Customer Reviews

Promise Me

5 star:		(72)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

Loved the first 7 Myron Bolitar books on CD. The readings of Jonathan Marosz were Wonderful. Then I got to book 8 - read by the author. PLEASE Harlan - stick to what you do best. You do the writing, let Jonathan do the reading. This reading by the author was a big snore - after the first CD unabridged, I opted for an abridged version just to get to the end sooner.

I first became acquainted with Harlan Coben's writing in an encounter with one of his gripping stand-alone novels. The couple of novels I had read were excellent. This is my first encounter with Myron Bolitar. It will not be the last. This is a well-constructed novel with amazing plot twists and turns. It is virtually impossible to guess the "villain" so cleverly written is the novel. You almost feel that the final twist is simply not believable but on reflection you can see that the seeds are there but there lots of red herrings along the way. I'll be picking up the earlier Myron novels as soon as I can get my hands on them.

This Coben book is a bit different than some I've read. It doesn't jump into the action on page 2; there's a bit more lead up to the storyline. I love the characters of Win and Myron, and was glad to see them back. Coben uses the usual in new technology and pop culture references throughout his book. The "bad guys" are a pair of chewing twins, which fit perfectly in the stable of HC baddies. I only gave this book 4 stars because I felt the ending was too contrived and left me going "huh"? (which I usually don't do at the finale of one of his books!). It is highly recommended for the HC fan out there and all thriller-lovers.

I've been a fan of Coben's since his third Myron Bolitar novel...I met him at a mystery writer's conference and liked his humor enough to buy his book, which led to immediate fandom.

I have since read every in-print book by him and eagerly awaited Promise Me, since I've missed Myron even though I've enjoyed the standalones too.

Like every other of Coben's books, this is a page turner. And it was almost weird how happy I was to "see" Esperanza, Hester, the Bolitar parental units, and especially Win. (What can I say--I have a thing for psychos.)

The premise is simple--because Myron lost a high school friend to a drunk-driving incident, he asks two young women to promise him to contact him if they're in an at-risk situation--he won't ask any questions. This promise puts him at risk, but Myron, who hasn't played the good-doing Caped Crusader in seven years, finds that it still comes naturally.

And by the end of the book, he indicates to Win and Esperanza that he'll be doing it again--which I celebrate.

Maybe I should give this five stars, but it wasn't as epic and cohesive as some of Coben's better novels (Gone for Good, One False Move). A new love interest isn't well-defined, but serves only to mirror the Myron-Batman weakness for playing the role of savior.

However, if you're looking for something that will demand your attention and occasionally make you laugh out loud, you can't do better than Promise Me.

First, I have always thought that Coben's stand-alone novels are stronger than his Myron Bolitar series. Second, the Publishers Weekly blurb identifies Bolitar as "the former Boston Celtics basketball star." It makes me wonder if the blurb writer has read any of the books. Bolitar was a Duke basketball star, signed by the Celtics, but who had his knee destroyed (a story in its own right) before he played any regular season basketball for the Celtics. Third, Coben's reading, contrary to the PW blurb, is distracting and underscores the weaknesses of the book. Coben reads too fast in narrative sections, so that he almost stumbles over his own words. In addition, his voices are awful. His women's voices sound like a bad transvestite, and his men's voices all sound like the cartoon character Goofy. The novel has the usual baker's dozen of plot twists, but this time around it's just not engaging.

'Promise Me' by Harlan Coben is something of a mystery novel that feels as if it were written in haste. It seems very derivative to a great many mystery novels one would find on supermarket shelves. Missing persons, paranoia and mayhem in suburbia, and colorful action heroes are all found within this book. Oh, and we cannot forgot the many intricate twists in the end! To all this I say "bah!". Harlan Coben has written better, and his fans deserve better.

Bottom line: let's hope next time Mr Coben doesn't phone in his next novel to his publisher. Not recommended.

Not many authors will use a line like "His worn blue jeans hung low, displaying enough plumber crack to park a bike," but sentences like this are `Classic Corban'.

Despite the sometimes wacky similes, no one makes me turn pages faster than Harlan Corban. He consistently sets up an intriguing premise (in this case, the teenage daughter of a family friend disappears after Myron drops her off in the middle of the night at one of her friends' houses). Myron promises the girl's mother that he will find her, effectively ending a six year hiatus from `playing Batman.' The novel takes off from there.

Corban has always had a good feel for middle class suburban family life. Myron, in addition to unraveling one of Corban's trademark convoluted plots, must come to terms with his ex-girlfriend's pending marriage, his partner tying the knot and starting a family, an old school friend's rocky relationship with her unfaithful husband, and a budding romance with a 9/11 widow who has a teenage daughter.

Corban's novels generally come out of the gate strong and Promise Me is no exception. He starts with an interesting idea, creates likeable central characters, adds light touches of humour and pop culture references, and keeps the reader hooked with twists, turns, and subplots. Some of his descriptors, like the one noted above, may make you scratch your head, but they are all part of Corban's charm.

One common complaint about Corban is that his characters are often one dimensional. This is true enough, but easily forgiven. Corban writes plot-driven suspense novels, not character studies. Admittedly, at times the characters seem like game pieces being moved around by the author (sometimes into places that they don't feel like they belong) in order to suit the needs of the plot. There are stereo-typed characters as well in Promise Me (a popular teacher who sleeps with his students and a hippy teacher who sells drugs) but a few gaps in logic and a cardboard character or two can be overlooked if the novel delivers a thrilling ride and satisfying conclusion.

Providing a thrilling ride is no challenge for Corban, but wrapping things up with a satisfying conclusion can be. The final pages are where he has a tendency to let readers down. The twists and turns in plot often get so out of hand that the novel no longer makes sense and the reader feels betrayed by an unfair or completely unbelievable ending.

So what about Promise Me?

The final twist is pretty far fetched - but as unlikely as it is, I think it's fair enough to the reader.

Don't read Promise Me if you are looking for a stark, realistic crime novel. If you like crime fiction that is fast paced, entertaining, and filled with twists and turns, and you are willing to overlook a few gaps in logic and over-the-top metaphors and similes in the process, Promise Me is a book you'll find hard to put down.