Book review: Harlan Coben's newest thriller is a pageturner

In Harlan Coben's suspenseful Six Years, a professor's life is turned upside down when his ex-girlfriend's husband dies.

Six Years
Harlan Coben
Dutton Adult

Harlan Coben has written another clever and complex thriller, Six Years. The story revolves around Jake Fisher, a professor living in New England, who continues to have haunting dreams about Natalie, the love of his life who left him six years ago to marry her ex.

As romantic as that sounds, Coben's story is no love story, because when Jake finds out that Natalie's husband is dead, he discovers that everything is just not what it seems. The widow is not Natalie. In fact, no one admits to Natalie's existence, nor his.

From there on the story begins to twist and turn, as Jake begins to look for the deadly truth. The novel has various aspects, which are all woven into one intense outcome. The writer did add a touch of humour and wit, yet that did not detract from the exhilarating feel of the story.

However, there is a lack of character development, which is a downside, but readers who enjoy suspense and psychological mindplay will find Coben's book simply unputdownable. The story is told from Jake's point of view, thus as pages turn, one will begin to wonder if everyone is really keeping a secret from him, or whether he is just a delusional man.

* Yasmine Al-Kuttab