Rating: 
Summary: A Great Start to a New (for me) Author
Review: My son (age 13) and I listened to this on tape on a road trip. We had trouble turning it off when the car stopped. Although I had to remind him he was not to use the language - which was appropriate for the characters and not overdone - we both thoroughly enjoyed it. He was not a mystery fan before this. I believe he, like me, will want to read more Corben as soon as possible.
As other reviewers have said Corben is very similar to Parker (early stuff) and Crais. Two leading heroes (?) and excellent mystery story lines. Corben, like Dick Francis' racing based novels, centers his story in the world of sports and agents. The setting gives it a uniqueness.
I strongly recommend this book for a totally enjoyable read.
Rating: 
Summary: A DEAL You Can't Resist
Review: Myron Bolitar is a sports agent, and even though his heart is in the right place, he doesn't seem to be very good at it. Most of his clients are the type of athletes who are lucky to get a job as a special teams player on a perennial loser. But Christian Steele is different.Steele is the hottest quarterback prospect to come along since Dan Marino. He's big and white and has an arm like a cannon -- and he's Bolitar's client. Unfortunately, a cloud hangs over Steele due the disappearance (and possible murder) of his fiancée -- who just happens to be the younger sister of Myron's former girlfriend. Sticky, huh. Bolitar believes in his client's innocence, though, and sets out to prove it. Bolitar reminds me a lot of Robert Crais' Elvis Cole, another tough, smart detective who uses wisecracks to cover up his insecurity and sensitivity. Bolitar also has a psychotic teddy bear of a sidekick in the person of Windsor Horne Lockwood III (aka Win), just as Elvis has Joe Pike. More importantly, Coben's series reminds me of Crais' in that both are excellent, funny, and suspenseful reads. I look forward to reading more of Harlan Coben. He's definitely a keeper. Reviewed by David Montgomer, Mystery Ink
Rating:
Summary: An introduction to Myron Bolitar and a great series of books
Review: Myron Bolitar, former star basketball player turned sports rep, is about to hit the big time. He's landed his first big client Christian Steele a rookie quarterback and so, when Christian gets first a parcel and then a phone call from Kathy, his former fiancé who is missing presumed dead, Myron starts to investigate. While trying to get to the bottom of the girls disappearance Myron at first comes up with more questions than answers. Why did Kathy disappear, who sent the parcel to Christian and is there a connection to the recent murder of her father? This is a good first novel in a great series of books. It's a first chance to meet Myron, Win, Esperanza and Jessica and contains the witty dialogue that will be familiar to anyone who has read other books in the series. I would recommend that you read this book and then move on to the rest.
Rating:
Summary: Good beginning to a fun series
Review: Myron Bolitar, sports agent and former pro basketball player, keeps straying into well constructed mysteries. The dialogue is great and the supporting cast members are example after example of PI novel archetypes turned on their ears. Especially Win, the Hawk to Myron's Spencer. Great fun.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a huge amount of reality, but lots of fun!!
Review: Sports rep Myron Bolitar is ready to watch his big client, football player Christian Steele, sign the biggest-ever contract for a rookie and shoot both of them into the big-times. But then Christian is contacted by a former girlfriend that everyone thinks is dead, and Myron goes on the hunt to find the truth about what happened to her. I love Coben's humour, and when I can put aside questions about how unrealistic some of the stuff in the book is (31 years old and his resume reads pro ball player, high-ranking FBI specialty agent, practising attorney, tae kwan do black belt and sports agent who still lives with his parents), I really enjoy myself! Myron and his sidekick Win are a barrel of laughs. My only complaint about this book was the ending - a bit too "Murder, She Wrote" for my taste (having read the second in the series, "Drop Shot," I can say that it's got a better ending). I'm also tired of every woman in a book being the most gorgeous being ever created. Ah well. At least in this one, the guys are hunky, too.
Rating:
Summary: Not a huge amount of reality, but lots of fun!!
Review: Sports rep Myron Bolitar is ready to watch his big client, football player Christian Steele, sign the biggest-ever contract for a rookie and shoot both of them into the big-times. But then Christian is contacted by a former girlfriend that everyone thinks is dead, and Myron goes on the hunt to find the truth about what happened to her. I love Coben's humour, and when I can put aside questions about how unrealistic some of the stuff in the book is (31 years old and his resume reads pro ball player, high-ranking FBI specialty agent, practising attorney, tae kwan do black belt and sports agent who still lives with his parents), I really enjoy myself! Myron and his sidekick Win are a barrel of laughs. My only complaint about this book was the ending - a bit too "Murder, She Wrote" for my taste (having read the second in the series, "Drop Shot," I can say that it's got a better ending). I'm also tired of every woman in a book being the most gorgeous being ever created. Ah well. At least in this one, the guys are hunky, too.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Beginning to a Great Series
Review: The first book in Harlan Coben's Myron Bolitar novels, DEAL BREAKER is a great example of everything one could possibly want with a mystery novel. Unlike many less accomplished mystery authors, it is obvious that Coben actually works backwards, so that readers are given a plot that actually makes sense, whereas some authors convey the feeling that the culprit was merely selected out of a hat. Coben's Edgar Award winning writing is top notch. Moving from more serious subjects to the tongue-in-cheek "Myronisms," Coben is an incredibly versatile author. Myron Bolitar is a star college basketball player turned Fed turned sports agent who has just landed his first big client, top rookie prospect quarterback Christian Steele. Everything is going fine until Kathy, his assumed-to-be-murdered ex-girlfriend, calls him on the phone. It's all downhill from there, as Myron and his associates are thrust into the dark world of the sports business. DEAL BREAKER introduces the incredibly diverse cast that makes up Myron's world. From Myron, to the egotistical, elitist Win, to the beautiful ex-wrestler Esperanza, to fiery writer Jessica Culver, Coben's cast of characters is completely three-dimensional. With excellent plot, characters, romance, and humor, DEAL BREAKER is one of the best mystery novels out there today.
Rating:
Summary: Wit and Suspense in one Package
Review: The golden age of mystery of the Christie era has been hard to match in recent times. The Deal Breaker might just change all that, it is a mystery set in modern times that for once is believable, the plot is cleverly thought out with the added bonus of making you laugh out loud from time to time. Myron Bolitar an ex basketball player turned sports agent is drawn into this murder mystery to help his client and ex girlfriend. Myron is tough, hansom, human and honest just what you are supposed to get in a hero, he also with the help of his less admirable cohort Win, delivers some of the funniest one liners ever written in a novel of this kind. I read it on the recommendation of a rather frail looking old lady working in a bookstore, although dubious at the time I cannot be more pleased to have done so. Try out a somewhat different but excellent approach to mystery writing.
Rating:
Summary: Wit and Suspense in one Package
Review: The golden age of mystery of the Christie era has been hard to match in recent times. The Deal Breaker might just change all that, it is a mystery set in modern times that for once is believable, the plot is cleverly thought out with the added bonus of making you laugh out loud from time to time. Myron Bolitar an ex basketball player turned sports agent is drawn into this murder mystery to help his client and ex girlfriend. Myron is tough, hansom, human and honest just what you are supposed to get in a hero, he also with the help of his less admirable cohort Win, delivers some of the funniest one liners ever written in a novel of this kind. I read it on the recommendation of a rather frail looking old lady working in a bookstore, although dubious at the time I cannot be more pleased to have done so. Try out a somewhat different but excellent approach to mystery writing.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible book, keeps you on the edge of your seat until
Review: the very end. Harlan Coben is an awesome writer. He keeps you guessing all the time, and just when you think you got the book figured out, he throws something in that knocks your socks off. Myron sure has his work cut out for him, but with his best friend Win, who turns out to be his Deus ex machina (savior) more than once, he is able to catch a killer in a three year old case. A great beginning to an intriguing series. Contains a bit more sex and related subjects than his other books, but is still worth reading. Enjoy.
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