Harlan Coben has just unleashed a rocket of a book titled CAUGHT. Coben has reached the point in his brilliant career where he has become a genre unto himself; his name comes up in conversation even with casual readers, so that browsing the shelf in any home that has books prominently displayed will more often than not reveal at least one or two Coben titles. But whether you are a longtime fan of his, have a passing familiarity with him, or have never read a word he has written, you need to check out his latest novel. Take two of a parent’s major fears --- child abduction and sexual predators --- combine those with the hot button topic of teenage drinking, and you have a book that is as current as tomorrow’s newspaper and your favorite news website.

Perhaps CAUGHT should have been titled “Caught Up” because that is what you will be from the first paragraph of this book, which begins when Dan Mercer is caught up in a child predator sting. Mercer, who works with foster children, seems to have been caught dead to rights by Wendy Tynes, a fireball investigative television reporter who has been making a career of investigating and catching child molesters. But Tynes winds up with egg on her face and out of a job when the charges against Mercer are thrown out, and he suddenly disappears.

Meanwhile, a 17-year-old named Haley McWaid has mysteriously vanished from her comfortable home in the New Jersey suburbs. Everyone fears the worst, since Haley, a star lacrosse player who was heading for college in a few months, seemed to have everything to live for and no reason to run away. But when a startling incident involving Tynes occurs, a subsequent investigation provides an unexpected and shocking link between Mercer and Haley. Tynes, given a chance to salvage her career, begins investigating Haley’s disappearance, as well as Mercer’s background. What she discovers leads her to Mercer’s college friends, who all seem to have experienced a dramatic comedown in life within a year of each other. Tynes soon finds that she may well have been wrong about Mercer, as well as many other things, which will have important consequences for herself and others.

CAUGHT is a stand-alone title, though there are a number of characters within (Tynes among them) who readers would be welcome to encounter in a future novel. It is arguably Coben’s fastest paced and most intricately plotted work. Those familiar with the thriller and mystery genres in general and with Coben’s books in particular may guess some of the twists that unfold here. But it is doubtful that they will catch all of them, particularly the ones related to Haley’s fate. There are bombshells aplenty, and the storyline is so intricate that it is difficult to describe much about the plot without making major revelations that are best saved for discovery within the covers of the book.

Coben’s trademark ability to navigate sure-footedly through a complex forest of twists and turns is once again present, and its topical subject matter and rapid pacing makes CAUGHT a perfect companion for spring and summer vacations.