Mystery Readers
Book Club
October 2016
Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben
“You
think you know the truth. The truth is you know nothing.” Harlan Coben,
Mystery Book Club readers all agreed that this book was a
good read as well as a satisfying mystery. Most of them were first time readers
of a Coben novel and said they wanted to read more books by this author. All
said they were totally surprised by the ending and remarked that it was the
first time a main character ended up the way she did. The ending was sad but
later on there was a happy ending.
Readers said that Maya Stern, a former special-ops
helicopter pilot was a likeable character despite major flaws. She was a good
mother and great friend and worked hard to solve the murder of her sister and
husband while coping with the devasting effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Readers worked along with Maya to solve the mystery, come to terms with secrets
in her past and find justice for everyone. They liked the relationship between
Maya and her ex-military buddy, Shane. They were loyal and strongly protective
of each other.
Once again readers discussed Fool Me Once and Agatha Christie’s classic mystery structure: a
murder is committed, there are multiple suspects who are all concealing
secrets, and the detective gradually uncovers these secrets over the course of
the story, discovering the most shocking twists towards the end. They did say that thinking back after the fact
that there were clues, but the plot was so engaging that they kept on reading
without guessing what direction the action was leading them.
The emphasis on Maya’s military career and her P.T.S.D.
elicited a conversation about women’s place in war and combat roles. The
discussion about the fitness of women and their metal state was positive and
compared them to that of women in the Israeli military.
Readers recommended mystery books by Donna Leon and Dick
Francis which can be borrowed from the SAILS Library Network.
“The provocative question at the
heart of the mystery: Can you believe everything you see with your own eyes,
even when you desperately want to?” Fool Me Once, book cover.
Have you read Fool Me
Once? What did you think?
Please share your thoughts in comments.
