Title:	Stay Close
	Author:	Harlan Coben
	Published:	2012, Signet
	No. of Pages:	446
	Cover Price:	$9.99 US

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Stay Close is a standalone novel by Harlan Coben, and begins by telling the stories of three unrelated people. Megan Pierce has been happily married to Dave for the past 16 years, is the mother of Kaylie and Jordan, and lives in a beautiful home in an upper-class neighborhood. She believes that her husband doesn’t know her past. Ray Levine is a has-been photographer who now works for a company called Paparazzi for Hire; he drinks too much, and has been generally unhappy since Stewart Green went missing along with his stripper girlfriend, who was the love of his life. Detective Broome has been obsessed with the Stewart Green missing person case, and even though it’s been years, is still trying to solve it; he visits Green’s wife on the anniversary of the disappearance every year and commiserates with her since they both believe Green was a wonderful person.

Carlton Flynn goes missing under the same circumstances as Stewart Green, and his high-powered father is putting pressure on the department to find him. While walking home from a photography job, Ray is beaten up badly, and his camera is stolen; since he backs up his photos on his computer, he is able to determine that the assault was to prevent one of his photographs from being published. Megan is getting a little antsy being a soccer mom, and after attending a conference near where she lived her old life, yearns to visit old friends and her old life in the fast lane.

As only Harlan Coben can do, the three stories are woven together in a well-written and edge-of-your seat thriller with a totally surprise ending and dozens of twists and turns as the novel progresses. Coben has an uncanny sense of humor, and while it isn’t as prevalent in his stand alone novels with serious plots, as it is in his Myron Bolitar series, there is enough for relief when the scenarios get stressful. The characters are interesting, and as the story unfolds, there is a lot of mystery and speculation in new missing persons and probable murders that start turning up.

Megan, Ray, and Detective Broome aren’t particularly likeable; readers won’t be envious of their lives, and by the end of the novel, readers will be glad that this is a work of fiction. The book is, however, worth reading, as most of Harlan Coben’s books are, and is recommended for those who enjoy thrillers that don’t contain graphic sex or violence.

This book was purchased with personal funds and no promotion of the book was solicited by the author or publisher.

This book may be purchased at Amazon: Stay Close