The Stranger

Written by Harlan Coben

Narrated by Eric Meyers

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, Corrine, 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 Corrine's deception, and realises 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette UK Audio
• Release date: Mar 26, 2015
• ISBN: 9781409156109

Harlan Coben

With more than seventy million books in print worldwide, Harlan Coben is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous suspense novels, including Don't Let Go, Home, and Fool Me Once, as well as the multi-award-winning Myron Bolitar series. His books are published in forty-three languages around the globe and have been number one bestsellers in more than a dozen countries. He lives in New Jersey.

Reviews for The Stranger

[susan.macura · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book started off very slowly. I almost put it down unfinished. However, the action started picking up though the twists did not always make sense, nor did they really tie in together all that well. Despite some weaknesses, it was an interesting concept - the danger of keeping secrets. Secrets are hard to keep, especially in today's interconnected world.

[nwieme-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I love reading Harlan Coben's books but this one disappointed me. I have to say I had to keep reading to unravel the "mystery" but it was lame. I like his writing - and as mentioned- it kept me reading, but lame, contrived - I just didn't connect or believe anything in the story.

Too little was known about most of the characters to even care.

I'll wait for the next one. Maybe Myron will return and all will be well.

[joyceclark · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I picked up this book because we've been enjoying the TV series. Really enjoyed it - fewer subplots than the TV series, which makes sense since Coben wasn't trying to stretch it out over many episodes. I found it suspenseful, and was actually surprised when all the pieces came together at the end. Will definitely try another Coben novel.

[jennifer6hettenbach · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I will admit when I read the blurb on this book even before I bought it I thought it had more to do with the wife and less with everyone elses secrets. I guess I thought it would be a kind of "you don't really know who you are married to" kind of thing so on that point I am a little disappointed. It is well written and keeps you guessing so there is that. This is the first of his books that I have read so I will give him another shot is something peeks my interest, but I will take the blurb with a grain of salt.

[jekka-986711 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As appropriate for the genre, this was a fast and engaging read with an interesting plot and plenty of twists. I do wish that some of the action scenes had been a little better fleshed out - it felt like a monumental build up for an action sequence that ended up being a little anticlimactic. Still a decent read, would recommend to fans of the thriller/mystery genres.

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was supposed to be easy money, no one was supposed to get hurt, they were only exposing liars and deceitful people, weren't they. The stranger and his friend reveal secrets to people that rock their world. Some are blackmail and some they are paid to reveal, but things go horribly wrong.

When Adam Price is told that his wife faked her pregnancy and miscarriage by "The Stranger" he wants to know where and how he got his information. All he tells him is how to find the evidence to prove what he told him is true. Does he believe the stranger or trust Corrine. Will this revelation destroy his family and ruin life for his two boys? One lie revealed leads to another secret in this nail biter. It was hard to put it down until the last page was turned.

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting story about secrets and the lengths we will go to protect our family from being exposed. I did think that the main character did some things that were a little far fetched, but I still enjoyed the novel.

[buffalogr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book starts off slow an boring....soccer moms an suburbia, what could be more boring? But the intensity increases as the reader proceeds. There are a lot of characters, the prime one is Adam, who's wife disappears. Most of the book involves Adam trying to Find Corine. The teen age boys play a small teen part, which adds to the realistic feel. Then, about half way through, the story grabs you and the book is unstoppable.

[justagirlwithabook · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was my first Harlan Coben book recommended to me by a friend, and it was pretty entertaining (entertaining enough that I went out and bought a few more that I stumbled upon in a used book store ... that I have yet to get to). It was fairly suspenseful and a bit of a 'who-dun-it' plot line but I enjoyed it overall.

[dunsh01 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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...

Possibly one of my new favourite authors!

This was another bookclub read and believe me I was happy to go back to an easy to read fast-paced thriller after having to really think through the literary nuances of our last book (well written - but not my thing). I was slightly dubious as we chose this one after consuming the champers and I had not read any Harlen Coben before. (Shameful as it turns out.)

It's fast paced, easy to read, with enough twists that the ending is not obvious til..well, you get to the end! I read it pretty much in one sitting (with a couple of hours sleep when my husband insisted I turn off the light!)

You feel like Coben is telling a number of separate tales, leaving you to wonder how they could possibly be relevant to the main story line, but by the end he has superbly woven them together in a way you don't see coming.

Interestingly, I see a lot of reviewers who say they are Coben fans not really liking this book, and preferring others. If this is where his "bad" starts I just can't wait to get into the rest of his catalogue!

Ultimately this book left me with the question...

In the end, are some secrets best left buried?

[shannon.dolgos · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When the stranger approached Adam, he revealed a secret that didn't shock Adam to the core...

When Adam confronts his wife Corrine with the information, she doesn't deny it, but worse...she confirms it is true. She begs Adam to give her time to explain...and then she disappears.

Adam tries to comfort his boys, but doesn't know what to tell them. Frantic, he begins to search for the stranger and his wife.

Some secrets should remain secret, and some secrets will kill you.

[techeditor_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Once again Harlan Coben has written an unputdownable novel.As always, Coben gives us a multilayered story that is actually story upon story upon story. That's what makes it unputdownable, but that also makes for lots of characters' names to remember. So pay attention and don't read it too fast.The main story is about Adam and Corinne. A stranger has revealed to Adam a secret Corinne has kept from him for a couple of years. After he confronts her with it, she disappears. Now the mystery(s) begins.Every one of the stories involves a devastating secret and usually blackmail. They are all intertwined, and each builds on Adam's mystery. Each also keeps the reader trying to guess the solution. But I've never been able to guess the solution to Coben's mysteries. I didn't guess here, either.

[bookczuk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Harlan Coben, once again, doesn't disappoint.

[kerilynned · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you love a good mystery story that has a lot of characters who are all somewhat connected than you will enjoy this book! It has really great pace and keeps you guessing at to how everyone is actually connected. I was a tad disappointed with one aspect of the story but it was still a really good read. This is the first book I have read by this author but I am sure to read more now!

[asomers_8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I haven't read any Harlan Coben books for quite awhile. After reading this page turner, I think I need to go back and catch up on some of his work over the past couple of years. Of course I enjoyed the many references to local New Jersey towns.

[alan1946 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

How many secrets do we all carry with us? How simple is it to keep those secrets? What must it be like if a third party, a stranger, suddenly reveals to you a secret that materially affects your happy life, and throws you into complete disarray?
That is where Harlan Coben starts with this book. Adam Price is given information that sparks his concern and leads to quite a ride to deal with the problems that it throws up. Others, too, have been approached by the stranger, but not all for the allegedly altruistic purpose of righting wrongs, some have a more sinister purpose involving financial arrangements. Yes, the stranger started off with the best of intentions, but never realised until it was too late that the greed of his little group was going to lead to manipulation by others.
At first this all looks like relatively straightforward blackmail, but as Adam pursues the truth about his beloved Corinne, damage follows as it does to others to whom secrets have been revealed.
It would be very difficult to add much more to this without spoiling the read for others. Suffice it to say that I read the book inside three days, which is incredibly quick for me. At first I was very puzzled and was almost on the point of putting the book down, but a little perseverance reaped a rich reward.
An intriguing idea, yet again, from Harlan Coben. There is much to be revealed and many secrets to be disclosed. The determination of Adam and Police Chief Johanna Griffin leads us through to a very satisfying conclusion, but one that is tinged with a great deal of sadness.
Should people's secrets be left undisturbed? It makes for a good book, but I, for one, would not like to have been approached by the stranger.

[krimisofa.com · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Manchmal ist es besser, wenn man nicht alles von- und übereinander weiß. Möglicherweise ist es manchmal sogar besser, wenn man lügt, weil die Wahrheit ziemlich unangenehm sein kann – das kennen wir alle. Und wenn nicht, dann lernt man diese Gefühlswelt mit „Ich schweige für dich“ kennen. Ebenfalls hinterfragt Harlan Coben die Anonymität im Internet und ob unsere Daten tatsächlich vertraulich behandelt werden, wenn es uns auf einem bunten Bild vermeintlich garantiert wird. Die Rede ist von Big Data, von sozialen Netzwerken und wie mit Daten theoretisch umgegangen werden könnte. Das sind große und vor allem auch aktuelle Themen, derer sich Coben hier angenommen hat – und er hat sie in einen vortrefflichen Thriller gepackt.Man begleitet Adam Price, der mit seiner Corinne zwei Söhne hat. Beide Söhne, Thomas und Ryan, spielen Lacrosse und Corinne ist selbst im Verein tätig. Sobald man die erste Seite aufschlägt, ist man – ohne Vorreden, ohne Prolog – in der Geschichte drin, man bekommt sofort das Gespräch zwischen Adam und dem Fremden serviert und auch danach lässt einen die Geschichte nicht mehr los, es ist spannend, obwohl eigentlich zunächst gar nichts allzu spannendes passiert, und dennoch schafft es Coben bei nahezu jedem Kapitelende, einen Cliffhanger einzubauen, der den Leser bei der Stange hält.Und es wird später sogar noch besser, nämlich dann, wenn man den Fremden, der bis ein paar Kapitel vor dem Ende tatsächlich namenlos bleibt und nur „der Fremde“ genannt wird, dabei begleitet, wie er weitere Leute ins Verderben stürzt – aber nicht alle ergeben sich dem Schicksal der Wahrheit, und das ist sehr erfrischend. Manche bieten ihm auch Paroli. Diese Kapitel liest man noch lieber als die um die Familie Price – möglicherweise ist das ein innerer Sadismus und Voyeurismus, der da in uns geweckt und gestillt wird.Die Passagen rund ums Internet, wo es um IPs, Tracking-Apps und Deep-Web geht, bringt Coben sehr plastisch rüber und kommt dabei ohne Fachchinesisch aus, obwohl es teilweise sehr spezifisch ist. Neben dem Internet ist auch Sport ein sehr präsentes Thema – Lacrosse ist  in der Geschichte ohnehin allgegenwärtig, aber auch Bodybuilding, Football und Leichtathletik bekommen ihren Platz – manche von ihnen aber nur andeutungsweise, was auch gut ist.Negative Aspekte gibt es allerdings auch: Ein Erzählstrang ist meiner Meinung nach völlig irrelevant bzw. erschließt es sich mir nicht ganz, warum dieser unbedingt ins Buch musste – die dort agierende Figur hat nicht zwingend etwas mit der Geschichte zu tun. Und ein Charakter, den ich aus spoilertechnischen Gründen hier nicht beim Namen nennen werde, wird unzureichend vorgestellt. Irgendwann im späteren Verlauf bekommt diese eine etwas größere Rolle und man fragt sich nur „Wer ist das jetzt?“.Am Ende bleibt dennoch ein grandioser Pageturner, der keine Minute langweilig wird und bei dem ich mich immer wieder gefragt habe: „Wieso habe ich noch nicht mehr Cobens gelesen?“ - ein unfassbares Lesevergnügen.

[whatsbetterthanbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book.It is intense, suspenseful, and full of action.It takes us on a journey through the depth and despair that comes from secrets, and reminds us that everything is not always as it seems.This book is interesting, unique and well written. The characters are realistic and colourful. And the plot develops nicely, has multiple twists and turns, and is highly captivating.Harlan Coben is a great mystery writer. And once again he has written a good one!

[bjellis_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Well written but not a genre I care for -- suburban soccer-dad thriller. Gets at least 2 stars for trying to deal with honesty, ethics and family in a thoughtful way. For a particular audience, this is a very good read. Just not for me.

[dianekeenoy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I tend to judge audiobooks by the fact that I can't wait to get back into the car to hear what will happen next and will also run an extra errand or two so that I can keep listening. Well, this audiobook did just that. Since I was keeping my two grandsons this past week, I knew that I wouldn't have time to read actual books so was hoping to get a good audiobook to listen to when I drove to their house and back for several days. I'm glad I chose this one. The Stranger is a young man that tells secrets to unsuspecting people that can tear their life apart. It's for their own good, so he thinks. In some cases, there is blackmail involved. When the Stranger tells Adam a secret about his wife, Corrine, the story is off and running. Corrine disappears but sends a text message asking for some time. When two other women turn up dead after being approached by the Stranger, Adam steps up his search for his missing wife.

[maureencean · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Hardcover (edit)ReviewI don't normally write my reviews before my book club meeting, but there's no point in holding this back. This is the first Coben I have read, and I didn't want to in the first place. That being said, I ended up liking it a little more than I expected although I see no point to picking up another one. And I do like mysteries and thrillers. No offense to the author, as he is clearly adored by many readers, he's just not for me. Most of the characters were very thinly veneered with middle class success, just waiting for the smallest crack to open up and collapse in on themselves. Corinne went from perfect mom, to whack job, to criminal, to saint faster than I could shake a stick. Plot twists at the end racked up like a ball bouncing between two bumpers in a pinball machine. But in the end, nothing could could make me care about these people.

[carmenmilligan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Any book that I cannot put down until I am finished automatically get 5 looks! This book will not change the world, will not bring about a soul change for the reader, and will not make you rethink the trajectory of your life. But, it will keep you on the edge of your seat and make you forget everything else for the hours that it takes you to read it.

Just released, I find that the summaries for this book (at the time of this review) are incorrect (they reference "Hannah" instead of the correct "Corrinne" as the wife's name, maybe a last minute edit before publishing). However, that small fact makes me think I am on the cutting edge of reading this one!

I could have used a little more background and family life of the periphery characters, as they factored in a little more as the story wore on, but it didn't detract from the rollercoaster ride that this book turned out to be. A nice, formulaic thriller, perfect for the beach, a rainy day, or a "palate cleanser" after a deep, dark read. It will grip you at the beginning and leave you satisfied at the end.

Highly recommended.

[kteeley_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

An OK story, but not as good or as believable as Coben's other books.

[amme_mr · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have always been a huge fan of Harlan Coben's work. And this one did not disappoint. It was an interesting concept of a story line of a Stranger who approaches people and reveals secrets of their loved ones. When people start disappearing as a result of the revealed secrets, it is a race to find the truth and find the missing loved ones.

[rabbitrun_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting story. Climax and resolution are rather brief.

[conkie_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A patron at the branch library I volunteer at, highly recommended this book. I had yet to read anything of Harlan Coben's, so I thought 'why not?' I need to thank that patron. This book started out quickly and solidly, and never let up. Its story is actually numerous vignettes, some tied together, some seemingly not, but all woven together by the end. An interesting and current day premise, sprinkled with several actual truths makes for interesting conversations over dinner or in a book group.I will say this, though; I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second half. Not sure why, just did. Meanwhile, another patron recommended I read Coben's Tell No One. I'm adding it to my TBR list.

[ellie.pelto · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this book by listening on Audible. The narrator was great -- highly recommended.

The Stranger shows up and tells you a secret about a loved one. You don't know what to believe -- should you believe this stranger, this person you don't know? Or do you believe your loved one, trust they told the truth? The Stranger has upturned an innumerable amount of lives, all for the sake of putting the truth out there.

Adam Price is visited by The Stranger. He tells Adam a secret about his wife, Corinne, that turns his life upside down. Then, when confronted, Corinne suddenly disappears, no where to be found. Adam must find The Stranger and find out what truly happened, and he has to find Corinne to put their life back together. Little does he know, many other people have been approached by The Stranger, and not all of them are happy to have their lives disrupted.

"The Stranger," while at times tedious and overly detailed, delivers on the suspense and mystery that this premise promises. Adam Price is a severely unlikeable character, anti-social and stand-offish. He makes some questionable decisions regarding his wife, children, and The Stranger. However, if you can get past some of the obvious character flaws and little plot holes, this book will keep you turning back, wondering how you could think what you thought would happen before. The ending had me putting off dinner, telling my family to leave me alone until I finish this book, I have to find out what happens -- the sign of a great thriller.

[cinderh_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was not overly thrilled with this book. Kind of a let down since this was my first book by Coben and I've heard how great his writing is. This story just really didn't suck me in at all. I thought Adam and Corrine were kind of dumb characters from the start. And the explanation for it all? LAME! Might as well have been Stephen King ending with "oh it was aliens!" (again).There were too many characters that didn't really have anything to do with each other forced into a final scene and the BAM...Adam just figures it all out. It just didn't weave together that well.I have another book by him on my shelves so I'll give him one more try, but this was a disappointing (although quick) read.

[everfresh1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It has a familiar setup of American suburbia, just like in other Harlan Coben's standalone novels. It is by itself gets somewhat old. But the novel also lacks an edge that was characteristic to his other novels. The mystery is not that mysterious. The ending is not that climactic. The characters are not very interesting. The plot doesn't really keep you turning pages like before. At least, it took me an effort to get through. Definitely, not the best book by this author.

[skrouhan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Amazon Summary: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.I picked this one up on a whim in my library's Bestseller section. Harlan Coben is one of those authors I see around a lot, but never feel inclined to pick up... until this one. Although the plot was a bit predictable at times, and I didn't have any *gasp* moments, I will say this was an enjoyable thriller. Good for a summer read.