Featured in an article “Here’s What Rutgers Librarians Are Reading for Fun This Summer” published in Rutgers Today, Harlan Coben’s Think Twice was on my list. The return of Myron Bolitar brought us another great book by our favorite New Jersey author, with a lot of secrets, suspense, and the local flavor. Think your past is buried? Think again.
Did you know that, according to an NPR list, Harlan Coben’s Think Twice was among the most frequently borrowed books from public libraries in 2024? The e-book version has 20 copies in Libby, many available right away. The audiobook had a long wait, but it was well worth it. Well done, New Jersey. Let’s read more of our own authors!
- Find out how to get audiobooks from your public library!
Coben is an acquired taste, even though his sentences flow as freely as the Raritan River by Rutgers after a deluge. The plot is unpredictably engaging, and the figures are well-rounded but unique, superbly characterized by their language. Most importantly, in the age of AI-enhanced mass production, his books lack the stench of desperation that comes with that “I gotta write one more bestseller this month” urge.
Quoting Harlan Coben himself, “Desperation was like that. You could try to mask it, but the smell permeates all covers.” (From his book Hold tight, p. 205.)
A series revived
I couldn’t help consulting my favorite AI applications. With no information on the new book yet, Claude.ai, gave an engaging recommendation for the entire series.
Think Twice, the twelfth Myron Bolitar novel, feels like coming home—if home is full of secrets, sarcasm, and just a touch of danger. It’s been eight years since we last heard from Myron, and cracking open this book is like catching up with an old friend you didn’t realize you missed so much. The series kicked off in 1995 with Deal Breaker, and, after all this time, Coben still delivers that perfect blend of mystery, humor, and New Jersey grit. The characters are older, maybe wiser (maybe not), but the heart of it all—the friendships, the quick wit, the thrill of the unknown—is exactly where you left it.
Reader beware – Coben’s books are highly addictive – you may end up re-reading the entire series (like I did). Then you may continue with the three Mickey Bolitar books (like I did … hint: look for them in the YA section of your public library) and Win, the four spinoffs of the original series. Then you will struggle to write a blog post about sixteen books you just finished reading. But how else would you find out what happened to Myron’s brother?
Who has that much time to read, let alone re-read, a whole series? Me neither. But I can’t think of anything better than listening to a Harlan Coben audiobook while driving to my next appointment on the Turnpike, walking the dog in Johnson Park, waiting at the cash register in ShopRite, protecting my eyes from the midday New Jersey sunlight in the backyard, washing the dishes in the suburb, or just trying to relax and check out of the hustle and bustle of New Jersey with a good story. Not convinced yet? Keep reading for more Jersey.
The Jersey boy
Myron Bolitar is a Jersey boy, born and raised, minus the all-in negative attitude. He is a former (injured) college basketball player turned sports agent and part-time detective. His best friend, Windsor “Win” Horne Lockwood III, is like that wealthy, annoying, and borderline sociopathic dude from your prep school. Their relationship captures the social dynamics of New Jersey while shuffling the reader back and forth between New Jersey and New York City. As an older reader, I admire Myron’s traditional values and his unconditional and uncomplicated love of his aging parents, particularly the way he puts up with their quirky elderly habits. His ever-lasting friendship with Win, an example of opposites gravitating toward each other through mutual respect, resonates with all readers. Myron Bolitar is not your typical thriller protagonist.
Around New Jersey with Harlan Coben
ChatGPT focuses on promoting Think Twice to the New Jersey audience, which sounds like a great introduction for a book club discussion.
So why should Think Twice (and the rest of the Bolitar series) be on every Rutgers student’s reading list? Easy. First off, if you’ve binge-watched any of Coben’s Netflix shows—The Stranger, Stay Close, Safe—you are already familiar with his world. But the books are something different. You may want to get the full Myron experience before Hollywood cleans him up. Whether you’re stuck on NJ Transit on your way to campus or killing time in a dorm lounge, these books feel like part of our unofficial state curriculum. Coben captures something fundamental about New Jersey—the distinctive identity that comes from a sense of being caught between the noise of New York and the solemnity of Philadelphia. A crash course in how we survive and story-tell, with Jersey-style sarcasm and humor, the Bolitar series might help locals and visitors better understand New Jersey.
Jersey roots: more than just another suburban story
Harlan Coben isn’t only writing about New Jersey in the Bolitar series. Instead, he captures everyday suburban drama and turns it into a thriller masterpiece. Growing up in Livingston, Coben knows how to record that unique Jersey vibe where seemingly perfect neighborhoods hide enough secrets to fuel a decade’s worth of gossip and crime. His fictional town of Kasselton isn’t simply a setting in the series, it also provides a backdrop to the plot in an authentic New Jersey setting. Coben’s vast geographical knowledge turns familiar Jersey locales into thriller scenery, from upscale Bergen County neighborhoods to the typical suburban strip mall. Each location is carefully selected to move the story forward and maximize tension in the books, but they also generate that familiarity with the surroundings that can comfort us all, as he did in The Boy from the Woods.
Language: the evolving Jersey dialect
Fully aware that others might label Coben’s language (especially in the early titles of the Bolitar series) offensive or “triggering” (whatever that means this week), this polyglot, with credentials in linguistics, finds it simply brilliant. The Bolitar books are a time capsule of New Jersey’s ever-changing language, including the evolving social consciousness mirrored in communication patterns. The early Bolitar novels from the 1990s serve as a snapshot of pre-politically correctness discourse. Phrases, idioms, and jokes that felt natural at that time will probably make today’s average reader cringe. Casual gender references and ethnic stereotypes are expertly scaffolded by the colorful language that characters would use in the given situation. In the later books, insensitive comments still appear, but primarily to reveal something about the character speaking, rather than l’art pour l’art, casual humor. As the series progresses, Myron’s wittiness becomes more subtle, and character interactions more considerate. In Think Twice, Myron still cracks jokes, but they are more intelligent; still sarcastic, but with more depth. With this elegant and nuanced approach, Coben managed to maintain the series’ signature and integrity.
