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(294 reviews)
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ISBN : B000FI9NW8
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Direct download links available Epub Deal Breaker [Unabridged] [Audible Audio Edition] from mediafire, rapishare, and mirror link
Sports agent Myron Bolitar is poised on the edge of the big-time. So is Christian Steele, a rookie quarterback and Myron's prized client. But when Christian gets a phone call from a former girlfriend, a woman who everyone, including the police, believes is dead, the deal starts to go sour. Suddenly Myron is plunged into a baffling mystery of sex and blackmail. Trying to unravel the truth about a family's tragedy, a woman's secret, and a man's lies, Myron is up against the dark side of his business, where image and talent make you rich, but the truth can get you killed.
Direct download links available for Epub Deal Breaker
- Audible Audio Edition
- Listening Length: 8 hours and 42 minutes
- Program Type: Audiobook
- Version: Unabridged
- Publisher: Books on Tape
- Audible.com Release Date: April 19, 2006
- Whispersync for Voice: Ready
- Language: English
- ASIN: B000FI9NW8
Epub Deal Breaker
I have never been much of a fan of what I call "gimmick" mysteries, the type which has murders solved by people who have no business being around that much crime: little old ladies, chefs, etc. It's plausible enough that a cop or private eye (or maybe reporter or lawyer) would have to deal with murder on a regular basis, but when it happens to rabbis, cat owners or medieval monks, it stretches credibility. It's a gimmick, a contrivance that lures people into reading the books. That being said, even a gimmick mystery series, in the hands of a capable author, can be quite entertaining. Harlan Coben's tales of sports agent Myron Bolitar certainly fits into that category.
Why does this series work well? First of all, because Coben is a good writer. Second, Coben seems to fully realize how contrived these gimmick stories are, and therefore allows a certain level of absurdity and humor, in particular with the supporting characters: Esperanza, Myron's secretary who was once a wrestler known as Little Pocohontas, and Win, Myron's best friend who happens to be a sociopath. These outlandish characters remind the reader that the story should not be taken TOO seriously. On the other hand, we also get genuine suspense and some rather vicious criminals so we can't take the tales too lightly either.
Deal Breaker is the first in the Bolitar series. In it, Myron is busy trying to sign college star Christian Steele to a contract with an NFL team. Steele is himself squeaky clean, but he is haunted by his girlfriend Kathy Culver who disappeared years earlier and is presumed dead. Steele, therefore, is quite jarred when he receives a porn magazine in the mail, with Kathy's picture in an ad; he goes to Myron who investigates.