I enjoy seeing authors on television discussing their books. If they are interesting enough, they can usually entice me to buy their book.

Last month, author Harlan Coben was interviewed by Matt Lauer on the “Today Show.” I had never seen him before, but I had a vague recollection of seeing his books and thinking that he wrote thrillers.

I'm not a big thriller fan, and if I do read them, I usually like the ones with female protagonists, by female authors like Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich and Sara Paretsky. But as Harlan Coben described the premise of his new book, “Promise Me,” I thought I should read it.

From the first chapter, where a doctor walking in New York City sees a girl go past her and believes her to be a missing 18-year-old girl from her hometown in New Jersey, the book hooks the reader right off the bat.

The protagonist, 40-something bachelor named Myron Bolitar, overhears two teenage girls he knows talking about riding in a car with someone who was drunk.

He immediately flashes back to a tragic drunk driving accident from his high school days where a classmate was killed.

Myron asks the girls to promise him to never get into a car with a driver who is drunk. He says that if they need a ride, they can call him, and he will come and get them with no questions asked and he will not tell their parents.

Reluctantly, the girls agree to Myron's request.

It is but a few short days later when Myron receives a phone call at 2 a.m. from Aimee, one of the girls, asking him to come pick her up. When he picks her up, she seems very upset. Myron tries to get her to talk about what is wrong, but she refuses to talk. She asks him to drop her at a friend's house and against his better judgment, he does so.

The next day, Aimee's parents call the police to report her missing. Harlan is interviewed by the police and although he is considered a suspect, he tells the police everything he knows and they let him go. Aimee's parents are furious with Myron, but they don't believe that he harmed their daughter.

As the novel progresses, author Coben throws in a lot of hot-button topics: teenage drinking and drug use, teacher/student relationships, parental notification laws and the competitive college application process all play a big part in the plot.

Anyone with teenagers will be able to relate.

Myron enlists the aid of his friends, including the wealthy and slightly psychotic Win, (think an exaggerated Batman/Bruce Wayne type) to find Aimee and the other missing teenage girl; he believes that there is a link between the two girls as they both attended Livingston High School.

He runs afoul of the first missing girl's father, a connected mobster. The scene where the mobster sends thugs to beat Myron had me biting my nails and holding my breath as I quickly turned the pages. I don't like violent books, and this book kept violence to a minimum.

This is the eighth novel that Coben has written featuring sports agent Myron Bolitar and his various friends and co-workers. In addition to Win, there is Esperanza, Myron's administrative assistant/business partner/former female wrestler. Esperanza's former wrestling partner, Big Cyndi, has a humorous role in the novel as she tries to help Myron find the mobster's missing daughter in a brothel.

Myron's parents, El and Al, make an appearance as Myron visits them in Florida. Myron's relationship with his parents shows us a tender, sweet side to him.

Myron's former girlfriend, successful, sexy novelist Jessica, surprisingly shows up to tempt him from his new love, 9/11 widow and mother of two, Ali.

Coben sprinkles in enough references from previous Myron Bolitar books that make you want to go back and read the first seven novels featuring these fascinating characters, starting with “Deal Breaker.”

The books have been snapped up by Hollywood, so a movie about Myron & Co. may be in the future.

The writing is sharp and Coben is a pro at building a compelling, intelligent story. The chapters are short and the pace of the novel moves rapidly. Coben keeps the reader in suspense throughout the entire book. He sprinkles in enough clues that the reader can pick up on to guess at the outcome and then he turns the plot on its head at the end.

I read this book in just five hours; it took me in and wouldn't let me go until I finished it. Anyone who likes mysteries and thrillers will truly enjoy “Promise Me.”

Just make sure you leave yourself enough time to finish it in one sitting. I give it four and half stars.

Auburn native Diane La Rue's lifelong goal is to read a book a week. If you have any suggestions for books she should read, e-mail her at laruediane2000@yahoo.com