Product Description

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.

In novels that crackle with wit and suspense, Edgar Award winner Harlan Coben has created one of the most fascinating and complex heroes in suspense fiction--Myron Bolitar--a hotheaded, tenderhearted sports agent who grows more and more engaging and unpredictable with each page-turning appearance.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33877 in Books
• Published on: 1996-02-05
• Released on: 1996-02-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 352 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780440220459
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"A fast-paced plot, witty dialogue, more than a few surprises, and a you'll-never-guess-whodunit denouement."—Armchair Detective

"Superb writing...Harlan Coben serves up an ace with Drop Shot."—John Lutz, author of Death by Jury


From the Paperback edition.

Review
"A fast-paced plot, witty dialogue, more than a few surprises, and a you'll-never-guess-whodunit denouement."—Armchair Detective

"Superb writing...Harlan Coben serves up an ace with Drop Shot."—John Lutz, author of Death by Jury

From the Publisher
"A fast-paced plot, witty dialogue, more than a few surprises, and a you'll-never-guess-whodunit denouement."
--The Armchair Detective

"Superb writing...Harlan Coben serves up an ace with Dropshot."
--John Lutz, author of Death by Jury

Customer Reviews

Another solid Coben effort...
I will be the first to admit that I am a fan of Harlan Coben's work. Myron Bolitar led novels are among my favorites. Bolitar is a well-written character and you generally know what to expect from him. Wise-cracking, hard working and usually quite a bit of fun.

This novel is no exception. With that said, I have given it 4 stars because it was not as good as some of his other work. The story follows Bolitar around as he investigates the death of a potential client (former tennis star player). His current client, a rising tennis star that is making a big splash in the tourney, may be involved or have some knowledge of the dead former tennis player. Now it is up to Bolitar to figure out if there is an relationship between the dead player and is current client. The plot twists a little here and there and Bolitar continues to fight against those that want this case buried (and an older case buried).

The Senator involved and the cover up from years ago of another murder (a murder that may have a connection to the dead tennis player and his current client) left a little to be desired. The details are sketchy and though it is later cleared up somewhat, I wish there were a few more details and a little more info.

The tennis also could have been portrayed better...his current client, the rising tennis star goes through the tourney and we don't know much about this guy's tennis career even though he is rushing through the tourney. A little more backround (has he played in many tourney's before this, is he ranked, etc.) would have made his run in the tourney one that the reader could have been more interested in.

The novel is solid. It is a fun read and will keep you entertained...I just wanted a little more from a good writer and a fun character.

MORE LOB THAN DROP SHOT
When a young female ex-tennis star is murdered at the gates of the U.S. Tennis Open, ex-lawyer turned sports agent (and pseudo detective) Myron Bolitar along with his slightly psycho pal, Win Lockwood, become involved in the investigation.

It seems the murder victim had intended to "make a comeback" and had been trying to contact Myron to engage his services as her agent before she met her untimely end. The mystery surrounding her death and its link to another murder six years earlier is pretty "run of the mill" and the identity of the killer is evident long before the last page of the book. The cop on the case is stereotypically stupid and stubborn, the "mob" boss comes across as an uneducated strong-arm goon, the tennis trainer is a twisted pervert, and all I can say about Myron's girlfriend, Jennifer, is "he deserves better". It's no wonder that his mother and his assistant Esperanza dislike her so intensely.

Drop Shot is a tennis term referring to the tactic of barely tapping the ball over the net thereby making it nearly impossible for your opponent to return the ball. This book is aptly titled, since the story itself barely makes it and is rescued by the interaction between a couple of the characters. The most interesting "couple" in the book are not Myron and Jennifer, but rather Bolitar and Lockwood. Bolitar has a sort of smart -aleck cerebral humor about him while Lockwood is the man of action with a skewed perception of society and together they are a the dynamic duo - - - - sort of like pairing Bernie Rohdenbahr with Jack Reacher.

Drop Shot is definitely not the best mystery you will ever read, but then again it's not the worst.

Drop Shot
I just finished this book, and enjoyed it, but it was not up the Harlan's usually high standards. I agree with another review who said that there were places in the book that could have been "cut & pasted" from some of Harlan's other books. Again, the conversational writing is tremendous, and most of all "true to life". The characters seem to come to life and do in fact have their individual personalities. Not his best, but worth reading.