A stranger reveals to a husband that his wife had faked her failed pregnancy. The wife, confronted by her husband, disappears and a search begins. Several more people are confronted with dark secrets and the threat of exposure, some with the promise of silence for a price. But not all is as it appears. Murder enters in. Who? Why? And a surprise ending, two of them, to be exact.

Grab a cup or glass of your favorite beverage, sit back and enjoy the read; it's definitely worth your time.

This Harlan Coben novel, "The Stranger," is chilling. Several individuals are approached by a stranger who reveals to them a dark secret about an important person in their lives. In each case, the person who has been surprised by the stranger must decide how to act upon this new information. In a major plot thread, Adam must decide if he wife, Corinne, is who she appears to be, or if she is in fact hiding a secret. He confronts her, and she disappears? Adam is forced to conduct an extensive search, bringing his sons into the mystery of where Corinne may have gone - and why. The answer is not one that I had anticipated.

No matter how many of Coben's novels I read, he always manages to keep me guessing and engaged. After I finish a book, and I ready to dive into the next one.

Should have read the reviews first. I didn't because I love Harlan Coben's writing, and realized I hadn't read this one, so I bought it and dove right in. As usual, he writes with the magic of suspense and plot that draw you in and the pace that keeps it moving, so you just don't want to put the book down. In these respects, the Stranger is up to his usual standards. But I agree with several reviewers, the ending was a total let down. Bummer.
Other reviewers made several good points; the Stranger himself not being developed, and the hero, Adam, getting whacked with a baseball bat; still able to extricate himself from mortal danger. But, given Coben's track record of solid suspenseful writing, I can overlook some flaws. The main story arc was Adam on a quest to find his wife, Corinne, and the story drew a compelling closeness to Adam, his sons and his wife. As the plot races toward the conclusion, Adam realizes he's somewhat responsible for Corrine's original deception that led the Stranger to seek him out to disclose her secret. Bottom line, IMHO, the ending did not fit with the main story arc, leaving me unfulfilled and disappointed.
Very much like watching a really good football game, with the team you're really rooting for, losing: Bummer.

In Harlan Coben's, THE STRANGER, the Price family is living the American dream, or so it seemed. Adam, the husband and father, is a successful and respected attorney in the small suburban town of Cedarfield, New Jersey. The wife, Corinne, is the mother of two teenage boys, Thomas and Ryan, top high school lacrosse athletes. She is also treasurer on the prestigious school lacrosse governing board. A stranger approaches Adam at the American Legion Hall following a lacrosse practice session. In a short two-minute conversation the stranger turns the lives of Adam and his family upside down. The seemingly nonthreatening stranger apparently knows family secrets that threaten the Price's marriage and possibly their very existence. How the stranger knew of the family secrets remain a mystery throughout most of the story. As the narrative progresses there are a number of new characters and venues introduced. In this age of internet and social media one innocent mistake can cause deadly consequences. Coben squeezes this possibility into the scenario. The story's slalom-style paths keep the reader eagerly turning pages. Coben is well known for his suspenseful writing. In The Stranger he pours it on and turns the novel into a can't-put-it-down read. I give this page turner a 4 ½-star rating.

**** Spoilers ****

As a huge fan of Harlan Coben, I look forward to every new book published by him. This, however, was not to my liking. The various story lines in the book did not flow together well and many characters were not fully developed. From Suzanne to the lacrosse board to Chris and his team to Kuntz and his people, this book was just all over the place. I was left with more questions than anything. What did Kristin Hoy actually know all along? What became of Kimberly and the sugar daddies? Adam found Gabrielle through friends of friends of friends of friends on Facebook ... we're supposed to buy that? How did Chris and his team fund their endeavors if people didn't choose to pay the extortion fee? The "for hire" option of his venture went completely against its "core values" so that negated the entire purpose. The character of John Kuntz ... never fully developed. He was crucified in the media for a takedown gone wrong and then turned into a bad guy who kills for money to save his dying son? What? This book just had way too much going on and nothing worked well together. That's my take. Not recommended.