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Multi-award winner (Edgar Award, Shamus, Anthony Macavity Agatha Awards -- and I've probably omitted some) former political science major Harlan Coben has made quite an impression since his sports agent, Myron Bolitar, made his debut on the crime fiction stage in 1995. Coben's bibliography to date comprises TELL NO ONE, DARKEST FEAR, THE FINAL DETAIL, ONE FALSE MOVE, BACK SPIN, FADE AWAY, DROP SHOT, DEAL BREAKER, GONE FOR GOOD and NO SECOND CHANCE - and short stories as well. Coben's TELL NO ONE, proved that he could play with equal ease outside the confines of the series as he could within it. While Myron Bolitar is a sports agent, and a former basketball star, sport plays a very minor role in the series. Coben displays remarkable finesse in writing convincingly about sports stars without overmuch detail regarding the particular sport. In this novel, Bolitar is asked by his friend Norman Zuckerman, to represent up-and-coming woman basketball player, Brenda Slaughter. Bolitar is more to fill a babysitting role than an agenting part and is reluctant to oblige his mate. Brenda's father, the man who gave Myron his first opportunity to fulfil his potential as an athlete, has disappeared so the agent feels compelled to aid and assist the beautiful Brenda not only to find her father but also her mother, who abandoned both husband and five-year-old daughter 20 years previously. Myron soon finds himself the meat in a political sandwich. Arthur Bradford is attempting to position his posterior on the governor's seat while his opponent is interested in Myron's client but determined to prevent Bradford's ascension. Both candidates are associated with crimes in New York. Both threaten Bolitar with injury. On his business front, Myron is perched on the twin horns of a dilemma. His long time friend, Esperanza, having successfully completed law school, is now importuning Myron to taker her on as a partner. Bolitar sees arguments for both acceding to her request and denying it but feels that he would benefit more by remaining un-business partnered. Esperanza is not to be dismissed readily, however. True to Coben's usual plots, Bolitar and his psychotic best friend, Win, put themselves in grave physical danger, although Win appears to have almost supernatural abilities to defeat all who threaten the duo. Myron has made a big commitment to his lover Jessica by moving in to live with her, yet he finds himself drawn almost irresistibly to the lovely Brenda. All this occurs in the metaphorical shadow cast by various corpses. True to his literary past, Coben's ending is a surprise to the reader. The characters are consistent -- although the murderer's is, perhaps, played down a trifle to make the conclusion more shocking. The narrative contains quite a lot of violence, but again, this is not atypical of Coben's work. The temptations dangled before Bolitar and his reaction to them enhance the character of the sports agent. The book contains quite a lot of racism, both implied and explicit, as well as more than a few shots at discrimination against women. My own feeling about the writing is that the author could rein in his tendency to over-the-top metaphors and similes, striking though they may be. Sometimes they make me want to laugh rather than cringe in fear. Nonetheless, Coben displays an ability to play on the emotions of the reader and generally tell a pretty good tale.
Reviewed by Denise Wels Pickles, December 2003
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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