LONG LOST
Harlan Coben
Dutton Adult
Thriller
ISBN: 9780525951056
Harlan Coben’s latest novel is notable not only because it features the welcome return of Myron Bolitar (last seen in 2006’s PROMISE ME), but because it is a sequel of sorts to THE FINAL DETAIL and DARKEST FEAR. One does not need to have read these previous books, however, to fully appreciate LONG LOST, which may well be the author’s best work to date.
Myron is an appealing character imbued with a real-world humanity that is rarely found in fiction with such clarity. A former pro-basketball prospect whose career ended before it was barely off the ground, he has broadened his career as a sports agent to include all manner of celebrities. Myron notwithstanding, the appeal of the series is due in no small part to the cast of characters with which he has been surrounded. Arguably, the greatest of these is Win --- Windsor Horne Lockwood III --- the rich pretty boy who is unexpectedly dangerous and is the heavy hitter upon whom Myron must frequently rely. Myron’s romantic life is also intriguing and, for many reasons, not always successful. So the reappearance of Terese Collins at the start of the book is a welcome surprise.
Terese, perhaps the most intriguing of Myron’s past paramours, contacts him with a surprising and almost irresistible request: come to Paris. Myron is involved with someone else, but after she is deftly and cleverly removed from his life, he is on his way to France where he is swept up into a murder investigation involving the brutal demise of Terese’s ex-husband Rick. Terese is initially the prime suspect in the case, until evidence demonstrates that her daughter was present at the crime scene. This, however, is an impossibility, since her daughter was killed in an automobile accident several years before.
Coben thus sets up a mystery that leads Myron and Terese across Europe and back to New England, even as shadowy pursuers dog their footsteps along the way. The always capable Win is along to help, but it is ultimately Myron who must solve the seemingly inexplicable mystery of Rick’s murder, as well as deal with the violent confrontation his discovery precipitates.
My initial reaction to the solution of LONG LOST was that Coben had perhaps jumped the shark with respect to his revelation concerning the villain of the piece. After some reflection, however, his method doesn’t reflect madness so much as a reliance upon the time-honored method of cloaking a wolf in the guise of a lamb. There is also a hint of irony, which may or not have been intentional, that will get readers thinking and certainly talking. Most of the discussion regarding the novel will concern the return of Myron Bolitar and the surprising reprise of Terese. From its opening sentence to its chilling final paragraph, LONG LOST is a winner. Now how about a novel featuring Win?
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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