Harlan Coben is the author of 34 New York Times best-selling novels with over 80 million books in print worldwide. He is also the creator and executive producer of several Netflix television dramas. The second installment of Coben’s popular “Myron Bolitar” series is set at the US Open. The plot centers around a murder of a once-great player trying to make a comeback. It also features the story of an emerging star playing in his first Grand Slam draw.
One of the overarching themes in Drop Shot: A Myron Bolitar Novel centers around the premise that professional tennis has close ties with organized crime, complete with gun-toting musclemen. While that level of violence and corruption is standard fare in Coben novels, the depiction doesn’t ring true for tennis. At least, I hope not.
Drop Shot was published in 1996 and contains references to players from that era. That was prior to the launch of the Tennis Channel. Somehow Coben seems to believe that all tennis matches from the US Open were televised at that time. The CBS contract that was in place when this novel was written included only five days of coverage of the tournament.
Early on in the novel, an agent takes a call on his mobile phone while in the player’s box. It is mildly incongruous that the agent would be there in the first place and even more so that a call would have been answered under those circumstances. Similarly, a commercial was in work to air during the quarterfinal match for a player who was currently competing in his first main draw match in a Grand Slam. That is wildly presumptuous in tennis to do, even for the top seeds.
However, Coben was oddly prescient in including a subplot of sexually abusive relationships between players and a coach. While that was not a major news storyline when the book was written, details about similar situations that were ongoing at the time have subsequently emerged.
Drop Shot is a masterfully crafted thriller with an intricate plot and compelling characters. It is fast-paced and engaging, full of unexpected twists and turns. The captivating story explores a fictional dark side of tennis.
While the tennis in Drop Shot: A Myron Bolitar Novel isn’t exactly right, it didn’t detract significantly from my enjoyment of the book. People who are looking for an entertaining read that touches on tennis themes will love it. In the dust-jacket words of Lee Childs, “Harlan Coben never disappoints.”
 | Drop Shot: A Myron Bolitar Novel by Harlan Coben |
