Fade Away

Myron Bolitar's professional basketball careeer ended before it ever really began with a severe knee injury sustained during a pre-season game. He is therefore astonished when the owner of the New Jersey Dragons, a team headed for the playoffs, offers him a job as a player. But it turns out that this is to be a cover for the real job--finding the whereabouts of one of the team's star players, Greg Downing, who has disappeared on the eve of the playoffs. Myron and Greg have a history as rivals going back to their high school basketball days.

Myron and his Philadelphia Main Line Old Family assistant Win immediately run into signs of trouble when they discover blood in the basement playroom of Downing's house. Soon a body shows up, that of show more a mysterious "Carla", and the puzzle thickens.

Coben is in fine feather with this series installment. Myron and Win are two of the more original "detectives" in the mystery genre, and Coben's comic touch, as usual, really enlivens the story. Win is definitely everyone's favorite sociopath.

The plot is excellent with a gratifying number of twists and turns. The climax is completely unexpected and well-written; the ending, quite appropriately, is somewhat somber and a little ambivalent.

There are aspects of the plot, however, that do not tie up neatly at the end, and that left me uncomfortable trying to figure out just exactly how they actually did fit in to the overall plot. There is a brief and pretty superficial look at the price sports superstars pay for their celebrity status that is crucial to the plot.

As always, Myron and Win are the chief attractions in a highly entertaining--many times truly funny--book. Highly recommended for a good, light read. show less

Fade Away is the third book in the Myron Bolitar series. Myron is a sports agent and former FBI agent, but ten years ago was a a top NBA draft choice until an serious injury sidelined him in his first preseason game. Myron's former rival, Greg Downing, is now a superstar for the New Jersey Dragons. He's also missing and the owner of the team wants Myron to find him. To do that he gives Myron a place as a substitute on the team. When the trail leads to the bludgeoned corpse of a woman last seen with Greg, Myron, and his best friend and partner, Win, find themselves in real trouble. Win has a penchant for violence and he certainly puts it to use in their investigation.

I enjoyed the plot twists involving Myron’s history and the way he show more has coped with his disappointment over the years. The writing is suspenseful, at at the same time, laugh out loud funny. The characters are all multi-dimensional, and the secondary characters of Win and Esperanza, are some of the best I've ever seen. Harlan Coben is a master of great storytelling and suspense. Myron is a fascinating character and I look forward to continuing the rest of this highly addictive series. show less

Fade Away is so far one of the best novels in this series, that I've read. Not only is Coben really hitting his stride with the characters in this novel, but the twisty-turny plot line kept me enthralled throughout. I listened to this entire audiobook in two sittings, late at night when almost the entire house was asleep, and I had no distractions. Boltar's character is so fleshed out, he seems more real than ever to me, and I adore his sarcastic asides and Bon mot's especially. (And the other characters as well. But NOT the way he made fun of the new receptionist, "Big Cindy"...! That was awful, and Coben should be ashamed of his sizeist attitude! I would hope that Coben's attitude towards larger sized women changes before the next show more novel.)
Anyway, I snickered more than once, and this does not happen often.
Jonathan Marosz is a great narrator, and I hope he narrates more of The Boltar's series. The reveal at the end of the novel was a real wowser, and I am betting that it will keep me, and many, many other readers and listeners coming back for more. I'm very happy that I kept up with this series, through the first couple of novels in it. This novel is the beginning of the pay off. P,ease give this series a try, you won't be disappointed.
4 solid stars, and recommended for other lovers of mystery novels. show less

he home was top-notch New Jersey suburban. The living room was Martha Stewart. The basement was Legos - and blood. For sports agent Myron Bolitar, the disappearance of a man he'd once competed against was bringing back memories - of the sport he and Greg Downing had both played and the woman they both loved. Now, among the stars, the wanna-bes, the gamblers and groupies, Myron is unraveling the strange, violent life of a sports hero gone wrong, and coming face-to-face with a past he can't relive, and a present he may not survive.

I think this is my first Harlan Coben book? He seems like a serial publisher so I never gravitated towards him, but this was really fun and well done, a bit of a sports world mystery, messy missing persons. I won't be so hesitant to pick up his books in the future.

I'm working my way through this wonderful series...I'm almost glad I missed it when it first started...I just have a total reading happiness ahead! Myron and Win make a wonderful pair to work through the complicated events that arise, thanks to Coben's terrific imagination.

A fun read, but a bit too complicated, I thought, with too many characters. Still, there were some interesting ones, and I'm beginning to like the police detective that seemed like a bit of a jerk at first. But I guess that's just his way, and Myron is a bit of a jerk, too, so it's probably to be expected. They're both pretty humorous.

I'm not sure if I really want to continue with this series right now, though. I was disappointed in the last two compared to the first one.