Book Talk: Harlan Coben, ‘Win’

I’ve read only a small sample of Harlan Coben’s books, and he’s written about three dozen of them. I’ve liked them all, including “Win.” But….

“Win” (2021, 371 pages in hardback) is a good story, and Coben is a good writer, one of the best. However, this book revolves around Windsor “Win” Horne Lockwood, III, as the earth revolves around the sun. Win tells us that he is wealthy beyond our imaginations, handsome as all get-out, devoid of empathy, addicted to high-class prostitutes because he has no time or patience for relationships, and smarter than the average bear. I took an instant dislike to him, but I kept reading the book to the very end where Win asks the reader, “Am I being hackneyed? Perhaps. But since when have I cared what you thought?”

Oh, I almost forgot. Sometimes he kills people because he thinks the world would be better off without them. And, he tends to like to accomplish this task with his bare hands. He’s been around the world, training in Kung Fu, Tae Kwan Do, and several other martial arts, most of which were new to me and unpronounceable. It makes him feel good when he crushes someone’s windpipe, breaks a few limbs, or ruptures an internal organ or two.