Seconds Away (Mickey Bolitar Series #2)
by Harlan CobenHarlan Coben
This action-packed second book in international bestseller Harlan Coben's Mickey Bolitar young adult series follows Mickey as he continues to hunt for clues about the Abeona Shelter and the mysterious death of his father—all while trying to navigate the challenges of a new high school.
When tragedy strikes close to home, Mickey and his loyal new friends—sharp-witted Ema and the adorkably charming Spoon—find themselves at the center of a terrifying mystery involving the shooting of their classmate Rachel. Now, not only does Mickey need to keep himself and his friends safe from the Butcher of Lodz, but he needs to figure out who shot Rachel—no matter what it takes.
Mickey Bolitar is as quick-witted and clever as his uncle Myron, but with danger just seconds away, it is going to take all of his determination and help from his friends to protect the people he loves, even if he does not know who—or what—he is protecting them from.
From Kirkus Reviews: "Coben deftly weaves…multiple plot threads into a compelling whole. An involving thriller that moves like lightning."
Penguin Young Readers Group
Mickey Bolitar Series , #2
Harlan Coben (www.harlancoben.com) is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous adult novels, as well as the two young adult novels, SHELTER and SECONDS AWAY. He has won the Edgar Award, Shamus Award, and Anthony Award—the first author to receive all three. His books are published in forty-one languages—with over 50 million copies in print worldwide—and have been #1 bestsellers in over a dozen countries. He lives in New Jersey.
Ridgewood, New Jersey
B.A. in political science, Amherst College, 1984
http://www.harlancoben.com
"Have you met Rachel Caldwell's father?"
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Seconds Away (Book Two)"
by .
Copyright © 2013 Harlan Coben.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Young Readers Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
What People are Saying About This
FROM KIRKUS REVIEWS:
"Coben deftly weaves these multiple plot threads into a compelling whole . . . An involving thriller that moves like lightning."
FROM BOOKLIST:
"Mickey's fast-paced, first person narration won't disappoint his growing fan base. The satisfying conclusion leaves enough open-ended questions to continue this gripping series."
FROM VOYA:
"The character development is solid . . . and readers will enjoy Mickey's internal dialogue as well as his relationships with Ema and Spoon . . . Recommend this for readers who enjoy Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider series or Charlie Higson's Young James Bond novels."
"Mickey's fast-paced, first-person narration won't disappoint his growing fan base."
High school sleuth Mickey Bolitar continues to find trouble...or maybe it finds him (Shelter, 2011). In a spooky house, Mickey squares off with a gnarled crone he knows only as the Bat Lady. She freaks him out by telling him that his father is not dead, and Mickey responds with a revelation of his own: that the paramedic who whisked his father away on the day of his death is a notorious Nazi war criminal. As implausible as this sounds, the Bat Lady's violent reaction seems a validation of his claim. This troubling issue is shoved onto a back burner with the news that Mickey's friend Rachel was shot by an intruder, who also killed her mother. The mutual attraction of Mickey and Rachel is a thorn in the side of her boyfriend, basketball star Troy Taylor, who also happens to be threatened by Mickey's mad court skills. Since Troy's dad is the police chief, Mickey finds himself treated like a suspect. He and outcast pals Ema and Spoon try to unravel both mysteries, too busy to even note the arrival of movie star Angelica Wyatt, who's managed by Mickey's Uncle Myron, with whom he lives (and around whom Coben has spun a successful series for adults). Coben deftly weaves these multiple plot threads into a compelling whole. An involving thriller that moves like lightning. (Mystery. 11-16)
Gr 7 Up—High school sophomore Mickey Bolitar is no stranger to mystery and danger and has a rap sheet to prove it. Flashing back to Shelter (Putnam, 2011), in which his father dies in a car crash and his mother is sent to a mental hospital, Mickey is now shown a photo of a Nazi named the Butcher of Lodz, who is a dead ringer for the creepy paramedic who whisked his father's body away the day of the accident. The owner of the photo is an Auschwitz survivor and eccentric neighbor known as the "Bat Lady," so when her house burns down and she turns up missing, Mickey is sure it all has something to do with his father. In a parallel plot, Mickey's classmate Rachel is wounded and her mother shot and killed at their home, by unknown assailants. Mickey's busy sports-agent guardian, Uncle Myron, is more focused on Mickey's chances of making the school basketball team than on answering questions about his brother's death, leaving the teen and friends Ema and Spoon the opportunity to investigate Rachel's shooting. Pulled in many directions by a plethora of red herrings, including the random appearance of Abeona butterfly symbols, a beautiful movie star neighbor, and a shady character named Shaved Head, it is clear that many contrivances will be needed to tie everything together. Action-loving readers, however, will enjoy the page-turning intrigue offered up by this otherwise typical teen hero spawned from the author's "Myron Bolitar" series for adults.Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY
Seconds Away: A Mickey Bolitar Novel 4.1 out of 5 based on 0 ratings. 47 reviews.
Although this book, and the prequel before it "Shelter" appeared in the young adult catagory, as an adult I really enjoyed reading both. I am a fan of Harlan Coben, and have read many of his books. I would recommend that parents check out these books.
I like this kind of book. When I started to read, I could not stop. I could not wait for the end of the book. Recommend
Great book. Easy read.
booksandwine More than 1 year ago
Yes it is a young adult book and it is very well written. The series features Mickey Bolitar, Myron's nephew, on a search to see what really may have happened to his father. Suspense and good character development will make you forget you are reading a young adult book.
LolaTX More than 1 year ago
Great book! Fast paced! Coben does not disappoint! The characters feel like old friends of mine that I have grown close too!!
atlantabooklover More than 1 year ago
Love Coben and love the new series. Mickey Bolitar is a fearless young man on a mission. Great characters - one of Coben's strong points - he writes characters that you relate to and care about.
I've always loved mystery books and this is one of them so Harlan, please write more Mickey Boltar books!!!!! :-)
If you are Harlan Coben fan you will enjoy this series & book. This series brings new characters and story lines with just a touch of your old friend Myron Bolitar. There are enough twists & turns to keep you from figuring it out. It is an easy quick read you will enjoy. Tom in south Florida
KrisMack More than 1 year ago
I should have re-read Shelter before starting this book since it picks up the next day. But didn't really need to since it recapped without sounding like a recap. Harlan is good at that. I can't wait for future books to see how Mickey might meet the Myron that Uncle Myron is hiding from him. Not to mention the cast of characters in Myrons life. It's just so good.
memorymaker More than 1 year ago
This author never disappoints!! The follow up book to Shelter will leave you hungering for more, more, more. He keeps you on edge the entire book and I feel this series should be read by all Mr. Cobens fans, I love the new character Mickey and his sidekicks are so interesting and riveting. You will not want to put it down and by the end you're in a MUST KNOW what happens state of mind. This author proves that he is very hip with todays youth and sucks you in immediately. All ages will be drawn into this series.
ENMBookworm More than 1 year ago
Absolutely love this series and this book. I can't wait for the next one.
I haven't read a book by Harlan Cobin I don't like!
This author does a swell job at making his books interesting and fun to read. In my oponion you should read it.
purrfectmatch More than 1 year ago
This is the second novel in the Mickey Bolitar series. It needs to be read in order. The first book is Shelter. I am not familiar with Harlan Coben's adult books, I started this series partially out of curiosity and the need to try reading something besides my usual genre of urban fantasy. I enjoyed Shelter, and its refreshing to find a young adult book with a good story, and characters that seem like you could meet them walking down the street. Seconds Away takes place not too long after Shelter ends. It all starts with a bang, another mystery of sorts to solve. More teenage daily drama, and several big secrets revealed. Plus, a few twists and life threatening danger all beautifully spun together into a hard to put down tale. Out of the few YA or Young Adult books I've read, this is one that is worth the read.
This book was hella good
Cant wait to read this book- loved the first one!:)
I love the first two books in the Mickey Bolitar series and cannot wait to read the third! Mr. Coben does a superb job writing these books with teenage main characters. His plots leave you surprised and excited to following Mickey and his world to see what will happen next. I have been waiting and waiting for the release of the third book in this series. These books are in the category of great writing, so even as an adult reader, I appreciate both the writing and the stories as well. I hope he is already working on a fourth book as I'm sure I will consume the next one coming out. Thank you for writing this young adult series, Mr. Coben. I realize the adult series are very popular too, but hope this series with Mickey's adventures will continue to receive your attention. Great!
KDH_Reviews More than 1 year ago
I loved the fact that Seconds Away began immediately where Shelter left off. It's not a very big deal for a book in a series to start some time after the previous book and fill you in on the events that have happened, but that probably wouldn't have worked as well in this case. Coben's writing is as good as before. He continues to build on the story and I don't feel like anything that happens is forced or out-of-place. This definitely makes for a really good book in my opinion. Seconds Away was just as good as Shelter. While it didn't further the overall Mickey Bolitar storyline as much as it could have, there was quite a bit that happened and it was a solid book. I, personally, cannot wait for the third book.
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