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I Will Find You by Harlan Coben
A man convicted of killing his son finds out he's still alive.
Diego Dunne
June 27, 2025
Hey, it’s Diego.
This week I finished I Will Find You by Harlan Coben. *
And even though it’s not what I’m normally after, it was a fun change from my typical reads.
(Speaking of changes, I’ve revamped the newsletter and added additional sections, here to stay. Let me know what you think!)
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Review
I Will Find You by Harlan Coben
Have you read I Will Find You? |
Five years into a life sentence for killing his son, David receives evidence his boy is still alive. Accused of the murder after a drunken blackout he can't remember, David begins plotting a desperate prison escape to find his son and uncover the truth of what really happened that night.
Trigger Warnings: Murder of a toddler, alcoholism, drugs, killing.
The Amazon algorithm pitched this book as a domestic thriller, but I disagree. I believe this book to be a Murder thriller spanning multiple locations.
Murder thrillers: these stories are centered around one or more killings, usually involving a mystery around the identity, motive, or method of the murderer. They typically involve intense suspense, dangerous confrontations, and high emotional stakes as the protagonist attempts to uncover the truth.
Coben’s writing is utilitarian, and that is where it shines. Where it deviates and tries to go for more flourish, it falls flat on its face.
The reason I was not fully committed to the story was that it asked me to suspend my disbelief in the opening scenes: The body of the child is recovered in their home and buried, but then David receives evidence (albeit poor) that the child is still alive. As the story progresses, it asks for more suspension of disbelief.
We follow a single timeline from the point of view of multiple characters, especially David, as he learns new details and fights against antagonists who try to keep him in prison or dead.
David is a proactive main character and moves the plot along as he fights and investigates. And the tension builds up as more antagonists join in.
The book explores the themes of what lengths parents would go to for their children.
There is no romance in the story and no sexual scenes. There is also no graphical violence, although violence is present.
So, what about the ending? (No spoilers obviously)
I love my stories to wrap up nicely, with a neat little bow at the end. I like to read a cathartic scene where everything our characters have been through finally pays off physically and emotionally. Then a denouement in another chapter (or chapters) following the characters decompress where things are resolved and I’m left delighted at how well things played out at the end, every plot thread resolved.
The ending is a mixed bag. Yes, we get the mystery resolved, but we don’t get a cathartic finale, and we don’t get to learn about what happens to the antagonists.
I Will Find You has a lot of overlap with other similar stories like The Fugitive by J.M. Dillard, and it’s a great popcorn thriller if you are looking for action and mystery.
Similar Books to I Will Find You
The Fugitive by J.M. Dillard
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That’s all for this week.
See you next time.
— Diego Dunne
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