Hold Tight by Harlen Coben

“How do you weigh a child's privacy against a parent's right to know?…
“How do you differentiate normal teenage rebelliousness from out-of-control behavior?…
“When and how do you intervene if suicidal signs appear?…
"Coben plucks each of these strings like a virtuoso as Mike and Tia Baye try to deal with the increasing withdrawal of their 16-year-old son, Adam, after a friend's suicide. A pair of brutal, seemingly senseless killings, punctuate the unfolding domestic troubles that ratchet up the tension and engulf the Baye family, their friends and neighbors in a web of increasing tragedy.


I haven't read a Harlen Coben book in a while and I need to get back to them. This book left you with questions on morals and values. If you suspect your teen is in trouble how far do you go to keep them safe? Do you spy on them? Do you follow them? When their pain is so great how do you try to ease it? This book has lots of issue, suicide, bullying, drinking, drugs, murder, protecting your family at all cost. I wonder how far I would have gone with my kids if we had the technology that we have today. Back then the kids didn't carry around cell phones... no gps to follow them. The computers were relatively new (we weren't the first on the block, but probably not the last) do you check their emails and trails of where they've been? People say that today is more difficult for raising a family and I'm starting to believe it after reading this book. Which takes me back to something that we did raising our kids and I think is extremely important - having dinner together most or every night. Not allowing the outside things to overwhelm and control you life. I'm not saying that it's easy, but it just brings you together for a short period everyday and allows interaction of love and support to reinforce the family morals and values.

This is definitely a page turner. So, how far would you go? Me - whatever it takes to keep my kids safe!