Seconds Away is the second book in the Mickey Bolitar young adult series by Harlan Coben. Mickey is the nephew of Myron Bolitar, who is the protagonist of Coben's adult mystery series. In Seconds Away, Mickey lives with his uncle even though their relationship is strained. Mickey's sidekicks are his friends, Ema and Spoon, who help him to solve the mysteries he frequently runs into.
In Seconds Away, there are two plotlines going on simultaneously. One of them is resolved by the end of the book but the other is an overarching plotline that begins in the first novel of the series and continues with this book. This plotline has to do with Mickey's father who died in book one, apparently at the hands of a 90-year-old Nazi who doesn't seem to have aged. In Seconds Away, Mickey confronts the Bat Lady who corroborates his claim about the Nazi's involvement and then relays some truly stunning information that completely changes things for Mickey.
The main plot of the book centers around Rachel, a girl at Mickey's school with whom he has felt some sparks but who already has a boyfriend. There is some jealousy between Mickey and the boyfriend and some rivalry on the basketball court as well. But these issues become secondary when Rachel and her mother are attacked in their home. The mother is shot and dies while Rachel is wounded in the head. Concerned for Mickey's wellbeing, Rachel warns him not to get involved in finding out what happened but Mickey is determined to uncover the truth. A couple of other adults also warn Mickey to stay away and since Rachel's boyfriend's father is the chief of police, he doesn't look very kindly on Mickey's involvement. Eventually, another of Mickey's friends also lands in hospital which only makes Mickey more determined to find out the truth. There are many riveting twists and turns in the plot before the mystery is finally uncovered.
Coben grew up in Livingston, NJ and went to Amherst College, where he realized in his senior year that he wanted to be a writer. While at Amherst, he was a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity, along with
Dan Brown. He published a couple of stand-alone novels at first and then started working on a series featuring Myron Bolitar, following this with more stand-alone novels including Long Lost which debuted at the top of the NYT bestseller list. His latest work includes the two Mickey Bolitar young adult novels. He has won an Edgar award, a Shamus award, and an Anthony award. He lives in Ridgewood, NJ with his wife, Ann Armstrong-Coben, a pediatrician and four children.
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When tragedy strikes close to home, Mickey Bolitar and his loyal new friends — sharp-witted Ema and the adorkably charming Spoon — find themselves at the center of a murder mystery involving their friend Rachel. Now, not only does Mickey have to continue his quest to uncover the truth about the Abeona Shelter and the Butcher of Lodz, he needs to figure out what happened to Rachel — no matter what it takes.
Mickey has always been ready to sacrifice everything to help the people he loves. But how can he protect them when he’s not even sure who — or what — he’s protecting them from? Download and start listening now!