Six Years

by Harlan Coben Narrated by Scott Brick

Overview

Six years have passed since Jake Fisher watched Natalie, the love of his life, marry another man. Six years of hiding a broken heart by throwing himself into his career as a college professor. Six years of keeping his promise to leave Natalie alone, and six years of tortured dreams of her life with her new husband, Todd.

But six years haven't come close to extinguishing his feelings, and when Jake comes across Todd's obituary, he can't keep himself away from the funeral. There he gets the glimpse of Todd's wife he's hoping for...but she is not Natalie. Whoever the mourning widow is, she's been married to Todd for almost two decades, and with that fact, everything Jake thought he knew about the best time of his life-a time he has never gotten over-is turned completely inside out.

As Jake searches for the truth, his picture-perfect memories of Natalie begin to unravel. Mutual friends of the couple either can't be found or don't remember Jake. No one has seen Natalie in years. Jake's search for the woman who broke his heart, who lied to him, soon puts his very life at risk as it dawns on him that the man he has become may be based on a carefully constructed fiction.

Harlan Coben once again delivers a shocking novel that deftly explores the power of past love and the secrets and lies that such love can hide.

Editorial Reviews

The Washington Post - Art Taylor

Harlan Coben's readers know him as the master of this type of story: a life suddenly unraveling, the past summoned back into a swiftly shifting present, secrets peeling back to reveal more secrets…With Six Years, the author shows once more how it's done. What's impressive here is how narrowly constructed the story actually is, with the plot repeatedly circling back on itself, moving ever homeward rather than further into unknown territory, and leaving nearly nothing—minor characters, seemingly incidental details, stray remarks—wasted. Sherlock Holmes famously chided Watson, "You see but you do not observe," and the beauty of Coben's craftsmanship here is how often he can lure us into not perceiving what's clearly right in front of our eyes.

From the Publisher

Praise for Six Years 

“With Six Years, the author shows once more how it’s done...furious plot twists...[a] subtle stunner.”—The Washington Post

“While Six Years is certainly a thriller, it is also very much a love story.”—Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

“This is Coben's Vertigo; his masterpiece.”—The Providence Journal

“Don’t wait six years to read what might be Coben’s best since Tell No One.”—Library Journal
 
“Coben pulls off his patented hat trick of putting one word after another in a way that keeps you looking for that next work until it’s way past your bedtime.”—The Charlotte Observer

“You can always count on Coben for keep-you-up-all-night thrillers, and this one’s no different. It reminded me, in good ways, of last summer’s smash hit Gone Girl, with clever twists and a denouement that’s jaw-dropping.”—The Dallas Morning News
 

Kirkus Reviews

Six years after the summer girlfriend he's convinced is the love of his life throws him over to marry someone else, a shocking series of revelations draws a Massachusetts professor back to her. "Promise me you'll leave us alone," Natalie Avery demanded of Jake Fisher after her wedding to surgeon Todd Sanderson. And for six years Jake's done exactly that. But the news of Todd's death rekindles his desire to see Natalie again. What could be the harm, now that she's been widowed by the robbers who shot Todd to death? When he travels to their home in South Carolina, however, he walks into mystery and denial. Todd's widow isn't Natalie, but someone named Delia. Natalie's sister Julie Pottham denies knowing anything about Jake. So do Cookie, the Kraftsboro Bookstore Café owner who served Jake and Natalie all those scones, and Rev. Kelly, who officiated at the wedding. In fact, there's no record that Natalie and Todd were ever married at all. An anonymous email telling Jake, "You made a promise," grieves Jake but doesn't deter him from his search. Neither does a close encounter with a pair of killers who want to know where Natalie is and are certain Jake can tell them. Up till now, Jake's nightmare is as infernally all-absorbing as Dr. David Beck's in Tell No One (2001). But the discovery of a clue that begins to unravel the mystery also sends the tale spiraling past the bounds of plausibility, even for a thriller, until Jake's quest for the truth entangles benevolent conspiracies, hired killers, multiple disappearances, the Mafia and all the people besides Natalie that Jake has held nearest and dearest. Like Jeffery Deaver, veteran Coben (Stay Close, 2012, etc.) is a magician who's a lot more fun to watch when you don't know how he's fooling you.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172495472
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	03/19/2013
Edition description:	Unabridged

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