Rating: 
Summary: A Robert Crais wanna-be
Review: The problem with any series is that eventually the author's going to churn out a couple of duds. Such is the case with Harlan Coben's Myron Bolitar series, of which "Darkest Fear" is the most recent volume. Coben wisely decided to give Myron a rest after this one. "Darkest Fear" can't quite decide whether it wants to be a manifesto on serial killers or the importance of a bank of bone marrow donors. And let's not forget the whole father/son thing; Myron seems to have a genuine gift for suppressing memories, considering all the predicaments that keep cropping up as a result of his past actions about which he's obstensibly forgotten. The result is a labyrinthine and ultimately uninteresting plot. Coben seems to have taken a page out of Robert Crais' book and made Myron an incurable smartass, but, unlike Crais' creation Elvis Cole, Myron never seems to know when to turn it off. When he's not spouting off one-liners, Myron can be sickeningly earnest, which is shown to wincing disadvantage here. Coben's earlier Bolitar novels are written with a much lighter hand and thus make for better reading (try "Backspin", which does have some great one-liners), but "Darkest Fear" shows a character in need of some major refreshment.
Rating: 
Summary: It's Not Father Know Best
Review: This is Coben's best Bolitar novel - and that is paying it a great compliment.At the outset, it looks as if there is going to be a sappy father growing old/son maturing theme. That washes away into a classic thriller involving all sorts of father son relationships that are unpredictable and, like true life, not easily explainable or pidgeon-holed. What makes Coben so good - and he shined in this in Gone for Good (his latest novel) - is that his characters have far more depth than are usually exhibited in this genre. He is so good at it that one wonders what Mr. Coben could accomplish in fiction other than thrillers. Darkest Fear shows Coben's maturity as a writer. I strongly recommend all his Bolitar series and Gone for Good.
Rating: 
Summary: an excellent series
Review: This is my third Coben book and it is the least good of the three but that is not to say you should not read it. It is still a great tale and it is only that One False Move and Tell No One are masterpieces in quality and this doesn't quite reach those heights. The character Myron Bolitar is back from six other novels (it is not mentioned on the cover or inside the book itself) but too be honest this novel sort of assumes you've gotten to know him so he is not as interesting in this one. In Darkest Fear an ex university girlfriend who left him for his arch enemy reappears and pleads for help to find a bone marrow donor who refuses to donate his marrow to help her dieing son. Myron refuses so she confesses the boy, Jeremy is his son. Of course Myron can not say no now, so puts his sport agency on hold and sets off with his friend Win who also like Myron can beat anyone in hand to hand combat and has numerous contacts, but unlike Myron is rich, very rich. You don't really get to know much about Win in this novel as previously said you really need to have read One False Move first or maybe some of the others in the series. Anyway all indications are that the marrow donor is a sick serial killer who likes to torment the victim's family forever after he has committed the crime. Myron knows he must find him no matter what the cost. Make sure you have read his other novel with the same four key characters as this novel, Fade Away first as if you read this one before reading Fade Away then you will know how Fade Away is obviously going to turn out. Not knowing the Myron Bolitar books were a series when I got this book I made the mistake of reading it first which kind of ruined my Fade Away reading experience. Like I previously said this isn't up to the high quality of previous novels but it is better than most other authors' work. It is an enjoyable read but if you haven't already gotten to know Win and Myron from other books you may struggle to get into it. Coben is a sensational author though, and you should definitely check out his masterpiece novels Tell No One and Gone For Good.
Rating:
Summary: Darkest Fear is That All Coben Books Are Sold Out
Review: This is my third Coben book and it is the least good of the three but that is not to say you should not read it. It is still a great tale and it is only that One False Move and Tell No One are masterpieces in quality and this doesn't quite reach those heights. The character Myron Bolitar is back from six other novels (it is not mentioned on the cover or inside the book itself) but too be honest this novel sort of assumes you've gotten to know him so he is not as interesting in this one. In Darkest Fear an ex university girlfriend who left him for his arch enemy reappears and pleads for help to find a bone marrow donor who refuses to donate his marrow to help her dieing son. Myron refuses so she confesses the boy, Jeremy is his son. Of course Myron can not say no now, so puts his sport agency on hold and sets off with his friend Win who also like Myron can beat anyone in hand to hand combat and has numerous contacts, but unlike Myron is rich, very rich. You don't really get to know much about Win in this novel as previously said you really need to have read One False Move first or maybe some of the others in the series. Anyway all indications are that the marrow donor is a sick serial killer who likes to torment the victim's family forever after he has committed the crime. Myron knows he must find him no matter what the cost. Make sure you have read his other novel with the same four key characters as this novel, Fade Away first as if you read this one before reading Fade Away then you will know how Fade Away is obviously going to turn out. Not knowing the Myron Bolitar books were a series when I got this book I made the mistake of reading it first which kind of ruined my Fade Away reading experience. Like I previously said this isn't up to the high quality of previous novels but it is better than most other authors' work. It is an enjoyable read but if you haven't already gotten to know Win and Myron from other books you may struggle to get into it. Coben is a sensational author though, and you should definitely check out his masterpiece novels Tell No One and Gone For Good.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Book & Series.....Must Read...
Review: This new book in the Myron Bolitar series is the best one yet. Author Harlan Coben continues to present a most fascinating set of characters which he has so developed they feel like my friends throughout this series. The humor remains off the wall, Myron and Win team up again, and the rest of the cast adds color, and excitement. Best line of the book comes from Myron's arch rival who says he never was into that blood stuff very much. You'll love reading it and hopefully enough folks will buy it that Coben will continue the series for many years.
Rating: 
Summary: 3 1/2 Stars - Good, not great
Review: This series is always entertaining but some of Myron's character is starting to lose its appeal to me. The first page and a half are hilarious, then Myron gets overly juvenile. The bit about Win's source of meditation sounds is ridiculous. After 7 books, I'd like to see Myron grow up. It's easy to understand why his partner rolls her eyes all the time. The mystery is rather soap opera-ish. The bad guy is predictable when you realize all the clues are pointing to a character that doesn't show up until the last 10 or so pages. The explanation of how Myron figures out who, what, why and where is pretty convoluted. The book has a flow but the flow gets all jumbled up with the explanation in the last few pages. I'll continue to buy Coben's books unless the next one is worse than this one. I hope not since the characters are for the most part, endearing, especially the parents.
Rating: 
Summary: Big Fat Disappointment
Review: To begin with, the cover art is terrible. Then we get three pages raving about how good this book is- AND IT ISN'T! The cover informs us that the author has won the Edgar Award... well, you can bet it wasn't for this meandering plot. The book reads as if it is written for fans who already know and sympathize with the hero - but I didn't and I don't. This is sloppy writing. It takes way too long to get into the meat of the story and when you do, it is confusing and you don't give a hoot about any of the characters. In fact, I was wishing that the killer - who is almost absent in the book - would kill off the entire cast. Harlan Coben entertains himself, not the reader.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book in Years
Review: Very briefly, this may be the best book I have read in years. It shouldn't be missed.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Well, it happened again - another I couldn't put it down until I finished it book from Harlan Coben. This series is excellent. Myron Bolitar is quite a character. Win, Esperanza, Big Cyndi - all our extremely interesting people. Read all of these. It helps if you start with the first one and then follow through with the others. I recommend that for all series if you can find them. Again, what a bummer, now I have to wait a whole year for the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Pure Ambrosia
Review: When sports representative Myron Bolitar visits his parents, hestruggles with them selling the family home, and his father'sillness. To his surprise, an unwanted ghost from his past arrives at his doorstep. The woman ended her relationship with Myron in college to marry his rival, but not before one last fling the night before her wedding. Before he can toss out on her butt, she pleads with him to find the missing person whose bone marrow matches that of her dying son.....Myron continues his quest to save his son's life. After every Bolitar novel, everyone agrees that secondary character Win Lockwood, a psychotic anti-hero with a strange sense of humor and loyalty, is as fascinating a player that has ever graced a mystery. He retains that eerie glow in DARKEST FEAR, a brilliant story that includes several major subplots that tie back to, while expanding, the main story line. Harlan Coben has written many superb Bolitar tales, but none as excellent as this one is. Harriet Klausner
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