The Nature of Things

Fade Away by Harlan Coben My rating: 3 of 5 stars I have to admit this series is actually growing on me. After reading the second book in the series, I was ready to swear off it forever, but a year and a half later I finally read number four (out of sequence) and liked it. So, I decided to go back and pick up number three, Fade Away, and once again I found the book was not awful. In fact, I quite enjoyed it as a diverting read. This time, the sport is basketball, which was Myron Bolitar's game before his knee was injured in a terrible smash-up with another player. That injury changed the course of his life and he went to law school and became a sports agent instead of a professional basketball player Now, several years later, he is established in his profession and he has a promising romantic liaison. Everything seems to be coming up Myron. Then he receives a blast from the past when the man who was responsible for drafting him with the Celtics all those years before contacts him...

Back Spin by Harlan Coben My rating: 4 of 5 stars I've had this book on my Kindle for a couple of years, but after reading Deal Breaker and Drop Shot , the first two books in the series, I was not anxious to pick up a third. Actually, I rather enjoyed the first one, but I found Drop Shot totally without merit and I suffered from testosterone poisoning for weeks after reading it. So, two more books in the series have languished on my Kindle since. But I have this rule that I can't remove books from the device and send them to the Cloud until I have read them and I got sick of seeing those titles every time I opened up the Kindle. Time to bite the bullet I thought. I'll read one of them. I chose Back Spin , thinking it was number three in the series. Turns out it is number four. Oh, well. Imagine my utter surprise when I found out that I liked it! I found the writing much more crisp, the character development more believable, and the plot complicated but overall easy to fo...

My rating: 1 of 5 stars The stench of testosterone emanating from the pages of this book made me want to open a window to get some fresh air while I was reading it. Or maybe go outside and take a walk in the sunshine instead of reading it. This is the second in Harlan Coben's sports agent/detective Myron Bolitar series. I read the first one for my Mystery Book Club last year and I liked it well enough to give the second one a try. I have two more in this series on my Kindle but I don't think I'll be turning to them anytime soon. Myron Bolitar is portrayed as the tough but tender agent. He represents young athletes and protects them from the vultures who are just waiting to take advantage of them. He is, of course, irresistible to women and his world is peopled with beautiful women, but the most beautiful and desirable one of all is his and his alone. He plays in some very rough leagues and he's able to defend himself physically, but he doesn't like to carry a gun. T...

Harlan Coben's creation, Myron Bolitar, is a sports agent who is just about to hit the big time with his prized client, rookie quarterback Christian Steele. But before that happens, he's going to have to do some hard bargaining with some pretty shady characters who don't mind using violence as a negotiating tool. Fortunately, Myron has as his ace in the hole his friend, Windsor Horne Lockwood III (Win), to watch his back. Win makes up a considerable posse all by himself. Myron and Win formerly did some top secret work for the government and they are both black belts in tae kwan do. They are very well-trained and capable of physically defending themselves against the bad guys, but defending his clients against the psychological and financial harm that can ensue when certain secrets start unraveling may be a different matter. Christian Steele receives a phone call from his former fiancee, a woman whom everyone assumed was dead, although her body had never been found. Then nud...