The Match

by Harlan Coben

Hardcover, 2022

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Publication

Grand Central Publishing (2022), 352 pages

Description

After months away, Wilde has returned to the Ramapo Mountains in the wake of a failed bid at domesticity that confirms what he's known all along: He belongs on his own, free from the comforts and constraints of modern life. Suddenly, a DNA match on an online ancestry database brings Wilde closer to his past than he's ever dreamed, and finally gives Wilde the opening he needs to track down his father. But meeting the man leads to more questions than answers. So Wilde reaches out to his last, most desperate lead, a second cousin who disappears as quickly as he resurfaces, having experienced an epic fall from grace that can only be described as a waking nightmare. Was his cousin's downfall a long time coming? Or was he the victim of a conspiracy as cunning as it is complex? And how does it all connect to the man once known as The Stranger, a dangerous fugitive with a growing following whose mission and methods have only turned more dangerous with time?… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Carolesrandomlife

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I would definitely recommend reading The Boy from the Woods before reading this one if at all possible. You could probably get by with reading this book as a stand-alone but Wilde has such an interesting and unique history that is dealt with in the first book. Of

course, Coben does a good job of catching the reader up in this book. I liked this book even more than the first book. I thought that it was exciting with a lot of twists and turns and I love the way it kept me guessing until the very end. I can always count on Coben to keep me entertained.

Wilde puts his DNA into one of those heredity websites and ends up with a couple of matches. His past is a complete mystery so it is a big deal when he is connected with his father and a cousin. Of course, things can never be easy and it turns out that his cousin is missing and Wilde soon finds himself knee-deep in an incredibly complex mystery. I really liked the way that Wilde approached this mystery. He seemed to be able to see the big picture from the start and was ready to deal with whatever outcome turned up.

There were several different threads going at any one time during this novel and I was eager to see how things might be connected. Not only is Wilde dealing the trying to figure out what really happened to his cousin, but he is also trying to decide what the next steps in his life might be. I really enjoyed seeing Wilde work with Hester, Rola, Matthew, and Laila again and love how they all really care about each other. We even get some answers regarding Wilde’s past.

I would highly recommend this book to others. I found this to be a very exciting fast-paced story that kept me turning pages just as quickly as possible. I love Harlan Coben’s style of writing and look forward to reading, and re-reading, more of his work in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing.

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LibraryThing member JHSColloquium

Best-selling author Harlan Coben consistently delights readers with fast-paced, action-packed stories replete with shocking plot twists. Happily for his legions of international readers, he has now penned a sequel to The Boy from the Woods, in which he introduced the character of Wilde.

In The

Match, Coben melds the dark aspects of reality television and the fame it engenders, social media influencers, online trolling, and the sometimes far-reaching consequences of submitting a DNA sample to an online ancestry database into a cohesive, riveting tale. It is a thoroughly contemporary story that opens with the enigmatic Wilde, now somewhere between forty and forty-two years old, "no more than twenty yards from a blood relative and the elusive answers to his mysterious origin." A few months earlier, Wilde let his curiosity compel him to submit a DNA sample to an online genealogy database. He matched with a second cousin who identifies himself only by the initial "PB." Wilde did not respond to the message he received from PB via the ancestry website because he moved to Costa Rica in an attempt to settle down there with a woman -- who was not Laila, the widow of Wilde's best friend, David, with whom he has long had a complicated, on-and-off relationship. But when he returns to New Jersey, his attempt at domesticity having failed, he tracks down his biological father. Thus, The Match launches with Wilde meeting the man in Las Vegas. Things do not go as expected. His father, Daniel Carter, claims not to know which of the eight women he slept with during one reckless summer was Wilde's mother. Carter was cheating on Sofia, the woman he would eventually marry and have three daughters with. He makes clear that he does not want Wilde to appear in their lives, revealing Carter's long-ago infidelity. With no desire to disrupt the family's life, Wilde flies back to New Jersey, believing the matter closed. It isn't.

Wilde learns that "PB" stands for Peter Bennett, who gained fame as a contestant on a "Bachelor"-type television show titled "Love Is a Battlefield." He married Jenn, the woman he met on the show. They had a very public wedding and marriage, and lived a lavish life as social media influencers until it was revealed that Peter was unfaithful to Jenn . . . with Jenn's younger sister, Marnie. For Peter, fame became a nightmare when his formerly adoring fans turned on him. In an email, Peter asks for his help, telling Wilde, "Everything I knew about myself and my upbringing turned out to be a lie. You're my cousin." But before Wilde can answer the email (which disappears from his inbox), Peter disappears after posting a photo on Instagram captioned, "I just want peace. I want it all to go away." His family, including his sister, Vicky Chiba, who served as Peter's manager, fear he committed suicide. Because Peter reached out to Wilde, he uses his security expertise to investigate. But first, he has to have "Love Is a Battlefield" explained to him. He tries to watch it with an open mind, but finds it completely irredeemable.

Coben describes the workings of Boomerang, a vigilante group that exacts vengeance on bullies. Their "mission is about punishing cruelty and abuse . . . " Their motto: "Karma is like a boomerang -- what ever you give out will come back to you." The members meet to decide which cases should be accepted, rating them as Category 1 - 5, with punishments ranging from ruining credit ratings, emptying back accounts, and blackmail to "total annihilation" for Category 5 offenses. The Stranger, a well-known Coben character, is the founder and leader of the group, the members of which conceal their identities from each other and have instituted numerous measures to ensure that if one of them is caught, the rest will remain anonymous and protected. Wilde discovers that Peter was the victim of cyberbullying -- he received compromising photos and threats. Did those messages come from someone operating on the authority of that highly secretive group?

And, of course, dead bodies are piling up and Peter becomes the prime murder suspect. Coben introduces a series of seemingly disjointed stories and characters, but do they somehow intersect? And if Wilde figures out how the lives of the various characters intertwine, will he find his mother and finally learn how he ended up in the woods alone all those years ago?

High-powered celebrity lawyer Hester Crimstein has appeared in a number of Coben's prior novels, but never as a major character until now. Her son, David, was Wilde's best friend and died tragically. David and Laila's son, Matthew, is Wilde's godson and, as noted, Wilde and Laila have long had a complicated relationship. Coben's inclusion of a romance between two older characters is touching. A widow, Hester has begun dating Oren Carmichael, the retired local police chief. The sometimes caustic, no-nonsense Hester provides a distinct contrast to the quiet, reclusive Wilde who lives in his movable, technologically advanced Ecocapsule in the woods. Their investigative collaboration is one of the story's highlights, showcasing their deeply respectful, admiring, and affectionate relationship.

In typical Coben fashion, the plot is intricately and quite ingeniously constructed, and the story moves at a steady, unrelenting pace. Coben's characters are always fully developed, multi-layered, and intriguingly complex. He also injects sardonic commentary about social issues, including the potentially far-reaching and destructive consequences of quick fame achieved through appearances on reality television.

Readers may accurately surmise bits and pieces of the puzzle, but will be kept guessing about the details until the very end of the book. And the conclusion of this absorbing tale is both extremely satisfying and very surprising. Fortunately, Coben, one of America's premiere storytellers, never rules out the possibility of publishing another novel featuring his beloved characters. Hopefully, The Match is not the end of Wilde's story.

Thanks to NetGalley for an electronic and Grand Central publishing for a paperback Advance Reader's Copy of the book.

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LibraryThing member Twink

The Match is Harlan Coben's second book that features the man called Wilde. He was introduced in 2020's bestseller, The Boy From the Woods." (But The Match could absolutely be read as a standalone.)

"Thirty years ago, Wilde was found as a boy living feral in the woods, with no memory of his past.

Three decades had gone by and still no one, including Wild, had a clue about his origin."

I really enjoyed that first book and was eager to read The Match. Will Wilde will find out more about his past and/or his parents? Well, the answer to that is yes - he does indeed learn more about his past.

But that's just one part of this very clever plot. Take a second look at that cover and title - DNA and online ancestry databases figure prominently into this latest. Reality television plays a part, as does a shadowy group of doxxers meting out their own brand of justice.

There's a great group of supporting players including lawyer Hester Crimstein. The lives of these characters are well fleshed out. The interactions and relationships bring in many personal threads that make the characters all the more real.

There's a nice twisty road on the way to the final pages and a satisfying ending. But, their are many question and more in store for Wilde. And this reader can't wait for the next entry.

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LibraryThing member Mrsmommybooknerd

The Match by Harlan Coben
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#FirstLine ~ At the age of somewhere between 35 and 45 - he didn't know exactly how old he was - Wilde found his father.

I really enjoyed this story. I did not read the first in the series and I did not feel lost or confused. I really loved getting to

know the characters. It was a blast to be twisted and turned around in the story and not ever really knowing what was going to happen. It was unpredictable and well paced. I loved the setting too. It was such a great read!!!

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LibraryThing member silversurfer

From one of my favorite Authors comes the sequel to The Boy from the Woods.
It's engrossing and a fast page page turner.
Loved it.

LibraryThing member DrApple

This is a followup to the Boy in the Woods. Wild finds links to his birth family through a DNA site, but the story isn't as simple as it seems.

LibraryThing member kulmona

This was my least favorite book by Coben(I’ve read six others). Sure, it had much of what he is known for. Contemporary topics and technology. Snappy dialogue. Injection of dry humor. Well-developed characters. But something was missing. There wasn’t that urgency to pick it up.

And I’ll admit

the genetics and relationships between the characters was confusing. To me anyway. But that’s not what detracted me from enjoying this story. It also wasn’t because I hadn’t read the first book. It just seemed to drag.

All the pieces of the puzzle do fit together in the end. But, never in the way I imagine. And that’s exactly what I USUALLY love about his books.

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LibraryThing member alanteder

Bourne to be Wilde 2
Review of the Brilliance Audio audiobook edition (March 15, 2022) released simultaneously with the Grand Central Publishing hardcover.

[2.5 rounded up]
I was not as taken with Harlan Coben's follow-up to The Boy from the Woods (Wilde #1 - 2020) as I was with the original. I am

usually drawn to characters with 'a particular set of skills' and Wilde certainly had that in Book One, where his survivalist wild-child background led him into a military career with a follow-up in security work. The fact that he had amnesia about his origins also allowed me the bonus fun of incorporating an auditory pun on Jason Bourne into my lede. Book Two takes him into a search for his past via online DNA databases, i.e. the "Match" of the title.

The setup is intriguing and an initial meeting with his supposed father was well done. That lead however seemed to evaporate and instead the plot goes into the trashy world of online reality shows where apparently people will do just about anything for their 15 minutes of fame. This is through Wilde's next lead who is a possible half-sibling whose data again turns up online. The problem is that the lead himself has disappeared due to a possible suicide after having been outed as a predator in the fictional reality show 'Love is a Battlefield'.

It all gets more and more confusing after that, with various other possible relations showing up until there is the drama of a final showdown and reveal. That final hour or so did at least add suspense to the proceedings which is the reason for rounding up my rating from a 2.5 to a 3.

I have to admit whether it was my own lack of concentration or Coben's own laziness, but I missed understanding whether and how some of the candidates were actual relations of Wilde's in the end or not. Also was there even any resolution to Hester Crimstein's parallel criminal defense court case? All of those subplots seemed to fizzle out, or was I just not paying attention any longer?

The narration by Steven Weber was excellent in all voices. Although the whiney voice of Wilde's lawyer and confidante Hester Crimstein became a bit tiresome to listen to at length.

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LibraryThing member norinrad10

While I'm a huge fan of Harlen Coben, I was slow to embrace this one. The Boy From the Woods was all right but it wasn't great.In perusing the dust jacket, this one just didn't reach out to me.

Luckily I came across it again in the library and decided to give it a chance. It's a fun read with

compelling characters. No it won't make the cannon of all-time great literacy works, but Coben is a skilled writer and knows how to transport the reader.

Glad I read, you should give it a chance.

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LibraryThing member bookczuk

Pandemic read. Harlan Coben, filling in more blank spaces.

LibraryThing member rmarcin

Wilde has returned from Costa Rica and is searching for his family after getting a DNA match. However, this discovery leads to other matches and mysteries. Crossing into reality TV and social media personalities, Wilde discovers that some people will do anything for fame.
As usual, a solid mystery

from Coben.

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LibraryThing member gpangel

The Match by Harlan Coben is a 2022 Grand Central Publication.

Wilde, in his search for family members, uses on of those DNA websites and gets a hit. Initially, this is a bit of a letdown, so he continues looking for more family connections and go much more than he bargained for…

I added this

book- as I do all of Coben’s books, to my TBR pile without even reading the synopsis. It’s Coben- enough said. But, I also tend to hoard his books so I always have one in the wings when the mood strikes- so while somewhere back there I did recall a book about a Boy in the Woods- but I didn’t make the connection that this was the follow-up to that book. So, I jumped in without reading the first book in the series.

That said, one is caught up to speed, by reading between the lines, but I’d say it would be beneficial to read the first book before reading this one.

That said, I was able to jump in despite missing some background and found this to be another Coben style page turner. I loved the portrait of reality television- and I got the distinct impression that Coben feels the same about it as I do- though occasionally it veers into ‘preachy’ territory- But as for the mystery- I really liked it! Coben has a style that is so familiar to me, sometimes I can see a twist coming – but in this case I was completely caught off guard!

Overall, another winner for Coben! I hope this series continues as I think Wilde is a character I would like to hear from again from time to time.

4+ stars

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LibraryThing member techeditor

I've read most of Harlan Coben's books, and to all I've given four- or five-star ratings. So I usually begin reviews of his books with something like "He has done it again." THE MATCH is another winner (which is another way of saying, he's done it again).

THE MATCH is a continuation of Coben's

series with Wilde. This time the subject matter involves DNA websites and reality TV shows. Because Wilde knows nothing about his past, he finally decides to submit DNA to one of those websites in hopes of finding a match to a relative. That leads him to a possible match with a reality TV star.

As usual, Coben fills THE MATCH with so many twists and turns you may forget a few. But don't worry, he never leaves you hanging and he never leaves holes.

This book rates four stars rather than five only because it did not grab me right away the way his older books did.

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LibraryThing member huntersun9

I enjoyed this, but in a kind of superficial way. I'm realizing it's getting harder for me to keep track of complicated plot lines and multiple characters. But it did keep me going.

Mom would have enjoyed this Coben in years past, when she could keep better track, or write her little bookmark notes.

I wish I could talk about it with her. And so many other things.

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LibraryThing member srms.reads

Harlan Coben’s ‘The Match’ continues the story of Wilde, the protagonist of ‘The Boy from the Woods’ who was abandoned in the wilderness of the Ramapo Mountains in New Jersey as a child. Branded ‘feral’ and a modern-day ‘Mowgli’ by the media , he had barely any memory of his life

or family before his days in the woods. Almost thirty-five years after being rescued and placed in foster care and with military experience and a career in private security behind him, Wilde, now in his early forties, is searching for clues that would help him find out more about his past and his true parentage.

When Wilde enters his DNA into a genealogy database he is matched with two people- Daniel Carter, a construction business owner in his sixties based in Nevada and a younger man “PB” closer to home who reaches out to him. He attempts to contact both of them in hopes of finding answers to the questions about his true identity that have been consuming him for all his life. However, his meeting in Nevada leaves him with more questions than answers and when Wilde tries to find out more about Daniel Carter, he seems to have disappeared without a trace. “PB” turns out to be a reality television star who is himself embroiled in scandal and absconding, feared dead. Wilde finds himself embroiled in much more than he had bargained for as his investigation leads him to the pretentious world of reality television, a covert group of hackers engaged in cyber vigilantism and a series of murders that has Wilde being questioned by local law enforcement and the FBI. Will Wilde be able to find the killer before more people are murdered? What happened to “PB” and does his disappearance have anything to do with the murders? Who is Daniel Carter and why did he disappear? Will Wilde find his family and get some much-needed closure? With assistance from his foster sister Rola, his late best friend David’s mother and celebrity defense attorney Hester Crimstein, David’s widow Laila with whom he is in a relationship, Laila’s son Matthew and Matthew’s girlfriend Sutton, Wilde tries to connect the dots and figure out how it all adds up as the body count continues to multiply.

'The Match' is definitely an improvement over the first book in the series .To be honest, 'The Boy from the Woods’ ended somewhat abruptly and was a tad disappointing. I’m glad that the author finally gives us a resolution to the mystery of Wilde’s past in this novel. I hope the author develops this character further in future novels. A lot is going on in this story and with the characters but the author keeps it compact and interesting. This is a fast–paced, action-packed and gripping read that kept me turning pages till the very end. Though this is a sequel to 'The Boy from the Woods', this novel can very well be read and enjoyed as a standalone novel.

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LibraryThing member smik

No wonder I had problems understanding this book! I have just discovered that this is the second book in a series. I kept thinking that I had missed something. There were so many times where I went back and read a passage again and was forced into making guesses.

The book raised a number of

interesting issues: reality TV programs that "play" with the emotions of participants/contestants; the use of DNA to trace relatives etc. That bit I appreciated. But there were really too many holes in my understanding for me to really enjoy reading the book.

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LibraryThing member nyiper

I'm afraid I'm reading a few of his books out of order but once again.....great story. I did read the first book in this almost series but I'm thinking that Chris is a character that I missed....in another book....to be determined....as in KEEP READING!!!

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