Win Book Review

Sometimes, readers come across protagonists that they might not like right away. I’ve talked about this before with curmudgeon characters like Ove and Eleanor Oliphant, but let’s look at another type of person: the rich morally gray type. It’s self-explanatory, especially if they constantly remind the readers of how wealthy they really are. Some will not like them for obvious reasons, yet others might admire them despite their flaws. I fall into the latter camp when it comes to the title character in Win by Harlan Coben – a mostly average mystery/suspense novel with a standout protagonist.

Win is the first book in the Windsor Horne Lockwood III series. Over 20 years ago, Patricia Lockwood was kidnapped during a robbery of her family’s estate. For many months, she was locked up in an isolated cabin. She managed to escape, but so did her captors, and the stolen items were never recovered. In the present day on the Upper West Side, a recluse is found dead in his penthouse apartment. There are two objects of note: a stolen Vermeer painting and a leather suitcase bearing the initials WHLIII. Now, the police have a lead on not one, but two cases – Patricia’s kidnapping and an FBI cold case. Windsor Horne Lockwood III or Win doesn’t know how those items ended up there. However, his interest increases 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 they don’t: a personal connection to the case; an ungodly fortune; and his own unique brand of justice.

While reading this, I didn’t realize that this book was a spinoff of the Myron Bolitar series. It turns out that Win is Myron’s best friend who helps him out with various cases as a wingman and fellow investigator. That explains why Myron’s name is mentioned on a few occasions, but for those who love that series, he doesn’t show up at any point.

What clearly makes the novel stand out is Win himself. He tells readers right away that he’s very rich, and he’s not afraid to flaunt it. Some might like him because of his quick wit, bluntness, and how he gets the job done. Others might not like him as much because of how arrogant and White Anglo-Saxon Protestant he can be as well as how he insults almost everyone that comes in contact with him (even if they don’t deserve it). For me, Win is like what would’ve happened if Groucho Marx got reincarnated into Aaron Eckhart’s body, was extremely rich, and became aware of the pop culture happenings of the last 50 years. 

The thing that I like about Win the most is his self-awareness. He knows that he’s not going to be liked by everyone, and he’s aware that he can’t always use violence to solve cases although he’ll use it when he feels he’s most justified. He also realizes how people might perceive his privilege and decisions, particularly at the end. In addition, although he acts like he doesn’t want any attachments, he really does. This is especially true when it comes to his family and his biological daughter. At the end of the day, Win is a wealthy man who tries to utilize his resources and skills for the greater good even if his actions lead to some dire consequences. So yes, I enjoyed this morally gray character.

One complaint that I heard from various reviewers was how hard it was to keep track of other characters. I honestly didn’t have this problem because the audiobook narrator did a great job with distinguishing one from another. At the same time, there were some people that I wanted to show up more, but they were only in certain bits of the book. For example, Sadie is one of Win’s assistants whose work involves helping battered and abused women. She is a no nonsense feminist who gets upset when she finds out how Win took care of one of the assaulters early on in the novel. Sadly, she disappeared in the middle. I hope to see her more in subsequent Win titles.

Now, it would be easy to spend the rest of the review gushing over specific Win moments, but it’s best to evaluate the mystery/suspense aspect of the novel. As mentioned earlier, Win gets caught up in not 1, but 3 cold cases. From what I understand, complex stories are common in Harlan Coben books. In this case, each of these plots peels away like an onion, and they were pretty easy to follow. I wanted to know what was going to go down with kidnapping and the Hut of Horrors the most. It’s not like I didn’t care about the stolen paintings and the terrorist act even though I liked how the main people involved with the latter regretted that decision or confessed that they didn’t participate in certain actions. It’s that I wanted to know more about the kidnapping the most along with the domestic abuse case in the beginning of the novel. Additionally, the way the mysteries unfolded was executed in a predictable way. It does the thing, where the detective would go to one person and get some information with little resistance. Granted, Win has to “coax” some people into telling him the full truth like repossessing a car and a house for example. Even though Win doesn’t fully fall into this trap like The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper does, it stills feel cliche.

The audiobook is narrated by Steven Weber. Weber is best known for roles like Brian Hackett on Wings and Jack Torrance in the TV miniseries version of The Shining. He’s also recorded various audiobooks for authors like Stephen King and Harlan Coben. I’m not surprised that Coben likes having Weber narrate his books. Weber gives Win an effortless suave, confident manly voice. Furthermore, he’s also really good at distinguishing other characters even if they can come off as over the top. Sadie – Win’s assistant – is voiced with an assertive tone, but it doesn’t come off like a caricature. On the other hand, a drunk at a local bar is voiced like WC Fields’s less dignified drunk brother. It was as if Weber was recalling drunk people that he’d seen on TV as opposed to real life, but hey, it’s a choice. Despite that, Weber still delivers a really good vocal performance.

Win by Harlan Coben is a fairly good mystery with an unforgettable lead. I look forward to seeing Windsor Horne Lockwood III in more titles. I recommend this to those who love Harlan Coben, especially the Myron Bolitar series, as well as complex mysteries with shocking twists and turns. Win may not be liked by everyone, yet those who like him love him, especially how morally gray he is.

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