No Second Chance

Throughout the novel, Coben switches from Marc’s first-person narration to omniscient third-person narration that focuses on specific characters. Marc narrates the first section of the novel, before the 18-month time jump, entirely in first person. From Chapter 8 onwards, there are often multiple shifts in narrative perspective that follow various characters as they perform tasks or have conversations away from Marc’s immediate surroundings. These shifts are not always towards antagonists working against Marc. For instance, Tickner’s conversation with Pistillo ends with Tickner’s removal from the case, which does not affect Marc negatively at all. This motif represents Marc’s loss of control over his own narrative, but by the end of the novel, Marc is able to narrate the epilogue in full control of his story at last.

The CD is a symbol that represents two things simultaneously. The fact that the existence of the CD itself is secret, along with its password and contents, means that the CD is a symbol of Monica’s utter lack of trust in Marc. The object is a complete mystery to Marc on purpose, because Monica felt its contents prove that Marc cannot be trusted.