Harlan Coben (born January 4, 1962) is a Jewish American author of mystery novels. The plots of his novels often involve the resurfacing of unresolved or misinterpreted events in the past (such as murders, fatal accidents, etc.) and often have multiple plot twists. Both series of Coben's books are set in and around New York and New Jersey, and some of the supporting characters in two series of novels have appeared in both. His novels are most popular in the United States and France.
Contents |
Background
Coben was born to a Jewish family in Newark, New Jersey but was raised and schooled in Livingston, New Jersey. While at Amherst College, he was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity. Also a member of the Amherst chapter of Psi Upsilon at that time was Dan Brown, author of the DaVinci Code. They remain good friends to this day. After graduating from Amherst College as a political science major, he worked in the travel industry, in a company owned by his grandfather. He now lives in New Jersey with his wife, Anne Armstrong-Coben MD, a pediatrician, and their four children.[1]
Career
Coben was in his senior year at college when he realized he wanted to write. His first book was accepted when he was twenty-six but after publishing two stand-alone thrillers in his twenties (Play Dead in 1990 and Miracle Cure in 1991) he decided on a change of direction and began a series of thrillers featuring his character Myron Bolitar.[2] The novels of the popular series follow the tales of a former basketball player turned sports agent (Bolitar), who often finds himself investigating murders involving his clients. Coben has won an Edgar Award, a Shamus Award and an Anthony Award, and is the first writer to have received all three. He is also the first writer in more than a decade to be invited to write fiction for the New York Times op-ed page. He wrote a short story entitled "The Key to my Father", which appeared June 15, 2003. In 2001 he released his first stand-alone thriller since the creation of the Myron Bolitar series in 1995, Tell No One, which was followed by four more stand-alone novels. For his most recent work he returned to his character of Myron Bolitar to create the eighth installment of the series, Promise Me, released May 17, 2006 in the United Kingdom[1]. His next novel is another stand-alone story titled The Woods, which was released on April 17 2007 in the United States.
Novels
| Year | Title | ISBN | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Play Dead | ISBN 0-945167-28-8 | Currently out of print |
| 1991 | Miracle Cure | ISBN 0-945167-39-3 | Currently out of print |
| 1995 | Deal Breaker | ISBN 0-440-22044-0 | First Myron Bolitar novel. Movie announced |
| 1996 | Drop Shot | ISBN 0-440-22045-9 | Second Myron Bolitar novel. |
| 1996 | Fade Away | ISBN 0-440-22268-0 | Third Myron Bolitar novel. |
| 1997 | Back Spin | ISBN 0-7528-4916-6 | Fourth Myron Bolitar novel. |
| 1998 | One False Move | ISBN 0-385-32369-7 | Fifth Myron Bolitar novel. |
| 1999 | The Final Detail | ISBN 0-385-32371-9 | Sixth Myron Bolitar novel. |
| 2000 | Darkest Fear | ISBN 0-385-33433-8 | Seventh Myron Bolitar novel. |
| 2001 | Tell No One | ISBN 0-440-23670-3 | Made into a French movie |
| 2002 | Gone for Good | ISBN 0-440-23673-8 | |
| 2003 | No Second Chance | ISBN 0-525-94729-9 | |
| 2004 | Just One Look | ISBN 0-525-94791-4 | |
| 2005 | The Innocent | ISBN 0-525-94874-0 | |
| 2006 | Promise Me | ISBN 0-525-94949-6 | Eighth Myron Bolitar novel. |
| 2007 | The Woods | ISBN 0-7528-7441-1 | |
| 2008 | Hold Tight | ISBN 0-525-95060-5 |
References
- ^ a b The Official Harlan Coben Web Site. Retrieved on 2006-09-07.
- ^ Spotlight on Harlan Coben from Bookhaunts.net. Retrieved on 2006-09-07.
