| Categories | | • | Art, Architecture & Photography | | • | Audio CDs | | • | Audio Cassettes | | • | Biography | | • | Business, Finance & Law | | • | Calendars, Diaries, Annuals & More | | • | Childrens Books | | • | Comics & Graphic Novels | | • | Computers & Internet | | • | Crime, Thrillers & Mystery | | • | Fiction | | • | Food & Drink | | • | Health, Family & Lifestyle | | • | History | | • | Home & Garden | | • | Horror | | • | Humour | | • | Languages | | • | Mind, Body & Spirit | | • | Music, Stage & Screen | | • | Poetry, Drams & Criticism | | • | Reference | | • | Religion & Spirituality | | • | Romance | | • | Science & Nature | | • | Science Fiction & Fantasy | | • | Scientific, Technical & Mediacl | | • | Society, Politics & Philosophy | | • | Sports, Hobbies & Games | | • | Study Books | | • | Travel & Holiday | | • | Young Adult | | • | DVD |
|
|
|
|
Deal Breaker - Special Edition | 
 enlarge | Author: Harlan Coben
Publisher: Orion
Category: Book
List Price: £2.99
Buy New: £0.01
You Save: £2.98 (100%)
New (31) Used (65) Collectible (3) from £0.01
Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 111643
Media: Paperback
Edition: Special Ed
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 4.3 x 1
ISBN: 0752879642
EAN: 9780752879642
ASIN: 0752879642
Publication Date: April 5, 2006
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: New - Dispatched in 1 to 2 days
| |
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
Excellent start to the series June 6, 2008
The first in the series of Myron Bolitar, the sports agent.
The start of this book sees Myron ( he doesn't like his name!) as an agent for a footballer, however his client has problems, as a girlfriend that disappeared - presumed dead, shows signs of being alive. To add to this mix Myron used to date her elder sister. Also includes Win; I'm not sure what to make of this character, but he's certainly useful to Myron.
I really enjoyed this book. I know many people enjoy his stand alone thrillers more, but I really love the laid back approach he uses in these books. I read book 7 in the series before reading this one and I didn't find that to be a problem. If you enjoy a thriller, but don't feel the need for too serious a character leading the plot give these a go.
 Credibility... er... YES, I remember that! June 2, 2008
This, the first in the Myron Bolitar series, is only the second book I have read by Harlan Coben, the first having been his excellent stand-alone effort, The Woods, and so impressed was I by the latter work that I decided to start buying all of the author's earlier output in order of publication (hence my somewhat belated introduction to Bolitar). On the evidence to date, however, and contrary to the majority of opinions expressed in other Amazon readers' reviews, it looks as though I shall much prefer Coben's stand-alone novels to the Bolitar series.
I tend to prefer stories that stretch my imagination without straining my credibility, a difficult balancing act that the better writers can pull off with aplomb. Unfortunately, if a book is only as good as its main character, then Bolitar's credibility (or lack thereof) leaves an awful lot to be desired.
Myron Bolitar and his friend, the suave, aristocratic, er... borderline psychopath and part-time hit-man/enforcer Windsor Horne Lockwood III, are private investigators unlike any other. In fact, they are not strictly private investigators at all, sleuthing merely forming an interesting little sideline to their day jobs. Bolitar is a former college basketball star whose career was cruelly cut short by an injury resulting from a heinous foul by, not one, but two dastardly opponents; well, we couldn't have our hero wrecking his own career by, say, tripping over the first-aid kit, could we? He is now a sports agent, who works from a New York office rented from former college room-mate Lockwood's investments and securities brokerage, conveniently located in the same building. Along the way, the pair have spent time as fellow operatives in a covert section of the FBI, where they doubtless acquired their tae kwon do black belts, which come in very handy in the shady, fiercely competitive, and (sometimes literally) cut-throat world of American sports agency. All of this, Bolitar has achieved by the age of thirty-one! Oh, and his secretary, a Latina pocket-Venus named Esperanza, is a bisexual former wrestler currently studying law! Just your average, everyday, all-American career paths all round, then!
I somehow get the impression that this book reflects the author's age (early thirties) and, perhaps more to the point, his mentality when he wrote it back in the mid-Nineties, doubtless acting out several overgrown adolescent fantasies in the process; did I also mention Bolitar's razor-sharp, wise-cracking wit, or that, reading between the lines, he would appear to be a babe magnet? Perhaps Coben also thought he was on a winner by adding sport into the mix, but it does nothing for me. When it comes to sport, I am strictly a British football (that's 'soccer' to our Transatlantic cousins) and cricket man. To me, all other sports are mind-numbingly boring, especially those so beloved of the American male: baseball, ice hockey, basketball, American football, tennis, golf, ad nauseum. Consequently, I look with foreboding at some of the other titles in the Bolitar series: Drop Shot, Back Spin, ZZzzzzzzzzz...
All that said, I didn't think this book was as bad as some I have simply abandoned, though neither did I consider it a page-turner I absolutely could not put down. That I finished it in just two days was solely because I wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible! Unfortunately, I have already bought the next four volumes in the Bolitar series, so will no doubt give them the same treatment before they join their predecessor in the charity bag!
 An exceptional read May 12, 2008
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
'Deal Breaker' is the first in the award winning series of thrillers from Harlan Coben, starring the basketball star turned federal agent turned sports agent, Myron Bolitar. The story begins when a rookie football player gets a call from his girlfriend who has been missing for over a year and her picture appears in an ad in a magazine. He calls his agent, Myron, who is also the ex-boyfriend of the missing girl's sister, to investigate. With the help of his friend Win, Myron digs deep into the strange disappearence, the murder of the girl's father and finds that this mysterious case is much more than a simple run away or murder.
I've read and loved a few of Coben's stand-alone novels such as Tell No One and after hearing so many positive things about this series I thought it was time to give it a go. I sat in my garden during an unusually hot and sunny day this weekend and read the whole book in one sitting as I was that engrossed in the story. Myron is an absolutely brilliant character that is one minute sharp and witty and the next clever and dangerous. His relationship with Win is great with some really humorous dialogue. Not much was mentioned about Myron's background in this book so I really look forward to finding out more about him and his past.
The basis of the story is very similar to other Coben books (a supposed missing/dead person contacts their loved one) and is full of twists and suspense from the opening chapter, but the setting is much lighter, the characters seem much more developed and the story is just so fast-flowing than some of his stand-alone books. I'm not saying I don't like the stand-alones as they are some of the best works of crime fiction at the moment, but I think this series really seems to be where Coben is at his peak as they are just so good. The mystery kept me guessing right until the end and provided quite a surpise when the outcome was revealed.
Other than the sunburn I got when reading this book, I've got nothing to complain about at all with this one and I really can't wait to read through the other books in the series (I've just started the 2nd book, Drop Shot, today). I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a quick, exciting and well written read.
 Myron Bolitar, Crimebustin' Sports Agent February 7, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Coben saw his first book published in 1990. "Deal Breaker" is his third and was first published in 1995. However, it is his first to feature Myron Bolitar.
Myron Bolitar has been a sports agent for lny two years and has only a few clients to his name. Among them are Ricky Lane, a running back for the Jets, and Christian Steele - a footballer fresh out of college and the hottest prospect in years. There is, unfortunately, a touch of tragedy in Steele's background : eighteen months before the book opens Steele's fiancee - Kathy Culver - disappeared without a trace from the grounds of Reston University. The story was big news and not just because of Christian's status as an up-and-coming footballer : Kathy's sister, Jessica, is also a very famous author. The only clue to the mystery came when Kathy's underwear was found in a dumpster, apparently covered in blood and semen. However, Kathy is still missing and no-one even knows if she is living or dead...in fact no-body has evem been charged with her disappearance. There had been a certain amount of insinuation that Steele had been involved, but that's just not a situation Bolitar can take even remotely seriously. The tragedy hasn't ended there for the Culver family, though. Three nights before the book's opening, Kathy and Jessica's father had also been killed - in what the police believe to have been a botched robbery. As if Myron wasn't involved enough, via his client, it turns out that Jessica is an ex-girlfriend. Things had apparently ended on a sour note, though. As a result, Esperanza Diaz - formerly Little Pocahontas of the Fabulous Ladies of Wrestling circuit and currently Bolitar's PA - positively despises her.
Things are about to take a slightly difficult turn though : somebody mails a saucy magazine to Christian, with a particular advertisement highlighted. The advert, for a rather risque chatline ($3:99 a minute), features Kathy Culver in the picture. Furthermore, the handwriting on the envelope - which was posted on-campus - is an apparent match for Kathy's.When Jessica stops by asking for help, the multi-talented young sports agent is dragged even further into the mystery. Jessica thinks there is some connection between Kathy's disappearance and her father's death. The cop's disagree - even her father's closest friend, "Uncle" Paul Duncan. Naturally, Myron decides to help her out anyway.
An enjoyable enough book overall, though there is quite a bit of daftness to it. Bolitar was a hugely promising basketball player, until his career was destroyed by injury. Despite taking 16 months to walk again, he quickly joined the FBI and reported only to the very highest levels. Furthermore, he is now (amazingly) a third degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Our hero's ever-faithful sidekick is called Windsor Horne Lockword III, a gentleman who proves to be the deadliest nerd alive. He is also an ex-Fed, and now helps Bolitar out in his new career as an all-action Sports Agent. An easy read, though no classic.
my first Coben book and I'm hooked September 25, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Even though it took me a few pages to get into it I really enjoyed this book. I bought all Coben's others after reading this one. Myron Bolitair is a very believeable character and his interaction with Win is very well written.
|
|
|
| |
|
