Run Away by Harlan Coben - 3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4

[Ellen]

How far would you go to save your daughter, a bright college student with an unlimited future, from drugs and an abusive relationship? And what if she doesn't want to be saved? Simon faces that exact dilemma when his eldest child, Paige, disappears from the life she once led. He and his wife Ingrid have tried everything to find Paige but to no avail. One afternoon as Simon walked through Central Park he spotted Paige, an emaciated, dirty version of his daughter, but as he approached her he was stopped by an angry young man, obviously Paige's boyfriend/dealer, and Paige ran. A physical altercation with the younger man was caught on a cell phone and the video soon went viral. A seemingly helpless homeless man being attacked by a rich, white New York businessman. Simon's reputation is instantly destroyed.

An emotionless paid assassin named Ash has been traveling the country efficiently eliminating young men between the ages of 24 and 32. He is accompanied by a beautiful young woman, DeeDee, who grew up in foster homes, sometimes in the same ones as Ash. Dee is now a member of a reclusive religious cult but has no problems accompanying Ash on his hunting expeditions.

Simon and Ingrid try to follow the slim lead Paige has left from her Central Park appearance. They soon find themselves confronted by the seediest and most dangerous aspects of the city's drug scene. In a dark cellar the two confront a notorious dealer and Ingrid is shot. As she lies comatose in the hospital, Simon is on his own searching for Paige. Slowly he uncovers bits and pieces of the puzzle, at times aided by a private investigator with her own case, and what he learns brings him ever closer to the pair of killers. He now realizes that Paige is in much more trouble than he originally imagined.

The suspense of this book raised it from a 3 to a 4 for me. The tension is ongoing from the very beginning of the story. I can't say that I enjoyed it all; the religious cult aspect was a bit out there, but it fit what it needed to fit. Simon is a determined character with strengths he didn't even know he possessed. Secrets abound in this book and the last one, though a tad far-fetched, is a big one. I will always read Coben's books no matter what. While this is not his best I enjoyed it for the most part.

[Joi]

Great review, but I'm torn on adding this to the TBR.
Pros: High suspense, thriller, cultish aspect, synopsis.
Cons: Foster care. far-fetched.

I haven't read a Harlan Coben before, but often see his name pop up here and there.