Rating: 
Summary: A Real Page Turner
Review: Well, I loved this book. First of all to anyone out there who complains that I only give good reviews.....I try not to review the ones I didn't like...you know that old saying if you can't say something nice then don't say anything at all.If I have reviewed a book, it means I loved it. I read 2 to 3 books and week and don't review them all, so if you check my other reviews, you now know why I have so many "5 stars"
Now, for this book. I couldn't put it down. I drove my husband crazy becasue i kept saying "oy vey" out loud, and of course he kept saying what's wrong? I would say very shortly "this book"...he would then ignore me...it took about half the book before he finally quit asking! Anyway, if you are already a Harlan Coben fan, you will enjoy this. If you are new to him, read it enjoy it and make sure you read his others! Can't wait for the next one!
Rating:
Summary: Gripping Page Turner-Why Did I wait so long
Review: I had heard alot about Harlan Coben, but No Second Chance was my first read, and now I feel foolish for waiting so long. I wish I could divulge some plot elements, for they are brilliant, but let me say simply that this book has a fantastically constructed serpentine plot. Reminds me of being on Space Mountain, a great roller coaster where you always think you know the next exciting twist and turn, never do, and then wonder of course why didnt I think of that. Dr. Marc Seidman, Coben's lead character, is a good guy with just enough hint of darkness to make him interesting. And the characters surrounding him all seem to be hiding some deep dark secret, though discerning which do and what they are is part of what makes this novel a great read. And I also like Coben's eye for detail and description-it is at the same time vivid yet well researched and accurate. One can actually painlessly learn something from a Harlan Coben book. This was the best money Ive spent in a long time, and now Im off to order the rest of Coben's book. Read it, you won't regret it. Yeah Harlan!!
Rating: 
Summary: This riveting thriller catches your attention from the start
Review: Harlan Coben is a nice guy. I had the chance to interview him a few years ago, while he was still writing his successful and wildly entertaining Myron Bolitar series. That conversation, as well as the email chatter we exchanged before and after the interview, had the same comfortable, effortless humor one might encounter over beers with a buddy. Coben exudes nice-guy-ness in his personality and in his prose, a fact that is all the more interesting since he has built a career on making up stories about people killing each other. But then, Coben's protagonists are nice guys, too. That may be one of the qualities that draw fans to Coben's work in ever increasing droves. Harlan Coben writes about nasty things happening to nice people, who then find a way to overcome --- and get some major payback. NO SECOND CHANCE is a prime example. The third stand-alone novel in what loyal Coben fans hope is nothing more than an extended intermission in the Myron Bolitar series, NO SECOND CHANCE jumps out of the blocks with an opening sentence that is a bit like a trapdoor. Get anywhere near that sentence and suddenly --- WHOA! --- you've fallen in, chapters whizzing by as you sink deeper and deeper into the story. Dr. Marc Seidman is a plastic surgeon specializing in reconstructive surgery. He's also a nice guy --- not a boy scout, but a decent human being. One day Marc wakes up in a hospital bed he has been laying in for twelve days to the realization that he and Monica, his wife, have been shot while standing in their own kitchen. Monica was killed in the shooting and Tara, the couple's infant daughter, is missing. A ransom message soon restores Marc's hope that Tara is alive. But in a decision no one should have to make, Marc ignores the kidnapper's warning and alerts the police. It's a move that Marc lives to regret, as the bad guys make off with the ransom money --- supplied by Marc's wealthy but cold-hearted father-in-law --- and with Tara. Marc is left to bear the unthinkable burden of the loss of his daughter, clinging against hope that she is somehow still alive, despite evidence to the contrary. But then, eighteen months later, another ransom message is delivered, along with evidence that Tara is alive. With each step Marc makes to recover his daughter, the mystery of the shootings, his wife's death and Tara's kidnapping seems to recede into darker and darker shadows. While Coben's fans may miss the Myron Bolitar series, there is little to complain about. Like it's predecessors, NO SECOND CHANCE is a taught thriller, peppered generously with often-funny dialogue. It's the combination that made the Bolitar series so readable and so popular and earned the author a shelf-straining string of awards. But by sending Myron off for a bit of "R and R", Coben has given himself a chance to stretch out beyond the bounds of established characters and fan expectations to try his hand at material that is a bit darker, a shade more ominous. Familiar elements remain, however. Family is a strong theme in all of Coben's work and NO SECOND CHANCE is no exception. While Marc Seidman attempts to unravel the tragic events in his own life, he continues to deal with the everyday burden of love, duty and guilt that define his less than comfortable relationship with his parents, who live in the same neighborhood, only blocks away. The very house Marc lives in was once the home of another family, whose secrets, once whispered in schoolyards, are the reality for the troubled Dina Levinsky, an old schoolmate of Mark's who materializes with new secrets that may unlock the mystery at hand. NO SECOND CHANCE is the latest addition to a body of work by a writer whose skills continue to evolve. Readers, even die-hard Myron Bolitar fans, should be grateful. Coben's work reflects the spark and enthusiasm of someone who truly enjoys what he is doing. Harlan Coben is a nice guy having fun concocting what-ifs rooted in the nightmares of nice guys everywhere. But don't read NO SECOND CHANCE because he's a nice guy. Read it because he's very good at what he does. --- Reviewed by Bob Rhubart
Rating:
Summary: Good read, but...
Review: I liked this book, but not as much as "Tell No One". I am not a professional reviewer, but seems to me that Mr. Coben gets darker and darker the more he writes. "Tell No One" left me feeling good, but "No Second Chance" left me sort of depressed, just the way I felt when I finished "Gone for Good" and "The Final Detail". Maybe Mr. Coben's next book will be a little lighter. (I also prefer to read books written in the third person and not the first person).
Rating:
Summary: Coben fans will appreciate it, but newcomers start elsewhere
Review: As a huge Harlan Coben fan, I will dutifully buy and read each of his new releases as they come out. At this point I think I appreciate the familiarity provided by each new novel. Coben's like the Kevin Smith of the literary world, tying the same characters into multiple books, while never really spending too much time away from the main characters. Not to say that each book can't be appreciated on its own merits, but it always feels like Coben wants to go back to writing about Myron Bolitar (and I hope he does someday). No Second Chance was a great, quick read. It has its quirks and downsides, but like his other works its a brilliant way to pass the time. However, if you've never read Coben before ... try starting with Tell No One or Gone for Good.
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: It was 3:40 AM when I finally closed the cover and put this book down, realizing that I had less than three hours before my alarm clock would be nudging me awake. Did this bother me? NO. At least I knew what would become of Tara, Marc, Rachel and the other characters I'd grown to know and love. Yes, Harlan Coben's characters have certain similarities. They are all slightly flawed, very human and trying to cope with circumstances far beyond anything they ever imagined could happen to them. There is always a mysterious former lover who somehow arrives just at the right moment. There are always twists and turns in the plot that make you believe you've figured it out when you are being led as far astray as the characters. Okay, its a little bit formulaic but its quite entertaining and exciting, and that's why I read suspense novels.
Rating:
Summary: 'No Second Chance' is excellent.
Review: Marc Seidman awakes in a hospital with no memory of why he is there. Twelve days prior Marc was a happily married surgeon with a beautiful baby. Now, he lies in a hospital with bullet wounds, and the news that his wife is dead and his daughter has been kidnapped. Probed by detectives with questions surrounding the incident, Marc does his best to reconstruct the events leading to the murder, until he receives a chilling note... The note tells Marc that they are watching, they have his daughter, and they want money. If Marc does not follow their instructions completely they will disappear and there will be 'no second chance.' Marc goes to his wealthy father in-law for the ransom money in hopes of getting his daughter back. Things go horribly wrong, forcing the kidnappers to disappear. Eighteen months later...Marc is trying to get on with his life when he receives another note. This time around Marc will make sure nothing goes wrong, except the police are now investigating 'him' for the murder of his wife, and to make matters worse a girlfriend from his past has re-surfaced. Teaming with Rachel, an ex-FBI agent and ex-girlfriend, Marc sets out to rescue his daughter, and in the process uncover shocking secrets surrounding his wife and himself. WOW! I was floored by this novel. 'No Second Chance' is excellent. Take a killer plot, people it with interesting characters, throw in loads of plot twists, sprinkle in some murders, set everything off at a break-neck pace and you have an UP-ALL NIGHT-READ that is this novel. This novel starts off with a bang and never lets up. In addition to being a heart stopping thriller, 'No Second Chance' is the story of a man coming to terms with himself and those he loves. Harlan Coben has been one of my favorite authors for years now, and he has a long list of great novels under his belt, but nothing , and I mean nothing like the action-packed, suspense thrill ride like his latest. 'Tell No One' and ' Gone For Good' were great, 'No Second Chance' is even better...you will not be able put it down. Expect to see 'No second Chance' at the top of the bestseller lists for it will be the big beach book for the summer proving Mr. Coben one of our finest suspense writers. This is definitely a MUST read! Nick Gonnella
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing
Review: if you are a fan of harlan coben you will enjoy the first three quarters of this novel. it is a real page turner so i don't recommend that you start it unless you have time to finish it, because you'll want to finish it in one sitting. very hard to put down. unfortunately the last quarter is very disappointing, and as hard as i tried not to guess the ending and hoped that i was being tossed a red herring, that was not the case and detracted from the punch it should have had when the truth was revealed. with the introduction of the character of verne i felt like i had stepped into a completely different story. coben does a great job of putting all the pieces of the puzzle on the table but the final picture just isn't satisfying. the loose ends wrap up neatly but just don't ring true.
looking forward to his next effort, and i also recommend you check out his myron bolitar series while we wait.
Rating:
Summary: No 2nd Chance
Review: No one writes heart pounding; edge of your seat suspense like Harlan Coben and following the success of 'TELL NO ONE' and 'GONE FOR GOOD', 'NO SECOND CHANCE' is no exception. This novel takes off at an accelerated speed from the beginning and doesn't stop until the very last page! When Dr. Marc Seidman's home is broken into and he is nearly fatally shot, he wakes up days later to the news that his wife was killed and his baby daughter is missing. The search for his child begins when a completely unnerving ransom note is sent to Marc's very wealthy but distant father-in-law. Also, Marc soon finds himself to be the prime suspect in his wife's murder and has to prove his innocence while, at the same time, trying to find his daughter. There are so many twists and turns and off beat characters in this novel that once you start it you will not want to put it down. I have recommended this book to all of my friends and they have all enjoyed it, even better than 'GONE FOR GOOD', 'NO SECOND CHANCE' will not disappoint!
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Put It Down
Review: This book is a lot of fun. Coben weaves an incredible story through twists and turns that kept me turning pages. I bought this book at a hotel gift shop on vacation thinking it might be something to read while I fell asleep in the sun. No chance of that. I couldn't have fallen asleep reading this even if I had wanted to. It seems as if Coben throws in a new wrinkle on every other page and somehow they don't seem contrived. I flew through the last 100 pages of this book only to find myself disappointed that it was done. As much as I wanted to finish the book to catch my breath, I found myself terribly upset that the roller coaster ride was over. Great book!
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