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Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:Edgar Award-winner Harlan Coben brings us his most astonishing—and deeply personal—novel yet. And it all begins when Myron Bolitar’s ex tells him he’s a father . . . of a dying thirteen-year-old boy. Myron never saw it coming. A surprise visit from an ex-girlfriend is unsettling enough. But Emily Downing’s news brings him to his knees. Her son Jeremy is dying and needs a bone-marrow transplant—from a donor who has vanished without a trace. Then comes the real shocker: The boy is Myron’s son, conceived the night before her wedding to another man. Staggered by the news, Myron plunges into a search for the missing donor. But finding him means cracking open a dark mystery that involves a broken family, a brutal kidnapping spree, and the FBI. Somewhere in the sordid mess is the donor who disappeared. And as doubts emerge about Jeremy’s true paternity, a child vanishes, igniting a chain reaction of heartbreaking truth and chilling revelation. Praise for Darkest Fear “A slam dunk . . . You race to turn the pages . . . both suspenseful and often surprisingly funny.”—People “Terrific.”—Boston Globe “A winner.”—Orlando Sentinel “Fast-paced . . . layered with both tenderness and fun . . . Coben [is] a gifted storyteller.”—Denver Post.… (more)
User reviews
Coben continues in this installment to deal with more serious issues other than a witty approach to the mystery genre.
Aging parents—particularly his increasingly fragile father—and the sale of the only home he has ever known have sobered Bolitar.
Then lightning
The plot is excellent and has enough twists and turns to satisfy. Coben’s writing is up to his usual standard, with a different take on the serial killer genre. The FBI makes an unflattering appearance. The hallmark wit is still there, and Win is still the same lovable sociopath, but this book, like recent ones, is more subdued, grimmer, as Coben continues to explore the personal impact of the mortality of one’s parents and (worse) children. Highly recommended.
I really like that Myron is sort of an
This story takes things in several new directions and makes for a very satisfying read.
Coben is always entertaining and Darkest Fear, which was the last Bolitar book before Coben ventured into stand alone territory, is no exception.
Buy, read and enjoy!
A thirteen year old boy will die without a bone marrow transplant. The good news is there is an exact match to a donor in the system. The bad news? The donor is missing.
In a recent episode of this series, Myron’s father had a heart-attack, increasing Myron’s awareness of
Don’t worry about all the facets of this novel. As is the case for most Harlan Coben novels, all of them come into place nicely before the end. This is the 7th in the series and they keep getting better. I like the way these books tie together personal information from the main characters with truly suspenseful tales. I do think that the lines of morality were a little narrower between Myron and Win in this book. Win is the sociopath with a brutal ‘ends to justify the means’ streak, but Myron crossed over a bit this time. Not sure if I want to see those patterns continue. Rated 4 out of 5.
In this novel, Coben mixes the serious with levity. He is contacted by an ex-girlfriend who had ultimately married his arch rival on the basketball court and whom he blames for his career-destroying knee injury. It seems her son has a life-threatening disease that can only be cured with a bone marrow transplant and the one match in the registry has disappeared. She wants Myron to find the donor and save her son’s life. From there it gets really complicated mixing a serial killer with a discredited journalist whose being staked out by the FBI and a very rich family who has a secret they refuse to reveal.
Coben ties it together very nicely, but I sometimes wonder if the excellent narration by Jonathan Marosz doesn’t make the difference between 3 and 4 stars.
This book finds Myron pulled into trouble yet again. An old girlfriend contacts Myron and hits him with a double shot: Myron is the father of her child, and the child needs a bone marrow transplant or he will die. A donor was found, but has since disappeared. Myron (whose marrow does not match) begins searching for the donor and ends up dealing with a series of brutal kidnappings, an ambitious reporter, and the FBI. Will Myron find the missing donor? What’s the connection between the ambitious reporter and the kidnapper? Is the child really Myron’s?
Coben is absolutely wonderful at creating odd, off-the-wall characters who somehow manage to remain believable. He’s also adept at putting these characters into situations that cause real pain and where the outcome is by no means a given. Because you like the characters so much, you suffer when they do, and that’s the sign of a good book. But where Coben really shines is the humor.
Your Hammett/Chandler tough guy detectives have always known their way around a wisecrack, and Myron is no exception. He cannot have an encounter with anyone, it seems, without attempting pithy commentary (his success rate varies). But Coben has surrounded Myron with smart people who know him all too well, so Myron doesn’t necessarily get the best (or the last) laugh. Then you add in a character like Big Cyndi—a sweet, wonderful person, but not the brightest star in the sky—and the way is paved for some absolutely hilarious interactions. The cool thing is that all of these oddball characters are never played just for laughs; they have lives, and problems, and, most importantly, feelings, and you are never allowed to forget that. Coben walks a fine line between the dark and the humorous, and he manages to do it without cheating either one.
In that moment, Myron accepts the case...during his quest to locate the donor, the case becomes entangled with a serial murderer...
I really love this series but have to admit this wasn't my favorite. Although there is plenty of humor, the story seemed to be a little disjointed. Of course, you have to love a story that also includes Myron's best friends, Win and Esperanza. Win is an amoral, self-centered man with a heart of gold who is always ready to save Myron. Esperanza Diaz, former professional wrestler, is now his business partner and is her own version of the CIA. I would definitely recommend starting this series with an earlier book, but most fans will really enjoy this one. I look forward to the next book in this engaging series.