Book Review: Win by Harlan Coben

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an Arc of Win. When I saw that the new Harlan Coben novel featured Windsor Horne Lockwood as the main character I was intrigued. For those who need reminding, Win Horne Lockwood was Myron Bolitar's best friend in Coben's Bolitar series - a series I adored by the way. I was excited to see how Win fared as a main character and I have to say I was not disappointed. But first, before I wax lyrical about what I hope will be a new series of Win books, here's the blurb.... 

Over twenty years ago, heiress Patricia Lockwood was abducted during a robbery of her family's estate, then locked inside an isolated cabin for months. Patricia escaped, but so did her captors, and the items stolen from her family were never recovered.

Until now.

On New York's Upper West Side, a recluse is found murdered in his penthouse apartment, alongside two objects of note: a stolen Vermeer painting and a leather suitcase bearing the initials WHL3. For the first time in years, the authorities have a lead not only on Patricia's kidnapping but also on another FBI cold case - with the suitcase and painting both pointing them towards one man.

Windsor Horne Lockwood III - or Win as his few friends call him - doesn't know how his suitcase and his family's stolen painting ended up in this dead man's apartment. But he's interested - especially when the FBI tell him that the man who kidnapped his cousin was also behind an act of domestic terrorism, and that he may still be at large.

The two cases have baffled the FBI for decades. But Win has three things the FBI does not:: a personal connection to the case, a large fortune, and his own unique brand of justice ...

My thoughts

Available here

Win was always an intriguing character in the Bolitar books, but I always felt we didn't get to know
him as well as we might. This is rectified now however, with Win older (in his late forties), a father and with Myron no longer a presence by his side. The years seem to have mellowed Win a little - that said,  the story kicks off with Win in his familiar vigilante mode, punishing a stalker/rapist for a series of crimes with his own brand of violence. The difference, the older, more measured Win brings to the table is that when it goes awry, he has the grace to acknowledge his mistakes and this is something new for Win. I also found his relationship with his 'biological' daughter revealing. He understands that he can't claim to be her 'dad' for he has had little part in her upbringing, yet he is quite awed by his feelings for her. 

Told in the first person from Win's point of view, Win takes us back in time to the murder of Win's uncle Aldrich and the subsequent imprisonment and rape of his cousin Patricia in the 'Hut of Horrors' when a family artwork stolen previously is recovered when the body of a man wanted for domestic terrorism in the 70's is discovered. 

Win is approached by his FBI friend to employ his own tactics to work out how his family links to the group of students responsible for 12 deaths when an act of rebellion goes disastrously wrong. At this point, I want to pint out that, although Win intrigues me and his privileged lifestyle and his reactions to it are curious, I'm not sure that I like him. He has his own moral code, which becomes more evident as the novel unfolds and by the end, I did begin to empathize with him. What kept me totally invested in the plot was two things. The first was that Win's somewhat distant character was tempered by frequent references to his more human friend Myron's thoughts and opinions. These references to both Myron and his family served to humanise Win in a way that, had Coben omitted them from the narrative, would have left Win a two dimensional character - intriguing - yes - but perhaps lacking something...

The second was that as ever, Coben is a master of plotting. The interweaving angles of the investigation were beautifully crafted and the delivery had me questioning and backtracking on my own opinions throughout - I read this book quickly and was enthralled from beginning to end. I sincerely hope to hear more from Win in the future ... this book worked so well for me and it was a treat to gain insight into a character from past books. 

Author Bio

With over 70 million books in print worldwide, Harlan Coben is the #1 New York Times author of thirty one novels including RUN AWAY, FOOL ME ONCE, TELL NO ONE, NO SECOND CHANCE and the renowned Myron Bolitar series. His books are published in 43 languages around the globe.

Harlan is the creator and executive producer for the Netflix television dramas SAFE starring Michael C. Hall, Audrey Fleurot and Amanda Abbington, and THE FIVE starring Tom Cullen and OT Fagbenle. He is currently filming THE STRANGER, based on his novel, for Netflix starring Richard Armitage, Siobhan Finneran, Jennifer Saunders and Stephen Rea. Harlan was also showrunner and executive producer for two French TV mini-series, UNE CHANCE DE TROP (NO SECOND CHANCE) with Alexandra Lamy and JUST UN REGARD (JUST ONE LOOK) with Virginie Ledoyen. KEINE ZWEIT CHANCE, also based on Harlan's novel, aired in Germany on Sat1.

Harlan's novel TELL NO ONE (NE LE DIS A PERSONNE) was turned into the renowned French film, directed by Guillaume Canet and starring Francois Cluzet. The movie was the top box office foreign-language film of the year in USA, won the Lumiere (French Golden Globe) for best picture and was nominated for nine Cesars (French Oscar) and won four, including best actor, best director and best music. The movie with subtitles is now available on Netflix, Amazon Prime and DVD/Blu-Ray.

Winner of the Edgar Award, Shamus Award and Anthony Award - the first author to win all three - international bestselling author Harlan Coben's critically-acclaimed novels have been called "ingenious" (New York Times), "poignant and insightful" (Los Angeles Times), "consistently entertaining" (Houston Chronicle), "superb" (Chicago Tribune) and "must reading" (Philadelphia Inquirer).

In his first books, Coben immersed himself in the exploits of sports agent Myron Bolitar. Critics loved the series, saying, "You race to turn pages...both suspenseful and often surprisingly funny" (People). After seven books Coben wanted to try something different. "I came up with a great idea that simply would not work for Myron," says Coben. The result was the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller TELL NO ONE, which became the most decorated thriller of the year. Two books later, Bookspan, recognizing Coben's broad international appeal, named NO SECOND CHANCE its first ever International Book of the Month in 2003 - the Main Selection in 15 different countries.

Harlan was the first writer in more than a decade to be invited to write fiction for the NEW YORK TIMES op-ed page. His Father's Day short story, THE KEY TO MY FATHER, appeared June 15, 2003. His essays and columns have appeared in many top publications including the New York Times, Parade Magazine and Bloomberg Views.

Harlan has received an eclectic variety of honors from all over the world. In Paris, he was awarded the prestigious Vermeil Medal of Honor for contributions to culture and society by the Mayor of Paris. He was won the El Premio del Novela Negra RBA in Spain, the Grand Prix de Lectrices in France, and the CWA/ITV3 Bestseller Dagger for favorite crime novelist in England. On the other end of the spectrum, Little League Baseball inducted Harlan into their Hall of Excellence in 2013, and Harlan is also a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame from his playing days at Amherst College.

Harlan was born in Newark, New Jersey. He still lives in New Jersey with his wife, Anne Armstrong-Coben MD, a pediatrician, and their four children