Coben is definetly not one for orginality ... I read the
first of the series as part of a reading group and met him
during the discussion as well ... the all-powerful covert
buddy who takes care of the muscle stuff is just too much and
way too unoriginal ... the Yahoo far too comical for a
serious work. Not a bad read, but more mind candy than
anything else ... file it under when everything else has been
read and you're not interesting in rereading one of the
classics then pull out a Bolitar ... I'm surprised that it
has lasted as a series this long.
WordRunner@aol.com wrote:
> I don't think "original ideas" were ever part of the
plan with the
> Bolitar series. Every writer begins with big debts
to those who have come
> before, but Coben is pretty shameless. The main
characters are out of
> Hammett and others through Parker and Crais. The
plots are yawningly
> transparent and familiar. Using sports as a venue
for detecting was the least
> aged chestnut in the basket, but even that is far
from original. For my
> money, it's writing by the numbers.
-- volente Deo,
Anthony Dauer Alexandria, Virginia
"If you don't leave, I'll get somebody who will." -Raymond Chandler (1888-1959)
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