The Match

A shocking genetic match exposes a family’s darkest secret in this gripping thriller from the creator of the #1 hit Netflix series Stay Close.

After months away, Wilde has returned to the Ramapo Mountains in the wake of a failed bid at domesticity that confirms what he’s known all along: He belongs on his own, free from the comforts and constraints of modern life.

Suddenly, a DNA match on an online ancestry database brings Wilde closer to his past than he’s ever dreamed, and finally gives Wilde the opening he needs to track down his father. But meeting the man brings up more questions than answers. So Wilde reaches out to his last, most desperate lead, a second cousin who disappears as quickly as he resurfaces, having experienced an epic fall from grace that can only be described as a waking nightmare.

Was his cousin’s downfall a long time coming? Or was he the victim of a conspiracy as cunning as it is complex? And how does it all connect to the man once known as The Stranger, a treacherous fugitive with a growing following whose mission and methods have only turned more dangerous with time?

Named a Best Book by USA Today • Wall Street Journal • Publishers Weekly

• “Coben’s trademarks of brisk plotting, solid action and compelling characters are well matched in The Match.”
  South Florida Sun Sentinel
• “The topical follow-up to Coben’s best-selling The Boy from the Woods addresses reality shows, DNA searches, cyberbullying, and social media influencers in a suspenseful novel guaranteed to be a hit.”
  Library Journal (Starred Review)
• “The brilliance of The Match lies in Coben’s capacity to weave staples of the horror genre into a pure, high octane thriller full of twists and turns that is not to be missed.”
  Providence Journal
• "[THE MATCH] shows off [Coben's] expert plotting and storytelling, which is fully on display here and makes for one heck of a good read."
  Bookreporter
• “If you like the Netflix series Stay Close, created by the author, this is a good one to add to your reading list.”
  CNN
• “So relevant…I only had this for a weekend, and it was done…. I only got two hours of sleep because of [Coben]!”
  Rachael Ray
• “Harlan Coben's puzzle-box mysteries have inspired numerous Netflix series, and his latest book, The Match, seems poised to follow suit.”
  Popsugar
• “2022 is the year of Harlan Coben's adrenaline-pumping thrillers.”
  BuzzFeed
• “It’s a classic Coben-style (twisty) story, quite probably already on its way to become a TV series.”
  AARP
• Praise for Harlan Coben
• "The Boy from the Woods is as much an action as a psychological thriller, as much a riveting read as a superb character study in which Coben challenges himself by taking his story outside his suburban comfort zone. A must-read for any mystery or thriller fan."
  Providence Journal
• "The crafty Coben knows how to weave a compelling story with intriguing characters, and Wilde is one of his best."
  Associated Press
• "Coben never, ever lets you down."
  Lee Child
• "Every time you think Harlan Coben couldn't get any better at uncoiling a whip snake of a page-turner, he comes along with a new novel that somehow surpasses its predecessor."
  San Francisco Chronicle
• "[Harlan Coben is] the modern master of the hook and twist."
  Dan Brown
• "Coben is simply one of the all-time greats."
  Gillian Flynn