Half term this week, with two flights and two train journeys, so I am finding a lot of time for reading. 

I have found a new author, or to be strictly accurate it is two new authors.  A mother and daughter team who write under the pseudonym of PJ Tracy.  They have actually been around for a while, the book I read, Dead Run, was published in 2005 and is one of a series.

The main characters are a group of ‘societal rejects’ who run a software company producing computer games.  As a sideline they use their computer skills to help the police solve crimes.  Alongside the main plot run the sub stories of the ongoing and complicated romances of the female characters.

Despite being part of a series this was an easy book to pick up and read.  However, although I enjoyed the book, and would probably read another if I was at a loose end, I feel no burning desire to go back and find the first book in the series.  The back story does not appear to be that compelling.  The main characters are so extreme they are almost caricatures, or perhaps they could be characters in one of the computer games the company produces; a gun-toting woman, a lycra wearing giant, an obsessively wealthy collector and a larger than life woman with a penchant for high heels and floating dresses.

If you want an easy read, with amusing characters and a rather thin plot, then this will do nicely.

Caught by Harlen Coben

Another classic Coben story.  Twist follows twist; another piece of the puzzle follows yet another piece.  Yet somehow, Coben always seems to surprise me at the end.  I have read a lot of his books now, and usually once you get the hang of an author you can work out the final story, but with Harlen Coben I am always hooked right through to the last page.

His writing style is so easy to read, it almost feels like a friend is telling you their story.  He also seems to be able to narrate the story equally well from a woman’s viewpoint or a man’s.  Quite a talent!

Briefly then, Caught tells the story of a group of people whose lives fall apart through actions of one person.  The time span of the actual story is quite short, but much of the build up happened many years ago, and we are taken meticulously through each phase.

If you want a gripping, interesting thriller, then try this one.  If you haven’t read Hareln Coben before, it’s an excellent starter novel.