No Second Chance: Summary and book reviews of No Second Chance by Harlan Coben, plus links to an excerpt from No Second Chance and a biography of Harlan Coben.

Harlan Coben "serves up everything you could ask for in a can't-put-it-down book...rocket-fast pace with solid emotional underpinning" (San Francisco Chronicle). Now, he returns with an explosive novel about the love of a father, in a story where nothing is what it seems-and where hope and fear collide in the most surprising ways. When the first bullet hit my chest, I thought of my daughter… Marc Seidman awakens to find himself in an ICU, hooked up to an IV, his head swathed in bandages. Twelve days earlier, he had an enviable life as a successful surgeon, living in a peaceful suburban neighborhood with his beautiful wife and a baby he adored. Now he lies in a hospital bed, shot by an unseen assailant. His wife has been killed, and his six-month-old daughter, Tara, has vanished. But just when his world seems forever shattered, something arrives to give Marc new hope: a ransom note. We are watching. If you contact the authorities, you will never see your daughter again. There will be no second chance. The note is chilling, but Marc sees only one thing—he has the chance to save his daughter. He can’t talk to the police or the FBI. He doesn’t know who he can trust. And now the authorities are closing in on a new suspect: Marc himself. Mired in a deepening quicksand of deception and deadly secrets-about his wife, about an old love he’s never forgotten, and about his own past—he clings to one, unwavering vow…to bring home Tara, at any cost. Both a white-knuckle thriller and an emotionally powerful tale about the loyalty of old friends and the bond between parent and child, No Second Chance is another masterpiece from an author who writes “suspense at its finest” (Jeffrey Deaver).

Media Reviews

People Magazine Page-Turner of the Week Coben stands on the accelerator and never lets up…riveting.   The Houston Chronicle This is a wild ride.   The Daily News If you like smart thrillers ... go out and buy No Second Chance.   The New York Times - Janet Maslin Coben's plotting skills are in vigorous form, and he has devised a cleverly intricate scheme surrounding Tara's disappearance ... No Second Chance has a life of its own.   Publishers Weekly What Coben's thriller lacks in originality, it makes up for in sheer vigor; few browsers or dippers will put this down.   Kirkus Reviews Once again, Coben expertly tugs at a suburban citizen's most ordinary fears until he finds a mind-boggling criminal conspiracy at the other end of the line... Irresistibly overstuffed.   Booklist Starred Review. Very few writers induce in their readers the kind of trancelike state, punctuated by frequent “wows,” that most of us associate with much-loved books from childhood. Coben can.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by Emily
No Second Chance review
Both exciting and wonderful. It was very hard to put this book down. I'm 18 and the only books I read are by Harlan Coben because they are thrilling and are perfect if you looking for something new to read.

Rated of 5 by Cree
Harlan does it again
Once again, Mr. Coben does an outstanding job writing a murder mystery... weaving in details and characters that all come together beautfully and seamlessly in the end. While you know he always includes details for a reason, it is still a...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Kim Izor...age 15
The book is outstanding! I started reading it for a book report, but got in to it right away. It's never ending thrill and excitment and the ending is priceless!

Rated of 5 by Michael Reed
New to Harlen's work. GREAT! One of those that you don't put down....not even to sleep...

Rated of 5 by sheree booth
a great read,you can't put it down.Keeps you on the edge throughout the whole book,parts of it
very amusing.

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