Fade Away by Harlan Coben is an entertaining novel featuring Myron Bolitar, a sports agent, hired by the New Jersey Dragons to find a missing basketball star. Myron and his team of associates, work together to puzzle out the disappearance of Greg Downing, drawing Myron into danger, both physical and emotional.

Myron Bolitar is a sports agent and sometimes investigator, called by Clip Arnstein, the owner of the New Jersey Dragons. Clip's star player is missing and he wants Myron to find him. Greg Downing had been Myron's rival throughout their youth and college days. Both had been drafted to play professional basketball, but Greg is the only one that made it. Myron's knee had been injured in what was believed to be a freak accident on the court, and he had never played professionally. Clip wants Myron to take Greg's place on the team, feeling that the other players would be more open with him rather than an investigator. Myron is reluctant yet excited at the same time. Having never had the opportunity to play pro-ball, he is anxious to know if he can make it with the Dragons.

Myron investigates Greg's disappearance with the help of his closest friend, Win. The two men discover a mysterious woman had left a message on Greg's answering machine to arrange a meeting the night he vanished. Following leads, Myron discovers the woman has been murdered, and Greg is the main suspect. Initially believing that Greg had a drug problem, Myron discovers that the woman had in fact been blackmailing Greg, though he does not know why. Greg also has a large gambling problem, and Myron thinks that may be what the blackmail involves. Further investigation reveals that the mysterious woman is in fact a fugitive. A member of the Sixties radical group The Raven Brigade, Liz Gorman had contacted Greg after the group had robbed a bank in Arizona several months previously.

The investigation takes several twists and turns, involving custody battles between Greg and his wife Emily, a former girlfriend of Myron's, and the assistance of Audrey Wilson, the sports reporter that covers the New Jersey Dragons. Audrey uncovers the real reason that Myron is on the team, and convinces him that the two of them can work together to find Greg. In exchange for sharing information, Audrey agrees not to release the story about Greg disappearing. Audrey discovers that Greg had hired a private investigator to follow Emily. Myron uncovers a video tape of Emily and Maggie Mason, a woman known as Thumper, having sex. Mason has close ties to the team. Myron believes Emily had been set up and can understand her extreme anger at Greg.

The murder weapon is discovered in Greg's house, and other evidence that had been in the house vanishes. It is clear that someone is trying to frame Greg for murder, while another person may be trying to protect him. In another development, the blackmailers contact Myron and offer to sell him the information they had offered Greg.

Events come to a head when Myron meets up with the leader of the Raven Brigade, Cole Whiteman. He admits that he and Liz Gorman had indeed been blackmailing Greg, but will not reveal with what. Leaving him, Myron meets up with Audrey, and receives a phone call from the blackmailer. The two travel to a remote location and meet with a man in a ski mask. Audrey shoots the man, claiming he was going to kill Myron. Myron confronts her. Audrey had killed Gorman to protect Greg and their unborn child. It had been Audrey that cleaned up the evidence at Greg's house, leaving the murder weapon planted by Emily, as it had not been discovered. The blackmailer at the scene was in fact a homicide detective, part of the set up to catch Audrey.

Myron returns to the Arena to confront Clip Arnstein and is handed an audio cassette. On the tape is evidence that Myron's injury so many years ago was not an accident after all. Greg had paid another player to hurt Myron. Though he had not intended for the injury to be career ending, Greg was angry at Myron for having a one night stand with Emily the night before their wedding. Arnstein had known about the tape from the beginning and could think of no other way to tell Myron. Arnstein wanted Myron to have closure.

Myron realizes that though his basketball career was ended, he had created a life for himself, a good life with friends and people that love him. Despite his loss of a career in basketball, he had moved on, becoming successful. Myron still mourned for the chances that he had missed in life, but cherished the chances he had been given.