Harlan Coben - The Myron Bolitar Series

Promise Me, Long Lost, Live Wire

By: Harlan Coben

Narrated by: Harlan Coben, Steven Weber

Length: 28 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

PROMISE ME (read by Harlan Coben)

It has been six years since entertainment agent Myron Bolitar last played superhero. In six years he hasn't thrown a punch. He hasn't held, much less fired, a gun. He hasn't called his friend Win, still the scariest man he knows, to back him up or get him out of trouble. All that is about to change...because of a promise.

The school year is almost over. Anxious families await word of college acceptances. In these last pressure-cooker months of high school, some kids will make the all-too-common and all-too-dangerous mistake of drinking and driving. But Myron is determined to help keep his friends' children safe, so he makes two neighborhood girls promise him: If they are ever in a bind but are afraid to call their parents, they must call him.

Several nights later, the call comes at 2:00 am, and true to his word, Myron picks up one of the girls in midtown Manhattan and drives her to a quiet cul-de-sac in New Jersey where she says her friend lives.

The next day, the girl's parents discover that their daughter is missing. And that Myron was the last person to see her. Desperate to fulfill a well-intentioned promise turned nightmarishly wrong, Myron races to find her before she's gone forever. But his past will not be buried so easily - for trouble has always stalked him, and his loved ones often suffer. Now Myron must decide once and for all who he is and what he will stand up for if he is to have any hope of saving a young girl's life.

LONG LOST (read by Steven Weber)

Myron Bolitar hasn't heard from Terese Collins since their torrid affair ended ten years ago, so her desperate phone call from Paris catches him completely off guard. In a shattering admission, Terese reveals the tragic story behind her disappearance - her struggles to get pregnant, the greatest moment of her life when her baby was born...and the fatal accident that robbed her of it all: her marriage, her happiness, and her beloved only daughter.

Now a suspect in the murder of her ex-husband in Paris, Terese has nowhere else to turn for help. Myron heeds the call. But then a startling piece of evidence turns the entire case upside down, laying bare Terese's long-buried family secrets...and the very real possibility that her daughter may still be alive.

In grave danger from unknown assailants in a country where nothing is as it seems, Myron and Terese race to stay a step ahead of Homeland Security, Interpol, and Mossad. Soon they are working at breakneck pace not only to learn what really happened to Terese's long-lost little girl - but to uncover a sinister plot with shocking global implications.

LIVE WIRE (read by Steven Weber)

Myron Bolitar has always dreamed about the voluptuous femme fatale walking into his office and asking for help. The woman standing in his doorway has killer curves all right.

©2006, 2009, 2011 Harlan Coben (P)2009, 2011, 2011 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

When did Espiranza become Paul Giamatti

Did Jonathan Marosz die or something? Stories are still great, although I get the feeling that Harlan Coben is running out of misadventure ideas for Myron. My problem is the narrating. After listening to the entire series, I really enjoyed the characters as brought to life by Marosz. Not only do I now struggle to know who is speaking, but I really hate their voices. Myron is ok, Wynn has lost his character, and the rest are worse. Much worse.

Three Times the Fun for Myron Fans

A collection of the last three of Harlan Coben's Myron Bolitar novels (in advance of the upcoming 11th entry in the series). If you're a fan, this compilation is a cost effective way of catching up on the series. If you're not yet a fan, you can still enjoy these without reading the prior seven, Coben doing a creditable job of making each story stand on its own, succinctly catching you up on relevant details from the past canon as and when needed.

I'm giving the whole collection an across the board 4-star rating, a rough average of what I'd give each individual novel. Here they are one by one:

Promise Me (4 stars): Myron helps a longtime friend find her missing daughter. Coben often explores the concept of how far parents will go to protect their kids. Since Myron does not really have children of his own, this story allows Coben to look at how far bad guys would go to protect their children. The setting is a familiar Coben trope -- the dark side lurking beneath the shiny veneer of his hometown of Livingston NJ.

This is the only one of his novels that Coben narrates himself. He is obviously not a pro, which starts off as a detraction/distraction. But he gets into a groove and has the virtue of knowing how the wisecracking Bolitar and his erudite sidekick Win should deliver their lines. Annoyingly, Coben actually drops to a deep bass when delivering the women's lines. You may notice that his accent is a lot like that of his Livingston High School pal, Chris Christie.

Long Lost (2 1/2 stars): Myron goes to France to help an old flame find her missing ex. And runs afoul of the Paris police, Mossad, CIA, terrorists, et.al. Coben's forte is examining the seamy underside of suburban America. Going to Europe on a spy mission? Other authors do that far better. Even minus the preposterous outcomes and reveals, this is not what we want from Coben or Myron. Given the credibility-defying twists, this is close to a disaster.

Live Wire (4 1/2 stars): Myron started out as sports agent and branched out to show biz. The first few entries in the series were driven by his clientele, which was a large part of Coben's originality in the familiar genre of the wisecracking gumshoe. But Coben strayed from that formula. After an ill-advised 3- or 4-volume departure, he goes back to Myron's bread and butter, a story centered on a tennis star and rock star, making for a much better tale.

This book is also the launching point for Coben's spin-off YA series starring Myron's teenage nephew Mickey. Coben mixes a strong dose of Myron's personal history into the client-based mystery, with good results. You certainly don't have to start the Mickey series here (I read the first Mickey book before reading this one). But it does explain a lot.

Coben's narration of Promise Me and Coben taking Myron off the reservation in Long Lost are distinct problems. But overall, this three-part compilation is well worthwhile for fans of Coben and Myron, especially with Live Wire setting up future entries in the Myron and Mickey series.

Poor narration-excellent stories

Excellent stories, but should have stayed with Jonathan Marosz as the reader for these books.

Shouldn't narrate his own books, no books at all.

I'm only 3/4 of the way thru the first book, Promise Me and I can't wait to get to the book narrated by Steven Weber. Harlan is one of the best authors but one of the worst narrators I have ever heard.

Good Mystery series!

It took me a while to adjust to Steven's reading but, once I did, all is well! loved the book. plots change, things change, keeps things tossed up for a good mystery.

Just OK. Not up to my expectations.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Yes, the first thing I would change is the Narrator. Jonathan Marosz was great as a narrator, but I am sure I would not have gone through the series if Steven Weber were narrating the series.

If you’ve listened to books by Harlan Coben before, how does this one compare?

Very poorly, The narrator did a terrible job.

How could the performance have been better?

Changed the narrator from Steven Weber to Jonathan Marosz.

Was Harlan Coben - The Myron Bolitar Series worth the listening time?

The first seven were very enjoyable.

Any additional comments?

Why does a winning combination neet to change. The narrator just ruined it for me. It sounded like a juvenile rather than a mature and seasoned reader.

Why Mess With A Good Thing??

Any additional comments?

Unlike a lot of others, I didn't mind Harlen Coben narrating "Promise Me". He obviously isn't as good at it Jonathan Marosz, but he wasn't too bad. However, I despise Stephen Weber's narration. UGH. The way he does Esperanza is completely wrong and makes me stabby. Wynn's part is also performed terribly. The only part that he does well is Myron because he obviously can't do anything other than white, middle aged male. I have no idea who decided to make this change, but I hope Jonathan Marosz goes back and redoes the last four books in the series. I'm pretty disappointed.

Love the book, miss other narrator

I feel bad because the first books of the series that I listened to were read by Jonathan Marosz and I really felt like he captured each character and what I thought the story should sound like. This narrator did not fit for me. The accents were either over-done or didn't fit what Marosz did in the first few books, so it did not work for me. Otherwise, I love, love, love the Myron Bolitar series! Fantastic stories. I get swept up every time. Harlen Coben is amazing.

Three books, three opinions

Feeling the need to explain my opinion about this audio book with three titles. The first was horrible narration by the author. The second, "Promise Me" was a decent book but not impressed with narration as book before. Then "Live Wire", excellent narration, excellent book. It keeps you on your toes. So, maybe they should be listened to at different times and /or days in order, as "live wire" was very good in all respects!!

AUTHOR NARRATOR FOR "PROMISE ME". BAD IDEA

I have hundreds of audible books and Harlen Coben is the worst narrator ever! I am about 2 hours into the first book of this box set and I am skipping to the next book. I can't listen to another word. I love his writing. He is not a talented reader. Audible (or the publisher) needs to hire a professional and re-do this book.