem in Coben books), It gets confusing after awhile. It also does not have he originality of Cobens earlier works. All in all it is still better then Most the junk I read so do not let my negative comments turn you away I am just picky. I also recommend "A Tourist In the Yucatan" fun thriller thats become an underground hit.!
Rating:  Summary: A MAJOR disappointment Review: I have read most of Coben's books and particularly enjoyed "Tell No One" and "No Second Chance". In fact, I was so excited I ordered an autographed copy immediately upon learning of the book. I made a mistake. This book is very shallow and just not of the caliber of previous efforts. After 50 pages or so, I realized things would not likely get better and that proved to be accurate. In previous books, you can hardly wait to turn the page and hope the book never ends. In this one, you debate whether to turn a page or close the book. Just One Look is a good title, take a look and pass it by.
Rating:  Summary: A TERRIFIC LISTEN Review: What can a woman do when her world is suddenly turned upside down, when everything and everyone once safe is now imperiled? That's the question posed by bestselling author Harlan Cohen in his latest thriller, "Just One Look." Coben's not a newbie at the game of suspense having taken home an Edgar Award, the Shamus Award, and the Anthony Award. His tales are complexly plotted and compelling as attested to by "No Second chance" and "Gone For Good." He packs a knock-out punch and leaves readers wanting more. Speaking of knock-out punches - two more are delivered by able readers. Carolyn McCormick, who delivers the abridged version, has multiple stage, screen and TV appearances to her credit. She's the voice of a woman pushed to the edge to protect her children. A singer and spoken-word performer, Carrington MacDuffie, voice of the unabridged editions brings a wide range of vocal experience to her performance, imbuing it with passion and pathos. With "Just One Look" listeners meet Grace Lawson who has picked up a recently developed set of family snapshots. She's surprised to find one photo that she doesn't fully recognize - there are five people in the photo, one of whom appears to be her husband. Where did this picture apparently taken some 20 years ago come from? Her husband, Jack, denies any knowledge of the snapshot saying he's not the man in it. Yet, late that night he drives off with the photograph. There is no note for Grace who has no idea where he went or why he left. As the days pass she finds no help from the police or friends. Yet, it becomes increasingly obvious that she is not the only one looking for Jack. Unknown others pursue him as Grace searches for answers, any answers in order to protect her children. "Just One Look" is Harlan Coben at the height of his powers - a terrific listen.
Rating:  Summary: Second-rate Coben Review: I agree with Eric's review - Gone For Good and Tell No One were the sort of great books that keep you reading until 3am. Just One Look is in a different (lesser) league. Terrific beginning, then it all goes downhill.The plot doesn't really make sense, and I've read far too many crime novels where the hero or heroine happens to have a Mafia boss on tap to help them out when the going gets rough (I'm thinking of the Spenser novels in particular). Grace was a pleasant enough character but the endless stuff about how much she loved her kids, what they ate, what they wore, what they were reading and so on got very tedious. And is it just me or are his folksy little authorial asides (er, um) becoming really irritating? This is a harsh review, because a new Harlan Coben is still a treat. But this is really not that great.
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