Edgar Award-winner Harlan Coben is at his electrifying best in his latest novel--a dazzling tale of seething mystery and dark family secrets.  In Darkest Fear, Myron Bolitar faces the most emotionally shattering case of his career.  And it all begins when Myron's ex-girlfriend tells him he is a father--of a dying thirteen-year-old boy....

Myron's sports agency is struggling.  Now more than ever Myron needs to keep his eye on the ball, sign up some big-name clients, and turn away from the amateur detective work that is taking precious time away from the agency.  But life is not going according to plan.  Myron's father, recently recovered from a heart attack, is facing his own mortality--and forcing Myron to face it too.  Then comes another surprise.

Emily Downing, Myron's college sweetheart, reappears in his life with devastating news:  Her thirteen-year-old son Jeremy is gravely ill and can be saved only by a bone-marrow transplant--from a donor who has vanished without a trace.  And before Myron can absorb this revelation, Emily hits him with an even bigger shocker:  Jeremy is Myron's son, conceived the night before Emily's wedding to another man.

Staggered by the news, Myron plunges into a search for the missing donor.  But for Myron, finding the only person in the world who can save a boy's life means cracking open a mystery as dark as it is heartbreaking--a mystery that involves a broken family, a brutal kidnapping spree, and a cat-and-mouse game between an ambitious reporter and the FBI.

Somewhere in the sordid mess is the man who once signed his name to a bone-marrow donor's registry, then disappeared.  And as doubts emerge about Jeremy's true paternity, a child vanishes, igniting a chain reaction of truth and revelation that will change everyone's life forever.

At once a riveting mystery and a spellbinding journey into the secrets that haunt families, lovers, and friends, Darkest Fear proves once again that Harlan Coben is a master storyteller like no other--and one of the most original talents in suspense fiction today.


From the Hardcover edition.

Harlan Coben and the Myron Bolitar Novels:

"The world needs to discover Harlan Coben.  He's smart, he's funny, and he has something to say."
--Michael Connelly

"In a genre crowded with accidental detectives who seem invented only to lure cat-loving vegetarians and other special-interest readers, Myron Bolitar stands out."
--USA Today

"Don't let Coben's wry observations fool you.  They gift wrap keen insights into our society...."
--The Washington Post Book World

"Poignant and insightful...Myron is gallant, likable and delightfully original."
--Los Angeles Times

"Coben has melded sly humor, sophisticated plotting, and solid storytelling with bizarre yet believable characters."
--Chicago Tribune

"Bottom line: Slam dunk suspense from smart aleck sleuth."
--People Magazine Beach Pick of the Week


From the Hardcover edition.

Harlan Coben is the author of six previous novels:  The Final Detail, One False Move, Back Spin, the Edgar Award and Shamus Award-winning Fade Away, Drop Shot, and Deal Breaker, which won an Anthony Award and received an Edgar Award nomination.  He lives in New Jersey with his wife, daughter, and two sons.  His e-mail address is bolitar@aol.com.  Visit his website at www.harlancoben.com.