Because of failures here, reminders to talk directly and honestly with teenagers come refreshingly often and with sincere endorsement. In addition, the adults could certainly exercise more parental intelligence, especially as a drug issue develops. Moreover, no spoilers, but the resolution in more than one instance is deus-ex-machina and unsatisfying. They are intrusive, artificially trying to generate added suspense not intrinsic to the central issues. However, straining my involvement are, first, digressions to unnecessary misogynistic violence and, second, tangential subplots. This six episode adaptation of a Harlan Coben novel of the same title, “Hold Tight” shares some characters from other Coben works, but no prior knowledge is required. In addition, a couple women end up dead, an after school community center harbors criminal elements, women are being kidnapped, and the police have good and bad detectives on the case. Friends and neighbors factor in, as do a couple subplots that come out of nowhere and intrude into the narrative with detours lacking any exposition. Adding to the mystery, the behavior of Adam’s girlfriend Kaja strongly suggests that numerous and often teased details need unraveling. To aid in that, and against the wishes of her husband, Anna installs spyware on Adam’s phone. Adam’s mother Anna drives the narrative with her single-minded determination to find him. Teenage Adam has disappeared after his best friend Igor died under mysterious circumstances. The through line, however, remains clear.

Set in a Warsaw suburb, the Netflix series “Hold Tight” just might be encouraging the viewers with that title because it periodically becomes confusing.

Harlan coben hold tight series