| Plot Summary of Gone For Good |
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Delacorte, May 2002, 23.95, 342 pp.
ISBN 0385335584
Will and Ken were brothers who were also the best of friends. Will's first true love was the girl next door, Julie Miller, and they went together for years until one day she unexpectedly broke up with him. Almost a year later, the police theorize that after having sex with Julie, Ken killed her and ran away. For eleven years, Will and his family have every reason to believe that Ken is dead.
On his mother's deathbed, she informs Will that Ken is still alive. After her death, he finds a recently taken picture of Ken. He confides in his live in-lover Shelia who seems very happy to him but then she leaves a cryptic note and slips away quickly into the night. Will is determined to find out all he can about his brother and Shelia but the more he uncovers, the more he realizes he didn't know those two people at all.
Harlan Coben has written one of the most suspenseful novels of the year. GONE FOR GOOD has more layers than an onion and as each one is ripped away, the readers learns the truth is not black and white and that good and evil wear many similar guises. After the reader finishes this exciting novel, the audience will ponder all the philosophical questions Mr. Coben cleverly interwove into the story line.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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"Will Klein's brother disappears after apparently murdering Will's ex-girlfriend. A year later, the new woman in Will's life also disappears; on the same day that Will finds evidence that his brother is still alive. Will's efforts to find the truth behind this bizarre series of events lead him into conflict with both the FBI and organized crime."
Stephen Coombs, Resident Scholar
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"Years ago, Will Klein's girlfriend is found raped and murdered. Will's brother, Ken, is the main suspect. Ken disappears and Will presumes he is dead.
Ten years later, the brothers' mother is dying and in some of her last words to Will, she says that Ken is alive. Will and his girlfriend find a recent photo of Ken when they are going through his mother's belongings. Will is shocked, happy, angry, and confused.
Will's girlfriend disappears and he begins to find out that she isn't who he thinks she is. Will is questioning everything. He finds that she is living under an assumed name and ties her to his brother, Ken, who appears to be alive after all. Will and friend, "Square", begin to unravel the secrets. He tracks his girlfriend to what he thinks is her parents' house. Her mother doesn't want to discuss her and says that she hasn't been a part of the family for years. Will receives notification that his girlfriend is dead and goes to the funeral. To his surprise, his girlfriend is not the person in the coffin. The person who died is the person who's name she had assumed. Square has ties to some people who are able to lead them closer to the truth. Will's finds out that his girlfriend and his brother do know each other."
Allison, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Gone For Good |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 46.7%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 13.3%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Special suspect?
- relative
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- searching for missing person
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- killer
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Style
How many deaths?
- 5-7
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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