Back Spin

Publisher's Summary

The boy was born and raised on the Main Line, but he vanished on Philadelphia's mean streets, last seen in a downtown cheater's hotel. The boy's mother, Linda Coldren, is a golf superstar and Myron Bolitar's client. When he goes after the missing boy, presumed kidnapped, he crashes through a crowd of lowlifes, blue bloods, and liars on both sides of the social divide. Meanwhile, Linda's husband is trying to stage a comeback at the U.S. Open, only to be found dead in a sand trap. Suddenly the family's skeletons are coming out of the closet and Myron is about to find out how deadly golf can get.

©1997 Harlan Coben (P)2000 Books on Tape

Critic Reviews

"Another winner....Pungent observations, indelibly drawn characters and a twisting, surprise-laden plot." (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

More motives than ever...

I enjoy Harlan Coban's mysteries and have just finished this gem set during the US Open for golf. The plot is loaded with twists and turns and it seems everyone has a motive to kill or kidnap! While the ending is a bit of an all too quick wrap up I enjoyed the story and was disappointed that there was no more.
The narrator excels on all the parts except the sidekick Esmerelda (Esmee) where the accent falls short.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Backspin

As a Coben fan, I really enjoyed the story. Unfortunately, the narrator drove me to distraction. I thought the dialog and voices were pretty good, but the narative between was sing-song and totally unnerving. The narrator could do with some lessons in reading the non-dialogue parts.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Coben Dunnit Again!

Marosz voices Myron Bolitar alive again - this time at Philly's Main-Line soooper snooty Merion golf club and... and... Myron fingers a murderer... The whole ensemble cast grows here upon the rich background nourished in Deal Breaker, Drop Shot, and Fade Away.... but Coben keeps it fresh. Don't be frightened away from this wonderful series by the fact that protagonist Bolitar is a sports agent. Everything you need to know is easily accessible in Back Spin... but that's been true of the entire series so far.

Now... a word of caution. Don't start this series here. No need to. Go first to Deal Breaker and work your way forward. They all fit together yet stand alone. The cool thing about Audible.com is that we have entire series in stock and available so we can go from beginning to wherever we want. And what do I want? Well, to get One False Move... the fourth in this series' marriage of Harlan Coban and Jonathan Marosz.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

This is the best yet of Coben's work in the series

I rarely write a review about any of the 200+ books I have listened to. Yet this Short book of The Myron Bolitar Series has gripped me from the first opening sentence to the last.
I mention “short” book even though at 8+hrs, there is so much more that I am left wanting. When a book has the edge and creativity to reach out through the excellent quality of narration such as Jonathan Marosz has demonstrated to touch me with laughter, sadness, incredulity, and yes even ridiculous plot sequences I am forced to share this with the listeners/members of Audible.com.
Never will the Molitar series ever compete with the ilk of a “Ken Follett, The Pillars of the Earth”, type of masterpiece. Saying that does not mean in any way Harlen Coben has not found an amazing way to spin such a wide array feelings into an act of suspenseful fiction.
To this series I tip my hat, and will grant my rare 5 stars across the board. I would certainly enjoy a discussion with someone whom could not enjoy this book. It would be fascinating to know the mindset of such a polar opposite than I.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Very entertaining

Harlan Coben is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. This book is consistent with all his other books in the series which I love. Although I always prefer to start at the beginning of a series of books Coben does a good job of tying what has happened in the past books into the future stories so you won't feel lost if you start in the middle (each story stands alone just fine). There are enough twists and turns to keep you interested but it's the comical delivery that I really enjoy most.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Good book, very good series

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. This is a great series very well done by the reader. If you like well done light mysteries, you should like this.

What about Jonathan Marosz’s performance did you like?

The voices make it easy to follow which characters are speaking.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Bunker Shot

Too bad. I'm normally a big fan of Harlan Coben but I struggled through Back Spin. A teenage boy is kidnapped but since you know almost nothing about him you almost don't care. Unfortunately much of the storyline is built around that. Top that off with some ridiculous characters that are sometimes funny and sometimes just trying to be funny and you end up with a book that belongs in the sand trap. Still, my appreciation for this author keeps me from giving it less than 3 stars.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Different than what I expected

This was a pleasant suprise. It kept my attention with the twist and turns, the humor. It didn't bore with me with a bunch of golf lingo. Usually I can guess the ending in a book but this took me by surprise. The book moved at a good pace.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Another Great One

Once again you try to figure out the culprit with Myron, and you’re not disappointed in the story, the characters or the storytelling

You won't know the whole story until the last word.

The reader was great. The story almost had too many plot twists. Almost. One of the best MB books I've read

Warning! Addictive!!!!

Not only are Coben's stories full and rich but the reader transports you effortlessly between one character and the next. From laugh out loud to quiet breath holding, Myron will do it for you. Like to lose yourself in a great story? Of course you do! You belong to audible. No, his publishers not paying me - but once you get one of the Coben stories you'll want the rest. Get the ones that don't have Myron too .... quality stuff for your ears.