"Shelter" by Harlan Coben, Chapters 7–13

When his friend Ashley vanishes, Mickey Bolitar is determined to investigate—but as he delves into her disappearance, he uncovers more questions than answers.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–13, Chapters 14–19, Chapters 20–27
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. ransack
    search thoroughly
    According to the police, a man had broken in and started ransacking the house when he realized that Mr. Kent was home.
  2. oblivious
    lacking conscious awareness of
    Students were passing us by, oblivious, rushing to lunch or another class.
  3. cowlick
    a tuft of hair in a different direction from the rest
    Spoon licked his hand, patted down his cowlick, and gave Rachel the eye.
  4. therapy
    the act of providing treatment for an illness or disorder
    “I have outpatient therapy from four to five, remember?”
  5. commuter
    someone who travels regularly to and from work
    Most of the commuters heading back to Newark at this hour are exhausted housekeepers trekking back to their urban dwellings after a day in the wealthier suburbs.
  6. environs
    the area in which something exists or lives
    The well-to-do grassy environs of Kasselton were only seven miles from the gritty streets of Newark, but the two cities seemed to be from different planets.
  7. prevalent
    most frequent or common
    Poverty is still prevalent, but I go where the best basketball is and while you could talk prejudice or racial profiling, I’m still one of the very few white guys down here after school.
  8. skepticism
    doubt about the truth of something
    Naturally I was greeted with skepticism, but that’s the wonderful thing about basketball: you got game or you don’t.
  9. diverse
    distinctly dissimilar or unlike
    These pickup games draw a surprisingly large and diverse crowd.
  10. jeer
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    On the right, there was always a group of homeless men who cheered and jeered like real fans, applauding and booing and betting bottles of booze on the outcome.
  11. stoic
    seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive
    Closer in, leaning against the fence with stoic faces was a mix of local coaches, involved fathers, skuzzy agent wannabes, scouts from prep schools and even colleges.
  12. welfare
    a contented state of being happy and healthy and prosperous
    I was grateful to this man for worrying about me, but I couldn’t help but wish it were my own father standing here, concerned about my welfare.
  13. distracted
    having the attention diverted especially because of anxiety
    We lost the last game, in part because I was so distracted.
  14. exasperated
    greatly annoyed; out of patience
    Tyrell said, “Yes, Dad,” in an exasperated tone I remember using myself in better days.
  15. totter
    move without being stable, as if threatening to fall
    Provocatively dressed women tottered around in too-high heels.
  16. pathetic
    deserving or inciting pity
    I heard Mom’s pathetic sniffles cease as the door slammed closed behind her.
  17. relapse
    a failure to maintain a higher state
    “It’s not uncommon for an addict to have a relapse,” she said.
  18. supplement
    add to what seems insufficient
    I thought about how my mom had smiled at me, how she told me that she was home preparing spaghetti and meatballs, how she even supplemented her original bogus meal with garlic bread.
  19. regale
    occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion
    Myron often regaled me with stories of the lame stuff they used to do together in that room—play board games like Risk and Stratego, trade baseball cards, set up their own Nerf basketball leagues.
  20. eavesdrop
    listen without the speaker's knowledge
    I didn’t feel good about eavesdropping like this.
  21. devastate
    cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly
    Cars from the adjacent highway zoomed by without a care, without the slightest concern that just yards away a devastated family grieved.
  22. exaggerate
    enlarge beyond bounds or the truth
    I don’t want to exaggerate, but the SnowCap Melter was the greatest thing anyone has ever eaten in the history of the world.
  23. non sequitur
    a reply that has no relevance to what preceded it
    Spoon was, in fact, so excited that he skipped his customary non sequitur.
  24. disarm
    take away the weapons from; render harmless
    Naturally I received many lectures on never doing it—in how running away was always far smarter than trying to disarm—but if cornered or forced, I was taught what to do.
  25. adversary
    someone who offers opposition
    I quickly handed the laptop back to Ema, never taking my eyes off my adversary—another lesson drummed into me.
  26. feign
    make believe with the intent to deceive
    Ema batted her eyes at him some more and feigned coquettish.
  27. muster
    summon up, call forth, or bring together
    He jumped up with as much dignity as he could muster, trying to give off an I-was-just-about-to-beat-your-butt attitude.
  28. murky
    cloudy, dirty, and difficult to see through
    I tried to pay attention—Mrs. Friedman was indeed giving us an assignment—but the words swam by in a murky haze.
  29. despot
    a cruel and oppressive dictator
    He survived going against the wishes of despots and dictators in some of the most dangerous and war-torn jungles in the world.
  30. engagement
    a meeting arranged in advance
    “I would join you on this quest,” Agent said, “but I have another engagement.”
  31. veer
    turn sharply; change direction abruptly
    I debated following her, but she quickly veered right and vanished into the woods.
  32. resignation
    a formal document giving notice of your intention to leave
    The last file he’d opened—the most recent—was called “Resignation Letter.”
  33. nomad
    a member of a people who have no permanent home
    Kitty and I like being nomads, but it has been a long time since we stopped long enough to grow roots.
  34. proverb
    a condensed but memorable saying embodying an important fact
    My father used to quote a Yiddish proverb: Man plans, God laughs.
  35. mortified
    made to feel uncomfortable because of shame or wounded pride
    I wondered if I would ever in my life feel more mortified.
Created on Wed Nov 26 21:00:09 EST 2014 (updated Tue Sep 04 16:44:31 EDT 2018)

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