The debut of Myron Bolitar, a hotheaded, tenderhearted sports agent and one of the most fascinating and complex heroes in suspense fiction—a page-turning classic from Edgar Award–winner and master storyteller Harlan Coben. “One of the most engaging heroes in mystery fiction.”—Dennis Lehane Sports agent Myron Bolitar is poised on the edge of the big time. So is Christian Steele, a rookie quarterback and Myron’s prized client. But when Christian gets a phone call from a former girlfriend—a woman who everyone, including the police, believes is dead—the deal starts to go sour. Trying to unravel the truth about a family’s tragedy, a woman’s secret, and a man’s lies, Myron is up against the dark side of his business—where image and talent make you rich, but the truth can get you killed. “What sets Harlan Coben above the crowd are wit and wicked nonchalance.”— Los Angeles Times Praise for Harlan Coben “Coben is the modern master of the hook-and-twist.” —Dan Brown   “Don’t let Coben’s wry observations fool you: They gift wrap keen insights into our society.” — The Washington Post Book World Harlan Coben is the winner of the Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony awards. His critically acclaimed novels have been published in forty-one languages around the world and have been number one bestsellers in more than half a dozen countries. In addition to the Myron Bolitar series ( Deal Breaker, Drop Shot, Fade Away, Back Spin, One False Move, The Final Detail, Darkest Fear, Promise Me, Long Lost, Live Wire, Miracle Cure, and Play Dead ), Coben is also the author of the young adult Mickey Bolitar series including Shelter and Seconds Away , and of Tell No One, Gone for Good, No Second Chance, Just One Look, The Innocent, The Woods, Hold Tight , Caught , and Stay Close . Chapter One Otto Burke, the Wizard of Schmooze, raised his game another level. "Come on, Myron," he urged with neoreligious fervor. "I'm sure we can come to an understanding here. You give a little. We give a little. The Titans are a team. In some larger sense I would like all of us to be a team. You included. Let's be a real team, Myron. What do you say?" Myron Bolitar steepled his fingers. He had read somewhere that steepled fingers made you look like a thoughtful person. He felt foolish. "I'd like nothing more, Otto," he said, returning the pointless volley for the umpteenth time. "Really I would. But we've given as much as we can. It's your turn now." Otto nodded vigorously, as if he had just heard some philosophical whimsy that put Socrates to shame. He tilted his head, angling the painted-on smile toward his team's general manager. "Larry, what do you think?" Taking his cue, Larry Hanson pounded the conference table with a fist hairy enough to be a gerbil. "Bolitar can go to hell!" he shouted, playing enraged to the hilt. "You hear me, Bolitar? You understand what I'm telling you? Go to hell." "Go to hell," Myron repeated with a nod. "Got it." "You being a wiseass with me? Huh? Answer me, dammit! You being a wiseass?" Myron looked at him. "You have a poppy seed stuck in your teeth." "Goddamn wiseass." "And you're beautiful when you're angry. Your whole face lights up." Larry Hanson's eyes widened. He swung his line of vision toward his boss, then back to Myron. "You're out of your league here, Bolitar. And you f***ing know it." Myron said nothing. The truth of the matter was, Larry Hanson was partially right. Myron was out of his league. He had been in sports representation for only two years now. Most of his clients were borderline cases--guys who were lucky to make the cut and grabbed the league's minimum. And football was far from his specialty. He had only three NFL players, only one of whom was a starter. Now Myron sat across from thirty-one-year-old wunderkind Otto Burke, the youngest owner in the NFL, and Larry Hanson, former-football-legend-turned-exec, negotiating a contract that even in his inexperienced hands would be the biggest rookie contract in NFL history. Yes, he—Myron Bolitar—had landed Christian "Hot Prop" Steele. Two-time Heisman trophy-winning quarterback. Three straight AP and UPI number-one rankings. All-American four years in a row. If that wasn't enough, the kid was an endorsement wet dream. An A student, good-looking, articulate, polite, and white (hey, it mattered). Best of all, he was Myron's. "The offer is on the table, gentlemen," Myron continued. "We think it's more than fair." Otto Burke shook his head. "It's a load of crap!" Larry Hanson shouted. "You're a goddamn idiot, Bolitar. You're going to flush this kid's career down the toilet." Myron spread his arms. "How about a group hug?" Larry was about to offer up another expletive, but Otto stopped him with a raised hand. In Larry's playing days Dick Butkus and Ray Nitzchke couldn't stop him with body blows. Now this one-hundred-fifty-pound Harvard grad could silence him with but a wave. Otto Burke leaned fo