"The modern master of the hook-and-twist."

Or so said Dan Brown, author of the widely read novel, The Da Vinci Code, about Harlan Coben's Just One Look.

Suggestions for enjoying this sometimes macabre book:

• Read the preface to the first chapter carefully, thoughtfully. Make notes.
• Underline the first paragraph in chapter one. It is the scariest part of the book.
• Shift gears, step into the story, combine the impressions you've gathered so far with the veneer of normalcy surrounding the protagonist, Grace.
• Prepare to confront the unraveling of secrets and questions and mysteries as you try to get a handle on what's going on. All of this in the setting of a reality which requires the changing of diapers, getting the kids to school, buying groceries, etc.
• As usual, in "this kind of book", the "hook-and-twist" type, try to figure out who the good guy is, who the bad guy is, and what awful revelations are about to be unearthed.
• Are there any real villains or heroes anymore? Is there evil and good, black and white, or does gray fit in there somewhere? Look for unlikely villains, but in this story, look, also for unlikely heroes. What is good that can be picked out of the ashes of disappointment?
  

I haven't really told much of the plot, here, but if you have the stomach for murder and mayhem, or even if you don't, you might just want to read this book in the safety of your own home, cuddled up beside a snoozing loved one, or in the bright sunshine of the beach in the summer. Or with highlighter in hand, for the juicy tidbits of truth and relavency you might encounter. I would read Coben again.

And isn't it a sign of the times that all these authors have a website. A sign of the economic and digital age we live in!