Title: I Will Find You
Author: Harlan Coben
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: March 16th 2023
Publisher: Century
Finished reading: February 13th 2023
Pages: 400

“Memories always sting, don’t they? The good ones most of all.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Century in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

REVIEW

I always seem to enjoy Harlan Coben‘s thrillers, and the blurb of his newest story I Will Find You sounded particularly enticing. I mean, have you seen it?! The whole innocent father being imprisoned for the murder of his son, the prison escape, the hunt for the truth… It sounded like the perfect recipe for an action slash crime thriller, and I’ve been looking forward to read it. And what an exhilarating ride it turned out to be! If you like your thrillers lightning-fast and action-packed, I Will Find You will more than deliver.

The premise of this story is absolutely fascinating, and I do always love a thriller with a prison angle. I Will Find You isn’t just about an innocent man trapped in prison though; this story is about so much more. I did love the chapters set in prison, and especially those featuring how David managed to escape against all odds. This is probably where the real exhilarating part of the plot started, although there were already some quite intense scenes inside the prison as well. The whole man hunt and David trying to evade both the police and FBI added a sense of urgency and danger to it all, and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

The mystery around the supposed death of David’s son Matthew, the boy in the photo looking just like Matthew and the hunt for the truth were absolutely intriguing. It’s true that things can be said about the credibility of certain plot twists and especially the final reveals are quite over the top, but I personally didn’t mind too much. Why? This is one of those story where what really counts is the entertainment factor, and I Will Find You most definitely delivered on that count. It felt like I was in the middle of a Hollywood action movie the whole time, and this can work both ways… But in this case, it was a success for me.

My main (and probably only) issue with I Will Find You lies with FBI agents Max and Sarah and the way they behaved. Their dialogues were simply cringeworthy and it felt like they were trying too hard to be a comedy duo instead of a pair of FBI agents taking things seriously. They just didn’t fit the tone of the rest of the book, and they kind of put a damper on things for me. I would probably have given this story 5 stars otherwise! Max did redeem himself a little in the final part, but as a whole their characters and dialogue were a total miss for me.

I did like most of the rest of the cast. The main focus is on David and his ex sister-in-law Rachel, and I enjoyed spending time with them. It was interesting to see both characters develop and see them trying to overcome obstacle after obstacle… The hunt for the truth about Matthew was fascinating, and I kept turning page after page to find out what really happened that night. True, some of the plot twists were a bit too over the top and quite far-fetched, but like I said before, I personally didn’t mind too much. It made for a very entertaining couple of hours reading, that’s for sure!

As a whole, I Will Find You turned out to be another gripping, action-packed and simply excellent crime thriller that will take you on a true rollercoaster ride. If you don’t mind things getting a bit too far-fetched and over the top and like your thrillers on the fast and exhilarating side, this is the book for you!

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