Live Wire: 10 (Myron Bolitar) - Softcover

Coben, Harlan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 045123393X ISBN 13: 9780451233936

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, 2012

Synopsis

#1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben exposes a different side of sports agent Myron Bolitar in this explosive thriller...

When former tennis star Suzze T and her rock star husband, Lex, encounter an anonymous Facebook post questioning the paternity of their unborn child, Lex runs off. Suzze, who is eight months pregnant, asks their agent, Myron Bolitar, to save her marriage--and perhaps her husband's life. But when Myron finds Lex, he also finds someone he wasn't looking for: his sister-in-law, Kitty, who, along with Myron's brother, abandoned the Bolitar family long ago.

As Myron races to locate his missing brother while their father clings to life, he must face the lies that led to the estrangement--including the ones told by Myron himself...

About this title

Review

It was only matter of time before Facebook and other electronic social media found their way into thrillers – as they do with Live Wire. For some years, Harlan Coben has been situated firmly at the top of the tree in the crime and thriller stakes, and each new outing consolidates his already enviable reputation. So far, there have been no missteps (not something every bestselling crime writer can claim), and Live Wire is another example of his command writing. Coben’s engaging protagonist Myron Bolivar is back in the thick of things again in this one. But the author has something special up his sleeve here for his beleaguered hero.

A Facebook posting sets out destructive claims about who the father of a child yet to be born. On the receiving end of the questionable revelations are ex-tennis champion Suzze T and her retired rock star partner Lex. Lex deserts his pregnant lover, and the distressed Suzze calls on private eye-cum-sports agent Myron Bolitar, hoping he can retrieve her relationship. More is, in fact, at stake – including, it seems, the life of the errant Lex. And Myron’s private life is in its customary jumbled state. He runs into his sister-in-law Kitty (married to a brother who has broken off contact with Myron) and the couple’s teenage son Micky. The boy rages at Myron, who he considers responsible for his parents’ estrangement. So Myron has multiple problems: sorting out the chaos caused by the unpleasant Facebook posting, saving the life of Lex and curing his own headaches over his warring relatives. From this busy premise, Live Wire goes off at a surprising tangent, with Myron even confronting an existential question: his own shifting identity.

Coben’s dialogue here fizzles like the best vintage crime fiction, and Myron remains one of the strongest characters in the genre. As always, the sense of place is crucial with the author: the settings here have a pungency that leaps off the page. But it’s the plotting that really grabs the interest – along with what we learn about Myron, which changes the face of this entertaining sequence of books decisively – and permanently. --Barry Forshaw

Review

Praise for Live Wire

"Harlan Coben is one of the best thriller writers in the business...fans will be awe-struck with this latest novel, wondering how Coben maintains such a high level of excellence."--Associated Press

"Mr. Coben spares his reader no emotional extreme...a fast-moving action tale."--Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Live Wire is a stunning achievement in all respects--everything a thriller, and a novel, is supposed to be."--The Providence Journal

"Delivers a deceptively complex plot and illustrates why Myron is such an intriguing character...Coben...deftly shows that he has more stories to tell about his long-running character."--South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"One of Coben's most exciting and multidimensional tales yet...a gripping tale."--The Columbus Dispatch

"Coben reveals the introspective side of his slick character...Fans will enjoy the change of focus and wonder how Coben will re-create his hero in his next adventure."--Library Journal

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 045123393X
• ISBN 13: 9780451233936
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 448