The Match (Wilde #2) by Harlan Coben #CrimeFiction #Thriller #TuesdayBookBlog

Author: Harlan Coben

Performed by Steven Weber

Published: Penguin Audio, released on Audible March 2022

Category: Crime, Thriller, 

Wilde has grown up knowing nothing of his family, and even less about his own identity. All he knows is that, as a young child, he was found living a feral existence in the Ramapo mountains of New Jersey.

He became known simply as Wilde, the boy from the woods.

After spending some largely unproductive time in Costa Rica, Wilde has returned to his home in the Ramapo mountains. He had previously, albeit reluctantly, sent off a DNA sample, not expecting much and if by any chance there was a match he could always ignore it. He did get one notification — someone described as a second cousin with the initials PB. But before he had decided whether or not to respond he’d left for Costa Rica.

Just as Wilde was packing to leave Costa Rica he received an ‘important update’ email from the genealogy site. The probable match was listed as his father.

At the age of somewhere between forty and forty-two — he didn’t know exactly how old her was — Wilde finally found his father.

His only early memories came in incomprehensible snap-flash visions and dreams: a red bannister, a dark house, a portrait of a man with a mustache, and sometimes, when the visions decided to be audible, a woman screaming.

Wilde’s decision to take things further raises more questions than answers and starts off a whole chain of events which eventually lead down a dark and dangerous path. 

The Match is fast past, twisty and action packed, with plenty of suspense, delving into the sometimes confusing world of DNA, lives of reality TV ‘stars’ and a secretive organisation dedicated to rooting out the worst online trolls and devising suitable punishments.

I love how Wilde’s character, and others, have evolved. From being someone with huge trust issues, Wilde slowly starts to open up which was good to see. I also enjoyed being reacquainted with the characters from the previous book.

The plot has multiple threads and is quite convoluted in parts, it was impossible to guess how the storylines would tie in together, much less guess who the perpetrator was, but it was fun and kept me listening. Not everything was tied up in a neat bow so hopefully there will be more Wilde in the future.

I chose to listen to the audio and Steven Weber did a great job with the narration, giving the characters clear and distinct voices.

Harlan Coben is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of the world’s leading storytellers. His suspense novels are published in forty-five languages and have been number one bestsellers in more than a dozen countries with seventy-five million books in print worldwide.

His books have earned the Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony Awards, and many have been developed into Netflix Original Drama series, including his adaptations of The Stranger, The Innocent, Gone for Good and The Woods. His most recent adaptation for Netflix, Stay Close, premiered on December 31, 2021 and stars Cush Jumbo, James Nesbitt, and Richard Armitage. 

Author links ~ Website | Twitter | Facebook