A New Harlan Coben Thriller Has Landed On Netflix And Viewers Are Hooked
Author Harlan Coben exploded onto the literary scene in 1995 with "Deal Breaker," the first book in the long-running Myron Bolitar novel series. Myron Bolitar was a former basketball player and current sports agent who became embroiled in a string of sports-related murder investigations. There are 16 Myron Bolitar books and three in the YA Micket Bolitar spin-off series. Coben has also authored 19 standalone thrillers, and it's entirely likely you idly picked up one of his books at the airport. His most recent novel was the 2023 thriller "I Will Find You."
Coben is also notable for being the source of multiple new Netflix TV shows. A 2018 article by Deadline noted that Corben signed a massive plum deal with the streaming service to adapt 14 of his titles into either movies or TV series, to be filmed all over the world and made by various international studios. Since 2020, Netflix has released "The Stranger" and "Stay Close" (made in England), "The Woods" and "Hold Tight" (made in Poland), "The Innocent" (made in Spain), and "Gone for Good" (made in France).
The Netflix deal came after Coben created "The Five" and "Safe" in England. Coben, for the record, is from New Jersey.
The latest series from Coben, "Fool Me Once" debuted on Netflix on January 1, 2024, and it's already getting a lot of attention from U.S. audiences. According to an article by Yahoo! News, many viewers took to social media to share their thoughts and agree that it is almost instantly a new addiction. The article quotes many casual viewers as loving "Fool Me Once," while also citing the show's lackluster reviews. Case in point, the Independent's review described it as being implausible and melodramatic.
Implausible melodrama, however, can be a wonderful salve for many.
Fool Me Once brings on the twists and turns
"Fool Me Once" is a story of two seemingly unconnected murders, although I think it may be safe to assume that the two subsequent murder investigations eventually intersect in a sinister way. Michelle Keegan from "Coronation Street" plays Maya, a woman who, while watching security camera footage of her own home, sees her presumed-murdered husband (Richard Armitage) mysteriously returning. Maya's niece and nephew, meanwhile, begin investigating the murder of their own mother. Intrigue abounds. Lest you think you know where this is going, Coben has other plans. In an article by The Guardian, Coben noted that he likes to stay multiple steps ahead of his readers and takes pride in his ability to pull out strange and implausible twists. He was quoted as saying:
"If you don't like twists and turns, I'm not your guy. [...] For every twist that ends up in my stories, I probably thought of 10 others that I cut out. I really enjoy playing with your expectations, and I think you'll see a lot of bombs and twists dropping at the end of this new series too. The last one is a real gut punch."
The events of Coben's original "Fool Me Once" novel, published in 2016, take place in the United States. The new series is set in England and, to Coben's surprise, allowed the incorporation of a class struggle that he didn't initially write. He noted that there is a conflict between Maya and Joe's mother, played by celebrated British actor Joanna Lumley ("Absolutely Fabulous").
For those seeking a pulpy, perhaps ridiculous but intriguing and thrilling outlet to arrange a viewing schedule around, it would seem Coben has once again provided. "Fool Me Once" is currently streaming on Netflix.