Customer Reviews

Long Lost (Thorndike Core)

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(42)
3 star:		(30)
2 star:		(25)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

Myron Bolitar has been a favorite character of mine, so I was delighted to see a new book featuring him. Alas. Somewhere between the last one I read and "Long Lost" Myron has acquired a son (as has Esperanza!) and gone from sports agent to any-old-kind of agent. Did Coben run out of sports??? Further, he has taken up with the needy Therese Collins, who apparently was designed to launch him into a new career as 007, fighting terrorists and going global. Sorry. That's not my Myron, and I find this jump just a little too big to take. Gone are his clients (what happened to Myron, the agent who puts his clients first?) Gone is Esperanza, who plays such a minor role she might as well be missing in action. Even Win pops up only when needed, like a reliable Kleenex. Is Coben looking for (and writing for) a blockbuster, shoot-em-up, blow-'em-up movie contract? I prefer Myron Bolitar as Jerry Maguire, not Bruce Willis. Give this one a miss.

(Oh..I listened to this on the Unabridged CD version--bring back the original reader. Stephen Weber just doesn't cut it.)

I'm only a recent Myron Bolitar fan, having discovered the series a few months ago and devoured them all since. This is, by far, the weakest of the books. The premise was ridiculous, the scope of the plot literally unbelievable, and the ending just pathetic.

Mr. Coben? Tangentially: why on Earth have you created an obviously only-child protagonist, only to slip in throwaway references to a brother and, now, sister? It's simply a stupid choice, especially since you provide no background, no mention of either sibling at all aside from two sentences in the fourth or fifith book and two more in this one.

If you write any more Bolitar books, please return to the actual character we fell in love with--the agent whose criminal entanglements follow believably from his work, his friendships, his life. Not this reasonably well-written but credibility-devoid schlock.

Aside from being one of his most disappointing "Myron/Win" books in the series, I was very surprised and annoyed to see that Cobin has espoused the Robert Parker "How To Make Less Look Like More" philosophy -- i.e. using thick pages and large print to make a 150 page book into over 300 pages. I read it in less than a day - not because it was so riveting, but because, in actuality, it was so short! If you can get it at the library at no cost, then you might enjoy it - simply because of the characters. However, in my opinion, you should not waste your money buying it!

It's been ten years since Myron Bolitar has heard from his old flame, Terese Collins. She has become a suspect in her ex-husband's murder in Paris and pleads for Myron's help. After arriving in Paris, Myron finds out troubling information about Terese's past and the death of her daughter. Myron begins digging around for answers and discovers evidence that might prove Terese's daughter is still alive. With the help of the ever faithful Win, Myron embarks on an international search for answers to the mystery behind Terese's past. What they discover is more frightening then anything they could have imagined.

In Long Lost Harlan Coben sets out to satisfy the masses with his first Myron Bolitar novel in three years. Not only does he satisfy, but he gives his faithful fans what may be his most enticing thriller to date. What makes the Bolitar novels so addicting is the strong and quirky characters and of course they are all back in wondrous fashion. Myron himself is as endearing as ever with his unyielding desire to help those he loves. Coben would be shunned by his rabid fans if he didn't give us a healthy dose of Windsor Lockwood III. Never fear. Win is back and just as psychotic and engaging as ever. Esperanza is as sassy as always bringing some welcome moments of humor and tenderness throughout.

Coben has long established himself as a master of the first person narrative and I don't think anyone writing in the genre today compares. I love how Coben takes these characters that are so familiar and raises the stakes by placing them in a horrific conflict with global implications. This is a far cry from Myron's mystery solving sports agent days, yet despite the raised stakes we still find the same old Myron and Win we fell in love with years ago.

In the end we are left with a truly terrifying conclusion that may surprise readers, but nevertheless fits the plot that Coben has so masterfully constructed. Harlan Coben consistently keeps me in awe with each new installment and Long Lost is certainly no exception. Even if you have never read a Myron Bolitar novel, Coben gives just enough background to keep you out of the dark. Pull up a chair and sit tight because you won't be going anywhere once you begin.

From Loren Keim, author of How to Sell Your Home in Any Market: 6 Reasons Why Your Home Isn't Selling... and What You Can Do to Fix Them:

For those of you who have not read the Myron Bolitar books, they are exceptionally well written, full of humor, intense action and surprise twists and turns.

The long awaited and eagerly anticipated "Long Lost" installment of the series is one of the best. It is simply Harlan Coben at his best! (As I side note, I was surprised and disturbed by the reviews of 1 star that complained about the price or the purchase method. Reviews are meant for the books! And this book was great!)

Ten years ago, Myron Bolitar, sports agent, retired FBI agent, mystery solver and attorney, had dated TV personality Terese Collins. It didn't work out. Now she's returned, calling Myron from Paris because her ex-husband has been murdered and, of course, she is the primary suspect.

Worse, there is DNA at the scene and it belongs to her dead daughter. The twists and turns in this international search for the truth brings up truths that may have been better left buried (so to speak).

Forget the 1 star reviews here - this is an excellent book and Harlan Coben at his absolute best! You'll rediscover the rich psychopathic but ultimately loveable Windsor Lockwood the third, the ex-wrestling champ turned attorney and gorgeous Esperanza, and the writing style that has made Harlan a best selling author.

In this disappointing, latest installment, Coben has turned the fun Myron Bolitar series into an unreadable cartoon. Maybe it would have worked as a young adult graphic novel.

In Long Lost, we see Myron suddenly capable of superman tactics---bullets flying, he survives; fighting his way out of siturations no entertainment Agent could possibly accomplish-and what happened to that injured knee anyway? The formerly enigmatic Win has become relegated to a hidden Charlie of Charlie's Angel's fame. Coben could take a lesson from Carol O'Connel's series which effectively uses the complex and dark character Kathy but unfotunatley, Win has become one-dimensional and boring.

Last book from Coben I'l read; he's become lazy: too over-the-top---terrosits and stemcell research, too preachy, and too much of a waste of time. This bok should really be classified as fantasy.

Pretty disappointed with this Myron Bolitar adventure which really barely resembles the wise cracking sports agent going to extreme lengths for his misunderstood clients adventures this series was originally about. I mean Myron just drops everything to do with his clients and their needs for the duration of this one. Not to sure what Myron and Win are supposed to be here but James Bond knockoffs is what it reads like complete with the farfetched why don't the bad guys just shoot him dead instead of coming up with elaborate plots scenes. Esperanza has nothing but a cameo appearance and Big Cindy well Myron pretty much just describes what she looks like and her history in women's wrestling with Esperanza and that's it. It's not like we had too many words and had to do some severe editing out of these characters either, I mean I have a normal sized print book but I can't see how large print would result in anything more than ten extra pages as it's pretty much the same size. Plus the farfetched unrealistic scenes reach ridiculous heights too such as being shot in the stomach and shortly after being able to operate normally such as run across a school campus. I mean I know there is a lot of pressure from fans for more Byron books and likewise the publishers but I'd rather see no more than wreck the high quality of a series overall!

So anyway the basic plot of this one is Myron conveniently breaks up with his girlfriend and the attached fathering responsibilities shortly after overreacting to a comment of a dim-witted coach of the opposition kids basketball team. So he's free to drop everything and fly to Paris where a former fling (Terese Collins) has summoned him. He's pretty quickly sitting a jail cell in the counter-terrorism building and learning Terese is in a lot more trouble than she let on starting with the fact that her husband was murdered as Myron flew over. Myron is warned time and time again to just let it go and leave it to the authorities but of course Myron can't do this, especially when he thinks he's seen a glimpse of Terese's daughter. Only problem is she died in a car crashed by Terese ten years earlier.

If you're fan of the Myron series you'll want to read this but check it out from your library before paying money for it. Coben is one of the best authors out there but when I recommend him to others I won't be giving them this book for their first experience.

Harlan Coben doesn't disappoint again with his latest Myron Bolitar adventure! Even though it had been some time since I've read a Myron Bolitar book - I instantly remembered Win, Esperanza, and Big Cindy and immediately was drawn into his latest caper with an old flame Teresa Collins. As terrorist are brought into this plot, I kept waiting for Jack Bauer to come and rescue Myron - but alas - he has Win! Coben definitely makes you laugh out loud with Myron and Win's antics and dialogue - he also keeps you up late because you can't wait until morning to see how the twists and turns end!

So disappointing! I have read all the Myron books and loved them. This one was so disjointed. Right from the start when Coben turns Ali into a petty and secretive character in order to set up his story with the "new" love, things feel wrong in this book. The comic lines that Myron is so well known for do not work with the torture scenes and the high body count. I felt like Coben had read some of the other "grittier" series and decided he would up his torture quotient just to fit in. The terrorist ideas might have worked as a stand-alone book (although it would have needed a much better ending) but it does not work at all as a Myron novel. For me, I wish I had skipped this one altogether.

I've read all of the Myron Bolitar books and this, by far, is the worse. I knew I was in trouble when I was nearly 3/4 of the way through and realized I didn't care if I finished it. I forced myself to and now realize I can't get back those two hours. I absolutely loved the other Bolitar books and just hated this. It doesn't even feel like Harlan Coben writing it. It sounds/feels like a juvenile attempt at ripping off his work. We saw and felt very little of the usual characters and ended up caring very little about the plight of Therese or the plight of any of her potential offspring.