Myron Bolitar

Myron Bolitar is a fictional character in a series of thrillers written by Harlan Coben.

The series protagonist is a formerly renowned basketball player and is the owner of MB SportsReps (or simply MB Reps in later books), an agency representing sports stars and celebrities. Bolitar is 6 feet, 4 inches tall and considered handsome by many women.

As often referred to in the character's back-story, Myron's basketball talents were apparent as early as the 6th grade. He was highly recruited and chose Duke University at Durham, North Carolina; his teams won two NCAA titles in four years. The Boston Celtics drafted him in the first round, the eighth pick overall. His Boston Celtics jersey number was number 34. In a pre-season game against Washington Bullets, he suffered a shattered knee, which ended his basketball career. Myron then returned to college, studying at Harvard Law School, and eventually became a sports agent.^[1]

Two regular supporting characters in the Myron Bolitar series are his best friend, Windsor Horne Lockwood III (better known as "Win"), and his assistant at MB Reps, Esperanza Diaz. Win is an eccentric, philandering billionaire who frequently gets involved in Myron's cases. Win and Myron have both studied taekwondo in a Korean dojo, though it is clear in the storylines that Win is more advanced. Esperanza began as an assistant, but Myron makes her his partner in the seventh Bolitar novel (Darkest Fear) after Esperanza gets her law degree from New York University.^[2]

Bolitar is depicted as being a good agent for his clients, taking care of their needs and wants while being careful to not exploit them like bigger agencies. He also helps out clients in times of personal need, which often puts him in the role of "accidental detective." His office space in the Locke-Horne Investments & Securities building is rented from Win and is located two floors below Win's. When Myron handles a client's career, he offers the client the choice of hiring Win for financial management. Win and Myron are both fans of Batman, often calling their transport the "Batmobile."^[3]

Myron is from a Jewish background and seems to dislike his first name. He still lives with his parents in the basement of his childhood home, not out of necessity but because he is very close to both of them. He also has a younger brother who died in a car crash and a nephew, Mickey, son of his late brother. His mother is a former lawyer herself, and his dad is a factory owner.

His favorite drink is chocolate Yoo-Hoo. He is shown to have a self-deprecating humor and drives a Ford Taurus, described as a chick trawler in the books.

Bolitar's longest known relationship was with Jessica Culver, until she dumped him and walked out of his life. The novel Deal Breaker brings the ex-lovers face-to-face after not seeing each other for four years. It is clear in the book's storyline that he still harbors feelings for Jessica, to the disgust of Esperanza, who dislikes Jessica for the way she treats Myron. They start seeing each other but break up again in the novel One False Move, when Myron almost cheats on her with Brenda Slaughter. It is also revealed in the novel that Culver had cheated on Myron with Doug. Jessica marries Stone Norman in Promise Me.

Other prominent girlfriends mentioned in the books are Emily Downing, Ali Wilder and Terese Collins. As mentioned in The Final Detail, he met Collins at a charity function and they ran away to a distant island to drown their sorrows. Collins plays a major role in Long Lost. In Live Wire, he gets engaged to Terese Collins.

The Bolitar series of novels have garnered three awards for Coben: an Edgar (for Fade Away), a Shamus (Drop Shot) and an Anthony (Deal Breaker).

References

1. Pierleoni, Allen (April 1, 2009). "Harlan Coben's fictional alter ego, Myron Bolitar, gets the adventure — but Coben got the girl". PopMatters. McClatchy Newspapers. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
2. Smith, Kevin Burton (August 2000). "Fathers and Sons and the Whole Damn Thing". january magazine. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
3. Coben, Harlan (1996). Fade Away: A Myron Bolitar Novel. p. PT21. ISBN 978-0440338437. Retrieved November 24, 2014.