Copyright 2010 by Harlan Coben. Published by Penguin Group (USA) Inc., New York.
A (very) few of you may recall that I raved about Coben’s The Woods last August, rating it as one of the best mysteries that I have ever read. Well, move over, The Woods – you are going to have to share the top shelf with Caught.
The books are similar in one important way: the central mystery in both is a long-ago incident – a murder at a teen summer camp in The Woods and an incident at Princeton in Caught. Both traumatic incidents were life-altering to central characters in the books. Both resulted, after many years, in additional deaths. I think the depth of the trauma caused by the ancient incidents provides a great foundation for engrossing stories.
The story in this case starts with a divorced do-gooder, Dan Mercer, getting caught in a pedophile sting. He claims he was set up, but his protestations fall on deaf ears. His life is ruined. Even when his case is thrown out.
The TV reporter who organized and filmed the sting, Wendy Tynes, is fired when the case is thrown out as the judge ruled that she tainted the evidence. Partly because she had some free time and partly because something about the whole thing didn’t feel right to her, she continued to investigate. She eventually unravels the rather intricate story, which includes not only Dan Mercer but also 4 of his classmates at Princeton. Her digging leads to more death and more trauma, including trauma to her. But she perseveres.
The story is complex. It moves in directions that surprised me (e.g., I really thought that divorced Mercer and widowed Tynes were headed for a romance, but I couldn’t have been more wrong). Some characters are not who they seem to be. And every character has a part to play in the deeply satisfying conclusion.
I really need to read more Coben.
9.5 out of 10.