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Review Snippet: The Match by Harlan Coben

About this Book (from Penguin Books SA):

In this gripping new thriller from the No 1 Sunday Times bestselling author and creator of The Stranger, Wilde follows a tip that he hopes will finally solve the mystery of his abandonment, but instead sends him straight into the arms of a serial killer.

As a young child, Wilde was found living a feral existence in the Ramapo mountains of New Jersey. He has grown up knowing nothing of his family, and even less about his own identity.

He is known simply as Wilde, the boy from the woods.

But when a match at an online ancestry database puts him on the trail of a close relative – the first family member he has ever known – he thinks he might be about to solve the mystery of who he really is. Only this relation disappears as quickly as he’s resurfaced, having experienced an epic fall from grace that can only be described as a waking nightmare.

Undaunted, Wilde continues his research on DNA websites where he becomes caught up in a community of doxxers, a secret group committed to exposing anonymous online trolls.

Then one by one these doxxers start to die, and it soon becomes clear that a serial killer is targeting this secret community – and that his next victim might be Wilde himself …

My thoughts:

Firstly, just to be informed that this is book number two in a series – because I very quickly realised that when I approached this as a stand-alone novel.  It follows “The Boy From The Woods”.  I should really do my homework a bit better!  But that didn’t really interfere with my enjoyment of “The Match”.  There were parts where I felt that it would have been nice to have the “full picture”, but I could make my own assumptions where needed.  Harlan Coben is such an expert when it comes to intriguing story lines and action-filled thrillers, that it is easy to get into the swing of things.

The use of genealogy databases and DNA matching for Joe Public (in the USA) came to the forefront when the “Golden State Killer” case was finally solved, so as a true crime fan I find this idea fascinating.

You will enjoy this book if you enjoy:

  • Plot twists
  • Online/Social Media trope
  • Intrigue
  • Multi-layered thrillers
  • Short chapters (this is a natural win for me)

“The ugliest truth is better than the prettiest lie.”

― Harlan Coben, The Match

Thank you to Penguin Books SA for this book, in exchange for an honest review.

My rating 7/10

PS: The cute bookmark in my image is from Digital Artist | Avviare Bookish Art