Shelter

The solution to the central puzzle of this thriller is based on a fictionalized aspect of the Holocaust. Coben provides facts about the concentration camps in Europe during World War II. Shelter also addresses the serious problem of human trafficking.

Still reeling from his father's death and his mother's current stint in rehab for drug addiction, Mickey Bolitar wants to solve his problems with minimal input from adults. Smart, athletic, and compassionate, he sticks up for the underdog and follows through on his commitments. However, he withholds information from adults who might be able to help him. He also engages in illegal activity, such as using fake IDs and "borrowing" his uncle's car with neither permission nor a license. Within a fictional thriller, these habits can be chalked up to creative license, but the real-world consequences for such behavior would probably play out much differently and far more seriously.

Mickey has a very chaste romantic relationship with Ashley, the girl who disappears at the start of the novel, and he flirts with other girls at the high school. More problematic is the strip club that is central to the plot and the "white slavery" ring that operates from it. Coben acknowledges the realities of sexual trafficking but downplays its full implications.