By Harlan Coban

I flip-flopped back and forth on what star rating to give this book. There were times I really didn’t like it and was flirting with a 2 Star review. And then the ending hit.

New Jersey detective Napoleon Dumas has a dark side. His twin brother Leo, and Leo’s girlfriend, were hit by a train one crazy high school night fifteen years ago. Nothing made sense then, and nothing makes sense now – especially when accidents begin to happen to Nap’s former high school classmates. What truly happened that night? And what happened to Nap’s girlfriend who disappeared shortly after the accident? Diving in head first, Nap is determined to get answers to the questions that have haunted him and his police chief mentor for years. But the farther Nap digs into the past, the more he questions if he wants to know the truth. Because in a small community, the truth can destroy more than a lie ever could.

Cons: I am not a fan of books that use the government cover-up excuse to write away their problems. That, and the questionable police/detective side of things had me chipping away at the star rating for chapter after chapter. 

The book is also written in first person present tense, as if Nap is narrating in the moment to his deceased twin brother. In general, I dislike that writing style. While I got used to it over the course of this long novel, it still felt clunky and jarring at times.

Note: Don’t Let Go is a general market book. As such, you can expect bad language and sexual content. It’s not incessant, but some of it is integral to the backstory.

Pros: What kept me reading were the hooks at the end of each chapter. Just when I thought I’d drop a star, another piece would fit into the puzzle – or something would happen to blow up the puzzle I thought I was completing. The big reveal at the end had me kicking myself. I should have known… 

While the ending did eliminate some elements of my cons list, it wasn’t enough to bring my rating up to 5 stars. 3 or 4 stars, depending on my mood.

Bottom line: A page turner you’ll like or loathe based on your reading preferences – and based on if you harbor guilt for choices made in high school.