Think Twice: A Myron Bolitar Novel

Bestseller Coben’s anemic 12th thriller featuring basketball-star-turned-sports agent Myron Bolitar (after 2016’s Home) suggests the series may be losing its bounce. Bolitar is stunned when the FBI demands the whereabouts of his former client Greg Downing, who supposedly died three years earlier. The two had a fraught history: after Bolitar slept with Downing’s fiancée on the eve of their wedding, Downing paid another player to rough him up, ending Bolitar’s career on the court. Now, the Bureau suspects Downing of two recent murders, having found his DNA under the fingernails of supermodel Cecelia Callister, who’s been killed along with her son. With the help of his best friend Win Lockwood, Bolitar starts investigating the possibility that Downing faked his own death. In the process, he stumbles on more murders Downing may have committed and reunites with his son, Jeremy, who harbors secrets of his own. While Coben’s decision to mine Bolitar and Downing’s rivalry for drama is initially promising, he squanders the setup with too many plot contrivances. This misses the mark. Agent: Lisa Erbach Vance, Aaron M. Priest Literary. (May)