Back Spin (Myron Bolitar) | 
 enlarge | Author: Harlan Coben
Creator: Jonathan Marosz
Publisher: Random House Audio
Category: Book
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $11.54
You Save: $8.45 (42%)
New (21) Used (12) from $9.50
Rating:  38 reviews
Sales Rank: 156543
Format: Audiobook, Unabridged
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Unabridged
Number Of Items: 7
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 5.7 x 5.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 0739341006
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780739341001
ASIN: 0739341006
Publication Date: March 6, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW
| |
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Kidnappers have snatched the teenage son of super-star golfer Linda Coldren and her husband, Jack, an aging pro, at the height of the U.S. Open. To help get the boy back, sports agent Myron Bolitar goes charging after clues and suspects from the Main Line mansions to a downtown cheaters' motel--and back in time to a U.S. Open twenty-three years ago, when Jack Coldren should have won, but didn't. Suddenly Myron finds himself surrounded by blue bloods, criminals, and liars. And as one family's darkest secrets explode into murder, Myron finds out just how rough this game can get.
In stories that crackle with wit and suspense, Edgar Award winner Harlan Coben has created one of the most fascinating and complex heroes in suspense fiction--Myron Bolitar--a hotheaded, tenderhearted sports agent who grows more and more engaging and unpredictable with each appearance.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 33 more reviews...
 Comparable to others about Myron July 20, 2008
I have read the Myron books out of sequence, which makes their freshness harder to judge. What may be a new angle or detail for sequential readers may be old news for me. Some of the regular style points and riffs the author uses appear here. Some are to be expected, such as wise-cracking by several characters, even small role-players. It wouldn't be right without some people as cynical wise guys.
The story is adequate enough, with some slowness in the middle third. This isn't the book for golf lovers who can't tolerate some cracks about their beloved sport. Are golfers athletes? Myron: "sort of". Coben has some nice twists, along with some tips that were near giveaways.
I was also amused by how much the cultural observations and occasional details have already aged. Take the AOL dial-up as one example. And forget the beepers. Such is the fate of novels meant to be timely.
Another pleasant diversion from Mr. Coben. Read it in a couple of days and then move on. Jack's story might also remind you of Greg Norman and his challenges in the majors.
3.5 stars
 Weaker Entry in the Bolitar Series July 6, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Harlan Coben is a great thriller author, and I really enjoyed the first three novels in his Myron Bolitar series -- DEAL BREAKER, DROP SHOT, and FADE AWAY. The fourth novel, BACK SPIN, is also enjoyable, but I found it a bit too convoluted for its own good.
BACK SPIN is probably Coben's first novel where he designed an ultra-complicated plot filled with one twist after another. The storyline is decent (it involves the kidnapping of a boy of two championship golfers), but I just found it somewhat clumsily structured, with a lot of different subplots that don't mesh very well together. All of the golfer characters struck me as flat and underdeveloped, which robbed the story of a great deal of drama and tension. The result is an interesting read, but not one that particularly excited me.
I think a medicore Coben novel is better than most other thrillers out there, but my advice is to avoid BACK SPIN unless you've read some other books in the Bolitar series. This book will probably not turn you into a fan.
Myron is a guilty pleasure you just can't quit July 5, 2008
This is the fourth installment of the series from Coben that follows sports agent, and part-time gumshoe, Myron Bolitar and a cast of characters that are hard to briefly describe.
While you don't have to read the three previous books to enjoy this one, I would suggest that you do read at least the first installment "deal breaker". Coben does a pretty good job of setting everything up in each novel so that they can stand by themselves, but if you're like me you want to read them in order.
This one revolves around the sport of golf. (previously it's been football, tennis, and basketball) You don't have to know anything about golf to enjoy the book, but if you are a sports fan it makes it even more enjoyable.
Jack Coldren's son Chad is kidnapped while he is in the middle of leading the pack at the U.S. Open Golf Tournament. His first tournament success since a legendary choke job some 20 years before at the same tournament, same golf course.
Myron is brought in to get to the bottom of it. Wonderful plot and dialogue ensue.
Great for the Coben fan, or first timer.
Some of his other books you might enjoy are Fade Away, Drop Shot, and a non-Bolitar novel entitled Gone For Good.
 Coben NEVER ceases to amaze me! June 20, 2008
As of this writing, I have read everything by Coben from "One False Move" going forward skipping over "Promise Me." I had decided I would probably better understand and appreciate Myron, Win, and Esperanza better if I started in the beginning and worked my way forward. I purposefully have avoided reading "Promise Me" until I'm all caught up. It's been a great ride so far, but I had to pause and comment on "Back Spin" as this was just an amazing read with the best elements of a whodunnit anyone could ask for.
I'm a golfer, so I laughed a lot while reading this book. Mr. Coben's sense of humor was in high form as he made fun of a sport he and his main character were striving to understand. In the midst of trying to land a new client there is a kidnapping, followed by threats, followed by a gruesome discovery, then a murder, then another...and there are lots of suspects. Win isn't helping Myron this time around because of the attachment the victims have to his family (but there's plenty of him in the book for those of us who love this character). By the time I got a third of the way through this story, I was locked in and couldn't put the book down. The twists were amazing. The shocking discoveries many. You'll have a great time reading this book!
I would like to caution any emotional readers about the last chapter of "Back Spin." I only hoped that the book would include what it did before the final pages, but Mr. Coben threw a little something in there that pulled an unexpected reaction from me. Usually when I finish one of his books I say "Wow!" or "Unbelievable!" or "You NEVER cease to amaze me, Coben!" as I'm putting the book down contemplating my next read. This time I could only cry. As a golfer and a beloved son of a mother I loved very much while she was here, he really struck a cord with me on the final page.
Your best ending to a book yet, Mr. Coben. I'm still fighting back the tears. Thank You!!
Coben is Magnificent Again December 12, 2007
Think about this for a minute, you have just sunken the putt to take an eight stroke lead in the U.S. Open when moments later you find that your son is missing. That's how Jack Coldren discovered that his son's finger is gone and his dream of winning the Open could be over. Myron Bolitar, a former superstar basketball player and investigator, is trying to help him out of his terrifying nightmare. Myron is currently a sports agent who works with Win Lockwood who is cousins of Linda Coldren, who's married to Jack, whose son is missing. Myron's secretary, Esperenza Diaz, is also well involved in the plot.
Harlan Coben pulls you trough a whirlwind of wit and suspense. If you enjoy mysteries and have a good sense of humor, you would think this book is phenomenal. BACK SPIN is a five star novel.
The story began 23 years ago when on the final hole at Merion in the U.S. Open Jack's caddy, Lloyd Rennart, gave him the wrong club to help throw the U.S. Open during the biggest sports collapse in history. Soon after Jack fired him, he disappeared. Twenty-three years later Jack is in the same spot with his child missing. Read BACK SPIN to find out how fatal this book is.
|
|
|
