Three Remarkable Reads to Cancel Out (for a Time) COVID-19 Worries

摘要

The Boy from the Woods—by Harlan Coben (Grand Central Publishing, $29). Count on Coben to serve up a once-you-start-you-can't-stop mystery/thriller. He introduces a new character that only he could pull off: a New Jersey version of Tarzan. The character, Wilde, was discovered 30 years earlier, living a feral existence in the woods (yes, contrary to its usual depiction, New Jersey is quite forested). Wilde has no memory of his past, and authorities were unable to determine where he came from or why he was abandoned. What Wilde learned as a youngster, along with his later experience in the Army (he graduated from West Point) and a post-military stint as a private investigator, serve him well as he finds himself immersed in the disappearance of a bullied high school girl and a popular classmate—as well as, ulti-mately, a long-ago murder. Another protagonist is familiar to Cohen's legion of fans: Hester Crimstein, a wise, smart-alecky, high-profile criminal attorney who also hosts a TV show.