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Stay Close Audiobook
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(3.00) - 15,835 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Megan is a suburban soccer mom who once upon a time walked on the wild side. Now she’s got two kids, a perfect husband, a picket fence, and a growing sense of dissatisfaction. Ray used to be a talented documentary photographer, but at the age of forty he finds himself in a dead-end job posing as a paparazzo, pandering to celebrity-obsessed rich kids. Broome is a detective who can’t let go of a cold case—a local husband and father who disappeared seventeen years ago—and spends the anniversary every year visiting a house frozen in time, the missing man’s family still waiting, his slippers left by the recliner as if he might show up at any moment to step into them.
Three people living lives they never wanted, hiding secrets that even those closest to them would never suspect, will find that the past never truly fades away. Even as the terrible consequences of long-ago events crash together in the present and threaten to ruin lives, they will come to the startling realization that they may not want to forget the past at all. And as each confronts the dark side of the American dream—the boredom of a nice suburban life, the excitement of temptation, the desperation and hunger that can lurk behind even the prettiest façades—they will discover the hard truth that the line between one kind of life and another can be as whisper-thin as a heartbeat.
Master of domestic suspense Harlan Coben delivers his trademark combination of page-turning thrills and unrivaled insight into the dark shadows that creep into even the happiest communities.
Praise for the narration of Stay Close by Harlan Coben, performed by Scott Brick:
“Scott Brick crafts characters not so much by shaping each individual voice with different accents but by expressions and tones that convey strong emotions. And the emotions are far ranging. Empathy, psychotic behavior, and frantic helplessness all figure into the narration as much as the plot. It’s a diverse group tied to the crimes: a crooked cop haunted by his conscience, two young psychopathic killers without remorse, old lovers who are trying to escape their past and confront their present. Brick’s narration is crucial as the solution is unearthed.” © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
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"The story here is a real stretch but still an edge of your seat thriller. I did guessed the ending which doesn't happen with Coben. Megan is a suburban soccer mom who walked on the wild side back in the day and her family knows nothing about her former life. She makes the mistake of revisiting this life and gets involved in secrets, murder, lies, etc."
— Jackie (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Coben’s new novel takes William Faulkner’s famous statement ‘The past is never dead. It’s not even past’ as its starting point, with terrific results…Part crime procedural, part investigation of how and why people reinvent themselves, Stay Close is funnier and darker than many Coben thrillers and packs a lot of surprises. It’s the beach read of the pre-beach season.”
— People (four stars) -
“The story is intense, the characters are interesting, and the writing is magnificent. Coben’s talent is in high gear as he takes his readers to the magical world of Atlantic City, a place where dreams either come true or die.”
— Huffington Post -
“When everything explodes, the payoff is glorious. Stay Close is a perfect example of a master at the top of his game.”
— Associated Press -
“Edgar-winner Coben continues to mine rich veins of terror in his New Jersey novels of domestic suspense, exploring both the reality and the ideal of family ties and the ease with which evil can destroy both. In this masterful stand-alone…Coben writes with wit and irony, and his flair for exposing the frail balance point between order and chaos in our lives has never been stronger than in this suspenseful outing.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“Coben’s title describes perfectly how the suspense in this tour-de-force stand-alone works. It stays close in an unbelievably sustained way, giving the reader a steady stream of jolts and sinking feelings, as Coben’s three main characters face danger from without and from their own tricky psyches…Coben excels in descriptions of his characters’ tortured, ruminative inner lives. He also can pull out of their psychological nosedives to deliver some of the most shocking action scenes in current crime fiction. Once again, Coben uses the dives of Atlantic City as a backdrop, and what he does with the six-story pink construction known as Lucy the Elephant is worthy of Hitchcock. Satisfying on every level.”
— Booklist (starred review) -
“His characters are so real this time around that they almost seem to rise off the printed page…In the end, though, it is the plot that will keep you reading. And if the ending isn’t a full-bore, happily-ever-after one, it is just enough so to be satisfying and remain believable.”
— Bookreporter.com -
“While Harlan Coben’s plot involves many characters, he makes them memorable through their backstories. Scott Brick crafts characters not so much by shaping each individual voice with different accents but by using expressions and tones that convey strong emotions. And the emotions are far ranging. Empathy, psychotic behavior, and frantic helplessness all figure into the narration as much as the plot. It’s a diverse group tied to the crimes: a crooked cop haunted by his conscience, two young psychopathic killers, old lovers who are trying to escape their past and confront their present. Brick’s narration is crucial as the solution is unearthed.”
— AudioFile
Awards
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A USA Today bestseller
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A #1 New York Times bestseller
Stay Close Listener Reviews
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" Harlan Coben has been a favorite mystery/thriller author of mine for quite a while. With all the previous books I've read from him, I've never been able to guess the ending. However, I didn't find "Stay Close" to be all as engaging as his other books. It was an interesting story, but I felt that he focused too much on progressing the plot and not enough on developing the characters. "
— Priyasha, 2/12/2014 -
" A great book! Had that must-keep-reading quality. I have not read any Harlan coburn books before but I will do in the future! "
— Julie, 2/10/2014 -
" Everyone once in a while I like to read this type of book. Its a quick read (less than on day for me) but fun and mindless. Great book for the holiday weekend. I enjoyed it! "
— Patti, 2/7/2014 -
" Didn't enjoy this as much as previous novels by HC - found it difficult to like some of the characters. Still a good read though. "
— Jules, 2/6/2014 -
" Loved this book. Harlan has such a way to spin a thriller mystery that keeps you turning the pages for more. Never quite knowing until the end the answers. "
— Kevin, 1/29/2014 -
" I don't know if I'll finish this. It seems to be predictable and more than a bit ugly. In ways that aren't necessary either to advance the story or some set of sensibilities. There are the quickly drawn, accurately rendered characters. Misfits and those who are just trying to scrape by in their tawdry lives. There is violence; there are sudden connections, but it seems to me the suspense is lost. One knows what will happen in the next chapter; whose bones will be broken and why. "
— Chris, 1/22/2014 -
" Usual great crime stuff. "
— Kate, 1/22/2014 -
" Solid B murder mystery. I couldn't stay focused all the time. The suspense just wasn't there for me. "
— Jenna, 1/18/2014 -
" Like HARLAN cOBEN books alot and this was one of the ones I liked. Was a little slow and/or confusing in parts but all melded together in the end. "
— Sondra, 12/30/2013 -
" I always enjoy reading Harlan Coben, however, the conclusion was too unbelievable. "
— Joan, 12/27/2013 -
" serial killer fiction usually scare me, but I enjoyed this one. well written, suspenseful without the gore and heeby jeeby. "
— Sherryi, 12/25/2013 -
" I really enjoyed this suspense thriller. I have read a few of Harlan Coben's books and find them hard to put down. "
— Carla, 12/13/2013 -
" Another great Harlan Coben Book. "
— Linda, 11/28/2013 -
" I normally love anything by Harlan Coben, but I just couldn't get into this story. I skim read the last 100 pages just to find out what happened. "
— Sarah, 11/21/2013 -
" Wow, this one get a bit intense. I was not prepared for some of things that happened in this book. I was a great read as always, but Harlan did add some extra punch to this one. "
— Kelly, 11/17/2013 -
" Oh, so juicy! Three main characters with intersecting lives; add one missing person from 17 years ago, mix well and look out. Raced through this wonderful book with my heart pounding. I really enjoy Coben's stand alone thrillers, and this was right up there for me. "
— Jeri, 11/7/2013 -
" Just a bit repetitive. I get it, you love your kids. Enjoyable though "
— James, 11/7/2013 -
" Another one for the editor. Written like it was a proposal for a movie. "
— Keith, 10/30/2013 -
" Just OK. Entertaining but not his best or the best of anybody. Mixed up plot and characters. Maybe too long also. "
— Bob, 6/19/2013 -
" It was OK but not a favorite. "
— Carla, 4/25/2013 -
" I love Harlan Coben but this book was not up to his usual standards. "
— Cass, 3/18/2013 -
" Not one of my favorites of Coben, but still a good read. "
— Julie, 1/11/2013 -
" Coben never lets me down. Another classic tale of domestic mystery and suspense. Now it's the wife's turn to not be able to put this book down. "
— Scott, 10/27/2012 -
" I love Harlan Coben's books! This one was great, and I read it fast because I was so into it! I wish I could say I guessed "who did it" but it took me until two pages before it was revealed to figure it out. I loved trying to figure it out though. :) "
— Denise, 10/19/2012 -
" Terrific thriller. "
— Iris, 8/17/2012 -
" It was a good story. It was not his usual. "
— Ree, 8/3/2012 -
" This was another winner from Harlan Coben and it was made even better by the excellent narration. Spine-chilling and gut-wrenching are two very apt descriptions of this audiobook. "
— J.T.H., 8/3/2012 -
" not my favorite Harlen Coben - but good "
— Debbie, 8/1/2012 -
" I really enjoyed this book. It was constantly twisting and turning, and the ending was great! "
— Kylie, 7/31/2012 -
" A very well-written and suspenseful story with an ending I never would have guessed in a million years. I enjoyed this novel quite thoroughly! "
— David W., 7/28/2012 -
" I've listened to several of Harlan's earlier novels and I'm afraid this wasn't nearly as good as those. It was too formulaic and it felt sloppy and rushed as well. Very disappointing. "
— Ellie M., 7/12/2012 -
" Great story, very suspenseful and an ending that tied everything together masterfully. This one was a real thrill ride. "
— D.G., 7/9/2012 -
" I found this novel to be very riveting. Several sections are fairly disturbing because of the violence but aside from that I have no complaints. There's plenty of suspenseful twists that kept me interested the whole way through. "
— TT8675309, 6/22/2012 -
" Not Harlan's best but a pretty good effort. I liked the plot but it moved too slowly in some sections. The ending was great though. "
— Steve G., 6/12/2012 -
" It's hard to put this one down; keeps you guessing till the end. He always comes through with a good read. "
— Judy, 5/25/2012 -
" THIS AUDIOBOOK WAS GREAT. AWESOME STORY AND A VERY GOOD SURPRISE ENDING. THIS IS NOW MY NEW FAVORITE AUTHOR. "
— Sarah Belle, 5/9/2012 -
" I found the portrayal of women off-putting. "
— Elizabeth, 4/26/2012 -
" I recently listened to this audiobook on a long roadtrip and I was treated by the author (and narrator) to a very well-crafted story with plenty of twists and a ton of suspense. One of the best suspense novels I've read in quite some time. "
— K.L., 4/14/2012 -
" Coben is just a great writer; he takes simple, every-day people in average settings and puts them in believable peril, all the while making us care for their well-being. No false notes here. "
— Darvin, 3/29/2012
About Harlan Coben
Harlan Coben is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of the world’s leading storytellers. His suspense novels are published in forty-five languages and have been number one bestsellers in more than a dozen countries, with seventy-five million books in print worldwide. His Myron Bolitar series has earned the Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony Awards, and many of his books have been developed into Netflix series, including his adaptation of The Stranger, headlined by Richard Armitage, and The Woods.
About Scott Brick
Scott Brick, an acclaimed voice artist, screenwriter, and actor, has performed on film, television, and radio. He attended UCLA and spent ten years in a traveling Shakespeare company. Passionate about the spoken word, he has narrated a wide variety of audiobooks. winning won more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards and several of the prestigious Audie Awards. He was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine and the Voice of Choice for 2016 by Booklist magazine.