Win

As soon as I heard that Harlan Coben was writing his next book around his character Win, I knew I had to read it. Windsor Horne Lockwood III (aka Win) is my favourite recurring character from Coben's popular Myron Bolitar series. 

Win is privileged, pompous and richer than Midas and I adore his amusing yet arrogant quips. But he isn't the brawny character you'd expect based on his skill set. His more delicate, WASPish and snooty exterior belies his exceptional investigative/occasionally unhinged combative skills. Sure, his moral compass swings in a variety of directions, but along with his sinister side, Win has varying shades of humanity that make him a great character.

Myron Bolitar (Win's BFF) doesn't make an appearance and I'll admit that I missed him, but he is referenced quite a bit and a couple of interesting secondary characters are introduced in this book. I suggest taking your time to slip into this read. There's a lot going on and quite a few characters, but once you get your bearings, this book is hard to put down. 

Overall, Win is a tightly woven suspense read with a nice complexity and solid twists. It balances action, humour and tension that will keep readers on their toes as Win tries to solve not one, but two mysteries. Win remains one of my favourite characters. He's complicated, a bit scary and a guy you always want on your side, but with his combination of wit, pretension, loyalty, mad skills and a soupçon of psychotic, he holds his own as a main character in his own series. I cannot wait to see more from Win.

Note: This book is a standalone, but if you want to understand the background and larger story arcs and Win's unique and awesome bond and loyalty to Myron, I'd suggest reading the Myron Bolitar series to fill in the pieces. 

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Author: Harlan Coben

Genre: Suspense

Series: #1 in the Windsor Horne Lockwood III series

Type and Source: Hardcover from public library

Pages: 684

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

First Published: March 16, 2021

Opening Lines: The shot that will decide the championship is slowly arching its way toward the basket. I do not care.

Book Description from GoodReads: 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.