The Stranger Audio CD – Audiobook, March 24, 2015

The truth will set you free!Or, will it? If someone knew your deepest darkest secrets, would the revelation set you free? Or would it entrap you forever in bondage.Written by Harlan Coben, one of today’s top suspense authors, the novel Stranger provides an intriguing look into the world of truth and deceit. How would you react if a perfect stranger approached you and revealed a life-shattering secret about your friends or family? Would you believe them? Could you bury your doubts? This is the dilemma faced by Adam Price, when a total stranger rocks the foundation of his seemingly perfect American-dream family.This is the first Coben book I have read. I have heard much positive feedback with regards to Coben’s writing and Stranger did not disappoint. His development of believable and relatable characters set the stage for a riveting read. I found his writing to be both entertaining and thought-provoking. I especially liked his reflection on how we seek the “American Dream,” when in reality dreams are so fragile and fleeting upon awakening.For me, the ending of the story was unexpected, yet, slightly disappointing. Perhaps, this is appropriate given the fragility of our dreams in light of the overwhelming power of the truth. You’ll just have to see for yourself what your think. But, I don’t think you’ll regret the time you invest to devour this story.

Not my favorite Harlan Coben book and I've read all of them. The story is still good, but doesn't compare to some of his other books. If you have not read Coben don't start with this one. Read Missing You, Tell No One, The Innocent, No Second Chance. I mean this is good, it's just not great like all of his other books. The concept is amazing, but somewhere along the way too many plot lines intertwined and they didn't have enough thread to connect them which made the ending seem forced. I also didn't really like the ending. It's hard to write a review for a book that had some compelling characters, a fantastic concept, but didn't finish with the same tenacity and adrenaline surge I've come to expect with Coben's books. He is a fantastic storyteller and writes with ease. His unique voice is refreshing and I love how he incorporates social media and so many other trending issues into his story lines. He is an excellent author, one of my top five favorite all time authors. He is the absolute best at writing real and authentic dialogue that truly resonates with you. This book just wasn't one of his best - or better said, wasn't one of my favorites. Don't get me wrong. It is full of suspense and I read it in one or two sittings. I just didn't have that ... don't want it to end feeling that I normally have with this author. It begins super strong, hooked me in the first few pages and the intensity grew, but for me it fell flat in the end.

Great read. Kept you interested from chapter one and hard to put down. A great suspense novel and a quick read.

I bought this to read in anticipation of the Netflix adaptation of the novel, something I really need to stop doing because the adaptations always fall far short of the actual work. In this case, I suspect that the adaptation will be better than the book. This is an easy read and intriguing, but there are many undeveloped elements to the plot: "The Stranger" and his group of ethical? vigilantes; the ex-NYPD cop whose every action seems more gratuitous than actually being relevant to the plot, a blinking red herring; and the Corrine's "pregnancy." About thirty pages from the conclusion I was wondering what the twist would be and it all just fell flat. Ultimately, it's similar to Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl," but not nearly as good.

This book has decided for me that I much prefer his non-Myron Bolitar books. I still have a Myron book that I probably won't read. These to me are much superior. None of that Myron/Win banter. I realized, after starting this book, that I had seen the movie based on this. But I only remembered the premise, so it didn't matter. I really loved this book. The plot really moved and did not become outrageous. I would have given it five stars but I really hated the ending. Not that it was the typical throw everything at you but the kitchen sink. I just didn't like the outcome. But engrossing book. One star off for the ending.

Harlen Coben did great with this book. It keeps you guessing until the very end. Definitely did not see that twist coming. If you need a good thriller, read anything by Harlan Coben and you won't go wrong.

Every time I pick up a Harlan Coben novel, I read one chapter and remember why I love his books so much. They pull you right in without taking half the book to set the stage or the characters. From the beginning, his multi-dimensional characters engage you and make you want to keep reading. And that's what I did - kept reading until I finished, ignoring everything else I was supposed to be doing.The other thing I always love about Harlan Coben's books are the plots which fall somewhere between "that could never happen" and "that could so happen." There is always a character whose world turns upside down because of secrets and you get to go along for the ride while they figure it out - for good or bad.I saw that many people didn't like this book and thought it wasn't the author at his best. I disagree. While this wasn't his scariest book, it was suspenseful and had all his usual turns and twists. I've learned that I don't have to like the ending or agree with it for a book to still be really good. Real life is not always about the ending we want nor are novels. I've read all of Harlan Coben's stand-alone novels and this was classic Coben, in my opinion. As always, I can't wait for the next one.

Coben is great at keeping you hooked and reading on. The ending felt slightly forced but otherwise, I really enjoyed The Stranger.

I have always liked Harlan Coven novels. This was not a new book. It was brought back and although I had read it before bought it anyway. Enjoyed the second read as I had forgotten a lot of the story. It was really interesting and kept me wanting to get to the end. A good book.

Another great book from Harlan Coben! Keeps you guessing until the very end with lots of intrigue along the way. Ending not what you expect. Thoroughly recommend.

La trama se pone más interesante a medida que se avanza en la lectura.

I very much enjoyed this book since it was also written like a psychological thriller. You wonder what the characters will do next and you try to find clues while reading. it was hard to put down at times. Very well done.I am buying the German version for a friend now.

Look, anyone who is reading this, you might be a bit confused by some 'mixed' comments on the quality of the book but believe me, there are a lot of superfluous wannabe critics, especially on the internet.Unless someone is an absolute connoisseur at the art of reading and absorbing thrillers, i don't believe that people easily guessed the ending of the book.This book is definitely extremely enjoyable. It made me go through a lot of emotions. The characters seem very real and so we can empathize with many of them easily. Perhaps that is also what saddens me, that like in real life, the book doesn't show any miracles for any character and can easily be something over which people might get very sad or emotionally tired. All in all, a great thriller and made me excited to further read other Coben books.