The Stranger

The Stranger by Harlan Coben

The stranger whispers in his ear. "She lied, Adam. Corrine was never pregnant. She made it all up." Chilling, unsettling words from an unknown man with a face that somehow conveys credibility, like he was doing you a big favor. And Adam believes him.

Life in suburbia is pretty much the same in every small town in America. Today is no different in Cedarfield, New Jersey. Adam Price joins his buddies to finalize the draft for his son's sixth-grade all-star lacrosse team. Typical politics permeate the selections as to who makes the cut. The good news is that his son Ryan is on the A team. But none of that matters at the moment because Adam Price is reeling from a few shocking words spoken in haste. As he runs to the parking lot to follow the stranger, he sees a woman with long blonde hair behind the wheel of the "getaway" car. It's time to confront his wife, Corrine.

Corrine's reaction to Adam's questions is troubling. Rather than deny the stranger's allegations, she asks for time to explain. Adam reluctantly agrees, only to find after much probing, that her behavior in the past few weeks is totally out of character. She is no longer showing up to teach at the local high school, and her friends admit that her recent patterns have been perplexing. Then Corrine disappears, simply sending a text pleading for Adam to take care of the kids. A picture-perfect life is shattered.

Once again, this author manages to take the reader on a thrilling ride. Adam is just one of many characters touched by the stranger's words, a mysterious individual intent on righting wrongs. What appears on the surface to be a story of marital disharmony, turns out to be so much more. Complex and intriguing, it's a tale where computer hacking meets the wealth, secrets, and lies of suburbia. The results are explosive.

Harlan Coben at his best.