Deal Breaker: The First Myron Bolitar Novel

Harlan Coben has created a series of novels that feature a cast of characters spearheaded by Myron Bolitar. I am trying to make my way through all of the extant Bolitar books. With each book I read, I feel like I am attending a college reunion watching the class clowns continue to cavort and entertain. Even if the stories that Coben writes were not as interesting and well-crafted as they are, I would probably read them for the sake of the witty repartee that ricochets like verbal sniper bullets among the regulars in the series. Let me describe the core of the team of protagonists, antagonists and hangers-on:Myron Bolitar - Jerry McGuire meets Wally Szczerbiak. Top Boston Celtics' pick in the NBA draft, Bolitar's athletic career ended suddenly with a knee injury in training camp his rookie year. He did a stint as a mysterious government agent, earned a law degree from Harvard and then turned to being a sports agent and amateur detective and do-gooder. He has a knack for interjecting himself into the most labyrinthine entanglements imaginable.Win (Windsor Horne Lockwood III) - Myron's best friend, roommate at Duke and perpetual sidekick. A Harvard MBA grad, he handles the financial side of Myron's sports agent business on the side while running the family business - a hugely profitable investment firm with palatial headquarters on Park Avenue. Windsor hides a Bruce Lee-like mastery of martial arts beneath the serene and polished exterior of Jay Gatsby. "Windsor Horne Lockwood III, however, looked exactly like his name. Blond hair, perfect length, parted on the right side. His features were classical patrician, almost too handsome, like something crafted in porcelain."Esperanza Diaz - Bolitar's "girl Friday," Della Street and Erin Brokavich - all rolled into one. She is a former professional wrestler, known on the circuit as "Little Pocahontas," and knows her way around the mean streets of New York and northern New Jersey.Aaron - The "goon", enforcer, muscle for Roy O'Connor, a ruthless and rival sports agent. O'Connor and Bolitar often run afoul of each other, and Aaron is usually sent to straighten out Myron. He plays Bluto to Bolitar's Popeye!Jessica Culver - Myron's love interest. She is a gorgeous, famous published author who keeps waltzing in and out of Myron's life. Esperanza, protective of Myron, hates Jessica!Here is a small sampling of the sometimes sophomoric and totally addictive repartee that is characteristic of Myron and Win playing a wise-cracking game of "Good Cop - Bad Cop" with a suspect in the disappearance of a high school girl:"Now, we can discuss this with you or with the school board. Up to you."Gary glanced at his watch. "You have two minutes.""Fine." Myron gestured to the right. "Why don't we step into the teachers' lavatory? I assume you have a key.""Yes"He opened the door. Myron had always wanted to see a teachers' bathroom, see how the other half lives. It was unremarkable in every way."Okay, you have me here," Gary said. "What do you want?""Tell me about this ad."Gary swallowed. His enlarged Adam's apple bobbed up and down like a boxer's head avoiding jabs. "I don't know anything about it."Myron and Win exchanged a glance."Can I stick his head in a toilet?" Win asked.Gary straightened his back. "If you are trying to frighten me, it won't work."Win's voice is semi-pleading. "One quick dunk?""Not yet." Myron turned his attention back to Gary. (Page 114)The story line of "Deal Breaker" involves the disappearance of the girlfriend of a star quarterback who has just been drafted by the Jets. Bolitar is Christian Steele's agent, and becomes involved when his client is accused of being complicit in the disappearance of Kathy Culver - who also happens to be the younger sister of Jessica Culver, Myron's once-and-future love interest.The tale is told with Coben's characteristic New York - New Jersey attitude, sense of irony and humor and taut plot developments and hairpin twists and turns.Enjoy.Al

Good story! It’s nice seeing Myron starting out! Wynn and Esperanza are good to see again. I listened to this years ago and decided to listen again. It’s very nice …like coming back to old friends.

I’ve read a couple of the Mickey Bolitar books and was introduced to his uncle Myron when Mickey moved into his basement. I liked those books and thought Myron seemed like he was an interesting character, but a bit of a mystery. So, I thought I would check out this series.Myron was a phenom basketball player growing up, and was drafted into the NBA. Unfortunately, his career was cut short because of a vicious injury, so he now works as a sports agent, which is a first for me. It seems to be a pretty sleazy industry on both sides, with Myron being the exception. He works along side his former college roommate Win, who handles the finances (among other things,) and his secretary Esperanza is also quite the firecracker. Myron is a Harvard graduate, attorney and has spent time working for the FBI. All of these things combine for a hell of a book.I found Myron’s character quite endearing. He seems to know what needs to be done and the best way to do it, even if things come to blows. All this with a nice sense of humor. He reminded me so much of Elvis Cole that I had to picture him as the same man. I can’t wait to continue with this series and maybe learn so more of the things Myron and Win have gotten themselves into in the past. This book gets 5 stars because I was actually able to read it long past my bedtime without falling asleep!

"Deal Breaker" is, I believe, the third novel of Harlan Coben. It is a modern mystery novel set in New York and New Jersey. It has a distinct Hard Boiled "Noir" feel to it and put me in mind of a modern iteration of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. It very vaguely reminded me of "The Big Sleep"., but that is very subjective. I like the novel. I consider it an adult read.In that it is more modern American in style there are many more vulgarities than one will find in any novel that I ever read by either Mister Chandler or Mister Hammett. The protagonist, Myron Bolitar, has the hard cynical edge of the Noir American Private Detective of the past. He is not an actual detective, but a sports agent with a non specific past affiliation with the F.B.I. In that it has to do a good bit with sports, some readers might not enjoy that part of it as much as other readers. Personally I was ambivalent.In what may be a complete coincidence, Myron Bolitar at one point discusses with another person the proper use of "who and whom". This is the fourth early detetcive novel in which I have found this. The previous three being "The Godwulf Manuscript" by Robert B.Parker, "Indemnity Only", by Sara Paretsky, and "Baltimore Blues" by Laura Lippman. I have no idea what, if anything, is to made of that.I read the first two novels of Mister Coben, "Play Dead" and "Miracle Cure". This third novel is distinctly different and marks a distinct improvement over the first two novels. Except for the purpose of comparing and contrasting those first two novels, they are otherwise forgetable. In all fairness to Mister Coben, he states that himself in the latest introductions of his first two novels. I completely respect that and am glad that I had a chance to study them but a casual reader might skip them if one wants to start with this series for casual reading enjoyment.In summary, I liked this novel and plan on reading more Harlan Coben novels in the future. I listened to the accompanying audiobook as I read. The reading was very professional. The narrator was Jonathan Marosz. This is the first Harlan Coben novel that I read in chronological order that I would recommend to someone who wanted a casual fun reading experience, as long as one does not mind sexual content and nomenclature. Thank You...

A friend recommended this author to me. Great storyline. I can't wait to start book 2!! Keep 'em coming Harlan Coben.

Starts off beautifully. Who did it? Then it gets lost in too many characters. More characters get added. It doubles back.I'm lost. Finally I don't care who did it.

This is the perfect way to start the Myron Bolitar series.

Deal Breaker is an excellent story featuring (to me) a new lead character, Myron Bolitar. Bring on the next one - I can’t wait to read it!

Solito godibile racconto di Coben, imtreccio di storie e personagi che alla fine si compongono. Non Dostoeskyi ma si legge con piacere.

Una vez empezado no lo puedes dejar

No wonder netflix is making series based on its books