Harlan Coben is well known for his crime novels, both stand alone and those part of a series.

After eight years, Coben revisits his popular Myron Bolitar series with its twelfth instalment. The last time we saw Myron Bolitar was in Home (2016) when Myron is was involved in rescuing two kidnap victims who have been missing for ten years. In this latest book, Think Twice, Coben returns to a beloved characters and a world familiar to Coben fans. For those who haven’t read any prior books in this series, do not be concerned. While there are fixed and familiar characters throughout, each book also stands alone and is able to be read separately, with an excellent coverage and explanation of the characters as they are introduced into the plot.

Take for example, Myron Bolitar, previously a famous sportsman who quit due to injury. He becomes a sports writer and agent, but in this novel he becomes embroiled in an FBI case about a former client. Win, a wealthy close friend and confidant is another character who is found in all the novels. While Win always prioritises protecting Myron with his life as the most important thing, there is sometimes tension about the way he goes about doing so. Myron also has a pair of women he used to work with who have gone into their own investigative business, and yet they still form part of his inner circle when called upon to assist with the crime committed.

In Think Twice, Myron is approached to find his former client and rival, Greg Downing, whose DNA has been found at the scene of a high profile double murder. However, Myron is perplexed, as his rival was buried three years ago; in fact Myron even gave his eulogy. How can this be? Has someone planted DNA to distract from the real killer and to sow doubt as to whether Greg actually died? And if so, where has it come from?

Myron enlists the help of his team to try to get to the truth. To make matters worse, Myron is conflicted as he and Greg had not only a working relationship but also a close personal connection, which further complicates issues.

As Myron, with his lifelong friend, Win and the team dig deeply to get at the truth, more murder cases appear in similar circumstances across different States. There is a question raised by the FBI about whether they are related: is this the case of a serial killer? Of course, in the USA with 50 different States and each State’s police force acting, to a certain extent, in isolation, to actually form a case for a serial killer is difficult, unless those cases are isolated to one State.

Myron’s involvement in the case exposes him and his family to life threatening circumstances. Are these cases really linked and will Myron or the FBI be able ultimately solve the cases?

As I have learnt over the years, Harlan Coben is an expert at misdirection. Often, when you are even close to the end of the novel and think you have finally figured out all the intricacies of the case, there are still final details which make you question what you thought which turn the whole case upside down. Think Twice is no exception. It is yet another piece of Coben’s writing brilliance.