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Summary: Never Know Who Your Friends Are.....
Review: This book is a real page turner. Just to wait up from a coma, only to find that you are the prime suspect of the murdered of your wife and possibly of you own child can be dramatic and tramatic. It takes a person that can stand the heat to try and get out of this. I really enjoyed this book. It had action and
drama. I will be reading Just One Look very soon.
Love this book!!!!!!!
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Summary: WOW!
Review: This book is FANTASTIC! This is my first time reading or hearing of Harlan Coben, I'm a little skeptical about reading work that I am not familiar with! -WOW is the first word that comes to mind. It keeps you guessing from the beginning to the ending literally. It is fast paced and exciting, and extremely hard to put down. I am now on my second book from Coben, if it is half as good as No Second Chance I will be satisfied. Coben, is a genius writer and will be fulling up my book shelves. :) Great!
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Summary: Never a Dull Moment!
Review: I'm always disappointed when I can't find another book in the Myron Bolitar series. I've grown to love Myron and find his friend, Win, one of the most interesting characters in today's fiction. But, unlike with other authors, when I jump out of my favorite series and try another Harlan Coben novel, I find myself completely satisfied. This new progtagonist, Dr. Siedman, goes through a stunning, yet believable turn of events that kept me riveted throughout the entire novel.
More fascinating characters crop up: Lydia, the former child TV star turned psycopathic killer, for example.
The ending threw me. I'm listening to the audio version, driving my car, shouting "NO!" "No, no, no, no!" Okay, so I get a few weird looks from other drivers.
Coben - you never disappoint!
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Summary: Coben Makes Good on this "Second Chance"
Review: Anyone who's read more than one Harlan Coben novel will find him repeating several common themes: the modern suburban human condition, the importance of family bonds and the delicate balance that keeps them intact, the secrets that we all carry with us and the potentially devastating results when they finally surface, and so forth. I was about to dismiss him as a one-hit-wonder when I was recommended "No Second Chance". In this book, Coben does revisit each of these topics yet again but also manages to weave them into a suspenseful thriller that ultimately satisfies.
The protagonist, Dr. Marc Seidman, is critically wounded during a kidnapping of his infant daughter that also leaves his wife dead. The ransom swap goes horribly wrong due to an apparent mole in the law enforcement team, leaving him with no choice but to continue the investigation on his own. When a former lover turned FBI agent mysteriously re-enters his life, he enlists her help and finds himself conflicted throughout the ensuing chase. Each time Seidman thinks he's found closure, another twist keeps him locked in right up until the very last page.
Coben does a very good job of pacing the suspense in this book, (seemingly) wrapping up one aspect of the mystery while uncovering another one to be solved. The book spans several years of Seidman's life, and I especially liked how believable he was as a protagonist - as time wears on, he begins to wonder whether or not he's engaging in a fruitless hunt for ghosts, honestly examines his own motivations, considers giving it all up to move on with his life, and suffers much guilt and self-doubt as a result of these feelings. Coben's examination of Seidman's feelings as both victim and avenger is very human and a definite strength of the book.
The descriptions of suburban life and the grander meaning of its most mundane aspects are also showcased here, as they have been in most of Coben's books. Characters make poignant observations and provide wry commentary on everyday living in America without detracting from the storyline or sounding like stand-up comedy.
Nonetheless, it's still not a perfect novel. First, as with many modern thillers (and Coben's work in particular), the story heaps twist upon twist to the point where many readers will exhaust their supply of credible disbelief. This technique also makes the climax(es) a bit anti-climactic when experience has jaded readers into knowing that surely yet another surprise is waiting in the next chapter. Indeed, nothing is as it seems until you reach the "Acknowledgements" page, which not only renders the mystery unsolvable as you're reading the book but also results in some scenes of steep implausibility and all-too-convenient resolutions. Second, Coben has never been as adept at writing action sequences as he is at voicing his characters' thoughts and this book is no exception: I found myself re-reading several of the action scenes in order to figure out what happened to whom and when. This greatly undermines the tension that Coben has worked so hard to craft. Finally, the choice of antagonists is a real head-scratcher - I won't give away anything here, but I couldn't help but think "well, that's certainly a new one" when first introduced to the kidnappers' back story. It's a characterization that ultimately goes nowhere while distracting from the plot.
"No Second Chance" is a very entertaining book that Coben fans will definitely enjoy even if they recognize many familiar ideas and situations being covered. To anyone looking for a first read by Coben, I'd recommend this or else "Gone For Good", which still stands as his finest.
Rating: 
Summary: Hooked on Coben
Review: Having only recently discovered Harlan Coben, I feel so lucky that there are 9 other Harlan Coben novels that I've yet to read.
After reading Just One Look, I became a fan and now I'm completely hooked. In No Second Chance, the reader becomes caught up in Marc Seidman's living nightmare. His infant daughter, Tara, has been kidnapped and his wife, murdered. There's no time for Marc to mourn the death of his wife. The kidnappers want two million dollars in exchange for his child and they've warned him not to bring the police or there will be no second chance to see his daugter alive.
I found myself fighting sleep trying to find out "who dunnit" and only stopped reading when my eyes refused to continue focusing. Whew! What a thriller. The ending is surprising and I can't say I would have made the choice Seidman ultimately made regarding his daughter, but you'll have to read it to see if you agree.
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Summary: Another great book from Coben
Review: This is the second Coben book I read and I can't wait to read the rest! Coben's writing is smarter than most "thriller" writers and his plot turns and twists keep you interested until the very end. I finished this book on a plane ride and the only bad part was that it ended so soon.
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Summary: Suspense on Every Page - Simply Exceptional
Review: Plastic Surgeon Marc Seidman is a good man. He travels to war torn, thrid world countries and treats those in need. He does his share, he doesn't deserve what happens to him, but then nobody deserves what happens to Marc. One morning he and his wife Monica are shot in their home. Monica dies, Marc wakes up in the hospital twelve days later only to learn that his six-month-old daughter Tara is missing.
There have been no ransom notes, no contact from the kidnappers, then the day Marc leaves the hospital his wealthy father-in-law Edgar gets a note. Marc is to deliver two million dollars in exchange for Tara. No police, the note says and it also says there will be no second chance. However Mark consults his friend and attorney who advises him to call the cops who botch everything up, the bad guys get the money, but Marc doesn't get Tara.
There is nothing Mark can do. He goes back to his life, tries to live as normally as possible, but he never gives up hope. Then his former girlfriend Rachael, who is now with the FBI comes back into his life and Edgar gets another ransom note. The kidnappers want another two million. Eighteen months have passed, can she still be alive. Yes, the kidnappers sent a lock of hair and Edgar DNA tested it. It's from a two year old, it's from Tara. But can he and Rachael get the money to the kidnappers and get Tara back without the authorities mucking everything up again.
Let me tell you, don't pick this book up on a Saturday morning if you have anything important at all to do on the weekend, because you won't get it done. Like everything Mr. Coben does, this story just oozes suspense. And just when you think you have it all figured out, Mr. Coben adds a twist or two. This book is simply exceptional.
Rating:
Summary: Riveting Thriller
Review: This is a fast-paced murder mystery ~~ and riveting. I picked this book up at my hairdresser's and finished it in two days. I have never read Coben's books before and was not disappointed by this one ~~ it's engrossing.
Dr. Marc Seidman lies in a hospital bed after being shot twice by an unknown assailant. His wife is murdered and his six-months-old daughter is missing. This is just the beginning. The police suspects Marc as the guy behind the kidnapping and the murder of his wife. Desperate to find his daughter and to find the truth ~~ Marc didn't allow anyone to stop him from completing his quest.
As the mystery unravels ~~ so did Marc's suspicions. The truth lies closer to home than he ever realized.
It is a fun book ~~ perfect for a long dreary winter night. It is a definite fast-paced thriller. If you like murder mysteries, this is a good one. It's suspenseful enough to keep you on the edge of your seat.
1-10-05
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Summary: Coben is the Man
Review: I have previously read 'Tell No One' and it rocked. Instant fan of Mr. Coben. Not wanting to be let down by Coben on my second, I looked at Amazon reviews for my next book from him. 'No Second Chance' seemed like the next candidate and damn was it good! It's incredible the way he just keeps coming up with new twists and turns. This is not a page turner, this is a chapter turner! You'll read this book really quick 'cause you won't want to put it down. I'm already looking for my next Coben adventure.
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Summary: Great Use of Symbolism
Review: Symbolism is defined as giving symbolic meaning or significance to an object or event. In many novels, authors implement the use of symbolism, helping to make their literature more complex and vivid. Harlan Coben's No Second Chance contains many symbols in which unfold a deeper meaning of Dr. Seidman's struggle to find his kidnapped daughter.
Symbolism brings complexity to Coben's novel. No Second Chance is an exciting novel to read-filled with heart-stopping action and edge of your seat suspense. Strong diction and in-debt analysis are not found in this novel, however. Harlan Coben wrote No Second Chance in a way in which most readers will have no problem reading. This thrilling novel is written in mostly dialogue, yet Coben still includes opportunities for symbolism. These symbols mostly reveal the feelings of Dr. Seidman in his struggle to find his kidnapped daughter. Probably the most influential symbol is Dr. Seidman's cell phone.
In the beginning chapters of No Second Chance, Dr. Seidman has been shot and comes to find out that his wife is dead and his new-born baby daughter Tara has been kidnapped. During the first ransom demand of the novel, Seidman is given an untraceable cell phone to receive a phone call with demands on how to find his daughter. When the kidnappers find out that Seidman has involved the police, after he was specifically ordered not to, the kidnappers disappear, giving him "no second chance" at finding his daughter. For eighteen months following the kidnapping and ruined ransom exchange, Seidman held on to the cell phone in which the kidnappers had given him. Even though the kidnappers stated that they would disappear and give him no second chance, Seidman still held onto the phone. The phone became a symbol of hope for Seidman as he desperately longed for his missing daughter. He even bought a charger to keep the cell running. Even though the odds of Tara's return were minimal, Seidman still had hope, still awaited a second chance.
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