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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another solid Coben effort..., July 5, 2005
I will be the first to admit that I am a fan of Harlan Coben's work. Myron Bolitar led novels are among my favorites. Bolitar is a well-written character and you generally know what to expect from him. Wise-cracking, hard working and usually quite a bit of fun.
This novel is no exception. With that said, I have given it 4 stars because it was not as good as some of his other work. The story follows Bolitar around as he investigates the death of a potential client (former tennis star player). His current client, a rising tennis star that is making a big splash in the tourney, may be involved or have some knowledge of the dead former tennis player. Now it is up to Bolitar to figure out if there is an relationship between the dead player and is current client. The plot twists a little here and there and Bolitar continues to fight against those that want this case buried (and an older case buried).
The Senator involved and the cover up from years ago of another murder (a murder that may have a connection to the dead tennis player and his current client) left a little to be desired. The details are sketchy and though it is later cleared up somewhat, I wish there were a few more details and a little more info.
The tennis also could have been portrayed better...his current client, the rising tennis star goes through the tourney and we don't know much about this guy's tennis career even though he is rushing through the tourney. A little more backround (has he played in many tourney's before this, is he ranked, etc.) would have made his run in the tourney one that the reader could have been more interested in.
The novel is solid. It is a fun read and will keep you entertained...I just wanted a little more from a good writer and a fun character.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
MORE LOB THAN DROP SHOT, September 6, 2008
When a young female ex-tennis star is murdered at the gates of the U.S. Tennis Open, ex-lawyer turned sports agent (and pseudo detective) Myron Bolitar along with his slightly psycho pal, Win Lockwood, become involved in the investigation.
It seems the murder victim had intended to "make a comeback" and had been trying to contact Myron to engage his services as her agent before she met her untimely end. The mystery surrounding her death and its link to another murder six years earlier is pretty "run of the mill" and the identity of the killer is evident long before the last page of the book. The cop on the case is stereotypically stupid and stubborn, the "mob" boss comes across as an uneducated strong-arm goon, the tennis trainer is a twisted pervert, and all I can say about Myron's girlfriend, Jennifer, is "he deserves better". It's no wonder that his mother and his assistant Esperanza dislike her so intensely.
Drop Shot is a tennis term referring to the tactic of barely tapping the ball over the net thereby making it nearly impossible for your opponent to return the ball. This book is aptly titled, since the story itself barely makes it and is rescued by the interaction between a couple of the characters. The most interesting "couple" in the book are not Myron and Jennifer, but rather Bolitar and Lockwood. Bolitar has a sort of smart -aleck cerebral humor about him while Lockwood is the man of action with a skewed perception of society and together they are a the dynamic duo - - - - sort of like pairing Bernie Rohdenbahr with Jack Reacher.
Drop Shot is definitely not the best mystery you will ever read, but then again it's not the worst.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Drop Shot, December 14, 1999
I just finished this book, and enjoyed it, but it was not up the Harlan's usually high standards. I agree with another review who said that there were places in the book that could have been "cut & pasted" from some of Harlan's other books. Again, the conversational writing is tremendous, and most of all "true to life". The characters seem to come to life and do in fact have their individual personalities. Not his best, but worth reading.
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