Customer Reviews

DARKEST FEAR (MYRON BOLITAR, NO 7)

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I noticed that many of the other reviewers here have read other books by the author, Harlan Coben. I have not so I can't compare this one to others by Coben. What I CAN say, however, is that this book held my interest from the start, containing believable personalities, a gripping plot and plenty of unforeseen twists. When an ex-girlfriend pops up unexpectedly in Myron Bolitar's life, he is far from thrilled...at first. Then she reveals a secret that rocks his soul to the core and the story never drops its pace from then on. Coben writes as though he were in his characters' shoes and as if he truly sees (and understands) the world from their eyes. I consider it a rare pleasure when I find a book that is so far above the usual, stereotypical, rather average suspense story. This one won't dissappoint you!

At the end of this novel, Harlan Coben says: "This book is a work of fiction. That means I make stuff up." For the first time, I disagree with him. I have read every one of his seven novels, and he doesn't just make things up - he uses his magic pen to pull rabbits out of hats, Aces from his sleeve, bouquets and doves out of and back to nowhere, and a few ropes tricks for good measure. He is a Master Magician---never ceasing to surprise and amaze--a grand mixture of tears and laughter, suspense and release, yet provocative and insightful.

This review does not concern what the book is about, but is rather ABOUT THE BOOK. It is a roller coaster ride - Harlan takes you up the slow grade to the top of the rise and sends you hurtling down full speed; around curves, over the top, through the loops and then starts the long slow climb again. Hang on!! His characters are perfection: Myron Bolitar: hard as nails yet soft as a marshmallow - intuitive, intelligent, analytical, sweet and loving, cute and cuddly, human and feeling - you name it: that's Myron-- but don't underestimate him, that mind of his never stops working. Esperanza: Myron's sidekick, friend, advisor - beautiful, intelligent and ever faithful! Windsor Lock-Horne the Third: A devoted friend, almost unfeeling, cold and calculating in every way except where Myron and Esperanza are concerned. Aptly named - you really wouldn't want to lock horns with him!!! The quick wit and spontaneous interaction of these three will keep you reeling as Harlan spins his web of intrigue and mystery. But read his books and see for yourself.

According to his answer to my e-mail, this talented author will be giving Myron and Company a rest for a "coupla years" (but he assures me they will return!) In the meantime he is at work on a 'stand-alone" novel called TELL NO ONE, with a new cast of characters. My advice is to start with his first novel and watch the characters grow right before your eyes(so to speak. And wait till you meet BigCyndi! But that's another story!Enjoy as you have never enjoyed before...I did.

My hope is that Harlan Coben keeps "making stuff up" because it sure is the right stuff.

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".

Harlan Coben has to be my favorite authors. He writes with wit that other authors can seldom match. And yet when needed, he comes out with a serious side with Myron often pondering the moral issues of his life and decisions. Harlan leaves me laughing with my stomach aching and the next minute tearing up and reaching for the Kleenex. Darkest Fear is a fast-paced book with Myron fighting against time trying to find a donor for the son he never knew he had. Many twists and turns that'll keep you up through the night till the last page. The character of Emily, Myron's ex-girlfriend and mother of their child is slightly annoying in her handling of the situation.Jeremy's acceptance at the end of both his fathers seemed very mature for his age. I don't know if I would've been able to accept it that easily. However, I appreciated the role Myron's parents played in the book about unconditional love between parents and child.This would have been a five star but I was disappointed that my favorite, the WASPY Win Lockwood, didn't play a big a part as he usually does with his deadpanning humor and "killer" moves which Mryon finds disturbingly not bothering him as much as it did before. Another one of Myron's moral complexities he ponders over many times: Does the end justify the means? Not Harlan's best but still great and better than most of his fellow mystery writers. Can't wait for the next one!

I have to admit there's something very 'catchy' about Coben and Myron Bolitar. Myron certainly is the antithesis of the Ian Fleming characters. You just don't get that feeling of panache and savoir faire. Ditto Spenser and Elvis Cole. But you do get an apprecaition that he's tough when he ought to be and sees things through. And, along with that, he has Esperanza (isn't that a take off on 'esperanto,' the mingling of all forms of communication?) as his secretary-friend-advisor, and the stone cold killer thank-goodness-he's-on'your-side, Windsor Lockhorn III. Quite an amalgamation of characters.

Here Myron is approached by the girl that broke his heart (don't we alll have someone who did that?) and he reacts as I believe most of us would. GO AWAY!

But as some of my friends might say, 'then she lays the 411 on him' and he changes his mind. Emily's 12 year old son is in terminus if Myron can't find a mysterious donor.

I like the guy. Enjoyable reading. 5 stars. Larry Scantlebury

Fans of this outstanding series may be a little surprised at how different this novel is from its predecessors. Harlan Coben has given us some of the best characters in modern suspense fiction: sports agent Myron Bolitar, a very human, fallible, and sensitive creature; the cold, calculating but extremely loyal (to Myron and Esperanza) sidekick who doesn't mind breaking a few legs to send a message; Esperanza and Big Cyndi, the ladies who are there to support Myron; and of course, Myron's parents, who are a refreshing addition to this genre.

In this novel, what is different is that it is the most "cerebral" of Coben's books; there's not a whole lot of action or fisticuffs or violence in this one. The story is unique and heartwrenching. Myron finds out he is a father, finds out that his own father had a massive heart attack, and has to deal with his nemesis Greg Downing and his wife. Their secrets from the past rise like a phoenix in this novel, threatening to destroy everyone, including Myron's son, who is a product of his affair with Emily on the night before her wedding to Greg. I don't want to rehash the plot; you can get that in the overall review.

What is so refreshing about Coben is his ability to stage not only remarkable action and suspense scenes, but such dynamic interpersonal scenes as well. This novel has several: Myron trying to talk to his dad about his heart attack--their awkwardness in what appears to be a shifting of roles; Myron and Greg have a short but powerful scene where Greg tries to apologize for what he did to Myron, and Myron's reaction to that apology; Myron's meeting with his son, Jeremy, and how he tries to tell him the truth; there are many, many of this types of scenes in this book.

My only "complaint" is that I don't know whether the identity of the real murderer is revealed or not; it's a labyrinthine story, and by the time it's over, you don't know who did what to who. This could be a ploy of Coben's to follow-up in a sequel, or maybe he wants everyone to make their own decision. I also find the character of Therese Collins, Myron's new love interest, to be tedious and boring; we know very little about her, which I'm sure Harlen plans on addressing in future Bolitar novels.

But, hey, what a great book in an excellent series. We'll miss Myron for a couple of years, but this reviewer would probably read anything Mr. Coben writes---he's that good!

Darkest Fear continues the long line of exciting mysteries from Harlan Coben. You can't want much more than Darkest Fear provides its readers -- great characters (featuring Myron Bolitar, Win, et al), strong dialogue (combining the right balance of humor and emotion), lots of action anf plenty of plot twists. You definitely won't want to stop reading this once you start! The only reason I didn't rate it a "5" is that it has SO MANY plot twists I, at times, felt I needed a score card to keep track of all the events that occur. This, though, really isn't a problem. Actually, I would have rated Darkest Fear "4 1/2" stars if I could have. Enjoy this book because it will be the last one in the series for a while.

DARKEST FEAR by Harlan Coben is not only the newest "Myron Bolitar" novel, but also the first in the series that I've read. I got hooked on Mr. Coben's writing when I read his newest hardcover, TELL NO ONE, which knocked me right out of my little white bobby socks. It was so good that I decided to go back and read his previous novels, all of which center around ex-basketball player, now sports agent and sometimes private detective, Myron Bolitar. Since I tend to start backwards when beginning a new series, I naturally picked DARKEST FEAR to read first. So, go figure. Anyway, in this novel Myron discovers that he's a father. It seems that on the night before his ex-girlfriend, Emily Browning, was to marry his college basketball rival, he and she did the two-bear mambo (uh, sorry, Joe!), and the son she produced was a product of his genes, rather than that of her new husband's. Though a little shocked and surprised, Myron finds that he can deal with it. The problem, however, is that Emily's son, Jeremy, is slowly dying from a disease called Fanconi anemia and desperately needs a bone marrow transplant to live. A donor, who was a perfect match for the transplant was found, but then suddenly disappeared. Emily wants Myron to track down the missing donor. Enlisting the aid of his closest buddy, Windsor Horne Lockwood ("Win" for short), plus long-time friends Esperanza Diaz, Big Cyndi, and Zorra, Myron begins the hunt for the man who could save his son's life. What should be a relative breeze in the park for this gang of amateur sleuths turns into something deadly serious when the "Sow the Seeds" serial killer comes out of hiding to warn Myron off. Exactly what a serial killer has to do with a bone marrow donor is a question Myron intends on answering. If that isn't enough, he's also being stonewalled by the Lex family (billionaires who guard their privacy with extreme measures) and warned to desist in his attempt to locate a missing family member. Myron certainly has his work cut out for him, but with Jeremy's life hanging in the balance, he's not about to let anybody get in his way or prevent him from finding the donor. He'll do whatever it takes to save his son. I have to admit that DARKEST FEAR really surprised me. I wasn't the least bit sure that I'd enjoy it. Instead, I found myself hooked in the first chapter or two, curious as to where the story was leading, enjoying the character of Myron Bolitar, along with his wild bunch of cohorts. Mr. Coben kept me guessing right up till the end with his meandering twists and turns-first going in one direction, then switching gears and heading in an entirely different direction. I have to say that the character of Win came pretty close to stealing the show. He's definitely someone I want to find out more about. Maybe it has to do with his martial arts ability, or possibly his inability to take anything seriously. Whatever it is, I'm drawn to this rather unusual character. I'm also happy to say that sports has very little to do with the story. If your lack of interest in sports has been the only thing holding you back from reading a "Myron Bolitar" novel, then forget about it and pick up this book or one of the others in the series. The writing is excellent, the plot holds you in its vice-like grip till the last page, and the characters are some of the most unusual ones that I've ever encountered in the "mystery" genre. I'm already trying to decide whether to read THE FINAL DETAIL or ONE FALSE MOVE next.

...."Darkest Fear" is excellent. The writing is first rate, you are on the edge of your chair one minute, and laughing the next...it has some of the best dialogue of any novel in recent years. Myron and Win are characters you look forward to seeing in up-coming novels. This is the kind of book you read all through the night and think about the following day.

Harlan Coben has written an un-putdownable mystery that speeds like a runaway train to the stunning conclusion.

A MUST READ!

Nick Gonnella

I've read the entire series and other Coben books. This is Myron's show and it reads true to the formula. Witty, goofy, misplaced humor with some hits and some misses. The story line is more complex than some of the Bolitar series, but it is very interesting. The story is concise and holds your interest. If you are looking for literary genius, read something else. If you are looking for entertainment, humor, and the continuing life saga of the gang, then this book will give it to you. I've read some of the harsh critiques, and they may be correct on the grand scale of the literary scene, however, this is a very good Bolitar story. It is what you expect in this series.