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16th out of 21 books
—
127 voters
Back Spin (Myron Bolitar #4)
by
Harlan Coben
Kidnappers have snatched the teenage son of super-star golfer Linda Coldren and her husband, Jack, an aging pro, at the height of the U.S. Open. To help get the boy back, sports agent Myron Bolitar goes charging after clues and suspects from the Main Line mansions to a downtown cheaters' motel--and back in time to a U.S. Open twenty-three years ago, when Jack Coldren shoul...more
Mass Market Paperback, 368 pages
Published
July 22nd 2009
by Dell
(first published February 1997)
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In the third Myron Bolitar mystery, golf is the name of the game. A former friend (and relative through marriage) of Win's is in contention for the U.S. Open. Twenty some years earlier, he was in the same position and choked. And just when it looks like he's a shoe-in for this Open, his son is kidnapped.
This novel focuses a lot on the dynamics of family again. Win's mother is dying and Win has not spoken to her in years. He refuses to have anything to do with the missing boy case because it inv...more
This novel focuses a lot on the dynamics of family again. Win's mother is dying and Win has not spoken to her in years. He refuses to have anything to do with the missing boy case because it inv...more
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I think Harlan Coben should stick with the more serious side of murder mystery and leave the crazy/witty/caper type to authors more along the line of Janet Evanovitch. While I appreciated the effort at wit and candor in this one , and he did manage to evoke a few reluctant chortles from me, I like it better when he's less goofy and more, well, brilliant. Plus- and I should have known this- but a mystery about GOLFERS?! The biggest mystery surrounding golf is why anyone would play it... I have tw...more
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Myron Bolitar is approached by an old man to help his daughter and son-in-law, both of them ace golfers, to locate their missing son. And, in return Myron’s Company is promised a deal with the husband-wife duo. Myron goes on his own to locate the missing child as his friend Win won’t help him on the case, and manages to recover the child and in the process opens up a can full of lies, both from the past and present.
With each passing book, I am gradually starting to regard Bolitar as one of my mo...more
With each passing book, I am gradually starting to regard Bolitar as one of my mo...more
[ Review in Portuguese]
O Preço da Vitória, de Harlan Coben
Arqueiro - 256 páginas
Quanto uma pessoa está disposta a pagar por uma vitória?
E se esse preço for a vida de um filho?
Título: O Preço da Vitória
Título Original: Back Spin
Autor: Harlan Coben
Tradutor: Luciano Vieira
Editora: Arqueiro
ISBN: 978-85-8041-123-2
Ano da Edição: 2013
Ano Original de Publicação: 1997
Nº de Páginas: 256
Comprar Online:
Inglês: Amazon / Book Depository
Português: Amazon / Cultura / Saraiva / Submarino
Série: Myron Bolitar - Vo...more
O Preço da Vitória, de Harlan Coben
Arqueiro - 256 páginas
Quanto uma pessoa está disposta a pagar por uma vitória?
E se esse preço for a vida de um filho?
Título: O Preço da Vitória
Título Original: Back Spin
Autor: Harlan Coben
Tradutor: Luciano Vieira
Editora: Arqueiro
ISBN: 978-85-8041-123-2
Ano da Edição: 2013
Ano Original de Publicação: 1997
Nº de Páginas: 256
Comprar Online:
Inglês: Amazon / Book Depository
Português: Amazon / Cultura / Saraiva / Submarino
Série: Myron Bolitar - Vo...more
16 year old Chad Coldren goes missing and a telephone call claims that he has been kidnapped. Has Chad simply ran away and this is a cruel hoax? Myron Bolitar has a job to solve this mystery.
Back Spin has a very good plot with many possibilities of perpetrator, giving lots of avenues for Myron Bolitar to explore. There are plenty of suspects and this story has lots of twists that raise many doubts and suspicions. Harlan is very good at developing characters and each one has bags of personality....more
Back Spin has a very good plot with many possibilities of perpetrator, giving lots of avenues for Myron Bolitar to explore. There are plenty of suspects and this story has lots of twists that raise many doubts and suspicions. Harlan is very good at developing characters and each one has bags of personality....more
Coben has a good sports-themed series with Myron Bolitar, his wealthy banking buddy Win, and loyal aide, Esperanza, a former pro woman wrestler. All well developed characters.
This book is about professional golf, a sport that would seem to have meager subject material for a murder mystery. But Coben pulls it off, enriched by complex and off-beat characters. The plot goes back to the early career of a pro golfer, Jack Coldren, trying to redeem himself from a disastrous U.S. Open performance 23 ye...more
This book is about professional golf, a sport that would seem to have meager subject material for a murder mystery. But Coben pulls it off, enriched by complex and off-beat characters. The plot goes back to the early career of a pro golfer, Jack Coldren, trying to redeem himself from a disastrous U.S. Open performance 23 ye...more
Beginning to exhaust my hunt for the loner, the hunter as a singular and main hero...a new trend seems to be emerging, the disassociation of the hunter and conscientious hero into two separate characters: the main character and his loner side-kick. Several authors embrace this genre motif: Robert Crais's Elvis Cole and his side-kick Joe Pike and of course Harlan Coben's Mylor Bolitar and his elitist side-kick Win.
Of this genre, Coben is probably the most adept at creating complex and winning cha...more
Of this genre, Coben is probably the most adept at creating complex and winning cha...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Jan 12, 2012
Kitty
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audio-books,
adrenaline-rush
This series is turning out to be very consistent for me - I've enjoyed every one, so far - all almost equally. There's just something very likable about Myron.
This story focused on golf - but again, you really don't have to have any interest in this particular sport to enjoy this book. (In fact, Myron doesn't much care for golf, either, LOL.) Esperanza gets a slightly larger role in this one, and Win actually gets a smaller one. However, we do get a small glimpse into Win's past. While it proba...more
This story focused on golf - but again, you really don't have to have any interest in this particular sport to enjoy this book. (In fact, Myron doesn't much care for golf, either, LOL.) Esperanza gets a slightly larger role in this one, and Win actually gets a smaller one. However, we do get a small glimpse into Win's past. While it proba...more
The Myron Bolitar novels are not only full of clever plot twists and mysterious secrets (usually from someone's deep dark past).. BUT what makes them great?
Is it the YooHoo slurping, wise-cracking sports agent\detective that we've come to know and love?
Is it the complex relationships between Myron and those who work around or with him?
Is it Myron's partner, a cold-hearted billionaire vigilante styled in the image of Bruce Wayne (Batman without a cape or a mask)?
Is it the wonderful references to...more
Is it the YooHoo slurping, wise-cracking sports agent\detective that we've come to know and love?
Is it the complex relationships between Myron and those who work around or with him?
Is it Myron's partner, a cold-hearted billionaire vigilante styled in the image of Bruce Wayne (Batman without a cape or a mask)?
Is it the wonderful references to...more
If you have never read a Myron Bolitar and enjoy witty humor, mystery and sports (just as a backdrop) Harlan Coben is definitely someone you might want to try. I would start with the first, after two or three into the series you can jump around because you understand the characters, but you want to get firm in the relationships. I enjoy the difference in characters-the washed out (injury) basketball player turned sports agent who everyone starts off with, "Hey aren't you the guy who..." and proc...more
This was my first Harlan Coban book and may or may not be my last. It's OK, no great shakes but not awful either. There were some mistakes in it, though, that drove me crazy. One of the characters is described as having deep brown eyes on one page, and indigo eyes a few pagaes later. Um, no. Indigo is a shade of blue and it's a shade that eyes don't come in, as far as I know. On the other hand, maybe she was wearing contact lenses that change eye color.
That lack of attenion to detail bothers me...more
That lack of attenion to detail bothers me...more
Harlan Coben- Back Spin (Dell Books 2009) 3.75 Stars
When a young teenage boy disappears in Philadelphia during the U.S. Open championship, Myron Bolitar is asked by the mother to discreetly look into the matter. The mother, golf sensation Linda Coldren, has one stipulation; there must be no police involvement for fear of the repercussions of the kidnappers. Her husband is trying to win the championship and Myron can’t help but wonder if someone is attempting to sabotage his chances. Myron is for...more
When a young teenage boy disappears in Philadelphia during the U.S. Open championship, Myron Bolitar is asked by the mother to discreetly look into the matter. The mother, golf sensation Linda Coldren, has one stipulation; there must be no police involvement for fear of the repercussions of the kidnappers. Her husband is trying to win the championship and Myron can’t help but wonder if someone is attempting to sabotage his chances. Myron is for...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
The fourth of the Myron Bolitar series. I have been backtracking and staying current with all of Harlen Coben's books. He is one of my favorite authors. He constantly amazes me with the development of his characters and zigs and zags of the plot lines. When you think someone else is the culprit and then you think it is not you may have been right the first time but for different reasons. This story delves more into Myron's best friend Win past. At a prestigious golf tournament the golfer in the...more
I really, really like Harlan Coben's books, but for some reasons I have just avoided the Myron Bolitar books. The whole idea of a sports mystery just seems a little silly to me.
I read the first one a few years ago, and quickly read my way through the rest of Coben's books. I loved each one, and since there are none left, I guess it is time to give Myron a shot, (especially since I landed this copy for free!)((This happens frequently in my life)).
I jammed through this in two days.
The characters a...more
I read the first one a few years ago, and quickly read my way through the rest of Coben's books. I loved each one, and since there are none left, I guess it is time to give Myron a shot, (especially since I landed this copy for free!)((This happens frequently in my life)).
I jammed through this in two days.
The characters a...more
An entertaining read. I prefer reading Harlan Coben's non-Myron-Bolitar novels, but I have already read all of the ones that my library has to offer that aren't already checked out. So now I am reading this series.
It is a fun book that has all of the twists and turns of his other books, but so far, each book has felt very similar to the ones before it. Jessica, Win, Esperanza, hired muscle, showdown with hired muscle to showcase either physical or negotiating prowess, a chance at signing a big-n...more
It is a fun book that has all of the twists and turns of his other books, but so far, each book has felt very similar to the ones before it. Jessica, Win, Esperanza, hired muscle, showdown with hired muscle to showcase either physical or negotiating prowess, a chance at signing a big-n...more
This is the second Myron Bolitar book I've read after Deal Breaker. So far, I liked them both. They are funny, fast paced, so I stay glued until the last page. Although in this novel it seems like everybody is involved with each other and somehow they are all connected, still the story is interesting and has unpredictable ending.
I really laughed hard when Myron is trying to talk to the girls at the mall (LOL). I like the way he handles the investigation, hard enough because he is not a police of...more
I really laughed hard when Myron is trying to talk to the girls at the mall (LOL). I like the way he handles the investigation, hard enough because he is not a police of...more
I love all Harlen Coben novels!!! This one was no exception! Fast paced, all the familiar characters you love, and lots of drama, and twist and turns. This is a 1997 copyright, with a 2007 re- issue. There was some dated lingo, like with the girls at the mall, a reference to windows 95, and use of the entire word- cellular. No texting etc. For some reason this book must have fallen through the cracks for me because I thought I had read all of his novels, but I have no memory of having read this...more
I always enjoy Coben's books with Myron Bolitar as the central character. This one takes place during a U.S. Open golf championship. Myron is called upon by Win's uncle Bucky to help the family get back his kidnapped grandson. The boy's father is competing in the Open and his mother is the top-ranked women's golfer. Win refuses to help Myron because of his long-standing estrangement from his family--especially his mother. The book is a fun read because of Coben's wise-cracking central character...more
This in a book in the Myron Boltair series, of which I have read a few of the books. My intention was to start with the first book and read them from the start. I mistakenly thought this was the first book but didn't stop reading it once I realized it wasn't because Harlan Coben's books are really enjoyable. Plot is usually the same in this Boltair series. Myron, a sports agent and his psychotic preppy super rich friend, Win, accept a new client. After that there's either a kidnapping, murder, d...more
This witty tale Back Spin by Harlan Coben has more loose strands than my old mop head. He takes a screwed up golf pro and his equally maimed wife, a black enforcer that looks like Nat King Cole, a beautiful Mexican female wrestler, three Nazis coke-heads, an old loud mouth Jewish queer, a tiny oriental arm candy, plus two tall good looking brilliant talented rich hero types that just happen to be at the US Open and weaves it all together....I kept turning pages and looking for a one armed accord...more
Mystery novels are slowly becoming my favorite type of novel. Harlan Coben is a wonderful author and in both books of his that I have read I was never ready to put the book down. In BackSpin, I thought at the beginning the characters were introduced too quickly, at least too many of them at once. Once the book got going, it was great. I enjoyed the mystery of 'who-done-it'and the book was very well thought out. I woudl say it was better than watching an episode of Law and Order. Will definitely...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Jan 13, 2013
Chris
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
harlan-coben-mystery,
series
Plot involved a golfing couple whose son is kidnapped. Jack and Linda Coltran or something like that. Linda is best woman golfer in world. Jack choked in the U.S. Open 23 years ago, and now he has a chance to win again. But their 16-year-old son disappears. Turns out attorney Esme Fong, who works for Norm Zuckerman, had seduced the son. And Norm had been having an affair with Norm--neither of them are publicly out. The kidnapper wanted Jack to throw the U.S. Open, but Jack wasn't willing. I thin...more
Book 4 in the Myron Bolitar series by Harlan Coben - 3.5 stars. Myron is at the golf US Open with his friend Win (whose family are part of the sponsoring country club). While he is watching the match (and wondering why people like golf) Myron is approached by Linda Coldren and asked to investigate the kidnapping of her son. Linda is related to Win, but because Win hasn't spoken to his mother in 25 years, he is not willing to help Myron with the case. And to complicate the case, Linda's husband,...more
#4 in the Myron Bolitar series.[return][return]Up to now, at least, each book in the series revolves around a different sport. For Back Spin, that sport is professional golf. Coben admits up front in his Acknowledgements page that he enjoys golf "about as much as sticking his tongue in a fan". And thus his protagonist, Myron.[return][return]Still and all, Myron has a business to run, a sports representation agency. So, despite his aversion, he is attending the U.S. Open, trolling for potential c...more
Golf. Green. Lots of GREEN. White Sand. Mansions. A Whole New World of Language. Funny Pants. Loud Jews. Kidnapped Boy. Famous Golfers. U.S. Open. Severed Fingers. Murder. Anything To Keep The Way People Perceive This Family Alive.
So this is another installment of Myron Bolitar. I love his stories.
This one though was about golf. Harlan Coben even said in the beginning of the book that he and Myron Bolitar tried, but it didn't suit them.
A lot happens in this book, especially with the characters...more
So this is another installment of Myron Bolitar. I love his stories.
This one though was about golf. Harlan Coben even said in the beginning of the book that he and Myron Bolitar tried, but it didn't suit them.
A lot happens in this book, especially with the characters...more
Apr 15, 2011
Ed
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Crime Fiction Fans
Shelves:
crime-fiction,
reviewed
Not the best Coben, I've read but a satisfactory and suspenseful story.
Of course this is only the fourth in the Myron Bolitar series. Myron's friend and ex-college roommate, Win, is very much a part of the story. An in-law, Jack Coldren, is contending for the U.S. Open golf title, which he had blown in the final round 20 years earlier on the same course of which Win is a member. The plot thickens when Coldren's son is kidnapped.
Their is a lot of family stuff, Win refuses to talk to his mother ev...more
Of course this is only the fourth in the Myron Bolitar series. Myron's friend and ex-college roommate, Win, is very much a part of the story. An in-law, Jack Coldren, is contending for the U.S. Open golf title, which he had blown in the final round 20 years earlier on the same course of which Win is a member. The plot thickens when Coldren's son is kidnapped.
Their is a lot of family stuff, Win refuses to talk to his mother ev...more
I feel rude giving this book 3 stars, but I am going on this website's definition of two stars: "it was okay." I couldn't figure out the answers to all the mysteries, so that was cool--I like being one half surprised and one half self-satisfied by mystery novels' endings. Not that I actually ever read mystery novels.
Can't say I much cared about any of the characters, but I didn't hate or become too bored by any of them, either. I will say that Coben's dialog got on my NERVES sometimes! (Case in...more
Can't say I much cared about any of the characters, but I didn't hate or become too bored by any of them, either. I will say that Coben's dialog got on my NERVES sometimes! (Case in...more
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With over 50 million books in print worldwide, Harlan Coben’s last six consecutive novels, SIX YEARS, STAY CLOSE, LIVE WIRE, CAUGHT, LONG LOST and HOLD TIGHT all debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and lists around the world. His first Young Adult novel SHELTER was just released in paperback, and the second in the Mickey Bolitar series, SECONDS AWAY, was released on September 18th....more
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