Promise Me [Hardcover]

Harlan Coben (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Orion; Third Impression edition (2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 075287439X
• ISBN-13: 978-0752874395
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (165 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,858,157 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

35 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't read this book without reading the earlier books in the series..., May 30, 2006

By 

L. Quido "quidrock" (Tampa, FL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Promise Me (Myron Bolitar Mysteries) (Hardcover)

If you do, you'll miss the subtleties as skillful author Harlan Coben pays another visit to see his first protagonist, the wisecracking sports agent, Myron Bolitar. If you read this alone, you might like it, but to appreciate what Coben's trying to do, you need to let the fact that he's letting everyone in the series grow up (except for Win, Myron's sidekick)to the tune of six years passing since Myron's last adventure.

There's much to appreciate - Myron gets caught up in childrearing drama when he gets the teenage daughter of friends and the daughter of his girlfriend to promise that they'll call him if they are ever in a situation where they have no ride home that isn't drunk or drugged out. The reader is squirming a little at how suburban Myron has become, including new love Ali (not a winning combination), and being drawn, mouth-agape into the complex and risky world of teenagers in today's culture.

Coben probably brings back a character or two that are not necessary, in an effort to please his old fans. The subplot of visiting his folks in Florida would be ludicrous, if the context of the dialogue between El Al (his parents, Ellie and Al) wasn't so darn funny. Big Cyndi, however, a character I swear he shares with Janet Evanovich, did not bear revisiting.

The final twist in the book is just a little over the top, and I, for one, hope that Bolitar goes back to repping sports figures and not celebrities, but all in all, Coben's given us a great continuing chapter in a series that thrives on wisecracks, while blending the over the top humor and violence with some of today's real tragedies (college entrance pressure, dysfunctional families, domestic abuse. Coben attempts a lesson, and succeeds, but "Promise Me" falls short of some of the earlier and more cartoonish Bolitar fare.

Nevertheless, not to be missed if you're a Coben fan!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impossible to put down, March 13, 2007

By 

Timothy J. Kindler (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Promise Me (Myron Bolitar Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Needing some plane reading, I recently grabbed Coben's Promise Me as I ran out the door to the airport. I started reading as I waited at the gate to board the plane to depart and only stopped for the few minutes required to get on board. Thankfully I was able to finish prior to landing at my destination because this book was impossible to put down. Coben effectively provides a wide range of characters, strong character development, and numerous plot twists and surprises. Having read one of the early books featuring Myron Bolitar, however, I was looking forward to the return of Bolitar and friends. Coben presents a compelling, fast paced thriller that keeps the reader guessing throughout. He effectively captures the human turmoil associated with every parents' nightmare - a missing child. Clearly, this is better if you have some familiarity with the characters from previous novels, but even if you haven't, you should find Promise Me to be a great read. I promise.

38 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome Back Myron and Gang, June 6, 2006

By 

Pam from Texas - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Promise Me (Myron Bolitar Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Several years ago I emailed Harlan Coben and told him Myron Bolitar should have been the blueprint God used to create all men. I still feel the same way. I have missed Myron and Win and all the zany characters that make up Myron's world. Once again Coben has written a story with twists and turns that kept me guessing and surprised at the ending. I read the book in two days because I could not put it down and thought about it when I was away from the house. I just hope we see a lot more of these characters.