Hello beautiful people! Welcome to a new review! For this review, I get into the third and probably my favourite book so far in the series, Fade Away by Harlan Coben. In Fade Away, we get into Myron’s past as a professional athlete a bit more, and get to see a more emotional side of him that hasn’t really shown itself before.
Main Characters
Myron Bolitar: This is where things start to shift. You still get the humour, the sarcasm, the charm, but this book digs deeper. We see more of his past, especially his basketball career, and how much it still lingers under the surface. The emotional layers come out more here, and it adds a lot to his character. He’s still deflecting with jokes, but you can really feel what’s underneath this time.
Win (Windsor Horne Lockwood III): Still unhinged, still iconic. But as Myron gets more introspective, Win almost feels like a sharper contrast, cool, controlled, and detached in ways Myron isn’t. Their dynamic remains one of the best parts of the series.
Greg Downing – An old teammate whose disappearance forces everything from Myron’s past to resurface. He’s complicated, messy, and tied to some of Myron’s deepest wounds, like being married to Myron’s ex Emily, which makes this case feel way more personal than the others.
My Review
As mentioned above Fade Away is probably my favourite in the series thus far. I really enjoyed the first two books, but seeing a more personal, deeper side to Myron was enjoyable. Although it was a little silly that in order to crack the case, Myron had to enter the basketball scene again, as a player, I thought it was an interesting way to show us his past, and how that plays into the man he is today. I gave Fade Away an 8.5/10 rating overall. I also have to say I really enjoyed getting to see this more emotional side to Myron, which also has an effect on all the people around him. Myron is an effective guy; he plays big roles in people’s lives, so when he hurts, others do too.
When a former basketball teammate of Myron’s and now current professional player, Greg Downing, suddenly disappears without a trace, leaving his family and team behind. Myron is pulled into a case that hits much closer to home than anything he’s dealt with before. As he digs deeper, what starts as a shocking disappearance turns into a layered and emotional investigation involving old relationships, buried secrets, and unresolved trauma. The closer Myron gets to the truth, the more he’s forced to confront parts of his past he’s never fully dealt with. Along with it, to find the truth, Myron must step into his past, the pain and the loss he experienced, to bring Greg home.
After Deal Breaker, I was already pleasantly surprised by how much I was enjoying this series, but Fade Away? This is where it really starts to hit. What I loved most about this one is how much it leans into Myron’s past. His basketball career has been mentioned before, but here it actually matters. It’s not just backstory; it actively shapes the plot, the relationships, and the emotional stakes. And you feel that shift immediately.
This case is personal in a way that the others weren’t. Watching Myron navigate old wounds, especially with someone like Greg, adds a weight that goes beyond the typical mystery. You really see how the past still affects him, how things he hasn’t fully processed continue to influence his choices, his relationships, and even how he sees himself. Especially given that it seems like there is a lot of blame and tension between Myron and Greg. They both blame each other for ruining different aspects of one another’s lives (and to be fair, they kind of did), but it’s clear that Greg just isn’t an old teammate to Myron, nor is Myron to Greg.
We also get more emotion from him here, which I loved. Myron is usually quick with a joke or a self-deprecating comment to avoid going too deep, but this book pushes past that. The humour is still there (and still great), but it doesn’t act as a shield in the same way; it coexists with everything else he’s feeling. And I think that balance is what makes this one stand out.
The plot itself is also more layered than I expected. It’s not just about solving a mystery; it’s about unravelling years of history, complicated relationships, and the ripple effects of past decisions. The pacing keeps things moving, but there’s more depth here, more emotional weight behind every reveal.
You also start to see how Myron’s past relationships, romantic and otherwise, bleed into his present life. It adds tension, complexity, and honestly just makes everything feel more real. Also, in the last book, I was on Jessica’s team much more than I am now. Look, she isn’t a bad lady, I am just skeptical that she can be there for Myron in the way he needs. She seems to be a bit shallow and selfish, and I just wonder if she will turn that around for their relationship or not.
Overall, this one goes beyond the witty, entertaining vibe of the first book and adds something deeper. It still has the humour and suspense that make the series so fun, but it also gives you a much more layered look at who Myron is and why he is the way he is. Safe to say, I’m fully invested in this series now.
I hope you enjoyed this review. Thank you for checking it out! Feel free to subscribe to the page at the bottom of the site to be one of the first to know when I release a new review!
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