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Product Description: #1 bestselling author Harlan Coben asks that provocative and terrifying question with his fifteenth thriller. How much do parents really want to know about their kids?
#1 bestselling author Harlan Coben asks that provocative and terrifying question with his fifteenth thriller.
#1 bestselling author Harlan Coben has become an unstoppable force in suspense fiction. His most recent novel, The Woods, spent more time on the New York Times bestseller list than his previous books and sales reached his highest levels to date. His latest page-turner, which is about just how far parents will go to protect their kids, is destined for the top of every bestseller list.
Tia and Mike Baye never imagined they’d become the type of overprotective parents who spy on their kids. But their sixteen-year-old son Adam has been unusually distant lately, and after the suicide of his classmate Spencer Hill—the latest in a string of issues at school—they can’t help but worry. They install a sophisticated spy program on Adam’s computer, and within days are jolted by a message from an unknown correspondent addressed to their son: “Just stay quiet and all safe.”
Meanwhile, browsing through an online memorial for Spencer put together by his classmates, Betsy Hill is struck by a photo that appears to have been taken on the night of her son’s death . . . and he wasn’t alone. She thinks it is Adam Baye standing just outside the camera’s range; but when Adam goes missing, it soon becomes clear that something deep and sinister has infected their community. For Tia and Mike Baye, the question they must answer is this: When it comes to your kids, is it possible to know too much? Customer Reviews: Rating: 
Date: 2008-07-06
Hold Tight
A must read for any parent. Could not put down until I finished it once I started it. Rating:
Date: 2008-07-02
Could NOT stop reading this edge of seat thriller!
I know that line, "I could not stop reading it" is an old one, but there's a reason it has become a cliche. If I could have stayed awake all night, I probably would have read it in one sitting. This book, like several of his others (Just One Look, Innocent) grabs you by the throat, takes several seemingly unrelated story lines and brings them together. This one explores the nature of what it means to help a friend (in MANY surprising and unanticipated ways!) and the issue of parental supervision (also in surprising, unique ways). Coben does an excellent job of maintaining the breathless pace. Bravo!! The world could use more books like this. Rating: 
Date: 2008-06-27
Should We Spy On Our Kids?
In his latest mystery novel, "Hold Tight," Harlan Coben explores the dark side of parental oversight. The underlying question is this: What happens if we spy on a teenager's electronic communications and find something shocking, such as drug abuse, murder or a planned suicide? Can we take the appropriate action without destroying trust forever?
It's an interesting premise with frightening implications. (I have a 16-year-old son myself.)
PLOT SUMMARY: Mike and Tia Baye live in an upscale suburban community in northern New Jersey. Their teenage son, Adam, is distraught and withdrawn following the suicide of a close friend. Meanwhile, a psychopathic murderer and his accomplice are kidnapping, torturing and murdering grown women for some reason we don't understand. Mike and Tia install a monitoring program on their son's computer to find out what's happening to him. Adam, his parents and their entire community get drawn into a swirling maelstrom of suspicion and crime that nearly engulfs several families.
As the old saying goes: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."
If you've read Harlan's other novels, you'll find this one particularly grisly and violent. I hope that's not a harbinger of things to come because we certainly have enough blood and mayhem in modern fiction today. On the other hand, you will enjoy the cameo appearances by Paul Copeland and Detective Muse from previous novels.
Generally speaking, I enjoyed this novel but found some of the characters a bit stiff, particularly the teenagers. Harlan has several younger kids of his own, so perhaps he'll improve the dialogue next time around as he gains more experience with this mystifying age group.
BOTTOM LINE: A fast summer read, but not for the faint of heart. Harlan gets a solid "B" from me.
Rating:
Date: 2008-06-27
Hold Tight
A real page-turner. Harlan Coben brings you directly and intimately into the story. It made you think. Rating:
Date: 2008-06-25
Another.....
great read from Mr. Coben! I actually finished reading this book inside of one day as I just couldn't put it down....the refrain "how does all this come together" just kept going thru my brain and the only way to rid myself of it was to, well, just pick that big book up and finish it!!
I was not disappointed at all. Every thread was nicely tied and the suspense was perfect, as usual! I do think this book can only be truly appreciated by parents; however, as a suspense-filled story, I think anyone, parent or not, can simply enjoy it for the suspenseful tale it is.
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