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Seconds Away (Mickey Bolitar #2)

3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 · rating details · 1,925 ratings · 326 reviews

Written for adults and teenagers alike, Seconds Away is the second book in Harlan Coben's action-packed series featuring Mickey Bolitar, who is as quick-witted and clever as his uncle Myron and eager to go to any length to save the people he cares about.

Things have improved for Mickey since going to live with his uncle, but the mystery of his father's death still hangs ove...more

Paperback, 338 pages

Published September 25th 2012 by Hachette

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Feb 09, 2013 Mara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: male-author-challenge, a-z-challenge, tbr-2013-challenge, books-to-buy, 2013-reads, mystery, suspense

Cover Blurb: Yes or No? Surprisingly yes! Despite the leering face, the cover is definitely exciting and promises a suspense-like story (which it is). That alone would make me pick it up, even if I knew nothing about the Mickey Bolitar books.

Characters: Mickey is the sort of “modern-guy” protagonist that I like. He’s sarcastic and smart, but he doesn’t have this flirtatious “I‘m cool“ attitude. Rather, he’s always making fun of himself, especially when he’s done something idiotic and realizes it...more

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May 09, 2013 Aeriahna007msn.com rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Seconds Away by Harlan Coben was by far a phenomenal book! When i originally chose this book i had no idea it was a sequel. I read through the entire thing with ease and completely enjoyed it. I later found out that it was in fact a sequel and was shocked due to the fact that it was so well written and a master at pulling the reader in. Seconds Away is one of those books that you begin reading, and before you stop you have to figure out the next thing, and once that is satisfied you get sucked i...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Aaron rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Harlan Coban returns with the sequel to his first young adult novel "Shelter," which continues Mickey Bolitar's adventures with the Abeona Shelter, a secret group dedicated to rescue children that traces all the way back to the Holocaust. Back is his unofficial team in the form of the hyperactive sidekick Spoon, the mysterious Goth chick with a mystery of her own in the form of Ema, and Rachel, one of the most popular girls at school.

Unfortunately for Rachel, she is front and center in this vol...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Karen Blinn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Here Coben presents the second in the Mickey Bolitar series, which takes places less than a week later in Mickey's life after the first book. This makes for a rather odd sensation for the reader, or so I thought. However, if Coben wants to keep the series focused on Mickey while he's in high school then it is a device that should serve him well. In this one, Mickey's friend Rachel's mother is murdered, and Rachel is injured by a bullet that grazes her skull. Mickey, Ema and Spoon set out to find...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Paula Phillips rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Your favourite Teen Detective is back , Mickey Bolitar - now living with his Uncle Myron, Mickey has been slowly easing into school but it seems that trouble can't stray far away from him and now with only being at school a week , he has found himself bang smack in the midle of not only a homocide but also an arson attack and if that wasn't bad enough the Chief of Police Ed Taylor has it in for Myron and Troy - the Chief's son has it in for Mickey. Seconds Away focuses on not only the homocide o...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Halkovic's-Classroom rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book, “Seconds Away,” by Harlan Coben is a fictional mystery that makes you think. Clues continuously open more possible solutions to the plot and some intensely twist the story, never leaving you unsatisfied. Mickey and his friends must solve the mystery of a shooting that killed their friend’s mother and injured her friend while Mickey faces his own mystery about if the man he thought to be dead, his father, is still alive.

This book is about a boy and his friends who have the solve the mys...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Ellie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Seconds Away, the second and final book in Harlan Coben's Mickey Bolitar series, continues into Mickey's struggle of finding out who he truly is, and what he has been dragged into. Mickey Bolitar is a sophomore in high school, who's father died in a car accident and his mother is in rehab for overdose of drugs. Now, Mickey is living with his Uncle Myron, whom he does not favor in too many ways. As a child, Mickey had traveled around a lot with his parents, and has always had a passion for baske...more Seconds Away, the second and final book in Harlan Coben's Mickey Bolitar series, continues into Mickey's struggle of finding out who he truly is, and what he has been dragged into. Mickey Bolitar is a sophomore in high school, who's father died in a car accident and his mother is in rehab for overdose of drugs. Now, Mickey is living with his Uncle Myron, whom he does not favor in too many ways. As a child, Mickey had traveled around a lot with his parents, and has always had a passion for basketball. In the first book, Shelter, Mickey finds out that his parents were a part of an organization called the Aboena Shelter, which is a secret child rescuing group. When Mickey and his best friends, who have also been dragged into Aboena, Ema and Spoon, discover that the Aboena headquarters are located in the crazy Bat Lady's house down the street, everything is turned upside down. Just when he thought that he understood who the Bat Lady and the man with the sandy blond hair and freckles are, he talked to his history teacher for more information. What he learned from her completely destroyed any of their ideas. Mickey, being the stubborn boy he is, decides to pay another visit to the old Bat Lady, as she is known as all around town. What Mickey finds leads him into an even bigger mess than before. Mickey keeps getting himself deeper and deeper into this mess known as the Aboena Shelter, and he is not going stop until he gets answers, no matter the obstacles he will come across.
Overall, Seconds Away was an excellent read. I love the fact that Coben doesn't make long, drawn-out chapters. As a reader, that is one thing that I cannot stand -- Thirty paged chapters that don't end well. Harlan Coben uses quick, six paged chapters that end with cliff hangers, those types that keep you awake reading all night. What reader doesn't love those? He also describes his characters perfectly. I have a vivid image of each character in the story in my head because of his thorough, but not over-descriptive, character descriptions. Due to the fact that Seconds Away is the second book in the series, the characters were not developed very well, but that was not needed or expected for a sequel. The pace of Seconds Away varied. It started off quickly, which immediately sucked me in. Then, it slowed down for a few chapters, but before I knew it, it picked right back up and never stopped. There were at least three moments that I literally gasped out loud, because of something scary, shocking, or finally being put together. Seconds Away is a definite thriller, but the ending would make you think otherwise. With everything that went on, the ending disappointed me. I was expecting something big and exciting to keep up with the rest of the story, but it was kind of lame, in all honesty. The ending is nothing that should stop you from reading this story, though, especially if you have read the first book. So much of Shelter was made sense of, even the title. For anyone that enjoyed The Maximum Ride Series by James Patterson, this series is perfect for you. It combines the fast-paced chapters and plot with the whole 'hero teens' idea. Do not read Seconds Away without reading the first book, Shelter, or else you will not understand the characters or plot. All in all, Seconds Away by Harlan Coben is a satisfying, thrilling read that will keep you way on the edge of your seat, and I highly recommend it. (less)

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Jan 12, 2013 Justin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you enjoy reading books about adventure and mysteries this is the book for you. Seconds Away, by Harlan Coben, was a fantastic book.

Seconds Away, was about a high school boy who moved around the world with his parents and never lived in one place for more than 2 months. But then his parents decided to move back to the states. He lost his father and his mother went into rehab. Mickey(high school boy)then went to live with his uncle whom he blamed for the whole thing. Mickey loved basketball...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Mykayla Skurdahl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Friends

Recommended to Mykayla by: Librarian

Seconds Away, by Harlan Coben, has over 50 million copies around the world. This book was released September 18 in 41 languages. It was the number one bestseller in over a dozen different countries. The cost of this book is twenty three dollars. Harlan Coben has won the Edgar Award, Shamus Award, and the Anthony Award. He was the first author to win all three of these awards and his books were defined as ingenious, poignant and insightful. This non-fiction book is a suspenseful book filled with...more Seconds Away, by Harlan Coben, has over 50 million copies around the world. This book was released September 18 in 41 languages. It was the number one bestseller in over a dozen different countries. The cost of this book is twenty three dollars. Harlan Coben has won the Edgar Award, Shamus Award, and the Anthony Award. He was the first author to win all three of these awards and his books were defined as ingenious, poignant and insightful. This non-fiction book is a suspenseful book filled with events you would never imagine could happen. It’s a first of it’s own and the second novel in the Mickey Bolitar series.
Seconds Away was a well thought out book and it was put into great context. It made sense to me and caused me to ask a lot of questions that I knew would be answered later on in the story. It left me hanging after every chapter and it was hard to put the book down for longer than a minute. I was always making conclusions of what might happen next and see if it was right. I made a lot of inferences as I read because of all the different sequence of events that went on. My attention was always being caught by this book because of how many different characters there were and how many times they came up in the story when there was about to be a conflict. There was never really any new characters until the biggest conflict of the book was brought up. After that conflict, they were either still a part of the book again, or they weren’t.
In the first book of the Mickey Bolitar series, all of the same characters were in Seconds Away. This made it a lot easier to read because when their name came up in a sentence I knew about them and knew what happened with them or how they ended up in the conflicts. Having this background knowledge made it easier for me to read, but it also caused a lot of anger because of how many times the author went back into the book to explain the characters all over again. I wanted to just skip to the next page. The suspense in this book was crazy, there were so many conflicts that all led to one character in the end. This book caused me to wonder so many things. Throughout the book it talks about the Abeone Shelter and how Mickey’s father helped them before he died and died because of the things he did to save the people who he cared about the most. Mickey has always wondered the real reason for his fathers death and gets his answers. However, during this search for reasons, Mickey causes a lot of other people to get involved and puts them in danger. Rachel Caldwell, Ashley’s friend and Mickey’s girlfriend that disappeared, gets shot in the head. This happens when her mother sneaks over to Rachel’s house after she gets out of jail because of her drug issues. Rachel’s father doesn’t want to have anything to do with her mother so she makes sure she is distant from her and keeps Rachel safe. After Rachel is shot, her mother is also shot. Fortunately Rachel survives. As for her mother it’s a different story. After Rachel’s father comes back home from a business trip Mickey figures out what actually happened and is shocked. He makes sure not to tell Rachel because of the promises he made to people who cared about her. He then breaks the promise and Rachel’s shocked out of her mind.
My favorite character was Ema. She was Mickey’s best friend and she is quite an unusual person. Ema was a gothic young girl that never talked to anyone. When she did speak,she was sticking up for herself so people would leave her alone. She was such an interesting character and the conflict with her was unbelievable. I never would have thought she would be a movie star’s daughter because of the way she looked. However, when she reveals that she is, things start to change.
I absolutely loved this book. The first book, Shelter, was good and it gave the basics of the conflicts and the characters. It’s usually extremely hard for me to stay interested in a book. However, when I started to read Seconds Away, I knew it was going to be a great book that kept me interested throughout the entire story.(less)

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Nov 27, 2012 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fast-paced young adult novel, quick read, keeps the reader's attention throughout. The characters are believable, if not as developed as one would find in Coben's adult novels. As a kid I was always entranced by books involving WWII, especially the Holocaust and/or the Nazi party, and I have found this still holds true well into my adult reading life. My only big issue with the book is that it is a cliffhanger (as was the first in the series)... I know the trend with many YA books is to write a...more

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Nov 23, 2012 bjneary rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, mystery, realistic-fiction, ya

The 2nd Mickey Bolitar book is a fast-paced mystery involving the shooting of Mickey's new romantic interest, Rachel and her the killing of her mother. As Mickey tries to visit her in the hospital with his friends providing a diversion, he finds her in her room, but must quickly hide because the sheriff is coming to question her. Mickey goes to Bat Lady in her haunted house to try to get some answers and he is further confused to find out the man from the ambulance when his father died was not p...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Liviania rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sometimes you gotta have faith in people. I really enjoyed SHELTER until the end revealed that the bad guy was a ninety-year-old Nazi. Turns out SECONDS AWAY starts with Mickey frustrated because that makes zero sense. But he doesn't have much time to ponder the bad-guy-who-doesn't-age before his friend Rachel gets shot in the head. (It's just a flesh wound!)

Mickey, Spoon, and Ema band back together in order to discover who tried to kill their friend. They're all dealing with fallout from the la...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Harry rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adults, detective-mystery

For those who have read my reviews of the Myron Bolitar novels, Harlan Coben once again delivers a world-class series this time dealing with the nephew of Myron Bolitar. Unlike the Myron Bolitar series this series now includes the young adult audience as well as the mature audience Coben has been writing for. To my mind this is an incredible accomplishment: to engage both young adults as well as adults in equal fashion.

The writing style is slightly different: the prose has been excised and edite...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Scott rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Coben may be my favorite writer at this time, and his young adult incorporates many of the same themes with the same taut storytelling and twisty, intricate plot building that he uses in his adult fiction. This series features the nephew of his adult fiction hero, Myron Bolitar. Mickey Bolitar is a young Myron in a lot of ways, and he and Myron butt heads a lot, based on mistakes Myron made in the past.

So far the series revolves around a mysterious organization called the Abeona Shelter (I thin...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Fran rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Seconds Away: Harlan Coben

Magicians create illusions when they want people to see things that are not really there. Sometimes events in our lives happen and what we think is reality is not. As you think about an incident that caused tragic results you often remember the details the way you want them to have happened? But, what happens when someone jogs your memory in another direction? What would you do if an odd or strange lady told you that what you believed happened to your father really did...more

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Sep 10, 2012 Evie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-arcs, 2012-ya, action, freaking-awesome, loved-it, murder-mystery

Seconds Away is a great addition to Harlan Coben's first YA series featuring quick-witted and clever Mickey Bolitar (Myron Bolitar's nephew). Full of exciting twists and turns and thrilling new developments, it's a book that moves at a near break-neck speed and is sure to leave you stunned, breathless, maybe a tiny little bit confused, but very satisfied nevertheless. Thoroughly captivating, well-written and with an incredibly suspenseful plot line, it's one of the best thrillers I've read this...more Seconds Away is a great addition to Harlan Coben's first YA series featuring quick-witted and clever Mickey Bolitar (Myron Bolitar's nephew). Full of exciting twists and turns and thrilling new developments, it's a book that moves at a near break-neck speed and is sure to leave you stunned, breathless, maybe a tiny little bit confused, but very satisfied nevertheless. Thoroughly captivating, well-written and with an incredibly suspenseful plot line, it's one of the best thrillers I've read this summer, possibly this year.

"There are moments in your life that change everything.
I don't mean little things like, say, what cereal turns out to be your favorite or whether you get into any AP classes or what girl you fall in love with or where you wind up living for twenty years. I mean total change. One second your world is one thing, the next - snap! - it is completely altered. All the rules, all the things you accepted about reality, are turned around.
Like, up becomes down. Left becomes right.
Death becomes life."

Seconds Away picks up exactly where Shelter left off. The first Mickey Bolitar novel ended with a jaw-dropping cliffhanger that left me clamoring for the sequel. When I got my hands on a copy of the second book, I was extremely excited to finally be able to learn more about what happened during Mickey's meeting with the mysterious Bat Lady. I wanted to know if he learned something valuable about his father's death. If the Nazi officer in Bat Lady's picture (the evil Butcher of Lodz) was indeed the same person Mickey remembers as the paramedic who took his father's body away after the car crash. Why did the old lady say Mickey's dad was alive? Could he possibly be? And - most importantly - I wanted to learn more about Abeona Shelter and the role this mysterious organization played in it all. Just like Mickey, I needed some answers, and I needed them badly. And just like Mickey, instead of answers, I got more questions, more unbelievable plot turns, more mysteries to solve and lives to save. And while I can't say that I was satisfied with how little information the story line provided me with, I was most certainly well entertained by the thrilling sub-plot and happy to follow my favourite characters as they solved yet another bone-chilling case.

The plot line of Seconds Away follows two stories that - though different from each other - intertwine with one another, as they are both related to Abeona Shelter. The main plot line - the one involving Mickey's father and the seemingly immortal Butcher of Lodz - does not get resolved in this book. In fact, while we do get bits and pieces of information throughout the story, overall there isn't much progress to Mickey's investigation. At the same time, though lacking any major breakthroughs, the story is still thick with tension and even more action-packed than the first book.

The second story line - a sort of a sub-plot - is even better. Mickey's friend, Rachel, is attacked in her own house. She ends up in a hospital, with a gunshot wound to the head. Her mother, who claimed to have some incriminating information about Rachel's father, gets killed during the attack. There's an air of secrecy surrounding the events of that fatal night, Rachel's father seems to be hiding something. Mickey, together with his faithful side-kicks (Ema and Spoon), is determined to get to the bottom of it all. He'll do whatever it takes to protect Rachel and find out who is responsible for her mom's death.

I really enjoyed the plot of this novel. It was fun and gripping, and I couldn't bring myself to put the book down mid-point. At times the plot was so twisted and tangled up that I wanted to scream. I kept on thinking to myself: what on earth is going on here? There were moments when I would get a little bit confused, but that's mainly due to the fact that not much was explained. The mystery part plays a major role in this series, everything we read about - every single fact and detail we're presented with, every new character, flashback, or seemingly unrelated story - leads to uncovering the secret of Abeona Shelter and those who are determined to destroy it. And though we might have to wait a book or two to get to the big "aaaah, I get it now!", I'm pretty sure that when the moment comes to connect all the dots and get to the bottom of the story, the conclusion will knock our socks off.

I liked many things about this book, but I was especially excited to learn more about our main characters. Harlan Coben created a fabulous set of personalities, each of them distinct, vibrant, and essential to the plot. I was very happy to be reunited with them, especially with Spoon who is just so awesomely nerdy and adorable (kind of reminds me of Sheldon from Big Bang Theory). Seconds Away provides us with a great insight into the characters' past. We learn more about Mickey, his hopes and fears, and his strained relationship with his uncle. But then we also learn more about Ema and Spoon. We get a really good look at their thoughts and feelings, and we even get some really eye-opening information about their family situation and how it shaped them to be who they are. I found it absolutely fascinating to read about, and it definitely made me love these characters even more.

While published and marketed as Young Adult reads, both Shelter and Seconds Away are - in my opinion - great mystery novels that can be enjoyed by Coben's fans of all ages. Seconds Away mixes mystery, action, and personal drama, adding a pinch of something vaguely supernatural (or so it seems). It's a spicy and flavourful cocktail, and one that will keep you frantically turning pages. With solid and exciting plot line, characters that are realistic and relatable, and premise that is just as moving as it is threatening, this brand new teen mystery makes for a very good read, infused with some powerful adrenaline shots.(less)

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Nov 22, 2012 Yolanda Sfetsos rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: thriller, ya-contemporary

After reading the first book in this series last year, I was looking forward to reading this one, especially after the cliffhanger ending in Shelter.

Mickey really wants to know what happened to his father, and is starting to wonder if he's really dead at all. The Bat Lady is the one who started him on this path in the first place, but now doesn't want to answer his questions and instead kicks him out of her house.

As much as he wants to know what really happened to his father and if a Nazi from...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Lori Twining rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: harlan-coben

“Seconds Away” is the second book in the Mickey Bolitar YA series, written by Harlan Coben. This story starts off right where “Shelter”, book one, finished. Therefore, I recommend reading them in order, just so you know what’s going on. Well, you still may be a tad bit confused, but that is done on purpose… to make you think. It would also be helpful, but not necessary, to read the Adult series with lead character, Myron Bolitar, as it would give you background to the story and incite into other...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Brittany rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, part-of-a-series

Spoon, Ema and Mickey are back and caught in the middle of a terrible mystery. Their new friend Rachel has been shot, and something about it seems fishy. Mickey is also still trying to figure out exactly what Bat Lady meant when she said his father was still alive. Also, what is up with the picture of the Butcher of Lodz, could it really be the same person that Mickey thinks it is? Mickey gets into even more trouble and finds himself in plenty of dangerous situations, all to help his friend Rach...more Spoon, Ema and Mickey are back and caught in the middle of a terrible mystery. Their new friend Rachel has been shot, and something about it seems fishy. Mickey is also still trying to figure out exactly what Bat Lady meant when she said his father was still alive. Also, what is up with the picture of the Butcher of Lodz, could it really be the same person that Mickey thinks it is? Mickey gets into even more trouble and finds himself in plenty of dangerous situations, all to help his friend Rachel figure out what happened when she got shot.

I'll start with something that bugged me, because I noticed it a few pages in. In Seconds Away Harlan Coben repeats a lot of things. Not only doesn't he do mini recaps for people who apparently decided to skip the first book and go right into the second, but he repeated many phrases that he used in the first book. An example:
From Shelter "I love the way you can be exhausted and sweaty and running with nine other guys, and yet, at the risk of sounding overly Zen, you are still so wonderfully alone."
From Seconds Away "I picked up the basketball, lost in the—and, yes, I know how this will sound—Zen-like quality of shooting."
In both of these sentence Mickey talks about being Zen with basketball and about it sounding corny. Maybe this won't bug other people, and maybe if I had waited awhile in between reading the two books I wouldn't have even noticed but I did notice and it did bug me. There were a few more instances like this, and each one made me cringe a little.

Beside that, I really enjoyed this book. The mysteries keep getting deeper and more twisty. On top of all the mysteries left over from the first book, Mickey finds more mysteries including Rachel's shooter. I did not for one second guess who it was. Until I was reading it on the pages I was in the dark about who could've been the shooter.

Spoon and Ema are still great in this book too. We learn a lot more about Ema, some of them surprising some, expected. Spoon is still his fun self, I would love to learn more about him too, hopefully in the next book!

As soon as I finished this book I wanted more. There are still so many mysteries that need to be solved and I am dying to know what happens next. I don't know when the next book will come out, but hopefully soon. I'll be picking it up right away, I just hope I don't have to hear about the Zen of basketball again ;)

First Line:
"There are moments in your life that change everything."

Favorite Line:
"I texted Spoon first and got the following auto-answer. Spoon: I cannot reply at this time. Due to recent events I am grounded until the age of 34. And then, because he was Spoon, he added: Abraham Lincoln's mother died of milk poisoning at age 34."

Read more: http://www.areadingnook.com/#ixzz272U...(less)

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Dec 22, 2012 Jim Saddler rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everybody

Recommended to Jim by: Nobody

Just finished this book.

It wasn't as...exciting? as the first one, but it was just as good. This one really packs more of an emotional punch. One thing I really like about this series so far is that you can really connect with the characters. Harlan Coben has always had that great ability to develop the characters really well.

I think I found out something somewhere in the middle of the book that wasn't really stated anwhere, I'll be surprised if I'm right because Mr. Coben has a way of making yo...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Kelly Hager rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a fun series, but I'm hoping the next book is the last. I love everything Harlan Coben writes, but his YA stuff for whatever reason isn't as good (at least to me) as his adult books. I think part of it is that plot development takes a definite backseat to action. There's nothing wrong with that, per se, but his grownup books show that Harlan Coben is good at both and good at making me care about his characters, not just what is happening to and around them.

Even so, I'm enjoying this seri...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Alice Of Wonderland rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The cover is just fascinating! It makes you wonder what is going to happen in the book. Does it have something to do with fire?

This is the second book in the series. The series: "Mickey Bolitar"

Like most of the books I had recently read, this book could have a little more editing. Yes, there are some typos.

After reading this book, I anticipate the next one(only because I like Mickey). O.o I just need the next book and the next and the next.

At the end of the book, there is a cliffhanger (as usua...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Bruce Snell rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Book number Two in the Mickey Bolitar series by Harlan Coben - 3.5 stars. This book picks up a couple days after book one ends - Mickey is still trying to get information from "Bat Lady" about his father and the Abeona Shelter. Bat Lady has just given Mickey a picture of the ambulance driver who told him his father was dead - only the man was dressed in a Nazi uniform at a WWII German concentration camp. To make it worse, only a few hours later the mother of one of his friends (Rachel) is murder...more

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Dec 25, 2012 BAYA Librarian rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mickey Bolitar has a complicated life. His father was shot dead right before his eyes, his mother is in rehab and he lives with his estranged uncle. A creepy neighbor known as the Bat Lady told him his father isn’t dead. She may or may not be part of a clandestine group that helps teenagers and children known as the Abeona Shelter. Before he can get more information about his father the Bat Lady’s house is burned to the ground and she seems to disappear with it. Because he doesn’t have enough di...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Katharine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2012, review

‘Seconds Away’ by Harlan Coben is the second in the Mickey Bolitar series (the first being ‘Shelter’, which was reviewed here http://sentientonline.net/?p=2775), is a young adult mystery series set in the same world as his ‘Myron Bolitar’ series (Mickey being his nephew.) Harlan Coban has written almost 25 mystery novels so far, and his novels more often than not have the ‘can’t put down’ feeling that sets his books just a bit higher than airport fodder.

Mickey’s life isn’t much better from the f...more ‘Seconds Away’ by Harlan Coben is the second in the Mickey Bolitar series (the first being ‘Shelter’, which was reviewed here http://sentientonline.net/?p=2775), is a young adult mystery series set in the same world as his ‘Myron Bolitar’ series (Mickey being his nephew.) Harlan Coban has written almost 25 mystery novels so far, and his novels more often than not have the ‘can’t put down’ feeling that sets his books just a bit higher than airport fodder.

Mickey’s life isn’t much better from the first book, because it picks up the very next day afterwars. In his youth he travelled the world because of his parents style of work and when he finally gets to settle down it’s because his father was killed in a car accident and his mother in rehab for drugs. Living with his uncle Myron (who he can’t quite forgive for what happened to his father) he has recently almost been killed as trying to track down his girlfriend Ashley led himself and his two friends, Spoon and Ema, into a nightclub where they were almost shot and Ema almost had her throat slit.
Mickey still doesn’t know if his father is alive – no thanks to the Bat Lady who clearly knows what’s going on, as she’s a member of the Abeona Shelter.
Then their friend Rachel (who they first worked with to save Ashley) is shot, and her mother killed in the act. Now Mickey has a dozen more questions to figure out, all while trying to earn a place on the basketball team and sort out his feelings for whoever it is he may – or may not – have them for. Rachel’s hot, after all, but there’s someone else Mickey feels he can truly depend on, and tell anything.

This book is a step up from ‘Shelter’, so it seems that Coben has found a comfortable place to write in. The plot works better and feels more believable (although that policeman feels a little cliché, maybe they need to show why he treats the Bolitar’s so unfairly), and there’s excitement without it feeling unrealistic. There’s fire, there’s bullets, there’s punches thrown, yet it still has heart.
Spoon’s characterisation feels more comfy with his wild and random facts, and Ema’s secrecy about her home life finally makes sense.

This book remains an easy and quick read, and the quality is there. You do however need to have read the first in order for this to make sense, and while it would help to have read some of the Myron series also, that at least isn’t required. However, those books aren’t half bad either.
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Nov 24, 2012 Kayla rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

You can see all of my reviews here.

You can see the review for the first book in the Mickey Bolitar series, Shelter, here.

I loved the fact that Seconds Away began immediately where Shelter left off. It’s not a very big deal for a book in a series to start some time after the previous book and fill you in on the events that have happened, but that probably wouldn’t have worked as well in this case.

Coben’s writing is as good as before. He continues to build on the story and I don’t feel like anythi...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Brenna{#1 Hg Fan!} rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

http://themaniacalbookworm.blogspot.com/

Movie Rating: PG for language and violence
Book Rating: @@@@@
Swearing: all small ones like H**l or D**n
Inappropriate Scenes: None
# of Pages: 352
Genre: YA Thriller
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

My Review:

Mickey Bolitar is back and better than ever!!! Seconds Away was even better than Shelter if you can believe it! : D It picks up right where Shelter left off so if you
want to read Seconds Away be sure to read Shelter. All the characters were easy to relate and Sp...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Shelly Blackmore rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, young-adult

The second book in the YA spinoff of Coben's widely popular Myron Bolitar books is working its way up to being as enjoyable as the original series. Mickey Bolitar, nephew and not a big fan of Myron, is caught up in the workings of a mysterious group headed by equally mysterious people who have spent their lives alledgedly rescuing children from dangerous situations. With his friends, Rachel, Ema and Spoon, Mickey has another mystery to solve while still trying to determine if the cryptic words o...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Belann rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Seconds Away, by Harlan Coben was a surprisingly good mystery thriller. I didn’t realize it was number 2 in the series after Shelter until I was into it a little. There were a few confusing parts, but overall, it was able to stand on its own. The story is about Mickey Bolitar, who is staying with his Uncle Myron because his father was killed in a car accident, and his mother, overcome with grief, is sent to a mental institution. As I mentioned, there were some lose ends that apparently come from...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Don Sparrow rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This 2nd book in the "Mickey Bolitar" series by H.C. carries right on where book #1 (Shelter) left off. Its probably a good idea to read these novels in order. Coben's talent as an outstanding wordsmith is again evident in this latest read. Although written to target the teen market Coben's adult fans will also find this novel absorbing. My actual rating is 3.5 stars. Being a huge fan of H.C. and having read all of the "Myron Bolitar" series as well as all of his stand alone novels I have taken...more

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About Harlan Coben

With over 50 million books in print worldwide, Harlan Coben’s last six consecutive novels, SIX YEARS, STAY CLOSE, LIVE WIRE, CAUGHT, LONG LOST and HOLD TIGHT all debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and lists around the world. His first Young Adult novel SHELTER was just released in paperback, and the second in the Mickey Bolitar series, SECONDS AWAY, was released on September 18th....more With over 50 million books in print worldwide, Harlan Coben’s last six consecutive novels, SIX YEARS, STAY CLOSE, LIVE WIRE, CAUGHT, LONG LOST and HOLD TIGHT all debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and lists around the world. His first Young Adult novel SHELTER was just released in paperback, and the second in the Mickey Bolitar series, SECONDS AWAY, was released on September 18th. His books are published in 41 languages around the globe and have been number one bestsellers in over a dozen countries.

Winner of the Edgar Award, Shamus Award and Anthony Award – the first author to win all three – international bestselling author Harlan Coben’s critically-acclaimed novels have been called “ingenious” (New York Times), “poignant and insightful” (Los Angeles Times), “consistently entertaining” (Houston Chronicle), “superb” (Chicago Tribune) and “must reading” (Philadelphia Inquirer).

Harlan’s novel TELL NO ONE has been turned into the commercial and critical smash hit French film of the same name, starring Francois Cluzet and Kristin Scott Thomas. The movie was the top box office foreign-language film of the year in USA, won the Lumiere (French Golden Globe) for best picture and was nominated for nine Cesars (French Oscar) and won four, including best actor, best director and best music. To see the trailer, click here and for stills and to see Harlan appearing in the film, visit our gallery page. The movie is now available in DVD and Blu-Ray. An American/Hollywood remake is in the works.

In his first books, Coben immersed himself in the exploits of sports agent Myron Bolitar. Critics loved the series, saying, “You race to turn pages…both suspenseful and often surprisingly funny” (People). After seven books Coben wanted to try something different. “I came up with a great idea that simply would not work for Myron,” says Coben. The result was the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller TELL NO ONE, which became the most decorated thriller of 2001 – nominated for an Edgar, an Anthony, a Macavity, a Nero, and a Barry; winner of the Audie Award for Best Audio Mystery/Suspense Book (read by Steven Weber); and a #1 hardcover book on the Book Sense 76 list. Coben followed the success of TELL NO ONE with the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers GONE FOR GOOD (2002), NO SECOND CHANCE (2003), and JUST ONE LOOK (2004) and THE INNOCENT (2005). Bookspan, recognizing Coben’s broad international appeal, named NO SECOND CHANCE its first ever International Book of the Month in 2003 – the Main Selection in 15 different countries.

Coben was the first writer in more than a decade to be invited to write fiction for the NEW YORK TIMES op-ed page. His Father’s Day short story, THE KEY TO MY FATHER, appeared June 15, 2003. His essays and columns have appeared in many top publications including the New York Times, Parade Magazine and Bloomberg Views.

Since his critically-acclaimed Myron Bolitar series debuted in 1995, Harlan Coben has won the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Allan Poe Award and was nominated for the Edgar two other times. Harlan also won the Anthony Award at the World Mystery Conference, was nominated for another Anthony Award, won the Shamus Award by the Private Eye Writers of America, was nominated for another Shamus, and was twice nominated for the Dilys Award by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.

In the United Kingdom, his novel ONE FALSE MOVE earned him the prestigious “Fresh Talent Award”, given annually by Great Britain’s largest bookstore chain, W. H. Smith, and GONE FOR GOOD won the W. H. SMITH “Thumping Good Read” Award. In France, TELL NO ONE (NE LE DIS A PERSONE) won Le Grand Prix des Lectrices de Elle for fiction. His novels have been PEOPLE magazine Page-Turners of the Week and a Publishers Weekly Best of the Year pick.

Harlan was born in Newark, New Jersey. After graduating from Amherst College a political science major, Harlan worked in the travel industry. He no(less)

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Quotes from Seconds Away

“There's always a price you pay when you lie. Once you introduce a lie into a relationship, even for the best of intentions, it is always there. Whenever you’re with that person again, that lie is in the room too. It sits on your shoulder. Good lie or bad lie, it's in the room with you forever now. It's your constant companion.” — 12 people liked it

“Sometimes the loudest cries for help are silent.” — 5 people liked it

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Seconds Away (Mickey Bolitar #2)

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