Customer Reviews

Fade Away: A Myron Bolitar Novel

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've read a few Harlan Coben books recently and I have thoroughly enjoyed his Myron Bolitar series. In Fade Away, he definitely raises the bar and moves from being not just an entertaining mystery writer, but also a well-written one.

Myron Bolitar is a 32 year old lawyer who runs his own sports agency. At one time, he was one of the top college players in the country. But after being drafted by the Celtics, he blows his knee out in a preseason scrimmage and his potential career is history. Now, the owner and general manager of the New Jersey Dragons want him to find one of their stars, Greg Downing, who has gone missing right before tournaments are to begin. In order not to raise suspicions, they place Bolitar on the team so that he can better investigate what has happened. Downing and Bolitar have been in competition since they were in high school, and it wasn't always about basketball. Bolitar finds many reasons for the possible disappearance of Downing that range from compulsive gambling to possible murder.

When I first started reading Coben, I thought the characters were a little too much like Robert Parker's Spenser and Hawk. But I've come to appreciate them on a new level. As a person who has played and coached basketball, Coben is right on in his observations about the game and the players. In describing Bolitar's complicated relationship with Downing, he says "there is a special bond between competitors. Kinda like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. You become defined by one another. It was like that with Greg and me. It was unspoken, but we both knew the bond was there." TC, the other Dragon star tells Bolitar about the price of being a star. " The real price is you ain't a person anymore. You're just a thing, a shiny thing like one of these Benzes out there. The poor brothers think I'm a golden ladder with goodies at every step up. The rich white boys think I'm a fancy pet."

The plot in Fade Away is also much more intricate than usual, and the ending has a stunner of a surprise. I never saw it coming. The one thing that kept me from giving it five stars is that the plot line where Bolitar is recruited to play is a big stretch. Otherwise, this was a pretty awesome book.

First and foremost, I do NOT consider myself a reader of mysteries, UNLESS of course, they are written by Harlan Coben. "Fade Away" is a wonderful example of what a writer can do with character development in a book series. With each book, we learn a little more about Myron Bolitar and what makes him tick - and we always like what we learn. This is the third of Coben's "Myron Bolitar" mysteries that I have read and each one just gets better. By now, I have learned to not try to figure out whodunnit before Myron does, because I will fail misrably. Coben tosses you red herrings like you were a performing seal at SeaWorld. And you will gobble each one up, with enthusiasm! Honestly, I resist the urge to read all of the Bolitar novels at once (even tho' I own them all). Coben's books are like Godiva Chocolates. You love them so much you just hate to gulp them down all at once.

Being an avid reader of mysteries, I am thrilled to find an author such as Coben to add to my list of must-reads. Thanks to Amazon.com's recommendation, I first read Fade Away, then scampered to the computer to order the rest of Coben's books. Even if you aren't a sports person, this book will be a joy to read and hard to put down. His characters are interesting and just neurotic enough to be believeable. The reader instantly likes both the hero, Myron, his best friend, the anti-hero, Win, as well as Myron's assistant and girl friend. The plot is intricate and you wonder if it will all be tied together at the end. This is one of the best mysteries I've read in a long time. Try it - you won't be disappointed!

When Myron Bolitar, a sports rep and one time first round draft to the NBA, is signed on by the New Jersey Dragons it isn't so that he can make a comeback. In fact, Bolitar has been signed to track down his teammate and former arch-rival Greg Downing. What he doesn't know when he accepts the job is that far from being a simple missing persons case, this becomes a murder hunt. But, who is the victim, who killed her, what is their motive and, why is someone attempting to blackmail not only Greg, and the team but also Myron himself?

Full of twists and turns the third book in Harlan Coben's Myron Bolitar series is also full of the usual witty dialogue. Although Myron is of course the protagonist in this story numerous appearances are made by other familiar characters, Jessica, Esperanza, Big Cyndi, Myron's parents and of course Win, and it's great to follow what's going on with them. Don't think that you have to have read the earlier Bolitar books to get into this though, it's a great stand alone novel but once you've read it I wouldn't be surprised if you wanted to read the rest.

I initially bought this book to pass time on a train journey but still found myself reading it that evening long after I was home and I finished it the following day. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good mystery novel. If you're new to Coben I'd say read these great books and then don't miss his great thriller Tell No One.

In this 3rd Myron Bolitar mystery, Myron finally realises his dream of playing NBA basketball, although the circumstances aren't exactly how he would have expected to gain the start. As with all of the Myron Bolitar books, the tone is light while the content is actually a little more serious. The interplay between Myron and Win, and Myron and Esperanza is always a highlight of these books, and certainly doesn't disappoint in this one.

Myron is asked by the owner of the New Jersey Dragons to search for the missing star player, Greg Downing. Myron has a history with Downing, which plays a bit of a part with Myron being hired for the job. While searching for Downing, he can't let on to anyone that Downing is actually missing, making the job particularly difficult. His search uncovers numerous surprises, which threatens Myron's hard won acceptance of past failures.

This is a fast-paced thriller that continues on what is a very entertaining series. It's better to have read the earlier books, if only to get a better idea of how the characters have come to depend on each other and why they put up with their behaviour. It's also worth reading the others because they're all just plain enjoyable reading.

This was the first Harlan Coben book I read, but it was not the last. I am writing this review several months after reading this, but I feel it was so good that it deserves further kudos. The story is extremely good, there are many twists and turns, and the characters are witty and likeable no matter how cold they can be at times. I would recommend both Robert Crais and Robert Parker to those of you who like Harlan Coben. I have read several Robert Crais books, try "the Monkey's Raincoat" or "Stalking the Angel" and "Playmates" by Parker. The stories twists are not on par with Coben (but few are), but the stories themselves and characters run alongside Myron and Winn. For anyone wondering about "Fade Away" if the other reviews haven't given you enough of an idea, read it now or you'll be sorry. It won the Edgar Award with good reason.

I really enjoyed this book because of all the history Mr. Coben gives you of the characters. I've read the first two books in the series and was excited about this book. It gives you some history about Myron's college years and how his basketball career injury happened. Jessica kinda takes a backseat in this one. I enjoyed again the dialogue between Win and Myron. I can't wait to read the next book in the series. The mystery in this one isn't as good as the previous two. I felt like it wandered around some. There's of course the Coban twist at the end where the character you least suspected is the bad guy. I highly recommend this book for the background and the continuation of the series.

Again, Harlen Coben takes you on a great ride through New Jersey with the usual suspects. Great chemistry. You have to love the premises in these great novels.Never a dull moment.

This author writes a good story straight through. I will be reading more of his books. If you want read a solid story with plenty of humor,this is one for you.

I purchased this as part of my mission to reread the Myron Bolitar series from start to finish. This puts me another step closer. Thanks