Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

MIRACLE CURE is one of Harlan Coben's first novels, written in 1991 when he was in his mid-to-late twenties. The novel is essentially a fast-paced whodunit about a series of murders involving the recipients of an experimental AIDS vaccine. This book is now out-of-print and almost impossible to find. I'm a big fan of Coben's work, and I was lucky enough to track down a very old copy of this novel in my local library. This novel did very little for Coben's writing career. MIRACLE CURE didn't sell very well, and it would be another four years before Coben wrote his next novel, DEAL BREAKER, which introduced Myron Bolitar. I recently read an interview with Coben where he openly admitted that this novel was bad. MIRACLE CURE isn't exactly terrible, but it is easily the worst written novel I have ever read by Coben. The characterization in this book is pretty cardboard, and most of the dialogue is rather stilted and flat. The plot is slow-paced at the beginning, and then quickly spirals out of control toward the end, with one overblown plot twist after another. This is also the most political book written by Coben, with a very strong gay-rights stance and many barbs aimed at religious conservatives who oppose AIDS funding (in fairness, there's a twist at the end that will probably annoy a lot of liberals too). I'm guessing that some of the political views taken by Coben in this book were probably quite daring at the time. Unfortunately, some of the scenes in this book are overly preachy, which may even annoy readers who agree with Coben's beliefs. I was also somewhat surprised by some of the rather graphic sexuality and language in this book. Part of the book takes place in the red light district in Bangkok, Thailand, and Coben vividly describes some of the sexual activity that takes place there. If you're not a fan of these types of scenes, then you should avoid this book. MIRACLE CURE is a nice reminder that good writers often need time to develop their talents. This is definitely a subpar novel, but it does contain some glimmers of Coben's talent. The plot is inventive and some of dialogue is sharp and funny. Still, it would be another ten years before Coben would write his breakout book, TELL NO ONE, that would transform him into one of the biggest superstars in the suspense genre. My advice is to skip this book unless you're a Coben completist.