Just One Look

Author: Harlan Coben
Genre: Suspense-Thriller
Rating:

The book starts when the protagonist (a woman for a change), Grace who is the average suburban mom, finds a wierd photo in the bunch of prints she picks up from her photomat. It shows a man who looks like her husband Jack standing with 4 other people. One of the women has been crossed out with a red X. When she asks her husband about it, he denies a connection and refuses to talk about it. That very night, he disappears. With the photo.
The book chases Grace as she tries to find Jack. There is a breathless, desperate quality to the writing that perfectly mirrors Grace's quest. Coben has managed to keep the reader slightly off-balance all the time. Just when I felt like I was beginning to understand, came a new twist. The character of Grace is especially well written and the story seems slightly far fetched, yet in the realm of 'may be'.
It's only towards the end that you get a slightly dissatisfied feeling. The last 15 or so pages are a slight, very slight mind you, let-down. But, overall, it's a thoroughly readable book with a nail biting pace. Another un-put-downable book. A must-read for suspense lovers.

The Fraternity of The Stone

Author: David Morrell
Genre: Suspense-Thriller
Rating:

The story revolves around a has-been assassin who retires from the profession and the world and takes refuge in a monastery. After leading a silent, solitary existence for seven years, his past catches up with him. In a mysterious, brutal attack, all the occupants of the monastery are wiped out. Except one.
Thrust back into the world he left willingly, our hero unwillingly finds himself remembering and using skills he thought he’d forgotten.
The book is by no means a recent one. It was published in 1987. But the storyline is such that it grips you by the throat even today. The style is racy, the story is tightly written and the characters are thoroughly believable.
Throughout the book, the plot takes numerous twists and turns and goes into flashbacks which only serve to heighten the suspense. An extremely readable book.
But please, read it at leisure. You won’t be able to put it down once started.