Harlan Coben’s Shelter Review: Tiresome Mystery Thriller

In Prime Video’s Shelter, Mickey Bolitar loses his father and moves to a new Kasselton in New Jersey with his aunt. He makes new friends, and one of them is Ashley Kent. One day, Ashley goes missing, and Mickey comes across a creepy house where an old woman called the ‘bat lady’ lives. The woman tells Mickey that his father is still alive. Mickey and his new friend try to unravel the mystery behind the lady, his father’s death, and his friend’s disappearance.

There are approximately eight one-hour episodes in total, and the series is based on the book of the same name by Coben.

-No Spoilers-

Harlan Coben’s Shelter Review

Harlan Coben’s Shelter series on Prime Video has eight long episodes where Mickey and others try to dig deep to find answers. It isn’t the first time a group of teenagers has risked their lives to find the truth while the adults are unaware of what their kids are doing. However, the series has long episodes, with something substantial happening mostly at the end of every episode. The first two episodes serve as a good buildup for the narrative. But from episode 3 on, everything becomes tedious to watch as the plot moves very slowly.

The ‘bat lady’ is the main mystery of the series. But after the woman’s first appearance, her scenes feel underwhelming. We don’t feel the curiosity to know more about her because others keep talking so much about it. It feels like she’s always there, and we just see her face. The ambiguity in the narrative about the missing cases and how they are connected to the past doesn’t play out well. Halfway through the series, the plot doesn’t help us with anything crucial. Even the small hints dropped about the tattoos, Mickey’s father, or the flashback scenes don’t add up to anything interesting.

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The screenplay isn’t engaging and hardly has any turning points. So keeping up with the linear pace with no excitement is tough. Even the “scary” elements don’t induce any fear. I haven’t read the book, so I assume it must be good, considering it’s been adapted into a series. But not everything that looks good on paper can successfully culminate in great visuals.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the series is tiresome to watch. The lack of thrills and suspense and the lagging screenplay take away the joy of seeking answers. The actors performed their parts well. But after two episodes, you want the plot to get more dense and intriguing, which doesn’t happen until the end.

The series released on Prime Video on August 18, 2023.

Will you be watching the show? Do let us know your thoughts on it in the comments section below.

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