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Cover of Live Wire by Harlan CobenLive Wire
Modern · Fiction, Thriller, Mystery

Live Wire

by Harlan Coben
2011 · 371 pages · Fiction
71.8Must-Read
Score Modern
Lifetime bestseller
≈ 9 hours to read · about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Myron Bolitar, a sports agent who keeps getting dragged into mysteries, is asked for help by his client Suzze, a former tennis star who is eight months pregnant. Someone has posted online that her baby isn't her rock-star husband's, and now he's disappeared. Myron's search turns up connections to his own estranged brother.

Why it's worth reading

It hit #1 on the New York Times list. Coben writes fast, funny, twisty thrillers, and the Myron Bolitar books are fan favorites.

You'll love it if you liked

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The BoyfriendFreida McFadden
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Plum IslandNelson DeMille
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1st to DieJames Patterson

Good to know

It's the tenth Myron book; earlier ones help but aren't needed. Myron's father's health is a sad subplot.

By the numbers

71.8Must-Read Score
  • Readers63 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Bestseller54 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

Bestseller
#1 New York Times bestseller (2 weeks at #1)

Reads as

Gripping

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Explore the best-of lists

All 36 best-of lists →
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 rankedModern booksTop 25 · 1,573 rankedBooks of the 2010sTop 25 · 736 rankedFantasy booksTop 25 · 459 rankedLiterary novelsTop 25 · 309 rankedMemoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedScience fiction booksTop 25 · 313 rankedRomancesTop 25 · 233 ranked

Quick answers

Is Live Wire worth reading?

Yes. It hit #1 on the New York Times list. It ranks #1,113 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 71.8 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is Live Wire about?

Myron Bolitar, a sports agent who keeps getting dragged into mysteries, is asked for help by his client Suzze, a former tennis star who is eight months pregnant. Someone has posted online that her baby isn't her rock-star husband's, and now he's disappeared. Myron's search turns up connections to his own estranged brother.

How long does it take to read Live Wire?

About 9 hours (371 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after Live Wire?

If you liked it, try The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden, Plum Island by Nelson DeMille or 1st to Die by James Patterson.