Darkest Fear (A Myron Bolitar Novel) [Hardcover]

Harlan Coben (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 6, 2003 | Series: A Myron Bolitar Novel

Myron never saw it coming. A surprise visit from an ex-girlfriend is unsettling enough. But Emily Downing's news brings him to his knees. Her son Jeremy is dying and needs a bone-marrow transplant - from a donor who vanished without a trace. Then comes the real shock: the boy is Myron's son, conceived the night before her wedding to another man. Stunned by the news, Myron plunges into a desperate search for the missing donor. But finding him means unravelling a dark mystery that involves a broken family, a brutal kidnapping spree, and the FBI. Somewhere in the sordid mess is the donor who disappeared. And as doubts emerge about Jeremy's true paternity, a child vanishes, igniting a chain reaction of heartbreaking truth and chilling revelation.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Myron Bolitar's father's recent heart attack brings Myron smack into a midlife encounter with issues of adulthood and mortality. And if that's not enough to turn his life upside down, the reappearance of his first serious girlfriend is. The basketball star turned sports agent, who does a little detecting when business is slow, is saddened by the news that Emily Downing's 13-year-old son is dying and desperately needs a bone marrow transplant; even if she did leave him for the man who destroyed his basketball career, he wouldn't wish tsuris like that on anyone. And he's not at all interested in getting involved with Emily again, not even to track down the one mysterious donor who may be able to save the boy. But when Myron learns that Jeremy Downing is his own son, conceived the night before Emily and Greg Downing married, he embarks on a search for someone who disappeared a lifetime ago. And what he finds leads him to a powerful family determined to keep an old secret, a disgraced reporter who may have plagiarized a novel to create a serial killer, a very interested FBI agent, and a missing child.

This is the seventh outing in a series that's been gaining in popularity since Bolitar's first appearance, in Harlan Coben's Deal Breaker. Myron's a bit of a baby, but he's not afraid to get rough when the situation calls for it, he's eminently likable, and his heart's in the right place. The fireworks are supplied by his friend and partner, Win, who really deserves a series of his own, and Esperanza, the lesbian wrestler-lawyer who has finally talked Myron into making her a partner in the business. Like Coben's other Bolitar novels, she's worth every penny. --Jane Adams --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Book seven in Coben's wonderfully rich series (after 1999's The Final Detail), which features sports agent Myron Bolitar, former basketball player and totally believable human being, is all about fathers, sons and the intricate and often painful chains that link them together. Myron, who has just moved out of his parents' house at the age of 34, is worried about his father's health after a heart attack, but it's hard for either of them to talk about the older man's condition. Myron tends to have long relationships with women that end in tears. ("You're in your mid-thirties, single, sensitive, and you like show tunes," says his current lover, a troubled television star. "If you were a better dresser, I'd say you were gay.") Emily, his college girlfriend from Duke who dumped him for a more successful basketball rival, re-enters the picture to tell him that her critically ill 13-year-old son needs a bone marrow transplant, but the only suitable registered donor has disappeared. Can Myron find him? And, by the way--Myron is the boy's real father. The search takes Myron deep into some decades-old unsolved crimes involving another father and son--a sadistic deranged killer and a conflicted newspaper columnist. Myron's deadly preppy friend, Win, is on hand to supply his own frightening brand of violence, and the gorgeous Esperanza Diaz, the former wrestler who's now a full partner in MB SportsReps, supplies wisdom as well as glamour. But the heart of the novel is, as always, the fallible but infinitely appealing, accessible figure of Myron Bolitar--a modern Don Quixote complete with knee brace and cell phone, ready to take on the world's problems. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Orion Publishing (January 6, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752856227
• ISBN-13: 978-0752856223
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (93 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,031,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Harlan Coben is the bestselling author of sixteen previous novels, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers "Long Lost" and "Hold Tight." Winner of the Edgar Award, the Shamus Award, and the Anthony Award, Coben lives in New Jersey with his family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grabs the heart from page ONE!, June 13, 2001

By 

K. Corn "reviewer" (midwest, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Darkest Fear (Myron Bolitar Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

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!

53 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars JACKPOT-Harlan Coben's Best Ever!, September 22, 2000

By 

Joymarie "Lover of the Written Word" (United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Darkest Fear : A Myron Bolitar Novel (Hardcover)

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.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Anti-climactic after a terrific start, October 28, 2003

By 

binnsie "binnsie" (Bangkok, Thailand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Darkest Fear (Myron Bolitar Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

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".