DROP SHOT: HARLAN COBEN

I had never read  Edgar Award winner Harlan Coben, heard he was pretty good so I decided to try one of his Myron Bolitar series, a mistake.  The story is set during the US Tennis Open where rising black star Duane Richmond, a client of Myron's, is playing.  Mid match, Valerie Simpson, once a rising teenage phenom like Duane is murdered in the concourse.  Myron takes it upon himself to find out who did it despite being a sports agent.  The trail leads back six years to the murder of a Senator's son, to the two black teenagers responsible for the killing, to Valerie's deterioration as a tennis player after the murder because she also happened to be engaged to the Senator's murdered son. Before I get too far, I also should mention that Myron is a bit of a smart ass, always the witty one which, at first is amusing but by page 300, it gets old and you just want him to keep his mouth shut.

The mob enters into the scene for some reason, threatens Myron and kidnaps his girl friend Jessica, who is rescued last minute from their claws by Myron's mysterious buddy, Win, who makes fast work of the two mobsters, and disposes of their buddies afterwards.  When ever something dirty needs to be done, Win appears conveniently to save the day, a modern day deus ex machina.  Anyways, Myron solves the puzzle, finds out that his client Duane is really one of the two youths accused of the murder of the Senator's son.  He was there but not involved; his mother covers for him for six years.  When Myron confronts the mother with the truth, she kills herself to save her son from having to pay for his involvement as she was the only witness to the murder.  Needless to say, Myron loses Duane Richmond as a client and moves on.  Silly and infantile, I wondered why I was reading it especially since I am now reading Richard Russo's THAT OLD CAPE MAGIC which is so well written, with interesting people,  and plausible situations...what a difference from Coben.