Darkest Fear

Coben thriller where our hero, Myron, is entangled with a pre-Jessica girlfriend--married to the guy who ended his basketball career. "Ah, soap opera, where's the thrill?" said I...until it became a fun listen. There were characters who lied, every time they opened their mouth and of course, the regulars, Win and Esperanza. Both played a fun role. Win is like Trump--says what you're thinking. The richness of the witty speech was also enjoyable--wish I could be that glib under pressure. I was guessing until the very end. Excellent entry at #7; Where's the #8?

Darkest Fear is the seventh novel to feature sports agent and amateur detective Myron Bolitar. Myron is a sad-sack ex-basketball pro who’s a magnet for trouble and for troubled women. In the finest hard-boiled tradition, he’s also a confirmed smart-ass. Myron runs MB SportReps. His best friend is Win, a.k.a. Windsor Horne Lockwood III, wealthy eastern socialite, loyal friend and amoral killer. His assistant and now partner in MB SportReps is Esperanza Diaz, who worked her way through law school as Little Pocahontas, one of the Fabulous Ladies of Wrestling (or FLOW). Myron’s receptionist is Big Cyndi, a gargantuan lady who was formerly Little Pocahontas’s wrestling partner, Big Chief Mama, and who works nights as a bouncer at an show more S&M bar called Leather-N-Lust (motto: Hurt the one you love).

This book finds Myron pulled into trouble yet again. An old girlfriend contacts Myron and hits him with a double shot: Myron is the father of her child, and the child needs a bone marrow transplant or he will die. A donor was found, but has since disappeared. Myron (whose marrow does not match) begins searching for the donor and ends up dealing with a series of brutal kidnappings, an ambitious reporter, and the FBI. Will Myron find the missing donor? What’s the connection between the ambitious reporter and the kidnapper? Is the child really Myron’s?

Coben is absolutely wonderful at creating odd, off-the-wall characters who somehow manage to remain believable. He’s also adept at putting these characters into situations that cause real pain and where the outcome is by no means a given. Because you like the characters so much, you suffer when they do, and that’s the sign of a good book. But where Coben really shines is the humor.

Your Hammett/Chandler tough guy detectives have always known their way around a wisecrack, and Myron is no exception. He cannot have an encounter with anyone, it seems, without attempting pithy commentary (his success rate varies). But Coben has surrounded Myron with smart people who know him all too well, so Myron doesn’t necessarily get the best (or the last) laugh. Then you add in a character like Big Cyndi—a sweet, wonderful person, but not the brightest star in the sky—and the way is paved for some absolutely hilarious interactions. The cool thing is that all of these oddball characters are never played just for laughs; they have lives, and problems, and, most importantly, feelings, and you are never allowed to forget that. Coben walks a fine line between the dark and the humorous, and he manages to do it without cheating either one. show less

Myron Bolitar is one of my favorite characters. The series has a fine sense of humor laced with a good mystery. The beginning starts off well with Myron trying to be nice to his mother, a lawyer who never, ever cooks, but who has just turned out a pastry that Myron thinks tastes just like urinal cakes.

In this novel, Coben mixes the serious with levity. He is contacted by an ex-girlfriend who had ultimately married his arch rival on the basketball court and whom he blames for his career-destroying knee injury. It seems her son has a life-threatening disease that can only be cured with a bone marrow transplant and the one match in the registry has disappeared. She wants Myron to find the donor and save her son’s life. From there it gets show more really complicated mixing a serial killer with a discredited journalist whose being staked out by the FBI and a very rich family who has a secret they refuse to reveal.

Coben ties it together very nicely, but I sometimes wonder if the excellent narration by Jonathan Marosz doesn’t make the difference between 3 and 4 stars. show less

7th in the Myron Bolitar series.

Coben continues in this installment to deal with more serious issues other than a witty approach to the mystery genre.

Aging parents—particularly his increasingly fragile father—and the sale of the only home he has ever known have sobered Bolitar.

Then lightning strikes in the form of his former lover Emily Downing and, we discovered in the last book, the mother of his 13 year old son. Jeremy is dying and needs a bone marrow transplant. But the one potential donor that has been located so far has vanished—and there is not much time left for Jeremy. Myron and Win start a frantic search for the missing donor—having no idea that on the way they would uncover the traces of a serial murderer who may show more still be at large.

The plot is excellent and has enough twists and turns to satisfy. Coben’s writing is up to his usual standard, with a different take on the serial killer genre. The FBI makes an unflattering appearance. The hallmark wit is still there, and Win is still the same lovable sociopath, but this book, like recent ones, is more subdued, grimmer, as Coben continues to explore the personal impact of the mortality of one’s parents and (worse) children. Highly recommended. show less

Darkest Fear is the seventh book in the popular Myron Bolitar series. It opens with Myron visiting his parents home in New Jersey and reminiscing about his life. His father has recently had a health scare and his parents are selling the family home and moving to Florida. In the middle of this emotional upheaval he is contacted by his former college girlfriend, Emily Downing, now married to Myron's basketball nemesis. It turns out that Emily has a 13-year old son, Jeremy, who's in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant. They've found a match listed on the bone marrow registry list, but the donor has mysteriously disappeared. She begs Myron to find him, but Myron doesn't want to have anything to do with Emily or Greg. That is, until show more Emily tells Myron that he is actually the boy's biological father, the result of one last fling on the night before she got married. Is Myron a father? You'll have to read this book to find that out.

I really love this series but have to admit this wasn't my favorite. Although there is plenty of humor, the story seemed to be a little disjointed. Of course, you have to love a story that also includes Myron's best friends, Win and Esperanza. Win is an amoral, self-centered man with a heart of gold who is always ready to save Myron. Esperanza Diaz, former professional wrestler, is now his business partner and is her own version of the CIA. I would definitely recommend starting this series with an earlier book, but most fans will really enjoy this one. I look forward to the next book in this engaging series. show less

When Myron's ex-girlfriend Emily shows up at his parents' home, Myron is anything be delighted to see her. In an attempt to send her on her way, he agrees to join her for coffee at a local coffee shop, where she begs Myron to help her save her son, Jeremy. Jeremy needs a bone marrow transplant as soon as possible, and the matching donor has disappeared. As Myron begins to refuse, Emily reveals that Myron is Jeremy's father.

In that moment, Myron accepts the case...during his quest to locate the donor, the case becomes entangled with a serial murderer...

I just finished reading this book and while I'm a huge Harlan Coben fan, this one didn't do it for me like his other books usually do. This is also one of his earlier books. This book had a great summary of events, just wasn't quite the page turner I was hoping for. The Dennis Lex theory in the book I had figured out instantly, textbook theory (without giving anything away). I loved all the other Myron Bolitar books so I'm glad I read this one as well, however, glad I didn't read it very first I might not of picked up another Harlan book after this one. But since I know his potential I can't wait for his new one in March!