-
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…
-
What Makes a Thriller? Harlan Coben Provides One Answer in Nobody’s Fool
I’m relatively late in reading anything by Harlan Coben, having read the first Myron Bolitar novel just last fall. I’ve since read three Bolitar books but never a standalone entry in Coben’s 37-novel career. When Nobody’s Fool was published, I checked out the audiobook from the library and settled into what is billed as a thriller. What Does “Thriller” Mean To You? “A stunningly twisty thriller” are the opening words to the book description so my mind conjured up an idea of what that meant. “Stunningly twisty” told me that I was going to get what Coben is famous for: a story that turned on itself, subverting expectations while truths…
-
Meeting Harlan Coban’s Myron Bolitar For The First Time
Where has this book been all my life? On the bookshelf of your local store, just waiting to be read. We’ve Only Just Met After All This Time Harlan Coben has been writing professionally since 1990 but he really became famous for the Myron Bolitar series, starting in 1995. I’ve known about Coben for a long time. Multiple best-sellers every time he publishes a book. Multiple adaptations of his stories on TV. And, recently, the professor of a BBC Maestro online class that helps writers craft thrillers. I’m always game to learn—especially from an acknowledged veteran of the genre—so I bought the class. While listening to Coben talk in the…