Harlan Coben is one of those authors whose books I’ve seen in all the bookshops, but have avoided because I was thinking he might end up too much like James Patterson (i.e. prolific, not very good, but begging for a film rights deal).

So when I was sent a copy of Stay Close (part of the Real Readers programme), I was a bit sceptical, to say the least. But I read the whole thing in one afternoon at a coffee shop and rather enjoyed it, in that I-have-a-day-off-and-I’m-going-to-chill-out way. It draws together a suburban soccer mom, down-and-out photographer, and police detective who are linked by an event in the past — that’s the only simple way to put it.

I’m not sure I’m going to deliberately seek out more Harlan Coben novels, but at least this first one I’ve read doesn’t make me want to spew like the time I was bored and tried to read a James Patterson book. In fact, it was pretty absorbing and fun to read — if you’re the crime fiction type, that is.