Just One Look [Import] [Paperback]

Harlan Coben (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Signet; First PB Printing edition (2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451214226
• ISBN-13: 978-0451214225
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (198 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,724,327 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Harlan Coben is the bestselling author of sixteen previous novels, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers "Long Lost" and "Hold Tight." Winner of the Edgar Award, the Shamus Award, and the Anthony Award, Coben lives in New Jersey with his family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spellbinding wild ride, October 27, 2004

By 

A. Christie "bibliofiend508" (Plano, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Just One Look (Hardcover)

Grace Lawson has a good life, a devoted husband, two lovely children, a nice home and a successful career as an artist. One day she discovers a twenty-year old photograph in with a set of newly developed family photographs. In the old photo is a group of young people, one of which looks like her husband. Her husband, Jack, denies that it is he, but he shortly disappears. The police are no help so she delves into Jack's past herself and finds that she really did not know her husband at all. Grace also has a past. She is a survivor of a stampede at a rock concert known as The Boston Massacre. After being nearly crushed to death, Grace became the poster child for the news media. In Grace's search for her husband she discovers that her past and his past are intertwined.

Harlan Coben tells an intriguing story that is as complex as a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle, but never confusing. There are many twists and turns along the way with a nice surprise ending. It is an engrossing book and was very hard to put down.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Contrived, yes ... but try and put it down!, February 18, 2006

By 

Harvey Kojan - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Just One Look (Hardcover)

After a sleepless night gobbling up my first Coben novel, "The Innocent," I rushed out and bought this one. And once again I was compelled to finish it in one day. Yes, the criticisms of other reviewers are valid. The plot is confusing and contrived, and the ending leaves you somewhat flat. Many characters aren't fully fleshed out. However, Coben does an excellent job with Grace and Charlaine, two strong, resourceful women. I was moved by his dead-on depictions of the special love parents have for their children. And his numerous pop culture references ring true. Most important, "Just One Look" is an exciting read that's impossible to put down ... which, in the end, is job one when writing an escapist mystery.

57 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars One look only, May 18, 2004

By 

Brian Reaves (Anniston, AL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Just One Look (Hardcover)

Having seen Harlan Coben's name on the covers of novels for years, I finally broke down and decided to read one. Unfortunately, I didn't pick the right one to start with.

JOL starts out well enough. There is a good mystery, and it definitely keeps you interesting. Then things start to unravel. The truth starts coming out, and bit by bit the story starts becoming more far-fetched. By the time this one is over, you'll be sitting there scratching your head and wondering why your name was left out of this book...after all, everyone else in the world was apparently in on this deception. The closest I can come to explaining this is a soap opera. As the end was revealed, it was like "Your brother-in-law's second cousin's third wife's stepmother was married to my twice-removed uncle's niece's third child's grandson". It was just too far out to be real.

I love a complex story as much as the next guy, but even the most complex plot needs to have SOME grounding in reality--unless it's a Dean Koontz or Stephen King kind of thing. This one just stretchs the believability too far.