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Mickey Bolitar #1
Shelter
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 latest 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 new 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.
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 latest 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 new 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.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published September 15, 2011
About the author
Harlan Coben
160 books38.6k followersHarlan Coben is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of the world's leading storytellers. His suspense novels are published in forty-five languages and have been number one bestsellers in more than a dozen countries with seventy-five million books in print worldwide.
His books have earned the Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony Awards, and many have been developed into Netflix Original Drama series, including his adaptations of The Stranger, The Innocent, Gone for Good and The Woods. His most recent adaptation for Netflix, Stay Close, premiered on December 31, 2021 and stars Cush Jumbo, James Nesbitt, and Richard Armitage.
His books have earned the Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony Awards, and many have been developed into Netflix Original Drama series, including his adaptations of The Stranger, The Innocent, Gone for Good and The Woods. His most recent adaptation for Netflix, Stay Close, premiered on December 31, 2021 and stars Cush Jumbo, James Nesbitt, and Richard Armitage.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,934 reviews
January 29, 2023
Finally I have reached this series, after hitting the correct Myron Bolitar book, Live Wire. I loved the author's first foray into the young adult genre, done perfectly with the introduction of Myron’s nephew Mickey, introduced to us in Live Wire where he isn't too fond of his uncle just yet.
Mickey is blessed like his uncle, a great basketball player, witty in his comebacks and tall, handsome and strong. He has a lot to achieve given he’s only sixteen, he’s mature and wise beyond his years given his upbringing all around the world with this loving parents. He is also as big and as stand out. Coach seats are not designed for people our height. Two little old ladies sat in front of us. Their feet could barely touch the ground, but that didn’t stop them from reclining the seat with great strength into our knees. I spent the four hours with an old lady’s scalp in my face.
I was so pleased to see the general lightly played humour throughout the novel, just like all that came before.
Things are not easy for Mickey – his father died in a car crash while he was present and his mother is a serious drug addict. Myron keeps helping her through rehab, and in this process, Mickey learns he is enabling the mother he loves so dearly. She is a lucky woman, put through rehab by others with a family that doesn’t give up on her. The grief at losing her husband is something that she can’t get past and she keeps going back to the dark side. It was heartbreaking where she so wrecklessly let down her son at the start of the book.
I liked the dialogue between the rehab owner (a former addict herself).
”No, but you’re being a candy ass about this. You need to be tougher on her.”
“You don’t know what she’s been through.”
“Sure I do,” she said as stifling a yawn. “Her husband died. Her only son is growing up. She has no prospects. She is scared and lonely and depressed. What, do you think your mother’s the only one in here with a sob story?”
Mickey and his friends, who also were fabulous, Ema (the pronunciation of this drove me mad until I got the answer. Like emo as in goth) and Spoon, who had crazy funny commentary. Think Win but non psychopathic and innocent, and weak, a child.
Like his uncle, Mickey is a good kid/man. On meeting Ema the first time at school in a silly trust exercise, she didn’t know him from a bar of soap, She pulled down her blindfold and looked back at us. I met her eye and nodded. Finally she let herself fall.
As he was in such physical danger throughout, trying to get the bottom of a mystery surrounding a new friend at school, which tied into his father’s past, Mickey was in a lot of turmoil but always ended up holding his own. I wanted him to ask for Myron’s help, but this is Mickey’s show. I think Myron handled Mickey quite well considering this was his first go at parenting, he gave his nephew much freedom and communicated via the game they both love.
Can’t wait to continue with this series. I flew through this book in a matter of days, it was very easy reading which held my attention from the first word.
How good is this in the acknowledgements. I had a blast writing Shelter, and I can’t tell you what a thrill it is to have you as a reader.
Mickey is blessed like his uncle, a great basketball player, witty in his comebacks and tall, handsome and strong. He has a lot to achieve given he’s only sixteen, he’s mature and wise beyond his years given his upbringing all around the world with this loving parents. He is also as big and as stand out. Coach seats are not designed for people our height. Two little old ladies sat in front of us. Their feet could barely touch the ground, but that didn’t stop them from reclining the seat with great strength into our knees. I spent the four hours with an old lady’s scalp in my face.
I was so pleased to see the general lightly played humour throughout the novel, just like all that came before.
Things are not easy for Mickey – his father died in a car crash while he was present and his mother is a serious drug addict. Myron keeps helping her through rehab, and in this process, Mickey learns he is enabling the mother he loves so dearly. She is a lucky woman, put through rehab by others with a family that doesn’t give up on her. The grief at losing her husband is something that she can’t get past and she keeps going back to the dark side. It was heartbreaking where she so wrecklessly let down her son at the start of the book.
I liked the dialogue between the rehab owner (a former addict herself).
”No, but you’re being a candy ass about this. You need to be tougher on her.”
“You don’t know what she’s been through.”
“Sure I do,” she said as stifling a yawn. “Her husband died. Her only son is growing up. She has no prospects. She is scared and lonely and depressed. What, do you think your mother’s the only one in here with a sob story?”
Mickey and his friends, who also were fabulous, Ema (the pronunciation of this drove me mad until I got the answer. Like emo as in goth) and Spoon, who had crazy funny commentary. Think Win but non psychopathic and innocent, and weak, a child.
Like his uncle, Mickey is a good kid/man. On meeting Ema the first time at school in a silly trust exercise, she didn’t know him from a bar of soap, She pulled down her blindfold and looked back at us. I met her eye and nodded. Finally she let herself fall.
As he was in such physical danger throughout, trying to get the bottom of a mystery surrounding a new friend at school, which tied into his father’s past, Mickey was in a lot of turmoil but always ended up holding his own. I wanted him to ask for Myron’s help, but this is Mickey’s show. I think Myron handled Mickey quite well considering this was his first go at parenting, he gave his nephew much freedom and communicated via the game they both love.
Can’t wait to continue with this series. I flew through this book in a matter of days, it was very easy reading which held my attention from the first word.
How good is this in the acknowledgements. I had a blast writing Shelter, and I can’t tell you what a thrill it is to have you as a reader.
July 30, 2012
Review: Shelter by Harlan Coben
Hmn, mixed feelings about this one. This is a young adult spin off from the well known Myron Bolitar series. I read it with great eagerness but couldn’t shake off a feeling of dissatisfaction.
This book is based around Mickey Bolitar, Myron’s fifteen-year-old nephew who came to live with him in the book ‘Live Wire’ when his father, Myron’s brother died in a car crash and his mother ended up in drug rehab.
If you haven’t read any Myron Bolitar books you’ll probably love this. Mickey’s girlfriend disappears and he tries to find her. Along the way he finds lots of mysteries and trouble, some of it very physical! It is a real page turner and his handsome character with great physique and disarming one liners are very appealing.
However, if you have read Myron Bolitar books you will find the character all too familiar. Mickey is basically Myron just younger. Although Mickey apparently can’t stand his uncle he is exactly the same in character, build and even one liners. Because of this I had to constantly remind myself that this was another character, that he was only fifteen and that Winn was not going to pop up at any minute to rescue him. Myron in this book is so ineffectual as a guardian it is really irritating. In his own books Myron is the one who rescues the girls with the help of his lethal weapon friend, Winn. I found myself becoming exasperated wanting Myron to act or for Mickey to seek his help which doesn’t happen.
Of course this is young adult fiction and as a young adult fiction writer I know not to expect an adult to come to the rescue.
Did I enjoy this book? Yes. Will I read the next one? Yes. Will I continue to be exasperated about Myron’s lack of involvement? Probably.
Hmn, mixed feelings about this one. This is a young adult spin off from the well known Myron Bolitar series. I read it with great eagerness but couldn’t shake off a feeling of dissatisfaction.
This book is based around Mickey Bolitar, Myron’s fifteen-year-old nephew who came to live with him in the book ‘Live Wire’ when his father, Myron’s brother died in a car crash and his mother ended up in drug rehab.
If you haven’t read any Myron Bolitar books you’ll probably love this. Mickey’s girlfriend disappears and he tries to find her. Along the way he finds lots of mysteries and trouble, some of it very physical! It is a real page turner and his handsome character with great physique and disarming one liners are very appealing.
However, if you have read Myron Bolitar books you will find the character all too familiar. Mickey is basically Myron just younger. Although Mickey apparently can’t stand his uncle he is exactly the same in character, build and even one liners. Because of this I had to constantly remind myself that this was another character, that he was only fifteen and that Winn was not going to pop up at any minute to rescue him. Myron in this book is so ineffectual as a guardian it is really irritating. In his own books Myron is the one who rescues the girls with the help of his lethal weapon friend, Winn. I found myself becoming exasperated wanting Myron to act or for Mickey to seek his help which doesn’t happen.
Of course this is young adult fiction and as a young adult fiction writer I know not to expect an adult to come to the rescue.
Did I enjoy this book? Yes. Will I read the next one? Yes. Will I continue to be exasperated about Myron’s lack of involvement? Probably.
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August 30, 2023
I am a fan of Myron Bolitar and of Harlan Coben's writing in particular. "Shelter", featuring Mickey Bolitar, Myron's nephew, is a young adult novel, so as an old adult I feel less qualified to criticise the dialogue than the actual story.
The young hero (a martial arts expert who naturally learned his skills from his father as a teenager in the Brazilian jungle!) performs some amazing feats of derring-do while rescuing either or both (I'm not sure) the unbelievably beautiful blonde school student and the unbelievably beautiful brunette school student from the hands of the unbelievably evil villains while being assisted by the totally disliked fat chick and the totally nerdy nerd, both of whom Mickey befriends despite them being shunned by the entire school.
Oh, there are also two super hot jocks who are determined to do him great harm because the beautiful brunette prefers Mickey to the hottest of the hot jocks who is, wait for it, the captain of the school basketball team and whose father is the snarly chief of police. I forgot to mention that Mickey is also a 15 years old, 6'8", 200 lbs, basketball champion.
There you are - my second YA novel review in a nerd-shell.
2/5 stars
The young hero (a martial arts expert who naturally learned his skills from his father as a teenager in the Brazilian jungle!) performs some amazing feats of derring-do while rescuing either or both (I'm not sure) the unbelievably beautiful blonde school student and the unbelievably beautiful brunette school student from the hands of the unbelievably evil villains while being assisted by the totally disliked fat chick and the totally nerdy nerd, both of whom Mickey befriends despite them being shunned by the entire school.
Oh, there are also two super hot jocks who are determined to do him great harm because the beautiful brunette prefers Mickey to the hottest of the hot jocks who is, wait for it, the captain of the school basketball team and whose father is the snarly chief of police. I forgot to mention that Mickey is also a 15 years old, 6'8", 200 lbs, basketball champion.
There you are - my second YA novel review in a nerd-shell.
2/5 stars
April 30, 2014
SPOILERS!! Entire ending revealed!
I just finished this book and would have thrown it across the room if it hadn't been an audiobook playing on my laptop. Very basic math, Coben: to be in the SS in 1945 a man would have to be born in, say, 1920 or earlier, which would make him at least 90, which makes him a bit old to be a Walmart greeter, let alone a sandy-haired villain masquerading as an EMT. To my mind, all the good points of this book are negated by a plot hole through which you could drive a WWII-era Panzer. And to be honest, there aren't that many good points.
We all know that YA literature can be genre-transcending and wonderful. Or it can make you want to gouge your eyes out to protect them from literary enucleation (see my review of "To Kill A Mockingbird"). This one falls somewhere around average. Coben can still write a page-turning plot, with the trickles of easily misinterpreted clues and characters that rapidly shift from hero to villain and back as you learn half-facts about them. But this is definitely one of his weaker books. He replaces the beloved characters from his Myron Bolitar series (come back, Win! you were always fun!) with far less memorable ones. The author seems to like to paint himself as older than he is by portraying high school in a way that only shows up in fiction, never in life - the bullies and the nerds are absolute caricatures (I half-expected the former to offer the protagonist a "knuckle sandwich"). Ditto for the strippers, the bouncers, pretty much everyone who wasn't a main characters (and some who were) - utterly flat, one-sided, stereotypical.
In a word: disappointing. If Coben had to finish the Myron Bolitar series (and we were all getting tired of hearing about how people get old and depressing), I wish he could have written some stand-alone novels instead of plunging into a new YA series tangentially related to the old one. Oh, and check out the author's website - they recorded the most ridiculous "trailer". For a book! What is wrong with the world, that we can't read a few paragraphs without the encouragement of dramatic music and voice-overs?
I just finished this book and would have thrown it across the room if it hadn't been an audiobook playing on my laptop. Very basic math, Coben: to be in the SS in 1945 a man would have to be born in, say, 1920 or earlier, which would make him at least 90, which makes him a bit old to be a Walmart greeter, let alone a sandy-haired villain masquerading as an EMT. To my mind, all the good points of this book are negated by a plot hole through which you could drive a WWII-era Panzer. And to be honest, there aren't that many good points.
We all know that YA literature can be genre-transcending and wonderful. Or it can make you want to gouge your eyes out to protect them from literary enucleation (see my review of "To Kill A Mockingbird"). This one falls somewhere around average. Coben can still write a page-turning plot, with the trickles of easily misinterpreted clues and characters that rapidly shift from hero to villain and back as you learn half-facts about them. But this is definitely one of his weaker books. He replaces the beloved characters from his Myron Bolitar series (come back, Win! you were always fun!) with far less memorable ones. The author seems to like to paint himself as older than he is by portraying high school in a way that only shows up in fiction, never in life - the bullies and the nerds are absolute caricatures (I half-expected the former to offer the protagonist a "knuckle sandwich"). Ditto for the strippers, the bouncers, pretty much everyone who wasn't a main characters (and some who were) - utterly flat, one-sided, stereotypical.
In a word: disappointing. If Coben had to finish the Myron Bolitar series (and we were all getting tired of hearing about how people get old and depressing), I wish he could have written some stand-alone novels instead of plunging into a new YA series tangentially related to the old one. Oh, and check out the author's website - they recorded the most ridiculous "trailer". For a book! What is wrong with the world, that we can't read a few paragraphs without the encouragement of dramatic music and voice-overs?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2023
pretty on par with the show actually
December 6, 2022
Another highly addictive read from Harlan Coben!
I enjoyed how this series jumped on from the end of the last one. Mickey is a fun kid and I like the more teenage side of things. The school drama from the perspective of a kid who doesn't take crap. FINALLY.
More than anything, I really enjoyed the fight talk. Clearly the author knows his stuff here, and I can clearly see these fights playing out. There's logic to go with the action, and Mickey is a good fighter but he's still not pulling any godly stunts. I appreciate that.
The mystery was quite fascinating and took me in a surprising direction. I loved how diverse the case was - it drew in so many random elements.
The characters are a lot of fun, too - a motley crew of outcasts, all solving crime under the shadow of Mickey's badass uncle.
An addictive read for sure, and one that held my interest through every page. Highly recommend for crime fans.
I enjoyed how this series jumped on from the end of the last one. Mickey is a fun kid and I like the more teenage side of things. The school drama from the perspective of a kid who doesn't take crap. FINALLY.
More than anything, I really enjoyed the fight talk. Clearly the author knows his stuff here, and I can clearly see these fights playing out. There's logic to go with the action, and Mickey is a good fighter but he's still not pulling any godly stunts. I appreciate that.
The mystery was quite fascinating and took me in a surprising direction. I loved how diverse the case was - it drew in so many random elements.
The characters are a lot of fun, too - a motley crew of outcasts, all solving crime under the shadow of Mickey's badass uncle.
An addictive read for sure, and one that held my interest through every page. Highly recommend for crime fans.
February 22, 2024
“Mickey Bolitar’s year can’t get much worse”!
I don’t think any reader would ever characterize SHELTER as subtle. The moral messaging and the intended takeaways are straight-up, in-your-face, and plentiful. Bullying is bad and uncool. Look beyond the fat of an overweight person or the nerdiness of that geek in class and you may find the best, most steadfast, and most courageous friends of your life. Xenophobia and racism are disgusting and unacceptable and are to be fought against at every opportunity. Anti-Semitism exists to this day in a violent world. Misogyny is a reality and, at its worst, may be manifested in sexual violence, assault and human trafficking.
If you’re an adult reader and expect SHELTER to read like a typical suspense thriller, you’ll probably set it down disappointed with the feeling that it’s more than a little silly. But, let’s get real here. Superman and Spiderman comics are not exactly grounded in the real world either and readers of all ages can find them very entertaining. So, let’s set aside the adult judgment and let it be what it is. SHELTER is the fast-paced tale of Mickey Bolitar’s recruitment into a post-modern secret society whose aim, beyond the passé hunting of Nazi war criminals is simply righting the wrongs of the world one injustice at a time. If you’re willing to overlook the fact that the plot is more than a little melodramatic and definitely quite beyond credible, there’s still a good deal of enjoyment waiting for you.
For my money, by the way, Mickey Bolitar is NOT the star of the novel. Ema, the fat Goth girl with the chip on her shoulder, and Spoon, the nerdy master of trivia non-sequiturs, are hilarious. Their dialogue alone is worth the time to read. I’ll definitely look forward to installment #2 to see where Coben takes these young folks.
Paul Weiss
I don’t think any reader would ever characterize SHELTER as subtle. The moral messaging and the intended takeaways are straight-up, in-your-face, and plentiful. Bullying is bad and uncool. Look beyond the fat of an overweight person or the nerdiness of that geek in class and you may find the best, most steadfast, and most courageous friends of your life. Xenophobia and racism are disgusting and unacceptable and are to be fought against at every opportunity. Anti-Semitism exists to this day in a violent world. Misogyny is a reality and, at its worst, may be manifested in sexual violence, assault and human trafficking.
If you’re an adult reader and expect SHELTER to read like a typical suspense thriller, you’ll probably set it down disappointed with the feeling that it’s more than a little silly. But, let’s get real here. Superman and Spiderman comics are not exactly grounded in the real world either and readers of all ages can find them very entertaining. So, let’s set aside the adult judgment and let it be what it is. SHELTER is the fast-paced tale of Mickey Bolitar’s recruitment into a post-modern secret society whose aim, beyond the passé hunting of Nazi war criminals is simply righting the wrongs of the world one injustice at a time. If you’re willing to overlook the fact that the plot is more than a little melodramatic and definitely quite beyond credible, there’s still a good deal of enjoyment waiting for you.
For my money, by the way, Mickey Bolitar is NOT the star of the novel. Ema, the fat Goth girl with the chip on her shoulder, and Spoon, the nerdy master of trivia non-sequiturs, are hilarious. Their dialogue alone is worth the time to read. I’ll definitely look forward to installment #2 to see where Coben takes these young folks.
Paul Weiss
August 24, 2020
SPOILER ALERT
This is a YA novel which for an adult is laugh out loud funny. I give it 2.5 but as a teenager it would probably score higher, much higher. The 15 year old hero Mickey is perfect. Brooding, loner, athletic and he learnt Brazilian Kung fu or some form of martial arts.
The scene is set with his father apparently killed in a car accident while he was injured. His mother after her husbands death has become a drug addict and they have moved to his Uncle’s. Ema an overweight goth girl and Spoon are his new friends. Spoons father is the janitor and so he has all the keys to the school they attend.
Ashley his new girlfriend has mysteriously disappeared. Mickey investigates and we find Ashley is a stripper and her boss is a psycho. It is also easy for 15 year olds to get into strip bars! There is also a Bat Lady who is dressed in an old wedding dress and runs an organization that picks and chooses who they save from white slavery. There is also a link to the Holocaust with the Bat Lady around 70 believable but the Butcher would be a 100 unless it is his son who was the paramedic who told Mickey his father was dead.
The ending which leads to a further novel called Seconds Away is unbelievable. Spoon drives a car into the villain while he has a knife pressed against Ema’s throat. Yet, she is miraculously uninjured.
Saying all that it was easy to read and I think quite unintentionally hilarious for an adult reader.
This is a YA novel which for an adult is laugh out loud funny. I give it 2.5 but as a teenager it would probably score higher, much higher. The 15 year old hero Mickey is perfect. Brooding, loner, athletic and he learnt Brazilian Kung fu or some form of martial arts.
The scene is set with his father apparently killed in a car accident while he was injured. His mother after her husbands death has become a drug addict and they have moved to his Uncle’s. Ema an overweight goth girl and Spoon are his new friends. Spoons father is the janitor and so he has all the keys to the school they attend.
Ashley his new girlfriend has mysteriously disappeared. Mickey investigates and we find Ashley is a stripper and her boss is a psycho. It is also easy for 15 year olds to get into strip bars! There is also a Bat Lady who is dressed in an old wedding dress and runs an organization that picks and chooses who they save from white slavery. There is also a link to the Holocaust with the Bat Lady around 70 believable but the Butcher would be a 100 unless it is his son who was the paramedic who told Mickey his father was dead.
The ending which leads to a further novel called Seconds Away is unbelievable. Spoon drives a car into the villain while he has a knife pressed against Ema’s throat. Yet, she is miraculously uninjured.
Saying all that it was easy to read and I think quite unintentionally hilarious for an adult reader.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2017
Life isn't going so well for 15-year old Mickey Bolitar. After witnessing the death of his father and placing his mother in rehab, Mickey has moved in with his Uncle Myron. Now starting a new school, Mickey meets Ashley Kent. They become friends until she mysteriously disappears without a trace. As Mickey and his new friends Ema and Spoon try to figure out what exactly happened to Ashley, they find that she was covering up a dark secret.
I absolutely love Coben's Myron Bolitar series, so I thought I'd give Mickey Bolitar a try. This was an enjoyable book with a good mystery. There isn't as much humor in this book as the other series, but it is still a very good book. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. My rating: 4.5 Stars.
I absolutely love Coben's Myron Bolitar series, so I thought I'd give Mickey Bolitar a try. This was an enjoyable book with a good mystery. There isn't as much humor in this book as the other series, but it is still a very good book. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. My rating: 4.5 Stars.
March 21, 2021
I've upped my rating from 4 to 5 because the teen character's are some of the best I've ever read, especially Mickey. Review pending.
January 19, 2012
This is the beggining of a series featuring main protagonist Mickey Bolitar nephew of Coben's other series protagonist Myron Bolitar. Thats funny starting a new series with a member of the family of a main protagonist. It would appeal to the young adult crowd who are not well read in thrillers and want to read a clean non-explicit story.
Mickey is a teenager and has quite a few problems to deal with one being his mother is in drug rehab and two his father is dead. He is meant to be dead but a mysterious lady The Bird Woman keeps suggesting he's still alive. Mickey is in search for answers and uncovers a few mysteries. The story is quite well laid out and gathers interest, it just did not have the pace and twists that I wanted. My last read of his way back of 'Tell no one' that was one of the best thrillers out that time and was made into an equally good French movie.
Mickey is a teenager and has quite a few problems to deal with one being his mother is in drug rehab and two his father is dead. He is meant to be dead but a mysterious lady The Bird Woman keeps suggesting he's still alive. Mickey is in search for answers and uncovers a few mysteries. The story is quite well laid out and gathers interest, it just did not have the pace and twists that I wanted. My last read of his way back of 'Tell no one' that was one of the best thrillers out that time and was made into an equally good French movie.
April 6, 2015
This story is ok, especially if you're a young adult. However, stories with unanswered questions leave lots to be desired. 4 of 10 stars
September 5, 2023
I am watching the TV series on Amazon and enjoying it so decided to read the book too. It is very good and they changed the series from the book by adding more characters but the story is the same. This is a YA novel, so it was an easy read and I enjoyed all the characters. I enjoy all Harlan Coben's books and I love his characters. Myron and Win are two of my favorites and this is a story about Myron's nephew, Mickey. Although Myron isn't in the tv series, he is in the book and always enjoyable. This is a new series and I definitely recommend and althought it is YA, it is still well written and good by this author.
April 23, 2015
One word: wow. I've never read Harlan Coben's books before, but if they're all like Shetler, I'm a fan. From page one all the way to the end, the Reader is kept in absolute suspense. Coben doesn't waste any time in getting into the mystery, and any parts that threaten to drag are immediately interrupted with a new twist that will boggle your mind. Mickey is one of the wittiest adolescent narrators I've encountered in modern literature; I didn't even find his talk about girls annoying, because he did it in such a hilarious manner, poking fun at his patheticness in a way that just makes it impossible for anyone to get totally annoyed with him.
The other characters are surprisingly believable while being very unique. I'm not one for funny and quirky sidekicks (and personally, Spoon creeped me out. He's the type of dude that would probably hack into your computer's camera and watch you undress), and I'll admit, Mickey's "sidekicks" got a little old at times, but I kind of like Ema after a while, and Spoon was just too authentic to be unlikeable. To clarify: I did find Spoon creepy, and I didn't like him, but I didn't hate him either. He was . . . interesting, and scarily realistic. I could imagine running into him at the library (I hope that never happens, though), and for that very reason, I would not ask Harlan Coben to exclude him.
The plotline itself was amazing. As question was piled on top of question, I finally concluded that it was going to end either completely brilliantly, or absolutely weird. I was leaning towards the weird side of things, and I was in for quite a surprise. Harlan Coben connected everything in a way that made absolute sense, but was absolutely unexpected. Who knew he would work Holocaust survivors into it all? When that element got brought into the book, I was lost as to how he was going to make that work, but he did it! Whether things will end up turning weird in the second book, I don't know, but I think Harlan Coben will continue to do an amazing job.
There's not content to really report. At one point in the book, Mickey has to bust into a 21-or-older bar that has go-go girls, but Mickey doesn't give us any details about the thinly-clad girls, only to say that they weren't wearing much, and when Ema and another girl audition to become go-go girls in order to serve as a distraction so Mickey can do something, we don't get any nasty details with that, either. Amazingly, a modern author has actually managed to write clean go-go dance club scenes! He even keeps a scene where Mickey finds his mom passed out on drugs clean.
Shelter is, without a doubt, one of the better thrillers/suspense/mystery type books I've read (but I haven't read many, so for those thriller junkies out there who are rolling your eyes at my enthusiasm, give me some slack). There is a previous book to this one where Mickey is first introduced - it is an adult book, and Shelter seems to make some alludements to previous events in that one, but I didn't get the feeling that it's necessary to read that one before you delve into Shelter (which I hope you'll do sometime soon). Way to go Harlan Coben!
The other characters are surprisingly believable while being very unique. I'm not one for funny and quirky sidekicks (and personally, Spoon creeped me out. He's the type of dude that would probably hack into your computer's camera and watch you undress), and I'll admit, Mickey's "sidekicks" got a little old at times, but I kind of like Ema after a while, and Spoon was just too authentic to be unlikeable. To clarify: I did find Spoon creepy, and I didn't like him, but I didn't hate him either. He was . . . interesting, and scarily realistic. I could imagine running into him at the library (I hope that never happens, though), and for that very reason, I would not ask Harlan Coben to exclude him.
The plotline itself was amazing. As question was piled on top of question, I finally concluded that it was going to end either completely brilliantly, or absolutely weird. I was leaning towards the weird side of things, and I was in for quite a surprise. Harlan Coben connected everything in a way that made absolute sense, but was absolutely unexpected. Who knew he would work Holocaust survivors into it all? When that element got brought into the book, I was lost as to how he was going to make that work, but he did it! Whether things will end up turning weird in the second book, I don't know, but I think Harlan Coben will continue to do an amazing job.
There's not content to really report. At one point in the book, Mickey has to bust into a 21-or-older bar that has go-go girls, but Mickey doesn't give us any details about the thinly-clad girls, only to say that they weren't wearing much, and when Ema and another girl audition to become go-go girls in order to serve as a distraction so Mickey can do something, we don't get any nasty details with that, either. Amazingly, a modern author has actually managed to write clean go-go dance club scenes! He even keeps a scene where Mickey finds his mom passed out on drugs clean.
Shelter is, without a doubt, one of the better thrillers/suspense/mystery type books I've read (but I haven't read many, so for those thriller junkies out there who are rolling your eyes at my enthusiasm, give me some slack). There is a previous book to this one where Mickey is first introduced - it is an adult book, and Shelter seems to make some alludements to previous events in that one, but I didn't get the feeling that it's necessary to read that one before you delve into Shelter (which I hope you'll do sometime soon). Way to go Harlan Coben!
October 6, 2012
For those who have read my reviews of the Myron Bolitar novels, Harlan Coben once again delivers a world-class series this time dealing with the nephew of Myron Bolitar. Unlike the Myron Bolitar series this series now includes the young adult audience as well as the mature audience Coben has been writing for. To my mind this is an incredible accomplishment: to engage both young adults as well as adults in equal fashion.
The writing style is slightly different: the prose has been excised and edited to remove anything superfluous so that we end up reading a tightly written novel that opens Coben's readers to the world of the teenager: his wants, needs and fears. The tension between Myron (who remains a background character in this series) is clearly evident. Mickey blames Myron for the woes and suffering of his mother, the former world class tennis star whom Myron once represented if not the death of his father, Myron's brother. And yet, on the basketball court, Mickey begins to understand his uncle and at least there a sort of camaraderie develops, born of mutual admiration.
I'm a huge fan of the Myron Bolitar series and now, an equally big fan of Mickey Bolitar...a boy who discovers what it means to be a man, what it means to learn the difference between right and wrong, a boy on the road to forgiveness.
If you've read this review, you've read all my reviews of the Mickey Bolitar series.
The writing style is slightly different: the prose has been excised and edited to remove anything superfluous so that we end up reading a tightly written novel that opens Coben's readers to the world of the teenager: his wants, needs and fears. The tension between Myron (who remains a background character in this series) is clearly evident. Mickey blames Myron for the woes and suffering of his mother, the former world class tennis star whom Myron once represented if not the death of his father, Myron's brother. And yet, on the basketball court, Mickey begins to understand his uncle and at least there a sort of camaraderie develops, born of mutual admiration.
I'm a huge fan of the Myron Bolitar series and now, an equally big fan of Mickey Bolitar...a boy who discovers what it means to be a man, what it means to learn the difference between right and wrong, a boy on the road to forgiveness.
If you've read this review, you've read all my reviews of the Mickey Bolitar series.
November 12, 2012
We were introduced to Myron Bolitar’s nephew Mickey, in Coben’s last adult novel, Live Wire, where he was forced to live with his Uncle Myron (whom he’d never met because his father, Myron’s brother, and Myron were estranged). Mickey didn’t think much of his Uncle either, and with the last few months he’d had, being in the car when the accident killed his beloved Dad, and putting his mother into rehab, when she lost it and entered a world of drugs after her husbands death, he wasn’t feeling too happy about starting a new school, with no friends to help him through.
But when a slowly blossoming friendship with Ashley started making his days a little easier to get through, Mickey was understandably distraught when suddenly Ashley vanished. But he couldn’t let another person walk out of his life, so Mickey was determined to find her. With the help of Ema and Spoon, two other outcasts from their school society, Mickey heads deeper and deeper into danger. The seedy side of town, which Ashley’s trail led them to, shocked them, but they needed to dig deeper.
When Mickey father’s past was brought into the mix, horrors from the second world war and the gruesome thugs who didn’t care who they hurt, everything seemed to link together…..but how? Why? Could Mickey solve the conspiracy, could he find Ashley, and what did happen to his father?
I very much enjoyed Mickey’s story, and even though it was far-fetched at times (he’s only 16 after all!) that’s what fiction is all about. I’m looking forward to the second in this series, Seconds Away, and would definitely recommend this book.
But when a slowly blossoming friendship with Ashley started making his days a little easier to get through, Mickey was understandably distraught when suddenly Ashley vanished. But he couldn’t let another person walk out of his life, so Mickey was determined to find her. With the help of Ema and Spoon, two other outcasts from their school society, Mickey heads deeper and deeper into danger. The seedy side of town, which Ashley’s trail led them to, shocked them, but they needed to dig deeper.
When Mickey father’s past was brought into the mix, horrors from the second world war and the gruesome thugs who didn’t care who they hurt, everything seemed to link together…..but how? Why? Could Mickey solve the conspiracy, could he find Ashley, and what did happen to his father?
I very much enjoyed Mickey’s story, and even though it was far-fetched at times (he’s only 16 after all!) that’s what fiction is all about. I’m looking forward to the second in this series, Seconds Away, and would definitely recommend this book.
April 24, 2017
Cuando he terminado el libro me entere que es parte de una saga en marcha asi que menudo chasco con el final abierto, pero dejando eso aparte lo he encontrado bastante irregular. No solo por los personajes, que con 14 años el protagonista conduce, sabe artes marciales, no tiene miedo de nada (se que es un adolescente pero por favor....), no se, le faltaba volar, y eso que los secundarios son interesantes pero es como si el autor no terminara de contar algunas cosas sobre ellos y eso les quita sustancia. Todo narrado en forma un poco precipitada para mi gusto, no creo que lo siga.
February 2, 2016
Me ha encantado!!!!! Vaya final... quiero más de MickeyBolitar jaja
June 4, 2024
I will start of by making a number of confessions: 1) I tossed this book on top of my library stack at the last minute (after having spent quite some time wrangling my three year old away from the puzzles and forcing my seven year old to narrow his book pile down to something he could actually carry himself) - which is to say, I didn't read the book description and so knew nothing about it but that I thought the cover interesting. 2) I have never before read anything by Harlan Coben, therefore naturally know nothing about his Myron Bolitar series. 3) Had I known that Harlan Coben writes bestselling adult thrillers, I would not have come NEAR this book. After the condescending, lazy tripe being offered to the YA market by other adult-gone-ya authors (James Patterson's Maximum Ride series and John Grisham's Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer both immediately come to mind), I'd have to have some pretty compelling reasons to purposely give another such book a shot. (Or do so by accident. Ahem.)
Shelter and I just didn't mesh for so very many reasons. I would like to say that it was just not a book for me - that I came into it expecting not to like it so didn't - but I just don't think that is the case. There are so many things going on in Shelter that it is hard to sort it all out. Coben seems to have some 'life lessons' he feels need to be learned, and some Important History to tell, oh, and also a plot line or two that don't necessarily have to have anything to do with each other or anything else and defied plausibility at every turn. I will try to sort out some of what was going on, and my reactions.
I am all about letting teens read about the real world. I think it is important that kids know what is going on around them, what life may be like for people unlike themselves. But there is a matter of perspective and voice - two things that were often on my mind while reading Shelter. I am sorry, but there is no way I buy Mickey as a fifteen year old teen. Mikey never reads as fifteen, but rather, what a grown man may have wished he was at fifteen. It isn't a matter of intelligence or maturity, it is so far beyond that. Mickey is strong - really, really strong. And amazing at martial arts. And really tall. And super hot - but really nice and kind, too. He is romantically interested in two different super hot girls - but only because they are also super nice. He's really smart and wise. He's the absolute best at basketball, but so humble that he doesn't need to tell everyone at his own school. And so magnanimous and open minded, too. I mean, he befriends fat kids and geeks and plays basketball with black kids! Isn't he so wonderful? I know I am laying the sarcasm on pretty thick there, but 6 pages in and Mikey had already ticked me off. He's that guy that thinks it's okay to make racist jokes because he's 'got black friends' - like that somehow makes it all okay. Here are some examples of what I'm talking about:
He should have risked 'condescending', maybe then he would have avoided 'like a jerk'.
Mikey goes on to basically ignore everything this 'geek' says, and doesn't even bother to learn his name, calling him Spoon for the rest of the book, because that is the first thing the kid talked to him about.
Never mind that the main kid he plays with is well-off, with an awesome and involved dad who has a great job. Let's just pretend all African Americans live in poverty but rock at basketball compared to their well off white counterparts (Mikey excepted, of course.) It is in this way that three of what will be the four most helpful 'friends' Mikey has are introduced. For someone who is supposedly so nonjudgmental, he spends a lot of time labeling his friends. Would that entire tangent about the political correctness of adjectives even have been used if a thin girl had walked up? I think not; and it is disingenuous to say that it was not judgmental. Most of the characters were quintessential stereotypes: the jocks were jerks, Mikey's 'nerdy' friends naturally were whizzes at computers, technology, and obscure historical and literary references. Mikey's (and, for that matter his Uncle Myron's) primary competitor at sports is blindly a douche, purely out of jealousy, of course! The strippers, and every one else who worked at the club were nasty and stupid. His junky mom falls off the bandwagon the first chance she gets. The bad guys were evil through and through with no obvious motivation. The 'good guys' act morally superior while practicing a revoltingly snobbish form of vigilantism.
I think the thing that bothered me the most about all of this is the way in which it is employed. There are (very good) examples in the book of how I am wrong about each and every one of the things I have said. The Abeona Society base their vigilantism on the actions of a (fictional) holocaust survivor. But there is a nuance here that Coben is missing - what is acceptable in the lawlessness of a genocidal war, and what is acceptable when there are legal means in place are very different. In the end, the Abeona's are still murderers themselves. But Coben calls on the Holocaust to protect their actions from scrutiny. The Holocaust should NEVER be reduced to a plot device. There is one redeemable stripper; so it is okay that all the rest aren't. One of the cheerleaders turns up nice; so it is okay that everyone else who is 'popular' is cruel and deserving of contempt. To revive my former analogy, there is always the one black friend used to excuse the racist joke. And it just ticks me off.
Even with all these problems, there were times when I truly found the book to be an enjoyable read. Coben really is a good writer. But here is where we come back to perspective - had the main character of this story been an adult rather than a teen, some of it would have been more believable. I could then buy him having spent enough years to become deadly at martial arts or a enough experience to slip in and out of the seedy underworld of human trafficking mostly unscathed. Or how Mikey could have acquired the skills and experience necessary to attract the interest of a secret vigilante justice society. I appreciate that Coben doesn't condescend to his YA audience, I just don't think he ever provided a truly YA hero. I may still try some of Coben's adult novels, but I think this is it for his YA.
Blogged at Chronicles of a Book Evangelist
Shelter and I just didn't mesh for so very many reasons. I would like to say that it was just not a book for me - that I came into it expecting not to like it so didn't - but I just don't think that is the case. There are so many things going on in Shelter that it is hard to sort it all out. Coben seems to have some 'life lessons' he feels need to be learned, and some Important History to tell, oh, and also a plot line or two that don't necessarily have to have anything to do with each other or anything else and defied plausibility at every turn. I will try to sort out some of what was going on, and my reactions.
I am all about letting teens read about the real world. I think it is important that kids know what is going on around them, what life may be like for people unlike themselves. But there is a matter of perspective and voice - two things that were often on my mind while reading Shelter. I am sorry, but there is no way I buy Mickey as a fifteen year old teen. Mikey never reads as fifteen, but rather, what a grown man may have wished he was at fifteen. It isn't a matter of intelligence or maturity, it is so far beyond that. Mickey is strong - really, really strong. And amazing at martial arts. And really tall. And super hot - but really nice and kind, too. He is romantically interested in two different super hot girls - but only because they are also super nice. He's really smart and wise. He's the absolute best at basketball, but so humble that he doesn't need to tell everyone at his own school. And so magnanimous and open minded, too. I mean, he befriends fat kids and geeks and plays basketball with black kids! Isn't he so wonderful? I know I am laying the sarcasm on pretty thick there, but 6 pages in and Mikey had already ticked me off. He's that guy that thinks it's okay to make racist jokes because he's 'got black friends' - like that somehow makes it all okay. Here are some examples of what I'm talking about:
"Another girl in my group, an incoming freshman dressed all in black, was on the fat side. I know I should call her something other than fat, something more politically correct, but I'm not sure what without sounding condescending. Large? Chubby? Heavy? I say that without judgement, the same way I might say small, bony, or skinny." (p 6)
He should have risked 'condescending', maybe then he would have avoided 'like a jerk'.
"A kid who would definitely fit into the geek camp came up to me with a tray in his hand. His pant cuffs were set at flood level. His sneakers were pure white with no logo. He pushed up his Harry Potter glasses and lifted his tray in my direction." (p 17
Mikey goes on to basically ignore everything this 'geek' says, and doesn't even bother to learn his name, calling him Spoon for the rest of the book, because that is the first thing the kid talked to him about.
"The well-to-do grassy environs of Kasselton were only seven miles from the gritty streets of Newark, but the two cities seemed to be from different planets. I'm told that Newark is on the mend and while I see pockets of it, I mostly see the old decay. Poverty is still prevalent, but I go where the best basketball is and while you could talk prejudice or racial profiling, I'm still one of the very few white guys down here after school." (p 89)
Never mind that the main kid he plays with is well-off, with an awesome and involved dad who has a great job. Let's just pretend all African Americans live in poverty but rock at basketball compared to their well off white counterparts (Mikey excepted, of course.) It is in this way that three of what will be the four most helpful 'friends' Mikey has are introduced. For someone who is supposedly so nonjudgmental, he spends a lot of time labeling his friends. Would that entire tangent about the political correctness of adjectives even have been used if a thin girl had walked up? I think not; and it is disingenuous to say that it was not judgmental. Most of the characters were quintessential stereotypes: the jocks were jerks, Mikey's 'nerdy' friends naturally were whizzes at computers, technology, and obscure historical and literary references. Mikey's (and, for that matter his Uncle Myron's) primary competitor at sports is blindly a douche, purely out of jealousy, of course! The strippers, and every one else who worked at the club were nasty and stupid. His junky mom falls off the bandwagon the first chance she gets. The bad guys were evil through and through with no obvious motivation. The 'good guys' act morally superior while practicing a revoltingly snobbish form of vigilantism.
I think the thing that bothered me the most about all of this is the way in which it is employed. There are (very good) examples in the book of how I am wrong about each and every one of the things I have said. The Abeona Society base their vigilantism on the actions of a (fictional) holocaust survivor. But there is a nuance here that Coben is missing - what is acceptable in the lawlessness of a genocidal war, and what is acceptable when there are legal means in place are very different. In the end, the Abeona's are still murderers themselves. But Coben calls on the Holocaust to protect their actions from scrutiny. The Holocaust should NEVER be reduced to a plot device. There is one redeemable stripper; so it is okay that all the rest aren't. One of the cheerleaders turns up nice; so it is okay that everyone else who is 'popular' is cruel and deserving of contempt. To revive my former analogy, there is always the one black friend used to excuse the racist joke. And it just ticks me off.
Even with all these problems, there were times when I truly found the book to be an enjoyable read. Coben really is a good writer. But here is where we come back to perspective - had the main character of this story been an adult rather than a teen, some of it would have been more believable. I could then buy him having spent enough years to become deadly at martial arts or a enough experience to slip in and out of the seedy underworld of human trafficking mostly unscathed. Or how Mikey could have acquired the skills and experience necessary to attract the interest of a secret vigilante justice society. I appreciate that Coben doesn't condescend to his YA audience, I just don't think he ever provided a truly YA hero. I may still try some of Coben's adult novels, but I think this is it for his YA.
Blogged at Chronicles of a Book Evangelist
May 9, 2023
I think this was a YA book, but it was pretty good nonetheless, though not as good as the Myron Bolitar series. This is about Mickey Bolitar, his nephew, the son of Myron's brother who died in a car crash, I think. Mickey's mother didn't handle his death very well (she blamed herself or Mickey somewhat), and she became a drug addict. She pretty much hit rock bottom, and Myron helped out by getting her into rehab and taking care of Mickey. But Mickey, a sophomore in high school, isn't too happy about this, and considers Myron his dorky uncle who he wishes would just leave him alone.
Mickey could have used some help a few time. He did some pretty dumb things and almost got himself killed once or twice. He really could have used some help from Myron's friend, Win, but I guess he would have stolen the entire show.
Mickey could have used some help a few time. He did some pretty dumb things and almost got himself killed once or twice. He really could have used some help from Myron's friend, Win, but I guess he would have stolen the entire show.
December 27, 2011
Recommended by my friend Maureen with the caveat that this book breaks the "series rule" (The first book in a series must be a complete story on its own; the second book should be a happy surprise, not a given) I read this in a day. Despite my compulsitivity, this book was awful. The writing was bad (though did not approach Twilight-esqe levels) and I feel like Coben's approach to writing a "teen" book was to read about seven of them and then take every cliche possible and shove it in his book. Let's count them up. We have: 1)The essentially orphaned, and mostly unsupervised main character, 2)The loud, eccentric best friend who might as well be wearing a jester hat, lest you not get that he's supposed to be the comic relief 3)The prickly fat girl who wears a defensive shell a mile thick, but is hiding a heart of gold and has a secret 4)much plot development action involving cell phones and 5)a large population of adults who "just don't get it" 6)Teachers who are all apparently very angry former drill sargents.
You know what else this book set in the present day had? Nazis. Really? Yes really! Because there is no better antagonist than WWII era Germany. But wait, there's more! A Strip Club. Prostitution. Mysterious White Van. Strange Tattoos. Stranger Tattoo Artists. Thinking over all of these elements put together I feel a building rage at the pure stupidity of this book. One or two of these elements in the hands of someone who can write would have resulted in something worth my time. But at this point, all I can do is warn you away. Go ask a librarian for a good YA book and leave Harlan Coben to the airport-novel-reading adults.
Also? Incredibly dumb character name. Mickey Bolitar! He was born in the mid-90s, for god's sake, not the mid-50s. In fact, I just checked Wolfram Alpha and the graph of the Mickey distribution shows a dip down to pretty much zero in the mid-90s when this character would have been born. It's rank is beyond 1000 currently. Mickey Boliter! Stay away! Far away.
You know what else this book set in the present day had? Nazis. Really? Yes really! Because there is no better antagonist than WWII era Germany. But wait, there's more! A Strip Club. Prostitution. Mysterious White Van. Strange Tattoos. Stranger Tattoo Artists. Thinking over all of these elements put together I feel a building rage at the pure stupidity of this book. One or two of these elements in the hands of someone who can write would have resulted in something worth my time. But at this point, all I can do is warn you away. Go ask a librarian for a good YA book and leave Harlan Coben to the airport-novel-reading adults.
Also? Incredibly dumb character name. Mickey Bolitar! He was born in the mid-90s, for god's sake, not the mid-50s. In fact, I just checked Wolfram Alpha and the graph of the Mickey distribution shows a dip down to pretty much zero in the mid-90s when this character would have been born. It's rank is beyond 1000 currently. Mickey Boliter! Stay away! Far away.
February 2, 2012
This is a mystery for teens written by a well-known author of thrillers for adults. I was pretty excited to read this since I like Coben's adult books, but I really ended up thinking this was just okay. My main complaints involve weakly-created characters and terrible dialogue. I just didn't feel like many of the characters were real, or even believable, and much of the dialogue was horrible.
That being said, there is an exciting and interesting plot, so for readers who care more about plot than character, you may be just fine. The main character, Mickey, has just gone to live with his uncle after the death of his father and the mental problems of his mother. There are two facets to the mystery: One involves Mickey looking for a girl who disappeared and the other involves a creepy old mysterious woman in his new neighborhood who tells Mickey his father is still alive. As Mickey seeks to solve the mysteries, the scenarios become more and more ridiculous and the characters less and less believable, but there was one element to the story (involving the Holocaust!) that I enjoyed.
If you are looking for a quick and exciting mystery, this might fit the bill. Otherwise, I'd look for something with some substance.
That being said, there is an exciting and interesting plot, so for readers who care more about plot than character, you may be just fine. The main character, Mickey, has just gone to live with his uncle after the death of his father and the mental problems of his mother. There are two facets to the mystery: One involves Mickey looking for a girl who disappeared and the other involves a creepy old mysterious woman in his new neighborhood who tells Mickey his father is still alive. As Mickey seeks to solve the mysteries, the scenarios become more and more ridiculous and the characters less and less believable, but there was one element to the story (involving the Holocaust!) that I enjoyed.
If you are looking for a quick and exciting mystery, this might fit the bill. Otherwise, I'd look for something with some substance.
June 18, 2022
Powtórka z rozrywki. Bardzo toporna powtórka.
Mickey Bolitar, młodsza kopie swojego słynnego wujka Myrona, w akcji typowej dla książek tego autora. Koleżanka ze szkoły przepada w niewyjaśnionych okolicznościach, a trop wiedzie do… klubu z tancerkami egzotycznymi – czy to nie brzmi jakoś znajomo?
Zła jestem na tę książkę – nie dość, że to wszystko już było, to jeszcze co chwilę dostajemy retrospekcją jak łopatą w łeb. Wszystkie historie znane z książek o Myronie, wszystkie chwyty używane w poprzednich książkach – odhaczone! No i sam główny bohater – nastoletnia kopia Myrona, momentami irytująca, do tego przeżywająca te wszystkie super-hiper akcje ze złolami jak dorosły facet. Litości.
Po przeczytaniu tylu książek Cobena, chyba potrzebuję trochę odpoczynku. Od początku nie miałam za bardzo ochoty na ten cykl, ale wiecie jak to jest – tylko trzy części, do tego dostępne w formie audio, no to się skusiłam. Jak mi się nie spodoba pierwsza część, to odpuszczę, pomyślałam. Na co Harlan – nie ma takiej opcji, bejbe. Zakończenie wręcz zmusza człowieka, żeby sięgnął po kolejne. Ostrzegam!
5/10
Mickey Bolitar, młodsza kopie swojego słynnego wujka Myrona, w akcji typowej dla książek tego autora. Koleżanka ze szkoły przepada w niewyjaśnionych okolicznościach, a trop wiedzie do… klubu z tancerkami egzotycznymi – czy to nie brzmi jakoś znajomo?
Zła jestem na tę książkę – nie dość, że to wszystko już było, to jeszcze co chwilę dostajemy retrospekcją jak łopatą w łeb. Wszystkie historie znane z książek o Myronie, wszystkie chwyty używane w poprzednich książkach – odhaczone! No i sam główny bohater – nastoletnia kopia Myrona, momentami irytująca, do tego przeżywająca te wszystkie super-hiper akcje ze złolami jak dorosły facet. Litości.
Po przeczytaniu tylu książek Cobena, chyba potrzebuję trochę odpoczynku. Od początku nie miałam za bardzo ochoty na ten cykl, ale wiecie jak to jest – tylko trzy części, do tego dostępne w formie audio, no to się skusiłam. Jak mi się nie spodoba pierwsza część, to odpuszczę, pomyślałam. Na co Harlan – nie ma takiej opcji, bejbe. Zakończenie wręcz zmusza człowieka, żeby sięgnął po kolejne. Ostrzegam!
5/10
December 8, 2022
Fast Paced
Another Harlan Coben . This time it’s a story about high school students and their attempt to solve a serious crime.
Very enjoyable, fast paced and well written.
Highly recommend.
Another Harlan Coben . This time it’s a story about high school students and their attempt to solve a serious crime.
Very enjoyable, fast paced and well written.
Highly recommend.
June 8, 2016
Loved it!!! It was such a fun read and I loved the interaction between Micky, Ema and Spoon. I am looking forward to the 2nd book. Can't wait!!
September 3, 2023
I declare I think that Goodreads might be deleting some of my markings/reviews, because I know I picked this up from my library and read it. *sighs*
At any rate, time for a reread. I still need to watch the Amazon adaptation for this as well.
At any rate, time for a reread. I still need to watch the Amazon adaptation for this as well.
August 23, 2011
You guys may not believe me when I tell you but believe it or not, I read this entire 304 page book in 3 hours!!!! I couldn't focus on anything else. I wanted to get to the end to figure out all the clues and see how it all related to each other. This is the second book I read where the main character is a male, and I loved it. I will definitely be picking up more of Harlan Coben's book to read in the future. He's made my list of favorite authors that's for sure.
There's mystery and suspense from the very beginning and never stops until the very end. I kept asking myself what does his girl friend missing have to do with the Bat Lady and vice - versa. I asked myself throughout the entire book and when I read the end WOW! I did not see that coming and boy was it interesting to learn all these facts about something that happened so many years ago. I was intrigue from the very first page and couldn't believe that i finished the book in 3 hours. The way this book throws you off completely, then gives you somewhat of a clue, then throws you off again leaving you questing until the very end is amazing. That's what kept me on the edge and wanting to read everything before I put the book down. I loved how all the chips feel into place at the very end explaining each character's place in the story, but the best part was is the very end. I never understood why Mickey always said that he remembered the way the guy with the sandy hair and green eyes looked at him and through his eyes he knew that his father was dead. He stated this throughout the entire story however, it was more of a thought then an acutal conversation between any of the characters. Until the very end I completely understood why he said it and can't wait until the next book comes out to learn about this, i am super excited to have come across this author and his amazing book. I highly recommend it.
Mickey has had one tough year and boy was it going to get tougher. He starts a new high school which is in a town his deceased father and uncle grew up in. He meets this beautiful girl in orientation at his new school and hit it off. But when she disappears one day without a word, he feels it's his duty to find her.
It's rumored that there's a really old wicked lady, that lives in this beat-up, run down house in the block who presumably takes children from their homes and you never see them again. Since she's never seen out in the day time and there are few people who have even seen her at night, she's known as the Bat Lady. One day, Mickey is heading toward school and sees the Bat Lady. She steps out of her house, and tells Mickey something that changes his life forever.
Mickey's father has recently died in a car accident that Mickey witnessed entirely. His mother has been in rehab for the past 6 weeks and is due to come home the next day.
While dealing with all of this, Mickey meets some people at his school that he never thought would be his best friends to help him and be there for him through the entire roller coaster of a year that Mickey has lived through.
that's all i will say for now, you definitely have to pick up this book to find out what the Bat Lady said to Mickey that changed his life forever, to know what happened to his missing girl friend and the rest of the twists and turns that Harlan Coben throws at your while reading this amazing novel.
There's mystery and suspense from the very beginning and never stops until the very end. I kept asking myself what does his girl friend missing have to do with the Bat Lady and vice - versa. I asked myself throughout the entire book and when I read the end WOW! I did not see that coming and boy was it interesting to learn all these facts about something that happened so many years ago. I was intrigue from the very first page and couldn't believe that i finished the book in 3 hours. The way this book throws you off completely, then gives you somewhat of a clue, then throws you off again leaving you questing until the very end is amazing. That's what kept me on the edge and wanting to read everything before I put the book down. I loved how all the chips feel into place at the very end explaining each character's place in the story, but the best part was is the very end. I never understood why Mickey always said that he remembered the way the guy with the sandy hair and green eyes looked at him and through his eyes he knew that his father was dead. He stated this throughout the entire story however, it was more of a thought then an acutal conversation between any of the characters. Until the very end I completely understood why he said it and can't wait until the next book comes out to learn about this, i am super excited to have come across this author and his amazing book. I highly recommend it.
Mickey has had one tough year and boy was it going to get tougher. He starts a new high school which is in a town his deceased father and uncle grew up in. He meets this beautiful girl in orientation at his new school and hit it off. But when she disappears one day without a word, he feels it's his duty to find her.
It's rumored that there's a really old wicked lady, that lives in this beat-up, run down house in the block who presumably takes children from their homes and you never see them again. Since she's never seen out in the day time and there are few people who have even seen her at night, she's known as the Bat Lady. One day, Mickey is heading toward school and sees the Bat Lady. She steps out of her house, and tells Mickey something that changes his life forever.
Mickey's father has recently died in a car accident that Mickey witnessed entirely. His mother has been in rehab for the past 6 weeks and is due to come home the next day.
While dealing with all of this, Mickey meets some people at his school that he never thought would be his best friends to help him and be there for him through the entire roller coaster of a year that Mickey has lived through.
that's all i will say for now, you definitely have to pick up this book to find out what the Bat Lady said to Mickey that changed his life forever, to know what happened to his missing girl friend and the rest of the twists and turns that Harlan Coben throws at your while reading this amazing novel.
November 7, 2011
It's been 55 years since we've read the Hardy Boys or Rick Brant or any other "young adult" book. But we're such a Harlan Coben fan, we picked up "Shelter" despite the intended audience, just for fun, and to see what kind of character Myron Bolitar's nephew Mickey might be. In general, we were rewarded with a very entertaining story, with some stereotypical but amusing support characters, and a plot that only got a little far-fetched right at the end.
Mickey has gone to live with Uncle Myron after the death of his father in an auto crash (with Mickey in the car), and with his mother in rehab due to drug abuse. He makes some “unlikely” friends at his new high school, including the “fat girl” Ema and a nerd nick-named Spoon, and later, hottie Rachael. He also gets spooked by the “Bat Lady” who of course lives in a decrepit house that supposedly is haunted or whatever. When a potential girlfriend Ashley turns up missing after only a week in school, Mickey joins forces with his friends to figure out what happened to her, suspecting “Bat Lady” might have a role in her disappearance. Eventually we get involved with a cruel go-go bar, Holocaust survivors, and plenty of bad guys; but some interesting information about Mickey’s dad puts the icing on the book, and seems to set the stage for several follow-on’s, as the author intends. We had fun, and would highly recommend the book to middle-school or early high school readers.
Mickey has gone to live with Uncle Myron after the death of his father in an auto crash (with Mickey in the car), and with his mother in rehab due to drug abuse. He makes some “unlikely” friends at his new high school, including the “fat girl” Ema and a nerd nick-named Spoon, and later, hottie Rachael. He also gets spooked by the “Bat Lady” who of course lives in a decrepit house that supposedly is haunted or whatever. When a potential girlfriend Ashley turns up missing after only a week in school, Mickey joins forces with his friends to figure out what happened to her, suspecting “Bat Lady” might have a role in her disappearance. Eventually we get involved with a cruel go-go bar, Holocaust survivors, and plenty of bad guys; but some interesting information about Mickey’s dad puts the icing on the book, and seems to set the stage for several follow-on’s, as the author intends. We had fun, and would highly recommend the book to middle-school or early high school readers.
September 11, 2012
Having heard some good things about Harlan Coben, I was pleasantly surprised to see one of his books as the "Kindle Deal of the Day" a few weeks back. I mean, for $1.99, why not read something by the acclaimed mystery author? Well, for one reason, because this is not the adult mystery series he is famous for, it is a young adult spin-off about that character's nephew. Oops. Not how I meant to start reading this author, but despite that, I really enjoyed this book.
It was one part Walter Mosley, one part Hardy Boys, and a pinch of the movie Brick. However, it is definitely for a YA audience. The book has no sex or cursing, which made the characters -- high school kids -- seem naive and immature, and hence, lacked authenticity.
It was one part Walter Mosley, one part Hardy Boys, and a pinch of the movie Brick. However, it is definitely for a YA audience. The book has no sex or cursing, which made the characters -- high school kids -- seem naive and immature, and hence, lacked authenticity.
April 1, 2014
This book made me discover the genuis of Harlan Coben. I think it's so hard to write a good mystery/thriller and Harlan does an amazing job every time. If you are sick of reading about other people finding love (hey, even this lady gets sick of reading chick-lits for a week) then I highly recommend reading any of his books (but read this one first because I feel like its an easy transition from finding love to finding the bad guy).
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