27. The Woods by Harlan Coben

Twenty years ago, Paul Copeland was working at a summer camp when his sister and three others were murdered by the Summer Slasher at the camp. Two of the bodies were found, but two were not, including Camille Copeland. Now in his late thirties, Paul “Cope” Copeland, is working as an Essex County prosecutor when two cops ask him to identify a body. Paul is pretty sure it is Gil Perez, one of the campers who were supposed to have died that night in the woods. Why was the body found carrying Paul’s address? Why do Gil’s parents insist it isn’t their son when the body has a distinct scar that matches one Gil had? When Paul reunites with his former camp girlfriend, Lucy Gold, the two embark on a hunt to find out what really happened that fateful night in the woods years ago.

I love reading Harlan Coben for a quick thriller read. This book has a great, almost Friday the 13th, feel to it thanks to the summer camp setting years ago. There is also a side case Paul is dealing with as a prosecutor, involving the rape of a stripper by young wealthy frat boys that is seems to be taken from recent headline news. The two cases collide when fathers of the frat boys try to stir up Paul’s past to help influence their case. While not as suspenseful as some of Coben’s other books, this offering has his trademark thrills and twists and turns. If you like Coben and want to find new authors, try reading books by Don Winslow and Stuart Woods.