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A review by weaselweader
Darkest Fear by Harlan Coben
4.0
And Myron Bolitar takes a dig at the FBI, …
“And by the way, how come you’re all called ‘special’ agent? Doesn’t that sound like something someone made up one day? Like a kid’s game to raise self-esteem. ‘We’re promoting you from agent to special agent, Barney.’ ”
When lovers of the detective, mystery, or the suspense thriller genres are asked to prepare a list of their favourite wise-cracking, sharp-tongued, quick witted heroes, names like Robert Crais’ Elvis Cole, Nero Wolfe’s Archie Goodwin, Nelson DeMille’s John Corey, Dashiell Hammett’s Nick and Nora Charles, and Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden will often appear. But virtually nobody would prepare such a list without including Harlan Coben’s erstwhile comedian and resident smart-ass, Myron Bolitar. The quantity and quality of one-liners, quips, jokes, sarcasm and ribaldry that Coben puts into the mouth of his hero simply beggars the imagination.
And, lest I give the impression that the plot takes second place to late-night one-line comedy routines, be assured that DARKEST FEAR’s story line is a solid winner. Myron’s college girl friend Emily comes out of the woodwork with the disclosure that her thirteen year old son, Jeremy, is actually Myron’s son, the result of a clandestine and definitely sordid tryst between the sheets on the eve of her wedding to another man. As if that weren’t enough news for one day, Emily lets Myron know that Jeremy has an illness that will become quickly terminal unless Myron can help to find a bone marrow transplant donor who seems to have vanished without a trace. The hunt is on and it’s a high-speed chase that leads to kidnapping and a confrontation with the FBI! Definitely exciting and gripping stuff!
A taut, entertaining, enjoyable page-turner, DARKEST FEAR can stand proud and hold its head high on any list of today’s best suspense thrillers. Definitely recommended.
Paul Weiss
“And by the way, how come you’re all called ‘special’ agent? Doesn’t that sound like something someone made up one day? Like a kid’s game to raise self-esteem. ‘We’re promoting you from agent to special agent, Barney.’ ”
When lovers of the detective, mystery, or the suspense thriller genres are asked to prepare a list of their favourite wise-cracking, sharp-tongued, quick witted heroes, names like Robert Crais’ Elvis Cole, Nero Wolfe’s Archie Goodwin, Nelson DeMille’s John Corey, Dashiell Hammett’s Nick and Nora Charles, and Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden will often appear. But virtually nobody would prepare such a list without including Harlan Coben’s erstwhile comedian and resident smart-ass, Myron Bolitar. The quantity and quality of one-liners, quips, jokes, sarcasm and ribaldry that Coben puts into the mouth of his hero simply beggars the imagination.
And, lest I give the impression that the plot takes second place to late-night one-line comedy routines, be assured that DARKEST FEAR’s story line is a solid winner. Myron’s college girl friend Emily comes out of the woodwork with the disclosure that her thirteen year old son, Jeremy, is actually Myron’s son, the result of a clandestine and definitely sordid tryst between the sheets on the eve of her wedding to another man. As if that weren’t enough news for one day, Emily lets Myron know that Jeremy has an illness that will become quickly terminal unless Myron can help to find a bone marrow transplant donor who seems to have vanished without a trace. The hunt is on and it’s a high-speed chase that leads to kidnapping and a confrontation with the FBI! Definitely exciting and gripping stuff!
A taut, entertaining, enjoyable page-turner, DARKEST FEAR can stand proud and hold its head high on any list of today’s best suspense thrillers. Definitely recommended.
Paul Weiss