Myron Bolitar is an interesting main character "starring" in several of Harlan Coben's novels.  Sports agent by day, and detective by night, Myron always seems to have his hands full.

In The Final Detail, Myron's vacationing in the Caribbean after events in previous books have left him shaken.  But his vacation is cut short when his buddy Win shows up, with some bad news.  Myron's client Clu Haid has been murdered, and Myron's partner Esperanza has been arrested.  Myron high-tails it back home to save Esperanza, knowing she could never be guilty of murder.  But there are several forces keeping Myron from being able to help her, the biggest of which is Esperanza, herself.  She's keeping mum, and begs Myron to "let it go".  She may not be guilty of murder, but she's definitely keeping a secret.

But this won't stop Myron.  Luckily, buddy Win is never far away.  Win is, basically, a superhero.  Expert in everything, and able to defeat any army of enemies with a single blow.  Realistic?  Nope.  But it's darned entertaining to read.  Especially since Myron's one of those guys who can't seem to get out of his own way.  Trouble naturally finds him, and Myron doesn't have any weapon at his disposal except for his sense of humor, which he uses as a crutch in tight situations.  So he can sometimes get the bad guys to chuckle, right before they pound him into the pavement.  Yup, Myron would be toast, if not for Win.

Thus Myron and Win work their magic, uncovering clue after clue as they figure out exactly who killed Clu, and why.  Along the way, a difficult incident from Myron's past will resurface.  And, Myron will learn a lesson or two.

For the most part, I enjoy these characters.  Myron makes me laugh, especially when he interacts with his parents.  In this book, Myron has recently moved out of his parents' home but that doesn't stop Mom and Dad from worrying about their boy, and inquiring if he's eating properly every time they speak to him.

Win can't be taken seriously, but he's fun to read about.  I'd certainly want him by my side, if I were poking around in a murder investigation.

Sadly, there were a bunch of other characters given almost no definition, and one character given too much definition. Big Cyndi, a former wrestler and friend to Esperanza and Myron is - well - fat. And Coben never lets us forget that fact.  Whenever her character is mentioned, Coben has to poke fun at her size, or at least mention it.  I found that really annoying. 

The murder investigation, itself, was interesting, especially as it got more and more complex.  It eventually includes a woman, missing for many years, and a peek into a sexual culture I knew nothing about.  I definitely kept turning those pages, anxious to find out what really happened to Clu, and how these other things tied in to his murder.

Overall, an interesting read.




Also by Harlan Coben:
Deal Breaker

No Second Chance

Play Dead


Recommended: Yes