The Stranger
Harlan Coben, 2015
Penguin Publishing
480 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780451414137
Summary
Harlan Coben's most shocking thriller yet, proving that a well-placed lie can help build a wonderful life—and a secret has the same explosive power to destroy it.
The Stranger appears out of nowhere, perhaps in a bar, or a parking lot, or at the grocery store. His identity is unknown. His motives are unclear. His information is undeniable. Then he whispers a few words in your ear and disappears, leaving you picking up the pieces of your shattered world.
Adam Price has a lot to lose: a comfortable marriage to a beautiful woman, two wonderful sons, and all the trappings of the American Dream: a big house, a good job, a seemingly perfect life.
Then he runs into the Stranger. When he learns a devastating secret about his wife, Corinne, he confronts her, and the mirage of perfection disappears as if it never existed at all.
Soon Adam finds himself tangled in something far darker than even Corinne's deception, and realizes that if he doesn't make exactly the right moves, the conspiracy he's stumbled into will not only ruin lives—it will end them. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—January 4, 1962
• Raised—Livingston, New Jersey, USA
• Education—Amherst College
• Awards—Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony Awards
• Currently—lives in Ridgewood, New Jersey
Harlan Coben is an American author of mystery novels and thrillers. The plots of his novels often involve the resurfacing of unresolved or misinterpreted events in the past (such as murders, fatal accidents, etc.) and often have multiple plot twists. Both series of Coben's books are set in and around New York and New Jersey, and some of the supporting characters in the two series have appeared in both.
Coben was born to a Jewish family in Newark, New Jersey, but was raised and schooled in Livingston, New Jersey with childhood friend and future politician Chris Christie at Livingston High School. While studying political science at Amherst College, he was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity with author Dan Brown. After Amherst, Coben worked in the travel industry, in a company owned by his grandfather. He now lives in Ridgewood, New Jersey with his wife, Anne Armstrong-Coben MD, a pediatrician, and their four children.
Career
Coben was in his senior year at college when he realized he wanted to write. His first book was accepted when he was twenty-six but after publishing two stand-alone thrillers in his twenties (Play Dead in 1990 and Miracle Cure in 1991) he decided on a change of direction and began a series of thrillers featuring his character Myron Bolitar. The novels of the popular series follow the tales of a former basketball player turned sports agent (Bolitar), who often finds himself investigating murders involving his clients.
Coben has won an Edgar Award, a Shamus Award a Smelly Award (for writing about New Jersey) and an Anthony Award, and is the first writer to have received all three. He is also the first writer in more than a decade to be invited to write fiction for the New York Times op-ed page. He wrote a short story entitled "The Key to my Father," which appeared June 15, 2003.
In 2001 he released his first stand-alone thriller since the creation of the Myron Bolitar series in 1995, Tell No One, which went on to be his best selling novel to date. Film director Guillaume Canet made the book into a French thriller, Ne le dis à personne in 2006. Coben followed Tell No One with six more stand-alone novels. His 2008 novel Hold Tight became his first book to debut at No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list. Although this is another stand-alone novel, Coben commented on his official website that certain key characters from The Woods will make brief appearances. His 2009 novel, Long Lost, featured a return of Myron Bolitar and also debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times Bestseller List. Caught, also a stand-alone thriller was published in 2010. (From Wikipedia.)
Book Reviews
Bestseller Coben continues to turn out thrillers that put highly original spins on a current trend or problem, and while this standalone lacks the nail-biting suspense of his best, it's clever enough to be thoroughly entertaining.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review.) Coben can always be relied on to generate thrills from the simplest premises, but his finest tales maintain a core of logic throughout the twists. This 100-proof nightmare ranks among his most potent.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
These Questions were prepared by Jane Ferko who has generously shared them with LitLovers. Thank you, Jane!
1. What was Adam’s reaction to the Stranger and his story? Did he believe it at first?
2. We are only told about Adam’s feelings throughout the book. Why did the author not let us in on Corrine’s thoughts or feelings at all?
3. When the men from the soccer team came to Adam and told him Corrine had taken the money from the soccer fund what was his reaction?
3. The author, Harlan Coben, was asked in an interview why he wrote about ordinary people whose live change in a few dramatic moments. What do you think?
4. Have you ever known someone who faked pregnancy (other than on TV soap operas)? Why did Corrine do this? Why did Suzanne do it? Were their reasons the same?
5. Kuntz killed Heidi because she wouldn’t tell him anything that would lead him to the Stranger and Ingrid. Why was he so desperate to find out? Why did he need money so badly? Would the average person be able to justify killing someone for this reason?
6. What was the premise Chris (the Stranger) used to justify what they did? Why did they ask for money? Did this mean their cause wasn’t as moral as they initially felt it was? Did you notice that they called the people they approached their VICTIMS? What does that indicate?
7. Why did they not approach Corrine before they told Adam and try to get money from her? Were you surprised when Chris revealed the truth about why they did not?
8. The story took a big turn when Adam learned what really happened to Corrine and why. Do you believe someone would be capable of such a thing against someone who was suqpposed to be a friend (Corrine)? How would you feel if your friends conspired against you in this way?
9. What do you think happened to Mr and Mrs Rinsky? Did they have to leave their home? Were you disappointed we were not told?
10. Is the Tracker App that Corrine put on their phones a good thing? How could it be used for good or bad purposes? Would you want a family member to put one on your phone without telling you?
11. Joanna became a heroine to Adam when she rescued and helped him setup Tripp’s murder as a suicide. What motivated her to help Adam go after the Stranger?
12. How did killing Tripp affect Adam—how was it changing his life?
13. What one word would you use to describe the story? Use one word to describe the writing style.
14. Overall, does the book live up to the standards of a good mystery or crime story? Explain your reason for saying yes or no.
(Questions developed by Jane Ferko. Please feel free to use them, online and off, with attribution to LitLovers...and Jane. Thanks.)