I really do love a good mystery. I binge watch them at home and I read them whenever I can. A friend asked me today if I was a secret serial killer since I watch/read so many. I don’t really know why I enjoy them. Maybe I like to watch people smarter than me solving puzzles? Maybe it’s the suspense that’s creepy but not horror (not a fan of horror)? Maybe it’s about the good guys winning cleverly or the bad guys, regardless of how clever, getting their due? Whatever the case, I will keep on reading/watching murder mysteries because I want to…it helps that reading is part of my job, too!

Mickey Bolitar loves basketball. The court is where all the things wrong in his life fade into a haze of sweat, pounding feet, and the bounce of the ball. For the first time in his life, he lives in a town where there’s a basketball team and the opportunity to make friends for more than a few months. His family has live all over the world for his dad’s work. They decided to give all that up to give Mickey a chance to have a normal life. Tragically, that is not to be. His father was killed in a car accident and his mom is in rehab for drug addiction, her way of dealing with grief. On the making friends, front, Ema and Spoon, are not exactly what he expected. Ema is a chubby goth and Spoon is a nerd with ne encyclopedic knowledge of utterly useless information. One afternoon, everything changes. He is walking in front of the town’s “haunted house” when an old woman appears in the doorway and calls his name. What she says, though, sends him down a path that no one expected. “Your father is alive”. In the coming months, Mickey will find the truth and a whole lot of heartache along the way.

Harlan Coban created characters that are both creepy and funny. Typical teen angst is mixed in with intrigue and unexpected twists. Sometimes the first person narrative bogs the story down a bit and the end of the third book wraps up a little too quickly and neatly. Still, mystery fans will enjoy this series.