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    The Stranger
    The Stranger
    The Stranger
    Audiobook (abridged)5 hours

    The Stranger

    Written by Harlan Coben

    Narrated by George Newbern

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense Harlan Coben delivers his most shocking thriller yet, proving that a well-placed lie can help build a wonderful life—and a secret has the same explosive power to destroy it.

    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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateMar 24, 2015
    ISBN9781455876136
    The Stranger
    Author

    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.

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    Reviews for The Stranger

    4/5

    543 ratings37 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This book wasn’t terrible but wasn’t the greatest either. There were parts that were far fetched and reminded me of s a Life Time movie. I really didn’t care about or connect with the characters. Usually I’m rooting for the main character but this time I really didn’t care.
    • 5/5
      Fast paced storyline! Really enjoyed this one and will definitely be reading more from this author
    • 4/5
      Adam Price has the perfect life, a beautiful wife and two boys. He meets a stranger in a bar who shatters that perfect life, his wife it seems has a secret.I haven't read many Harlan Coben books in the past so its made a change to come away from my usual reads. This book is a crime that's a bit different. I found that as soon as I started to read this book I was drawn into the story instantly. There was enough for me to care and to want to finish the book. I found the book very easy to read. The story however at times I felt was a little confusing. It does at the end all come together and all is explained. I did want to see the whys and hows so I needed to stick with until the end. The story had some suspense to it and a few twists. At times the book reminded me of Linwood Barclay. I would read more by Harlan Coben in the future as I found this read nice and easy.
    • 5/5
      Delightful. Interesting. Kept me to the end.
      The abridged audio version is well paced.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed this latest installment from Harlan Coben. Once again, his writing and plot keeps you hooked until the end. His characters seem like people you know and are very believable. If you are a fan of Coben's writing, then don't miss this one as Harlan hardly disappoints!
    • 2/5
      Preposterous . Plot was ridiculously contrived. Waste of time.

    • 4/5
      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.
    • 2/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      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.

    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      Harlan Coben, once again, doesn't disappoint.
    • 4/5
      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!
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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!
    • 2/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 2/5
      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.
    • 2/5
      An OK story, but not as good or as believable as Coben's other books.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      Interesting story. Climax and resolution are rather brief.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 2/5
      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.