The Boy from the Woods by Harlan Coben

 When someone recommends a mystery to me, I'm always hopeful it will be as good as one of Sue Grafton's. When I asked my long-time friend June what she had read and liked lately, she mentioned this one. On the strength of that recommendation, I ordered a used copy from Amazon. I happily noted that this author is prolific, so if this one is good, I have a line on more. Woohoo!

I did enjoy this one, but it's not in the LOVE column. There are clever moments and witty dialogue, but not near the Grafton standard. I enjoyed the setting, and how many 70-year old successful women lawyers are there around? Who also have their own popular TV show? Who have a love-interest? Of course I would enjoy a main character like that... The "boy from the woods," Wilde, is an interesting mix of a character--unable to bond, living in a little globe but still connected to his godson... 

I didn't love the cruelty of the high school students to each other,  nor the over-the-top antics of the ueber-rich family the story centers around. What was interesting, though, was the Trump-like character and his rise to political infamy. The description of the way social media and bots are used to further political agendas was instructive and rang true, even if its depressing. As we're in the midst of an ugly election, I kept sensing similarities that we are living through right now. 

If one easily comes to hand, I might try another one by this author. I appreciated the occasional humor, the clean language, and the unexpected characters. Good mystery twists and turns too! Not too gory or violent. Yes, I might try another.