Win

By: Harlan Coben

Narrated by: Steven Weber

From a #1 New York Times bestselling author comes this thrilling story that shows what happens when a dead man's secrets fall into the hands of vigilante antihero - drawing him down a dangerous road.

Over twenty years ago, the heiress Patricia Lockwood was abducted during a robbery of her family's estate, then locked inside an isolated cabin for months. Patricia escaped, but so did her captors - and the items stolen from her family were never recovered.

Until now. On the Upper West Side, a recluse is found murdered in his penthouse apartment, alongside two objects of note: a stolen Vermeer painting and a leather suitcase bearing the initials WHL3. For the first time in years, the authorities have a lead - not only on Patricia's kidnapping, but also on another FBI cold case - with the suitcase and painting both pointing them toward one man.

Windsor Horne Lockwood III - or Win, as his few friends call him - doesn't know how his suitcase and his family's stolen painting ended up with a dead man. But his interest is piqued, especially when the FBI tells him that the man who kidnapped his cousin was also behind an act of domestic terrorism - and that the conspirators may still be at large. The two cases have baffled the FBI for decades, but Win has three things the FBI doesn't: a personal connection to the case; an ungodly fortune; and his own unique brand of justice.

©2021 by Harlan Coben. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Listeners will delight in [Steven] Weber's performance as he unravels this plot, launching new characters into the mix as Windsor takes on both these cases in his own way. Listeners will hear New York, Middle Eastern, and female voices young and old. All are Steven Weber, and all are sheer perfection." --AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award Winner

"Coben never, ever lets you down." --Lee Child

"I gobbled [Win] in literally a couple of days.... It's fantastic." --Rachael Ray

I hated this book, until I loved it!

I like most of Harlan Coben’s books; not all, but most. Initially, however, I absolutely hated this book. I hated the effeminate, prissy, self-absorbed, narcissistic, egotistical, bully protagonist. I hated the prissy narration that somehow made every character in the book slightly British-sounding. I hated the whole thing so much I almost stopped listening to it and intended to most likely return it.

But something happened several chapters in...I suddenly began to absolutely love this book! The Win character was very well developed and he became intriguing. The narration was suddenly spot on. Understand, the narration didn’t change; what changed was that the style of narration now seemed to fit the Win character perfectly. The book was riveting, deeply interesting, unexpectedly funny in places, and the characters sprang to life. Win, the main character, was still obnoxious, still a bully, still egotistical and self-absorbed, but now he was also likable. If anyone had said I could like a character like Win, I would have totally disagreed. But I did like him, despite his possessing all the qualities i would normally hate in a person.

I don’t write a review for many books. And when I rate a book, I seldom rate a book higher than 4-stars, simply because most books are not a perfect representation of their genre or because I may have enjoyed a book, but could not buy in to the characters completely or I did not feel compelled to complete the book because of an intense interest in how the book played out. This book is, in my opinion, is a perfect 5-star book. I was totally engaged in and captivated by this book and I was deeply disappointed when I completed the book. This is a book that I will like to wait a while, then listen to again.

In short, I hated this book, until I loved it. And now I even love the initial part that I originally hated! Go figure!

My favorite book of 2021 so far...

Not sure what I was expecting but I wasn't expecting to be drawn in & sucked into the story so completely, this book was a pleasant surprise of entertainment. I literally couldn't put it down; listened on Audible AND read it on Kindle. Bravo.

usual brilliant writing but...

Wonderful dialogue as always. Stretched the plot in all angles, always enjoyable if sometimes a bit too stretched. Win is probably more enjoyable in bits, with Myron, than as a full blown character. Kind of like the difference between eating a delicious slice of cake and eating the whole cake. The latter is a bit too much. Speaking of a bit too much, the moral preaching, always there but lightly, takes on a life of it's own and gets a little tiresome. More black and white than gray. Having said all that, as with all his books, just don't want to stop listening and always anxious for more. And Steven Miller nails it, even if my wife feels it's not the Win voice she's been hearing in her mind all these years.

Steven Weber’s narration is brilliant

I like Harlan Coben, to be honest sometimes I can’t keep up. I’ve just got a lot going on in my day while keeping up with the many twists and turns of a good Coben novel. But I still like his writing style.

This book however, was really deliciously witty. The main character is a riot, and had me chuckling as much as intrigued. Steven Weber deserves high awards and honors for his performance. I will look for more Steven Weber narrations because the guy is uncanny in his personification of these characters.

Well done!

Bring Win back!

I loved the character of Win!!! Excellent writing and narrating! Please Mr. Coben write another story of Win!