Caught

by Harlan Coben

Reviewed by Coral

When Dan Mercer gets a call from a troubled girl he’s been helping he thinks nothing of rushing to help her. Instead, he finds himself caught up in a televised sting to catch online child predators. His claims of innocence fall on deaf ears as the evidence mounts against him.

Reporter Wendy Tynes is instrumental in catching Dan Mercer, but her overzealousness is also the reason he walks free. When an angry father uses her to exact his own justice on Dan, Wendy starts to worry that all of his claims of a set up may not be so baseless. But investigating these claims draws Wendy not only into the case of a missing teenage but a dangerous web of secrets that have cost others their names and livelihoods – all victims of frame jobs, like Dan claimed to be. For Wendy, pursuing this case is the only chance she has at assuaging her conscience, but it might cost her everything.

The summary of the book that I read online, which convinced me to buy this book, was very different from what the book actually was. Though I enjoyed the book, I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t what I thought it would be.

I thought that Wendy’s quick turnaround from thinking that Dan was a monster to wondering if he was indeed framed happened a little too quickly. I didn’t quite believe that she would suddenly be interested in looking into it at all.

There were a couple of plot lines, but I thought that they all connected well enough. I thought the mysteries of the missing girl and the group of frame jobs both had satisfying conclusions/reveals. Though there was a scene that I don’t really thinks works well in retrospect, once one of the character’s secrets are revealed.

The book had a forgiveness theme throughout, but I am glad they didn’t go the cliché route of having Wendy forgive someone she wasn’t ready to forgive. It would have been out of character for her to suddenly offer her forgiveness at the end of the book.

I’m happy that no unnecessary romantic subplots were added.

Grade: B