|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
Myron Bolitar is one of my favourite crime fiction creations. He's a former basketball player-turned-sports agent with a ready line in smart one-liners. There's a rollicking supporting cast around him, and Coben's narrative fair zips along. You can now see why I devoured four of them over Christmas week, pausing only to reach for the occasional chocolate to aid my concentration. ONE FALSE MOVE is the latest in the series, and, whilst I closed the book feeling contented, its shortcomings crept on me later and I was left with the slightly nagging feeling that Coben is in danger of turning into a one-trick pony with the Myron novels. The storyline isn't drastically different from those that have gone before. In a nutshell Myron rides to the rescue of a damsel in distress, whilst yearning for a settled family life, has a few hassles with best friend and business colleague Esperanza and tries to stop psychotic chum Win wiping out half of New Jersey before lunchtime. The finer details this time around are that Myron ends up body-guarding beautiful basketball star Brenda Slaughter. Brenda's mother walked out on the family 20 years previously and now her father has disappeared. Just to complicate the issue, there's a would-be mafioso strutting around, plus a politician on the make. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the newly-graduated Esperanza is demanding an equal partnership in MB SportsReps, the nutty Ache brothers want Myron's guts for garters, the on-off love affair with Jessica appears to be off -- again -- and Win rides to Myron's rescue a few times with a formidable arsenal of weapons at his disposal. Not much new there, then. So it's very much business as usual. If you like the Myron series, you'll find this a perfectly acceptable read. But you may also wonder if Coben either needs to give the series a rest, or to take it in a different direction if it's to stay fresh. And you may feel, too, that he cops out at a key moment when it comes to addressing white Jewish Myron's attraction to Brenda, who is black. Oh, and isn't it about time Win came out of the closet?
Reviewed by Sharon Wheeler, February 2004
This book has more than one review. Click here to show all.
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
| 
