Myron Bolitar is Back: Mini-Review of “Long Lost” by Harlan Coben

In my book, Harlan Coben gives the phrase “page turner” a new and positive connotation. I am especially susceptible to the self-deprecating charms of his protagonist, Myron Bolitar. Maybe it is this fictional sleuth’s ties to the Boston Celtics and Harvard Law School. I also find fascinating and entertaining the corporate culture that centers on Bolitar’s firm, which has him functioning as part-time sports agent and part-time private detective. The menagerie includes Win, who reeks of “Old Money” and has been Bolitar’s alter ego and personal body guard since their days together at Duke. “Big Cindy” and Esparanza “Little Pocahontas” are the tag teammates that grapple with keeping the agency office in NYC humming while Myron and Win fly around the globe playing superhero and righting wrongs.

In Long Lost, Coben injects his familiar cast of characters into the world of cord blood, DNA testing, global terrorism and the possible abduction of the daughter of Bolitar’s long ago flame, Terese. The resulting action is riveting and touching. A consistent thread that runs throughout almost all of Coben’s writing is the strong and unbreakable attachment between parent and child. Despite the violence and derring-do that he uses as an appliqué to the fabric of his narrative, that strong parental theme adds a sensitivity and tenderness that makes Coben unique as a writer of thrillers.

If you are a fan of Coben and Bolitar, you will love this book. If you are not yet a fan, this is a good time to climb aboard the bandwagon. I will gladly move over to make room for you.

Enjoy.

Al