BOOK CLUB
Don’tLetGoby Harlan Coben,
RRP $32.99, Penguin Random HouseH
e may be known as the master of
the suburban thriller but Harlan
Coben’s own life is devoid of the
heart-pounding twists and turns that
keep his legions of fans enthralled. And
for that the married father of four with
more than 70 million books in print
around the world is eternally grateful!
“I’m mostly just ‘Dad’ to my kids,”
Harlan explains. “I don’t take my
writing out of the room where I’m
working on it. But while I’m there
I’m completely immersed. I love twists!
I like to play with your expectations- to lead you down one road and then
take you down another. I think
that’s just fun.”
‘I’m just “Dad”
to my kids’
Popular crime writer HARLAN COBEN,55,is
living a dream life, Jackie Brygeldiscovers“That thrill is
still there today
when I first get
a copy of it or when
I first walk past the
store and see it,” he
says. “It’s a different
kind of thrill but
you kind of never
get over it.”
The celebrated
author believes a gripping, well-tuned
thriller must also tug at the heartstrings
and explore eternal themes, such as
love, redemption and family ties.
“You have to have characters that
you really care about,” he says.
“Otherwise it never works.”
It’s somewhat surprising to discover
that even Harlan – who’s also the
creator and executive producer of TV
crime drama The Five and new Netflix
series Safe starring Dexter’s Michael
C. Hall – regularly suffers from the
dreaded writer’s block.
“Of course – every day, pretty much,”
Harlan confesses. “I just sit there and
stare at a blank screen or I bore myself
until that writer’s block goes away.
Each novel takes about nine months.
I compare it to childbirth.”
Harlan’s latest page-turner, the
standalone thriller Don’t Let Go, centres
around the darkly mysterious character
of New Jersey police officer Napoleon
“Nap” Dumas. The novel delves into
a tangled web of secrets, lies and tragic
unresolved events. And when the past
comes back to haunt him, Napoleon
discovers secrets can kill.
When Harlan isn’t working on a new
novel or TV series, he enjoys walking
his dogs Laszlo, a havanese, and Jersey,
a bearded collie, not to mention taking
time out on his local golf course any
chance he gets.
“I have friends I play with whom
I love spending time with, and that’s
really what it’s all about, too,” he says
with a grin. “Don’t Let Go is my 30th
novel – so that’s a lot of time to spend
alone in a room.”Based in New Jersey in the US,
Harlan – whose children are aged
between 16 and 23 – has been happily
married to Anne for the past 29 years.
A paediatrician, Anne is also Advisory
Dean at Columbia University’s medical
school. And, as Harlan says, she’s
always been his own key adviser.
“She’s been my first reader for a long
time,” he reveals. “She encourages me,
knowing if I hear anything negative I’ll
freeze up because writers are insecure.”
Harlan’s debut novel Play Dead was
published in 1990 when he was 28.
And the excitement of seeing his work
in print certainly hasn’t abated with
passing decades.k in p
thepTHE SAME PAGE
Harlan’s last 10 novels
were all New York
Times bestsellers