Fade Away - Myron Bolitar 3 by Harlan Coben

 

From the Back Cover

In novels that crackle with wit and suspense, Harlan Coben has created one of the most fascinating heroes in suspense fiction: the wisecracking, tenderhearted sports agent Myron Bolitar. In this gripping third novel in the acclaimed series, Myron must confront a past that is dead and buried—and more dangerous than ever before.

The home is top-notch New Jersey suburban. The living room is Martha Stewart. The basement is Legos—and blood. The signs of a violent struggle. For Myron Bolitar, the disappearance of a man he once competed against is bringing back memories—of the sport he and Greg Downing had both played and the woman they both loved. Now, among the stars, the wannabes, the gamblers, and the groupies, Myron is embarking upon the strange ride of a sports hero gone wrong that just may lead to certain death. Namely, his own.

Fade Away - Myron Bolitar 3 by Harlan Coben

This is my re-reading of this third in the Myron Bolitar series.

I have owned these Harlan Coben books for years but somehow never got down to reading them despite stellar reviews and recommendations from book bloggers.

There is also the demerit of reading books in their e-book format, aa like me, if you are a passionate collector as well, you tend to accumulate so much and then just forget...

Never happened with hard copies, the books would stare you down from their perches in the bookcase forcing you to take evasive action (read 'em).

What I have found in Fade Away is that Harlan's understanding of people and relationships helps the books. This book takes Myron close to moments that are very close to home and not very pleasant.

His chief rival in school ball rival that is and who also happens to be his ex-girls husband is missing. While Myron floundered in his career, Greg (the rival) is a NBA star.

The missing career and his near proximity to the team bench is bittersweet for Myron and brings about some poignant moments in the book. Like most of the books in the series there are wise cracks aplenty with everyone even secondary and tertiary characters spouting their own.

What caught my fancy in this story was that the personal emotional crisis and stress that Myron has to go through in this book and it is painful when you look at it from Myron's point of view. The story concerns his sport basketball and there is so much of basketball in the book what with a player missing from the team and the management comes to Myron to find the person notwithstanding his personal interest in the person and his relationship with the team. The cover story for him results in the team drafting him a cover story by making him a part of the team. The biggest pain point was when they ended up offering him a shot in a match as a part of the team that is agonizing. One can understand the pain if you have played any sport passionately at any competitive level and what Myron lost out in his life is on occasion painful to read. If you have not then you may not get the high of an emotional connect but you can just read this like any other thrilling novel with lots of all round action.

Back in college Myron had led Duke to the National Championship while Greg was his counterpart who played for Chapel Hill. Their rivalry stemmed from those times. Subsequently in this book we also discover that there are trails of gambling, deceit and murder in this game and we get another glimpse where we learn that Myron and Greg's competition was not just limited to the court.

The story also gives us an insight to the workings of a sports team and as a reader we also become privy to the ego's that come along with the money and fame in professional sports. The manipulations that the team and people associated with them do are present in their starkness. We see Myron being manipulated and having his ego stoked by the coach and being prodded to come through for the team. His own personal tragedy is bared by manipulations to get him to do the bidding in favor of the team.

Win and his presence and machinations sometimes make the story implausible but if you overlook that part and sit in a mildly suspended belief then the story sits right. The character developments in the story are great and help the story along. The book does get lax at some places and meanders on occasion but the continuous wisecracks keep the story moving in the right direction.

I felt the book lost some steam when compared to the previous two in the series so docked a star but Harlan's books are great and I intend to read everyone of them unless the ratings drop.

Recommend this book. Pick it up have not already read it, if you you are gonna enjoy it.

The series is not interlinked so can be read as a standalone book.

4 Stars

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