Review: Shelter by Harlan Coben

I was anxious to read Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel by Harlan Coben because I've read all of the Myron Bolitar novels by Coben and adore the characters in those novels. I feel as if Myron, his best friend Win, Esperanza, and the other characters are people I know.

So when Coben decided to branch off into Young Adult Fiction, I was eager to follow -- especially when his YA is a series starring Myron Bolitar's nephew Mickey. Of course, I hoped that Myron and the gang would make appearances in this new series.

Book Details

Shelter is available in: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, and Kindle Editions with the Kindle Edition priced lowest at $7.49.

Publisher: Penguin
320 pages
Copyright 2011
Lending Not Enabled

Blurb It

If you're a Myron Bolitar fan, you already know that his brother was mentioned belatedly in the series, surprising readers who thought Myron was an only child. When Coben decided to go YA, he brought Myron's brother on to the scene, only to kill him off almost immediately. That was the setup that resulted in Myron's nephew Mickey coming to live with him.

Mickey witnessed his father's death and watched his mom come apart at the seams. With his Uncle Myron's help, he gets his mom into rehab. Mickey has all the usual resentment toward the uncle who was never part of his life. Combine that with the usual teen angst, and you have a mixed up kid who's convinced life sucks. Throw in being the new kid at school, and Mickey is thoroughly miserable.

Meeting Ashley makes him think life is improving, but she disappears. Determined to find out what happened to her, Mickey follows the clues. With the help of two new friends who practically wear the loser label,  Mickey finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy that makes him question everything, including the death of his father.

I enjoyed the book and its plot and characters. My only quibble with Shelter is that Coben uses descriptions originally used by Myron and friends. For instance, Myron is known for describing beautiful women as knee-knockers. Mickey uses this label too, but it's anachronistic for Mickey's generation. Because of the way the characterization is constructed, it's also not a phrase he'd pick up from his uncle whom he barely knows. Other than a few things like this, the book was a delight.

Takeaway Truth

If you're looking for a solid mystery, don't pass up Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel.