Harlan Coben's Shelter

Bibliographic Information:

Title: Harlan Coben’s Shelter

Creators: Charlotte Coben & Harlan Coben (Harlan Coben’s Shelter (TV Mini Series 2023) - IMDb, n.d.)

Production Company: Final Twist Productions, MGM Television, Amazon Studios (“Harlan Coben’s Shelter,” 2024)

Streaming Service: Amazon Prime Video

Copyright Date: 2023

Format/Genre:

TV Show (Streaming)/Drama/Suspense/Action

Awards and Honors:

88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes (“Harlan Coben’s Shelter,” 2024)

Reading Level/Interest Level:

Ages 15+ (Movie & TV reviews for parents, n.d.)

Plot Summary:

Mickey Bolitar and his parents have just moved back to the US (Santa Monica, CA) from Europe, when they are involved in a horrifying car accident. Mickey’s father is killed, and his mother is hospitalized and undergoing therapy for her grief and depression, so Mickey moves in with his aunt in New Jersey. On his first day at his new high school, he passes a creepy looking house with a woman staring out the window at him. His new friends at school say she’s the local boogeyman called the “Bat Lady.” Mickey is introduced to another new student named Ashley, and they hit it off, and they are going to meet at a diner for a date later, but mysteriously Ashley never shows up, and she disappears. On top of that, the next time Mickey is walking past the “Bat Lady’s” house, she tells him that she knows who he is, and that his father is still alive! Mickey, with the encouragement of his friends Arthur and Ema, breaks into the Bat Lady’s house, and he finds a memento that Ashley had in her locker. At this point, Mickey and his friends start to look for some answers.

That’s the end of episode one – and that’s all I am going to say as I don’t want to spoil it for anyone!

Creator Background:

Harlan Coben (Coben, n.d.) – Harlan Coben is a very accomplished author with over 80 million books in print worldwide, including thirty-five #1 New York Times novels. This series on Amazon Prime Video is based on his book entitled Shelter. His books have won numerous awards, including the Edgar Award, the Shamus Award, and the Anthony Award – he is the first author to win all three awards.

Charlotte Coben (“Charlotte Coben,” n.d.) – Charlotte Coben, the daughter of Harlan Coben, is an up and coming screenwriter who lives in New York City. Her Credits include The Stranger and Stay Close on Netflix, as well as Dead Hot, in addition to Harlan Coben’s Shelter on Amazon Prime Video.

Critical Evaluation:

The character building in Harlan Coben’s Shelter is particularly good, and teenagers will be able to identify and relate to these characters. The dialogue is witty and realistic in the way young people interact with each other, with some funny easter eggs thrown in for those who are listening closely. The language used is how people actually talk to each other and is relatable. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but the plot throughout the series is timely. It is disappointing that the season ended on a cliffhanger with some unanswered questions, as even though it was signed on for season two, it appears that Amazon Prime Video will not be releasing the second season.

Creative Use for a Library Program:

Again, I do not want to give away any spoilers, but one of the main characters on the show is a Holocaust survivor. I would tie in a library program that could educate teens on the Holocaust, and there are excellent resources available through the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum that can assist with this! Ideally I would arrange for a virtual program, where a survivor could come speak to the teens on Zoom (Hear From a Holocaust Survivor - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, n.d.). The website for the museum also has short videos and teaching materials available on the website that could be interwoven into any library program designed to educate the teens on the Holocaust (Holocaust Videos for Classroom Use - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, n.d.).

Speed-Round Book Talk:

Mickey has just moved New Jersey to live with his aunt as his mother is being hospitalized and his father died in a car accident. Boy meets girl at school. Girl asks boy out on a date. The girl doesn’t show up for the date and disappears. And there’s a creepy older lady, who the neighborhood kids call the “Bat Lady,” who tells Mickey that his father is still alive. Mickey breaks into Bat Lady’s house and finds a magnet that the missing girl had, and someone gets shot!

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation:

I watched all of Season One, and while there is violence, profanity, some talk about sex and sexual abuse, and some teenage drinking, I really do not see anything that people could get outraged about with this TV show. The violence and sexual content aren’t much worse than what can be seen on regular network television, and the profanity isn’t over the top – more like what the teenagers hear at school and in the neighborhood on the regular.

Reason for Inclusion:

I was looking for something that had a creepy vibe to it, and this show does have a bit of a creepy factor, but it is more of suspense/action show. I had heard of Harlan Coben before, but I had never read any of his books, so I wanted to include this TV show to see what he’s all about.