Caught by Harlan Coben

About the book: Seventeen-year-old Haley McWaid is a good girl, the pride of her suburban New Jersey family, headed off to college next year with all the hopes and dreams her doting parents can pin on her. Which is why, when her mother wakes one morning to find that Haley never came home the night before and three months quickly pass without word from the girl, the community assumes the worst.
           
Wendy Tynes is a reporter on a mission: to bring down sexual predators via elaborate—and nationally televised—sting operations. Wendy and her team have shamed dozens of men by the time she encounters her latest target. Dan Mercer is a social worker known as a friend to troubled teens, but his story soon becomes more complicated than Wendy could have imagined.
           
Caught tells the story of a missing girl, the predator who may have taken her, and the reporter who suddenly realizes she can’t trust her own instincts about this story—or the motives of the people around her.

First line: I knew opening that red door would destroy my life.

My thoughts: This is quite the twisty, and busy, little tale. Once you think you know the answer -  twist it changes. You come again to an answer and once again - twist. I was somewhat hesitant to start this one because I thought the topic would be too hard for me to deal with but once I started I couldn't quit reading, or listening as the case may be. This is one I checked out from the digital branch of the library. I am a fan of Coben's work, and while this one isn't my favorite it is a fun, exciting read (without a lot of gore) that kept me guessing right up to the end.

What I didn't like: it was so busy, a lot to keep up with. I also found a couple of the unimportant characters to be annoying. For instance: the old white guy turned rapper. But those were minor distractions to this story. I think you mystery readers will like this and I'm sure you Coben fans will too.

Rating: B

Quote: "I remember one time I heard this English professor asking the class what the world's scariest noise is. Is it a man crying out in pain? A woman's scream of terror? A gunshot? A baby crying? And the professor shakes his head and says, 'No, the scariest noise is, you're all alone in your dark empty house, you KNOW you're all alone, you know that there is NO chance anyone else is home or within MILES - and then, suddenly, from upstairs, you hear the toilet flush.'"


Click below to see the author talk about this book:
http://youtu.be/QaxMPKkfU24