DEATH GRIP

Thriller writer Harlan Coben’s last 10 novels have topped the New York Times bestseller list, so it should come as no surprise that his latest book, Don’t Let Go, is already a hit. The stand-alone novel revolves around Napoleon Dumas or Nap, a cop determined to solve the mystery of his twin brother Leo’s death 15 years earlier. Most people believe Leo and his girlfriend Diana were killed by a train by accident or as part of a suicide pact. But Nap isn’t convinced.

Then police discover the fingerprints of Maura Wells, Nap’s exgirlfriend, at the site of a murder of another colleague, Rex Canton. Wells disappeared on the very night Leo and his girlfriend were killed. So Nap figures something must be afoot.

Helping him with the case, Nap’s old school friend Ellie suggests that Leo and Diana’s killing could be connected to the secret Conspiracy Club that included the two dead teenagers and four other friends—including Maura.

Like Sherlock, Nap is a halfhearted sociopath who takes pains to appear friendly enough to his immediate neighbours. A part-time vigilante, he doesn’t mind beating up bad guys or breaking their legs.

But his readiness to pay the price if he’s caught proves to the reader that he’ll go to any length to get what he wants, making him easy to empathise with. As will all Coben novels, unexpected twists keep the reader hooked and suspense rules every page.