The Innocent

Some mistakes can change your life forever.... The horror of one night is forever etched in Matt Hunter's memory: the night he innocently tried to break up a fight-and ended up a killer. Now, nine years after his release from prison, his innocence long forgotten, he's an ex-con who takes nothing for granted. With his wife, Olivia, pregnant and the two of them closing on a house in his home town, things are looking up. Until the day Matt gets a shocking, inexplicable video call from Olivia's phone. And in an instant, the unraveling begins. A mysterious man who begins tailing Matt turns up dead. A beloved nun is murdered. And local and federal authorities--including homicide investigator, Loren Muse, a childhood schoolmate of Matt's with a troubled past of her own-- see all signs pointing to a former criminal with one murder already under his belt: Matt Hunter. Unwilling to lose everything for a second time, Matt and Olivia are forced outside the law in a desperate attempt to save their future together. An electrifying thrill-ride of a novel that peeks behind the white picket fences of suburbia, THE INNOCENT is at once a twisting, turning, emotionally-charged story, and a compelling tale of the choices we make and the repercussions that never leave us. Includes the exclusive short storyRise and Fall of SuperDFeaturing Myron BolitarAdvanced Praise: Coben surpasses Jeffrey Deaver as the most generous plotter in the thriller racket-Kirkus (starred review) Coben seems to delight in making bad things happen to good people, and he does it again in this, his best book to date.-Publishers Weekly For Just One Look Harlan Coben is the modern master of the hook-and-twist--luring you in on the first page, only to shock you on the last.--Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code Stocked with fascinatingly creepy characters, Coben's keeps-you-guessing mystery is terrifying. The tension doesn't build slowly; it snaps and crackles right from the get- go...The only plausible reason for setting down this book is to make sure your front door is locked and double-bolted.-People [Just One Look] is so well-written and compelling. . . .It's only when the last page turns that the reader has a chance to breathe, say 'Wow!' and marvel at the impressively interconnected structure. . . . Just One Look opens up-over many pages-like an elegantly constructed puzzle box.-San Jose Mercury News Just as Alfred Hitchcock carved out a niche with films about a seemingly innocent person caught in machinations beyond comprehension, Harlan Coben is earning a reputation for creating the literary equivalent. . . . Just One Look delivers more than its share of thrills and keeps us engrossed by the strong characters and fast-clipped plot. . . . Hitchcock would be envious.-Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel What Hitchcock did for the shower, Coben does for the cell phone... As usual with Coben, an intriguing start, hinging on one out-of-whack technological trick, hurtles into a fast-paced hunter-and-hunted drama. First rate.--Booklist (starred review)