Stay Close

Written by Harlan Coben

Narrated by Scott Brick

Megan is a suburban soccer mom who once upon a time walked on the wild side. Now she’s got two kids, a perfect husband, a picket fence, and a growing sense of dissatisfaction. Ray used to be a talented documentary photographer, but at the age of forty he finds himself in a dead-end job posing as a paparazzo, pandering to celebrity-obsessed rich kids. Broome is a detective who can’t let go of a cold case—a local husband and father who disappeared seventeen years ago—and spends the anniversary every year visiting a house frozen in time, the missing man’s family still waiting, his slippers left by the recliner as if he might show up at any moment to step into them.

Three people living lives they never wanted, hiding secrets that even those closest to them would never suspect, will find that the past never truly fades away. Even as the terrible consequences of long-ago events crash together in the present and threaten to ruin lives, they will come to the startling realization that they may not want to forget the past at all. And as each confronts the dark side of the American dream—the boredom of a nice suburban life, the excitement of temptation, the desperation and hunger that can lurk behind even the prettiest façades—they will discover the hard truth that the line between one kind of life and another can be as whisper-thin as a heartbeat.

Master of domestic suspense Harlan Coben delivers his trademark combination of page-turning thrills and unrivaled insight into the dark shadows that creep into even the happiest communities.

Praise for the narration of Stay Close by Harlan Coben, performed by Scott Brick:

“Scott Brick crafts characters not so much by shaping each individual voice with different accents but by expressions and tones that convey strong emotions. And the emotions are far ranging. Empathy, psychotic behavior, and frantic helplessness all figure into the narration as much as the plot. It’s a diverse group tied to the crimes: a crooked cop haunted by his conscience, two young psychopathic killers without remorse, old lovers who are trying to escape their past and confront their present. Brick’s narration is crucial as the solution is unearthed.” © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Mar 20, 2012
• ISBN: 9781441895431

Harlan Coben

Harlan Coben is an international No.1 bestselling thriller author. He is the winner of the EDGAR, SHAMUS and ANTHONY AWARDs - the first to receive all three. His books are published in 40 languages, with over 75 million copies in print worldwide. Both his standalone thrillers and series featuring the indomitable Myron Bolitar have been No.1 bestsellers in over a dozen countries, gracing the lists of the SUNDAY TIMES and the NEW YORK TIMES. His novel TELL NO ONE was turned into the smash hit French film of the same name, and received the highly coveted LUMIERE (French Golden Globe) for best picture as well as four CESARS (French Oscar). Harlan lives in New Jersey with his family. Find out more at www.harlancoben.com or follow him on Twitter @HarlanCoben

Reviews for Stay Close

[alison · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Like Scott brick .. liked complexity of the story and didn’t see ending coming! Well written..

[Julie Booth · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great mystery novel. My first by this author and I will definitely be reading more.

[yvonne · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Suspense and twisted plot I love this author ever disappointed

[Val Menzies · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The narrator is great, he makes the book come alive. I enjoyed the story except the reader doesn’t find out about the two young people and their connection to the old lawyer— or maybe I missed something .

[Marva Dix · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love his writing as usual, but Scott Brick really makes it come to life. Wished he had used him as narrator on all his books and hope he will use him in the future.

[kblinn_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

More of Coben's fairly standard suspense fare although without the presence of Myron Bolitar. (I kind of missed him!) This one deals with a former stripper gone straight and a series of killings of men that happened at the same time each year. I listened to the audio book and found it a very good way to make the miles pass more quickly. Try it; you'll like it.

[nyiper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I "almost" hesitated....just toooo awful to read?? But I quickly got caught up in the typical Coben writing....you must keep reading to see what happens because there are SO many twists and turns, as usual!!!

[thekellyfamily · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love Coben's books, but this one did was a slow burner and difficult to read. His characters are always flawed and that I do like -- I just had difficulty truly liking any of them. While I had the end figured prior to the ending -- it did not come upon me right away.

[Monika · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another very good book by Harlan, which as always, keeps you hooked throughout the entire book. I didn’t give it five stars because I noticed several similarities with The Innocent; maybe it’s because it was the last one I read by him, and I remember everything perfectly. And sometimes I thought, wow, just like the other one, I read something that made me recall the other, and thought, almost the same as in The Innocent… But apart from that, as always, an exciting story, very well-created characters, you don’t see it coming from anywhere, and until the end, you have no idea where things are going. The repetition; the protagonist, a model housewife with a dark past, suddenly finds herself caught up in a murder plot from 17 years ago, and she has to dig through her entire previous life. Did I like it? Yes. Would I recommend it? Also. (Translated from Spanish)

[MaOrtiz1971 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I started reading this novel because I found out that they had made a series of it, just like with the novel "The Innocent" by the same author, and I enjoy the experience of reading the book and then watching the movie, or the series in this case.

And the novel is frankly very good. It has pace, good dialogues, very well-crafted characters (some curious ones like Barbie and Ken) and a pretty good ending. Highly recommended crime novel. (Translated from Spanish)

[susandennis-139327 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I like Coben's non-basketball books. And this one was good but not the best. A winding tale about seemingly random deaths of people who don't matter turns into a twisted tail of a serial killer with a special mission. It rambled a little and some of the twists and turns were just a little too jerky but I rode it to the end and I'm glad I did.

[livelylady · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lots of plots and subplots as an old pole dancer gets drawn into a crime of the past, pulling her and her old identity back into her former life.

[jerry.hatchett · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found it to be a good and typical Harlan Coben book, fast paced, interesting characters.

[buffalogr · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Not Mr C's best. Still, it's barely enjoyable. For some reason, this stand alone novel did not impress. I plodded through the plot and barely kept up with the implausible characters. I skipped about two hours of it in the middle of the listen and I don't believe that I missed much. I'm a Harlen Coben fan but I was disappointed with this book.

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

After reading others reviews about this book, I was expecting to be disappointed. Overall, I wasn't. As always, the content, twist and turns were excellent.

Megan has been keeping a secret from her husband, and family for almost twenty years... In her previous life, she was a stripper in Atlantic City. But, seventeen years ago, one of her clients was murdered...and she fled, fearing that she would be implicated for the murder, or her boyfriend would be.

But now, seventeen years later, another man has gone missing...and Megan feels the need to go back and do the right thing. However, once she's back in Atlantic City, she's not sure returning was the right the right thing after all...lives are in danger, including her own...

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

After reading others reviews about this book, I was expecting to be disappointed. Overall, I wasn't. As always, the content, twist and turns were excellent.

Megan has been keeping a secret from her husband, and family for almost twenty years... In her previous life, she was a stripper in Atlantic City. But, seventeen years ago, one of her clients was murdered...and she fled, fearing that she would be implicated for the murder, or her boyfriend would be.

But now, seventeen years later, another man has gone missing...and Megan feels the need to go back and do the right thing. However, once she's back in Atlantic City, she's not sure returning was the right the right thing after all...lives are in danger, including her own...

[jayne_charles_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The more I read Harlan Coben's books - particularly the later, stand-alone ones, the more of a fan I become. Here we have the traditional respectable-married-woman-with-sordid-past (and most of his novels have one) but in this case, it's stated up front, so you know the mystery must lie elsewhere.

I am in awe of the way each chapter manages to squeeze in a shock, and the way suspense is ramped up to such a degree towards the finish that I found myself feverishly reading it on a night time car journey by the light of my phone (I wasn't driving btw). When you break it down into its constituent parts, the plot consisted of a small number of people who between them held knowledge which would unlock a mystery, and during the course of the novel all of them had to meet up at separate times and be persuaded to share that information. Simple as. But crikey, what a fiendishly complicated job it must have been to keep track of who knew what at any given time. And then there's the constant witticisms. You come to expect it in a Harlan Coben novel, and however irritating it might be at times, I know I would miss them if they weren't there. "Everyone is a wiseass" observes a character at one point and I had to smile. In these books, they certainly are.

[carol420 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Harlan Coben introduces us to Detective Jack Broome of the Atlantic City police force. Broome has been troubled by an unsolved murder of Steward Green that occurred seventeen years ago leaving a wife and two children who cannot find closure because the body was never found. Now with a more recent case involving a lot of blood and no corpse, Broome begins to find similarities with other past unsolved cases.

The suspense and mystery increase as Broome finds that a missing piece of the puzzle has returned to Atlantic City after seventeen years. Megan Pierce a happily married woman with two children living in northern New Jersey has returned to Atlantic City on an impulse where seventeen years ago she led a fast paced life as a stripper and was a former girlfriend of Steward Green. Megan tries to find some closure herself, but can she keep her husband Dave from finding out her life with him was all built on lies.

As soon as you think you know who did it, he flips it and make it to a different character. I would recommend this book if you like suspense, excitement, and you want to a page turner. This book is all of that and more. 4 stars for an entertaining and enjoyable read.

[claudia.anderson · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

disappointing but maybe because of the narrator

[lewilliams-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The plot centers around the yearly disappearance of men on Mardi Gras that has gone on for seventeen years in Atlantic City. Coben does an excellent job of throwing in twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end.

[amme_mr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another classic Harlan Coben novel. I love reading his books. It was easy to read and the plot was action packed from start to finish. It also had the Harlan Coben trademark of the plot twist right at the end. Love It!

[debralu_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I always enjoy his books!

[lrobe190 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Three people--a suburban housewife, a talented documentary photographer, and a detective--living lives they never wanted, hiding secrets that even those closest to them would never suspect, will find that the past doesn't recede ... and that desperation and hunger can lurk behind even the prettiest facades.
(summary from ISBN 0525952276)

[lefraser · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I didn’t like this book at all. This is the second Harlan Coben I read and it will be the last. It’s preposterous to think that a woman who was forced to work in a low-end strip club would “miss” the misery after reclaiming her life and independence. Apparently Coben suffers from the idiotic male fantasy that women who are forced into striping at dives enjoy what they do. The ridiculous attitude continues with the protagonist’s husband who is a judgmental, chauvinistic pig. His behaviour around his mother (who suffers from Alzheimer’s) is nauseating. On top of the unrealistic characters doing unbelievable things, the police are incompetent morons and the plot lines are absurd.

[amkee-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the best I have read in a while. I love when an author can keep me guessing who the "bad guy" is until the last minute. This one took me totally by surprise. Truly enjoyed the suspense and all of the characters!

[daftboy1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is an ok book, 3 separate stories that come together
Ray Levine is a photographer, Megan is a house wife with a past, Broome the policeman
These 3 are loosely linked, when a rich playboy goes missing, Broome starts investigating but also so does some people hired by his Dad. People turn up dead there are a few twists and turns. There has been other murders during the Mardi Gras festival more closely. I kind of guessed near the end who was responsible for these crimes.

[tabascofromgudreads · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Pretty solid thriller, really fun to read and fast-paced, but I listened to the audiobook version, and only later found out that it is an "abridged" version, which means it's missing a lot of information, especially about the Ken and Barbie killers. It still works, but it kind pisses you off.

[techeditor_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Maybe a testament to how good this book is: although I've been going through turmoil lately, I was able to read this book. Most of us find it difficult to concentrate on a book during bad times. But in this case, I could.

Typical of a Harlan Coben novel, STAY CLOSE doesn't make the reader wait long for suspense. It's a simpler story than his usually are, though. His five-star books are more complex.

[bookczuk · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

So, normally, I like Harlen Coben as an audio read in the car, to help keep me company while driving (and with my hands on the steering wheel, I can't bit my nails.) However, two things happened this time. Early into the book, my car CD player got cranky and stopped working. This was not a hardship because I took the book inside, and then the second "thing" occurred - I had to start packing our library for our move at the end of February. So win! I finished up the book while emptying 7 bookcases.

As to the story, a pretty good one. I liked the characters this time round and there were a couple of interesting twists and diversions. I didn't form speculations as to "who done it" because my mind wandered recalling the plots of books I was packing. But, I still followed closely enough to this one to give it a thumbs up.

[adpaton · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A comfortable read with just enough thrills, twists and wit to lift it above the average but not enough quite frankly to bring it up to Coben's usual standard. An easy stroll through American suburbia that detours into the hidden and often sordid underbelly of the mom and apple pie families and lifestyle. Harlan Coben would never mix metaphors however as egregiously as I just have.

Megan seems to be living the American dream of a happy marriage, a loving husband and a comfortable life - but she's bored and misses her days as a stripper consorting with low-lives in a seedy Atlantic City club. Her husband Dave has no idea of her past and Megan thinks she has escaped that life until she is contacted by a woman she used to work with,

Ray was a rising name in the world of photo-journalism but now he masquerades as a paparazzi, pretending to photograph the celebrity-obsessed or those wanting to impress. Like Megan, who was his girlfriend at the time, his glory days were spent in Atlantic City and the two of them were lovers.

Finally there's Lieutenant Jack Bloom, a policeman who is obsessed with a cold case - the disappearance of a family man from a strip club in Atlantic City - and that's the point of intersection for the three main characters. It appears a murder has occurred in Atlantic City every Mardi Gras for the last 17 years, and it seems as though hidden secrets are about to be revealed, including Megan and Ray's involvement in murder.

The story does not have too many surprises and is a reasonable stand-alone: it is not quite up to his usual high standard but still a lot better than most other writers at their best - Coben is always a delight.