Live Wire by Harlan CobenMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Jacket Blurb: Harlan Coben published his first Myron Bolitar thriller, Deal Breaker, in 1995, introducing a hero that would captivate millions. Over the years we have watched Myron walk a tight rope between sports agent, friend, problem solver and private eye, his big heart quick to defend his client's interests so fiercely that he can't help but jump in to save them, no matter the cost.
When former tennis star Suzze T and her rock star husband, Lex, encounter an anonymous Facebook post questioning the paternity of their unborn child, Lex runs off, and Suzze - at eight months pregnant - asks Myron to save her marriage, and perhaps her husband's life. But when he finds Lex, he also finds someone he wasn't looking for: his sister-in-law, Kitty, who along with Myron's brother abandoned the Bolitar family long ago.
As Myron races to locate his missing brother while their father clings to life, he must face the lies that led to the estrangement - including the ones told by Myron himself. If we thought we knew Myron Bolitar, Coben now proves we didn't. An electric, stay-up-all night thriller that unfolds at a breakneck pace, Live Wire proves that Harlan Coben still has the ability to shock us anew.
Read as an audiobook.
To say this volume was fast paced would be an understatement. It was a whirlwind of characters, emotional roller coasters and twisted mystery. Almost...dare I say it...too much so? I also found this book had darker undercurrents than previous books, which added to the overall intensity.
My main complaint with the last several books, and this has become a cumulative complaint, is Myron's obsession with his parents growing old. It's as if his character simply cannot accept change: he didn't want his parents to move to Florida, he doesn't want the neighborhood to change, he wants what his parents had in the 2.5 kids, white picket fence and barbecues in the back yard. A nostalgia for something seen through his younger, more innocent and unsullied eyes.
On the other hand, I appreciate the human aspect to the story. It adds realism to a book when characters grow, change, and reveal things other characters (and the reader) didn't know. It adds and emotional depth and interest.
Point in this book - when Myron finally confronts his 15 year old nephew and sister-in-law. Myron puts his foot down and tells the 15 year old, "I am the adult here, you are not." This was a side of Myron we hadn't seen before, that I don't think Myron had seen before. This was new. This was good.
And of course, all the usual suspects are back: Big Cindi, Win, Esperanza, Ellie and Al. We have the emotional tug of war from his parents, from Esperanza, from the sister in law Kitty, from his long standing former pro-tennis stars, from Win. Gird thyself, the punches come from unexpected places.
Recommended if you've read the first 9 in the series. Not a stand alone book.
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