Harlan Coben’s Back Spin is as Good as a Hole in One

Somehow, I fell into a Harlan Coben trough.

It’s not really a rabbit hole, but when I finished Back Spin on Thursday and noted it on my “Books Read” list, I noticed something. Of the 11 books I’ve read this year, three have been by Coben. And of those, two feature Myron Bolitar, sports agent and righter of wrongs.

In Back Spin (1997) is the fourth book in the series. I hadn’t planned on reading it immediately after I finished Coben’s latest, Nobody’s Fool, but a co-worker with whom I converse about books is, via audiobook, rapidly catching up to me. Easy for him considering his commute one way is over an hour. Back Spin came up on my Libby app (y’all have this awesome app, right?) and I went ahead and pushed play.

Myron is at the US Open, the golf version, to recruit a newcomer who is having an excellent showing. Which is funny because Myron doesn’t play golf and, in his usual sarcastic style, comments on the idiosyncrasies of the game. He is asked by Linda Coldren to look into the kidnapping of their son, Chad. The timing is really rotten, too. Chad’s dad, Jack, is leading the Open, a remarkable comeback after choking two decades prior and living with the stigma ever since.

Normally when shady things darken Myron’s door, he is helped by Esperanza, his assistant in the sports agency. She’s here, but their reliable third man, Win, is reluctant. Actually, he refuses and for the most surprising of reasons: he and Linda are first cousins. There’s a reason why Win is hands off, and the answer is played out during the story.

The action takes place over the course of the four-day US Open. Coben spins his intricate web, layering mysteries on top of other mysteries, answers that lead to more questions. And it’s here where I actually would love to ask Coben a question: did he have the story outlined ahead of time or did the story unfold organically?

I wonder because there are moments in the tale when a certain secret is revealed, and you think you know the answer. But Coben throws a curveball, forcing you to rethink (along with Myron) what you expect. The irony of reading this novel right after his 2025 novel, Nobody’s Fool, is that both books use the exact same Sherlock Holmes quote: “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.”

What I particularly enjoyed about this entry in the Myron Bolitar series is how Coben digs into Myron, Esperanza, and especially Win. We get some context and backstory into their personalities and why they are the way they are.

There’s a small segment I really dug. It’s when Esperanza, a former professional wrestler, meets another former wrestler.

Oh, and any author who can land a last sentence the way Coben does in this novel is firing on all cylinders.

Having only discovered the Myron Bolitar series—and Harlan Coben—last year, I am still kicking myself for not starting earlier. Love the series and really enjoyed Back Spin.

Now the only question: do I charge ahead and read the fifth book now…or let my co-worker catch up to me.