Drop Shot by Harlan CobenMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Jacket Blurb: Valerie Simpson is a young female tennis star with a troubled past who's now on the verge of a comeback and wants Myron as her agent. Myron, who's also got the hottest young male tennis star, Duane Richwood, primed to take his first grand slam tournament, couldn't be happier. That is, until Valerie is murdered in broad daylight at the U.S. Open and Myron's number one client becomes the number one suspect.
Clearing Duane's name should be easy enough. Duane was playing in a match at the time of Valerie's death. But why is his phone number in Valerie's black book when he claims only to have known her in passing? Why was she calling him from a phone booth on the street? The police stop caring once they pin the murder on a man known for having stalked Valerie and seen talking to her moments before the murder. But Myron isn't satisfied. It seems too clean for him.
Myron pries a bit and finds himself prying open the past where six years before, Valerie's fiancee, the son of a senator, was brutally murdered by a juvenile delinquent and a straight-A student was subsequently gunned down on the street in retaliation, his death squandered in bureaucratic files. And everyone from the Senator to the mob want Myron to stop digging.
The truth beneath the truth is not only dangerous, it's deadly. And Myron may be the next victim.
I finished this in about a day; it was that enjoyable. I would have preferred to have read this via audiobook, but my library didn't have it on CD. Even so, I was captivated by the mystery, amused by the witty dialog, and enjoyed the sports background. The pages just flew by, interrupted occasionally by a laugh out loud moment and then having to read the paragraph to the Husband.
The setting is the US Open. Myron has an up and coming client who's slamming his way to the top. A young tennis player is shot in the foot court - a young woman Myron was supposed to meet the next day. This triggers an avalanche of secrets, threats, mystery and another murder. Myron, with the help of the mysterious Win, sets forth to right wrongs. Well, Myron wants to right the wrongs, Win has a different objective in mind...
Just a couple of minor complaints: was this was awfully similar to book number one and I won't get more specific for fear of spoilers. In this book, more characters seemed to affect the dry, witty, truncated dialog which I associated with Win and Myron.
My positives - as I believe I noted in Deal Breaker - I love the fact that our protagonist is not a cop or detective nor a depressed cop or detective. We don't have the protagonist chasing tail - in fact, the romantic set up is actually very sweet and I usually don't say that. I love the dialog. I love the TV show/movie/play game the characters have going on. I love the air mystery surrounding Win; in some ways, Win is a bit more intriguing than Myron. The two characters balance each other well. I could go on, but will say instead, go read these!
Highly recommended if you like mystery, sports, and witty dialog.
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