Darkest Fear

Rating:
Summary: A Sub-par effort from Coben
Review: It looks like I'm in the minority here, but in my opinion "Darkest Fear" is the weakest book in the series. The interplay between Bolitar and the supporting characters is still top-notch, but the plot concerning whether or not Myron is the father of the child ,will he get his blood marrow transfusion in time, etc. seems straight out of "All My Children". This is one of my favorite series out there and I was pretty disappointed this time out. Hopefully Coben's next Bolitar novel won't have a plot that's so overly melodramatic

Rating:
Summary: Another Winner from Harlan!
Review: It was with great sadness that I read this book because it represents the last Myron Bolitar book written thus far (Hint: Please bring Myron back, Harlan!). This book, with all the regular cast, did not disappoint. Myron is contacted by an old lover, informing him that her thirteen year old son needs a bone marrow transplant and that the donor has disappeared. In the search for the donor, Myron's path crosses the unsolved case of a serial killer who has been at work. Enter the F.B.I. and you have the makings of a mystery that ends with many twists in the path to the finish. Hurry Back, Myron!

Rating:
Summary: Almost everything you like in a Myron Bolitar novel
Review: Myron Bolitar is back - and so are many of the elements Coben's fans like so much about him. The book is funny, and all our favorite characters appear again (though only in bit parts). I liked the plot, even though it wasn't as intelligent as in other Bolitar novels I read. You're kept glued to the pages via Myron's personal connection to the plot.

One of the things that are always obvious in Coben's novels is his affinity to family values (I suspect a strong autobiographical influence here, though I do not know for sure). This is usually rather charming, but plays overly sentimental here (I decided against quoting some of the more cheesy passages). It's disappointing as his -as usual- perfect snappy dialogue gets muddied down quite a lot in the family scenes.

I won't gripe too much, as this is a very good book to hit the beach with - not the best in the series, but good enough to care about the characters and to hope that Coben returns to this franchise soon.

PS: There's one thing I generally hate about the publishing world and which swings into full effect here: on the book's cover, one important development which doesn't occur until page 220 of 319 pages is neatly spilled out - which takes some of the fun out of figuring out the plot. Hey - I' don't like this in my movie trailers and I hate that in books, ok ? (Contrarily to what is that below, this review (and especially the last paragraph) refers to the paperback edition).

Rating:
Summary: Anti-climactic after a terrific start
Review: Myron Bolitar, despite the imaginative Dickensian name, is a former US basketball player and now a top sports agent. He has a settled personal and business life and things are going along just fine on a day-to-day basis. However, a meeting with former girl friend, Emily, of some 14 years before is to change his life in the blink of an eye. She reveals that Myron is the father of her 13-year-old son and that she has now divorced her husband who was assumed by all, himself included, to be the father. That the ex also happened to be a national basketball hero and was the very person who literally crippled Myron all those years ago in his first professional game adds to the colourful background to the story. The young son has been diagnosed with the fatal disease Fanconi anaemia, a chromosome instability syndrome with progressive bone marrow failure and an increased risk of cancers, for which the only cure is a bone marrow transplant. The national bone marrow register has three potential matches, two of whom are eliminated due to non-compatibility after further screening. The third just cannot be found and appears to have vanished into thin air.

Coben has by now, after about the first four chapters, built an excellent platform for what should be an enthralling story as the search for the potential bone marrow donor begins. At this point "Darkest Faer" has a 5 star Amazon book review rating. Unfortunately the story line becomes increasingly complex and stretches credibility. Serial killers, the FBI, recluse super-rich families and a fictitious murder novel become entwined as Myron uncovers mystery after mystery and comes face to face with thugs, evil doers, and treads on the toes of the authorities. The plot becomes harder to follow with the many tangential issues introduced. What should be a gradual build up of tension becomes a disappointment as the story finally reaches its conclusion. Sorry, but three stars is the best rating for "Darkest Fear".

Rating:
Summary: Coben Strikes Again
Review: Myron Bolitar, sports agent and mystery solver, becomes involved in the search for a bone marrow transplant donor to save the life of an old girlfriend's young son. Myron appears to be maturing in his latest adventure, but the novel is still laced with humor and enough plot twists to keep the reader involved until the end. This is the first Bolitar mystery in which sports is relegated to the background, although Myron's usual supporting cast remains front and center.

Coben throws a lot of curves at the reader during the middle of the novel, but things are straightened out in the end, with all of the loose strings neatly tied up. As usual, Myron and Win's mysterious secret government-related backgrounds come into play, as does Myron's college basketball days. Driving back and forth between New York and New Jersey at a dizzying pace, without hint of traffic jams through the Lincoln Tunnel, Myron and Win often act like demented Hardy Boys, with one-liners flying at a quick pace. Coben has advised readers that he will be taking a break from the Myron Bolitar series, but Darkest Fear will more than satisfy his loyal readers for the time being.

Rating:
Summary: Best Private Eye Series Going
Review: Myron, Win, and Esperanza have a great knack for remaining fun, fresh, and funny every time out. We get to know them a little better with each book in the series. As with every entry, Coben keeps us guessing and laughing right along with the main characters. The villains are great as always. Keep 'em coming....

Rating:
Summary: Read a Harlan Coben - any one
Review: Some months back, I went to a bookshop in New Delhi & found one copy of each of the Myron Bolitair series. I bought two titles as they seemed interesting. Two days later, having finished both, I went back & bought the entire lot & both the Non- Myron Bolitair books; which meant that I had cleaned out their Harlan Corben stock as they only had one copy each.
The bookshop owners then went & re-stocked many more copies of each title,

It's difficult to suggest a specific Harlan Coben Book: I found them all tremendously enjoyable. Read any one & you will be hooked. It isn't necessary to read them in any order but I would recommend that start from the first as Myron's life will then unfold as lives should.... The crimes at the heart of each book can be read in any order.

Rating:
Summary: A Dark Race Against Time
Review: Sports agent Myron Bolitar promised his partner Esperanza that he was finished sticking his nose where it didn?t belong, no more sideline PI business. Besides, he and Esperanza are rebuilding their real business. Things are okay. Then his college sweetheart, someone best forgotten, shows up. He braces himself for trouble, but nothing could prepare him for the news she dumps on him.

Jeremy, her oldest child, has a rare form of anemia and will die without a bone-marrow transplant. The National Bone Marrow Donor?s Registry thought they?d had a donor, but then he vanished without a trace. She needs Myron to find him.

That?s a pretty good reason for him to break his promise, but there?s more. Jeremy, she says, is Myron?s child. Stunned, Myron jumps into a search for the donor that leads him down a dark trail and a race against time to save the life of a child he never knew he had.

This book is chilling and one I couldn?t put down and, like every lickin? stickin? one of Harlan Coben?s books, it a five-star story you just have to read.

Reviewed by Vesta Irene

Rating:
Summary: Fathers and Sons, the Tie that Binds
Review: Sports agent Myron Bolitar's ex-flame Emily Downing, who broke his heart, comes back into his life with a sad story. Her son Jeremy is suffering from a rare disease and desperately needs a bone marrow transplant. They've found a donor, but he's vanished and Emily wants Myron to find him. And to entice him to help her, she tells Myron that he is actually Jeremy's father.

Myron finds out that the donor's name matches that of the son of a wealthy, prize winning author. He mysteriously disappeared as a young child. Now his name appears again. Myron's attempts to find him have him at odds with the donor's family, who refuse to give up his identity or where he can be found.

Myron also finds out that there is a serial killer in the mix who may or may not exist. The killer was profiled in a series of articles by a reporter who allegedly made the stories up with the help of an old novel. When Myron tries to talk to the reporter, the FBI gets interested and and that interest has Myron struggling to get to the bottom of just who the real donor is. Could he be the serial killer?

As with all Mr. Coben's books, this whodunit has more twists and turns than you can shake a stick at, more plot and subplot than anyone would expect. And I particularly liked the way Mr. Coben reminds us of that special tie between fathers and sons. However death and violence are present throughout: this is where John Lennon bled to death, over there is where Malcolm X was shot, but even so, this is another excellent read from Harlen Coben.

Rating:
Summary: If it's the last, it's the best
Review: The best of the Bolitar series. I could not put it down.The interaction between and among Myron, Win and Esperanza could not be better. Harlan! Pleasse keep the series going.