Rating: 
Summary: The deadly world of tennis
Review: A still-young, ex-phenom, female tennis player frantically tries to contact sports agent Myron Bolitar but is mysteriously shot in the food court at the U.S. Open before finding him. Then it turns out that she contacted the newest rising men's star, a youth who has clawed his way up from the ghetto, shortly before her death, and, furthermore, she had some involvement with the son of a powerful senator, who had been stabbed to death six years prior. It all makes for a page turning read as Myron Bolitar with his usual cast of characters - Win, the lethal Ivy leaguer, his exotic, ex-pro wrestler, female office manager, and his contacts in law enforcement and elsewhere - moves through the world of tennis coaching, exclusive country clubs, pro tennis, and the lurking presence of the crime world trying to sort through contradictions and fragments to find the murderer of the comeback tennis lady. Some of his interactions are just amusing. A lunch with his detective friend Jake at a local diner is classic. While the book does stand on its own, there is just a little bit of the sense of its being cut from a cookie cutter mold with Deal Breaker being the first cookie. You will find repeated background descriptions, which may be necessary, but are repetitious for those who have been along for the Myron Bolitar ride from the beginning. Nonetheless, the book makes for a quick and entertaining read.
Rating:
Summary: High Quality High Camp
Review: A thoughtful, literary friend recommended Harlan Coben to me recently--I had never heard of him. But my friend said his main character, Myron Bolitar, was a lot of fun--neurotic, still living with his nudgie Jewish parents, wise-cracking--and the stories sizzled. Well, I read Drop Shot, and I gotta say, the book feels like it rolled off of the modern detective assembly line. Another friend once decided to become a mystery writer, and after studying the reigning deities (and attending courses on writing mysteries) he told me the secret recipe: the character has to be situated in a city; you have to refer to great restaurants and places to go in that city like you were a tour guide; and the detective has to be a lone wolf with all sorts of quirky personality traits. If this is true, then Bolitar comes straight out of central casting. I live in Northern Jersey and work in New York, and believe me, Coben hits all the hidden hot spots as if he were a native. Bolitar has the obligatory quirks--encyclopedic memory of classic movie and television dialogue, wise guy reparte to the point of overkill--and the requisite sense of righteous indignation at the bad guys. The dialogue often sounds like nothing real people would ever say outside of a bad take off on Damon Runyon (filtered through Chandler and McBain). And the main characters (including the bad guys) are more like cartoon superheroes than real people. Worst, I saw the "plot twists" coming from miles away, despite the fact that Coben tries to play the ending like a real stunning who-dunnit. Yet, for all this, I could not put the book down. And then I read Deal Breaker and the same thing happened. And I plan to read all the rest of his books, one after the other, soon. Because Coben is FUN. The books move with lightning speed, and like a good comic book, you are willing to suspend your disbelief, go along for the ride, because the author is so clearly enjoying what he is doing. It may read like high camp at times, but it is high quality high camp with characters you can care about even if they are unbelievable at heart.
Rating:
Summary: High Quality High Camp
Review: A thoughtful, literary friend recommended Harlan Coben to me recently--I had never heard of him. But my friend said his main character, Myron Bolitar, was a lot of fun--neurotic, still living with his nudgie Jewish parents, wise-cracking--and the stories sizzled. Well, I read Drop Shot, and I gotta say, the book feels like it rolled off of the modern detective assembly line. Another friend once decided to become a mystery writer, and after studying the reigning deities (and attending courses on writing mysteries) he told me the secret recipe: the character has to be situated in a city; you have to refer to great restaurants and places to go in that city like you were a tour guide; and the detective has to be a lone wolf with all sorts of quirky personality traits. If this is true, then Bolitar comes straight out of central casting. I live in Northern Jersey and work in New York, and believe me, Coben hits all the hidden hot spots as if he were a native. Bolitar has the obligatory quirks--encyclopedic memory of classic movie and television dialogue, wise guy reparte to the point of overkill--and the requisite sense of righteous indignation at the bad guys. The dialogue often sounds like nothing real people would ever say outside of a bad take off on Damon Runyon (filtered through Chandler and McBain). And the main characters (including the bad guys) are more like cartoon superheroes than real people. Worst, I saw the "plot twists" coming from miles away, despite the fact that Coben tries to play the ending like a real stunning who-dunnit. Yet, for all this, I could not put the book down. And then I read Deal Breaker and the same thing happened. And I plan to read all the rest of his books, one after the other, soon. Because Coben is FUN. The books move with lightning speed, and like a good comic book, you are willing to suspend your disbelief, go along for the ride, because the author is so clearly enjoying what he is doing. It may read like high camp at times, but it is high quality high camp with characters you can care about even if they are unbelievable at heart.
Rating: 
Summary: Formula disease
Review: Although cleverly plotted and paced well, Mr. Coben has come down with the formula disease far too early in his career. In Drop Shot, I see paragraphs and scenarios that could have been cut and pasted from his two earlier novels. An enjoyable read, but not up to the standard Mr. Coben (and his many awards) have set.
Rating:
Summary: DROP SHOT IS DROP DEAD ENTERTAINING!
Review: Drop Shot has it all! Fast-moving storyline, great characters,witty dialogue and, best of all, lots of surprises. This is the first book I've read by Harlan Coben (although I have his latest, One False Move)and I definitely plan to get the rest in the Simon Bolivar series. I highly recommend Drop Shot to anyone who enjoys mysteries!
Rating: 
Summary: A Classic Bolitar...
Review: Drop Shot is the second in the Myron Bolitar sports agent/detective series and just like the first, is amazing. Granted, it does follow some of the same plot from book 1 (Deal Breaker), it is still a superb mystery which will keep you guessing to the last sentence (no joke). I love Myron because of his unconventional ways and his hysterical wit. Coben is able to mix the exact amount of comedy and mystery for an excellent second book to the series. Also recommended are Coben's non Myron books "Tell No One", "Gone For Good", and "Tell No One". P.S - If anyone ever wonders, the little town in New Jersey he keeps referring to is Livingston, NJ, a suburbian little town where Harlan went to school and grew up. He also uses other towns and places around the area, which really show up as this is where Gone For Good is set in.
Rating:
Summary: Not His Best But Still Very Good
Review: Drop Shot was a bit of a drop off from Deal Breaker, but still very entertaining. The plot had the same twists and turns and the same main and entertaining characters. The characters were only truly understood, however, if you had read Deal Breaker, Coben's first in the Bolitar series. I also had the plot figured out about forty pages before Myron did (maybe I was lucky) which certainly did not happen in Deal Breaker.
The same sardonic wit was displayed throughout. An very entertaining mystery. I look forward to Mr. Coben's future Bolitar novels going back to the five star level though.
Rating:
Summary: Not His Best But Still Very Good
Review: Drop Shot was a bit of a drop off from Deal Breaker, but still very entertaining. The plot had the same twists and turns and the same main and entertaining characters. The characters were only truly understood, however, if you had read Deal Breaker, Coben's first in the Bolitar series. I also had the plot figured out about forty pages before Myron did (maybe I was lucky) which certainly did not happen in Deal Breaker.
The same sardonic wit was displayed throughout. An very entertaining mystery. I look forward to Mr. Coben's future Bolitar novels going back to the five star level though.
Rating:
Summary: easy read witty dialog
Review: Fastmoving with a lot of action. The dialog is very witty. I would recommend to anyone who likes a good mystery.
Rating:
Summary: An Overhand Smash of a Novel
Review: Harlan Coben is a genius in the mystery literary world. This book reads faster than a Pete Sampras serve. With a blistering-paced plot and the funniest dialogue known to the mystery world, DROP SHOT is nothing but pure magic. This book is a must read. I can't wait to read the rest of the Myron Bolitar mystery series. DROP SHOT will not dissappoint.
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