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| View Larger Image | The Innocent
by Harlan Coben
| | List Price: | $9.99 |  | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours | | | | | Sales Rank: | 111478 | | Studio: | Signet | | | Binding: | Paperback | | Number Of Pages: | 528 | | Publication Date: | April 25, 2006 | | Publisher: | Signet |
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Book Description
One night, Matt Hunter innocently tried to break up a fight-and ended up a killer. Now, nine years later, he's an ex-con who takes nothing for granted. His wife, Olivia, is pregnant, and the two of them are closing on their dream house. But all it will take is one shocking, inexplicable call from Olivia's phone to shatter his life-a second time... |
Amazon.com
Matt Hunter made a mistake when he was 20 years old and paid for it with a four-year stint in prison that left him with a determination never to be locked up again. Finally, his life is back on the promising track he was taking before he accidentally killed a man: He has a good job, a newly pregnant wife he adores, and is about to close on the home of their dreams. Then he gets a couple of bizarre photos on his cell phone that seem to show his wife in a compromising position with a black-haired stranger. But before he can sort out who sent the anonymous pictures and why, he's running from the law--especially from the cop who was his best friend in grade school, and a sharp young detective who's stepped right into the middle of an FBI investigation spurred by the discovery that a dead nun who wasn't who she claimed to be is somehow mixed up in Matt and Olivia Hunter's life. Coben deftly wields a complicated plot involving a missing stripper, a dead gangster, an incriminating videotape, and a couple of agents who aren't quite who they seem to be, while Hunter manages to hold onto his faith in Olivia despite her clouded past and uncertain future. Like all Coben's protagonists, (including the hero of his popular series starring sports agent turned detective Myron Bolitar) Hunter is a nice, middle-class New Jersey boy who's still the innocent of the title, despite the miscarriage of justice that sent him to prison. Or was it? That's the moral question at the heart of this tightly constructed thriller, which will no doubt shoot directly to the top of the bestseller list, and deservedly so. --Jane Adams Amazon.com Exclusive Content A Bit of Bolitar: An Exclusive Essay by Harlan Coben
 Beloved series character Myron Bolitar appears in a new short story included with Harlan Coben's latest thriller, The Innocent. In this Amazon.com exclusive essay, Coben shares his thoughts on Bolitar's return. |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 150 reviews)
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The last 100 pages made it worth the read. 
I had heard Harlan Coben's name for years in book chats, but had never read him until this book. Since the voracious readers that I chatted with in years past had spoken of Mr. Coben reverently, I must admit that I was disappointed in the first half of this book--this was just not the caliber of writing that I had been expecting.
While the writing may not have been as strong as I expected, Coben's storytelling was good. "The Innocent" is a dense, multi-layered mystery involving a large cast of generally-well-drawn characters. I really liked the main character, Matt Hunter--a good guy who was at the wrong place at the wrong time when he was young and ended up in prison. Coben uses this good-guy-with-a-bad-rap theme as a major thread in the story, especially when Matt and his wife Olivia try to move back to Matt's old neighborhood and are met with prejudice due to his past.
Like most stories of its ilk, "The Innocent" requires quite a suspension of disbelief--there is some really wacky stuff going on that I sometimes found difficult to take seriously--but, all in all, it is a satisfying story. The last 100 pages, in fact, were outstanding and I was able to end the book on a MUCH higher note than I started it. Given that the book was 500 pages long and I thought only the last 100 pages were great, I wished that the book had been edited down to a tighter 350 or so and maybe it would have been an overall more enjoyable experience.
August 02, 2008 | |
A little familiar, but still a great read 
Reading The Innocent by Harlan Coben, I couldn't help but get a feeling of been-there-done-that with its plot of a man having his whole life uprooted when he discovers his wife/lover has a secret life. I've read similar stories by Coben before, but fortunately, Coben is good enough to keep the story going well even if he is revisiting old ideas.
In this story, the lead character is Matt Hunter, whose life was disrupted in his college years when he tried to break up a fight and wound up killing another student. After serving time for manslaughter, he's rebuilt his life and is married to the beautiful Olivia who's just become pregnant. While she is away on business, Matt gets a call to his cell phone: what he receives are pictures that make it look like Olivia is having an affair. What's worse is that the call came from her phone and now she is unavailable.
Meanwhile, homicide detective Loren Muse is called back to her old Catholic school where the Mother Superior wants Loren to look into the past of a recently deceased nun. It turns out the nun had a mysterious life before she entered the convent (revealed because she had cosmetic surgery), and that her death was a murder. As Loren tries to ascertain her identity, the FBI gets involved and tries to cover up the whole thing.
A phone call from the nun to Matt's sister-in-law's house provides a link between the two stories, and a series of circumstances will lead to Matt being suspected of murder. Matt knows that he could eventually prove his innocence, but his prison time has made him fearful of ever being locked up again, however briefly. Therefore, he will need to become a fugitive to get the answers he needs, both to prove his innocence and to determine what's going on with Olivia.
Once again, Coben has written an effective page turner. If there is a fault with it, it's what I stated before: it is familiar ground that Coben is revisiting. However, this will not keep most current fans from enjoying this book, and if you're new to Coben, this book should also be a pleasure to read.
July 27, 2008 | |
a fast-paced thriller 
*The Innocent* is a fast-paced thriller that'll make you read through fast and before you know it, you're done.
Matt Hunter has paid for his crime, which was really an accident. A young college man was killed during their brawl. With trying to move on, he has a new life with his pregnant wife and a good secure job.
However, before he knows it, he receives a picture, on his cell, of his wife, who is currently out of town, in a compromising situation with a man. While trying to reach his wife, he soons finds himself on the run from two childhood friends, both of them in law enforcement. At the same time, a nun has been contacted Matt's sister-in-law.
Just who is the man in the picture? And why would his wife jeopardize their marriage? Why are his 2 childhood friends after him? Who is this nun that contacted his sister-in-law? How are they all connected? Thanks to his stint in prison, he's able to block out his emotions, rely on his survival skills and get to the bottom of this mess.
Definitely a nail-biting thriller. I liked all aspects of this thriller except one character, whom I felt was wasteful. Matt visits this particular character in secrecy. When Matt feels trapped, he goes to this character for help but is turned away. So, this particular character is really useless in the storyline. Other than that, it's still a good thriller.
July 16, 2008 | |
Great read!
This was the first of Harlan Coben's books that I read. I truly enjoyed reading the book from beginning to end. This is one of those books that I wish didn't end.
July 07, 2008 | |
Another great one by Coben
This book follows the typical Coben formula, a regular guy who gets falsly accused of a crime and his fight to save his family and clear himself. As usual, this is a complicated novel with many twists. I listened to this one on CD, and I recommend reading most of Coben's books so that it can sink in a little better. I found myself getting lost listening to it on CD. Coben's books are so complex and intricate that you really need to pay attention to every detail. I almost feel like taking notes so that I dont miss anything! Overall, another satisfying triller from the master.
June 15, 2008 | |
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