🤍Book review 🤍

Nobody’s Fool
by Harlan Coben


Nobody’s Fool is another gripping thriller from Harlan Coben, packed with twists, suspense, and unexpected surprises. The story follows Sami Kierce, a private investigator and new father, whose past comes back to haunt him when he spots a familiar face in his night school class—a woman who supposedly died 22 years ago. What follows is a fast-paced mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end.
Coben’s writing is smooth and engaging, with plenty of drama and humor to balance the tension. Sami is a likable protagonist with a sharp wit and strong sense of family. The plot is wild but exciting, and while some twists stretch believability, they make for an entertaining ride. Fans of Coben will appreciate the Easter eggs from his other books. Overall, this is a thrilling read that will keep you hooked from start to finish. Highly recommended!
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley , opinions are my own

Harlan Coben is a master. His writing is effortlessly engaging and his storytelling is spellbinding. This story is interwoven with the present day and an incident that happened 22 years ago leaving Sami Kierce scarred and believing he may have been a witness/culprit/?? to his girlfriend’s death. Fast forward to present day and he is a private eye in New York, giving evening lectures on criminology when someone looking like his dead girlfriend comes into his classroom. The story unfolds at a satisfying pace and I devoured this book in almost one sitting.

When you see Harlan Coben's name on a book you just know it is going to be an incredible read!.

In this story we are reunited with Sami Kierce, who we have previously met in Fool Me Once, and follow her journey on this unforgettable read,

Perfectly paced, overflowing with suspense and intrigue right to the very end, this is a book I would urge everyone to read!

*Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Random House and Harlan Coben for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.*

I am incredibly grateful to both NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the opportunity to read and review Nobody's Fool. Being selected to explore this captivating story before its official release has been such a treat, and I can’t wait to share my thoughts on it with all of you. A huge thank you to the teams at NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for their generosity and for making this advanced reading experience possible.

Harlan Coben is back baby!

This was epic. Simple unputdownable.

There you go, that's the review. Enough said, right?

I'm just messing about!

I have found recently that in terms of my likes and preferences, not necessarily in terms of quality, that Harlan Coben's recent books have been a bit hit and miss. But this... THIS! This is Harlan Coben through and through.

Nobody's Fool has a decent back story and then you are immersed head first into the chaos of the investigation. This was so twisty, I loved it so much.

I'd even go as far as saying this is probably my favourite Harlan Coben book that I've read to date. I do hope that this isn't the last we see of Sami Kierce. He was just such a likeable character.

And the students, they need to return also. With their forces combined, they are unstoppable.

Nobody’s Fool features Detective Sami Kierce who we last saw in Fool Me Once (2016). Kierce only had a relatively minor role in Fool Me Once, although it was enhanced and expanded in the Netflix adaption which screened in early 2024.

A year after the devastating events that took place in Fool Me Once, a secret from former Detective Sami Kierce’s college days comes back to haunt him. Present day may be hard enough for Kierce, but his past isn’t through with him yet.

When he was a young college grad backpacking his way through Spain, Kierce encountered a beautiful young woman called Anna. It was a magical time for Kierce until the morning he woke up to find himself covered in blood with a knife in his hand and the body of his new girlfriend beside him. Terrified, Kierce fled the scene.

Twenty two years later, and Kierce is now a private investigator and a new father who is trying to work off his debts by teaching wannabe sleuths at a night school in New York City. One evening, he recognizes a familiar face at the back of the classroom. Anna. It’s unmistakably her. But as soon as he makes eye contact with her, she bolts.

For Kierce there is no choice. He knows he must find this woman and solve the impossible mystery that has haunted his every waking moment since that terrible day. Unfortunately it also leads him into a tragic new mystery and murder.

Nobody’s Fool is Coben in very good form. Very authors can match his ability for concocting wild, twisty plots that captivate from the beginning, and Nobody’s Fool certainly delivers all the surprises that we have come to expect. With considerable skill, Coben unfolds his story at a breathless pace and keeps the reader guessing as the story veers down some unexpected paths. The characters have a credible feel to them, and while some of the plot twists strain belief most readers will be too busy turning the pages to notice or care.

The connection between the various cases in the past and the present requires some careful attention, but Coben is good at keeping the reader across the different strands. The writing is smooth and engaging, and woven into the story are subtle themes around wealth and privilege and the consequences of past actions. There is also a good sense of moral ambiguity.

I was fortunate enough to hear Coben speak at the Bouchercon conference in Nashville last year, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that a small scene in Nobody’s Fool is set in the enormous, outlandish resort, the “world’s largest terrarium”, where the conference took place.

In all, Nobody’s Fool is a terrific read and probably one of the best books that Coben has done in recent years.

Another great read from this author who never fails to write a great book
Good humour and plot
As always a mire than satisfying reading experience

Man, this was so good.

Loved the humor. Loved Sami's sense of family and quick wit.

This is the second book, but I didn't actually read the first one. I did, however, watch the Netflix series—and damn, this book is so much better than the Netflix rendition of Fool Me Once. Maybe the first book wasn’t that great, or maybe Netflix just didn’t do a good job, but at best, the show was a 6/10.

The book, though? Easily a 4.5/5. The characters? Great. The story? Great. The action? Great. It was engaging and fun all the way through.

I'll probably watch the Netflix remake of this one—begrudgingly—while complaining to my wife about how much better the book was.

Thank You NetGalley and Random House UK for a Review Copy

This is a fast moving thriller that grabs hold of the reader and refuses to let go.
Our main character is Sami Kierce who we first met in Fool Me Once. I think you'd be able to read this as a standalone - but why would anyone not want the opportunity to read a Coben book if given the chance? It will also give you a bit of an insight in to Sami's life previously.

There is plenty of drama and suspense in this book and the twists that you will be well used to if you've read other work by Harlan Coben. and you'll enjoy spotting the easter eggs to his other works that are throughout. A much appreciated little extra provided by the author to reward loyal fans.

A highly recommended book.

Sami Kierce is a private investigator who at night teaches a class to wannabe sleuths.
On one of teaching sessions he looks up and sees a familiar face, but that cannot be. She died twenty two years ago.
Once she realises he’s recognised her, she bolts and Kierce’s life is turned upside down.
Desperate for answers, he will have to bring his past and present together, but even could never have predicted the outcome.
It is probably fair to say that no one is better than Harlan Coben at writing this kind of story. No writer has the knack to draw his reader in and keep them on edge on such a consistent basis like Coben. Also there are very few writers who can make a reader laugh at the same time.
I’ve read every book this author has written and I have to say he is solid gold.
Nobody’s Fool is another exceptional book in a long line of exceptional books by one of the best in the business, and one I highly recommend.

Absolutely loved this book! From page one I was hooked and couldn’t wait to pick the book back up.

I can’t wait for more from this author!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers & Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in advance!

This book was brilliant! It contains lots of suspense and is very fast paced, which I love and knew how to keep me reading right until the very end.

If you love a gripping book then this book is definitely the one for you.

Once again thank you to NetGalley for choosing me to voice my thoughts on this book!

I admit that I am fairly new to Harlen Coban's books but I am now addicted, unfortunately I hadn't read the first book in the series so some of the background was missing, my bad, but it didn't spoil the my enjoyment, I was gripped from the first page.
Sami Kierce was dismissed from the police force for misdemeanours, he was now earning a living as a PI and teaching collage students in criminology.
Two stories run simultaneously in this book, the first is Tad Grayson who had just been released from a life sentence in jail for, twenty years ago, murdering Sami's fiance, Sami needed to prove that he did indeed murder Nichole.........or did he ? had Sami put away an innocent man ?
Mystery number two was when a woman walked into one of Sami's classes, a woman who was dead, a woman who twenty years ago, as a student visiting Spain, Sami had enjoyed a five day fling, a woman who he had woken up next to covered in blood with a bloody knife in his hand, a woman who promptly disappeared from his classroom.........Sami needed to find her, he needed answers.
This story has more twists than a corkscrew, it has nail biting suspense, it has secrets that can be bought and everything else inbetween, forget eating, forget sleeping, you wont be able to put this book down.
I found the characters very likeable and easy to connect with, I love the relationship that Sami has with his wife and son, I love how he used his unlikely band of mishmash, but eager, students to help solve his crimes but most of all, I loved that I had no idea how the story would end.
Thank you Net Gallery for this ARC, my review is voluntary.

I enjoyed reading this book. Recent books that I have read by this author have learnt me to enjoy it as a work of fiction, not to get too buried in the realistic feel of the storyline, or to try and guess how it will all end. This book appeared to centre on believable events and realism until around the 75% mark when the storyline became unrealistic.
The book reads as a standalone but it is a follow on for the character of Detective Sami Kierce, as he deals with his next case. I did not read the first book, Fool Me Once, however I did watch the TV series which I really enjoyed. I feel that this book will make a great storyline for a TV series and hope that we get to see that in the future.
As always, the book is well written for a tense, action thriller. It is a nice easy read and it is quite an addictive read as you work through the investigation. Great character development too.

A year after the events of “Fool Me Once” and life looks a little different for former Detective Sami Kierce as events from his past come back to haunt him. Firstly, if, like me, you’ve come to this after reading the book of “Fool Me Once” and not having watched the Netflix show you may be a little confused. Sami Kierce was originally Roger Kierce in the book but Coben seems to have decided to switch up the character a little to match the Netflix version of him instead.

I really enjoyed this. Coben is on fine form. There are twists and turns galore, we get some great returning characters with the Burkett family from “Fool Me Once” making another appearance and a brief mention of Frank Ache who I’ve seen in some of the Myron Bolitar books.

There’s kind of two stories running on this one. There’s the mystery around Anna from Sami’s college days and also Tad Grayson, the man who murdered Sami’s fiancee has been released from prison on the basis of Sami’s misconduct whilst he was a Detective, in part due to the events of “Fool Me Once”, and Sami is keen to prove that he’s guilty and get him back in prison. My one complaint would be that there wasn’t enough time given to the Tad Grayson storyline. It’s not a particularly long book and I felt the end of that storyline in particular was a little rushed and would have benefitted from a few more pages being given to it.

I loved the students in Kierce’s class. They were such a little rag tag bunch and, again, a slightly higher page count would have allowed for more time to be given to developing them a little more.

If you’re a fan of Coben’s work this will definitely be for you, it’s fast paced and full of twists and turns to keep you gripped from beginning to end.

Utterly enthralling from the very first word to the last. This is packed with energy, suspense, mystery and clever little twists. I loved the complexities of all of the characters and was definitely invested in the lead who was investigating which made it even more compelling. There are lots of instances of the vulnerabilities of being human, family loyalties, deception, secrets and lies, so much to get your teeth into. This is definitely a book where your own world needs to stand still for a while so that you can power on through the strands which eventually come together and lead you somewhere you did not realise you were going. All of the clues were there but you’re not necessarily looking in the right direction to see it.
The ending was sublime and I’m eagerly hoping there might be a follow up as my mind is still whirring away. Thank you a very enjoyable read.

Nobody’s Fool is a classic Coben thriller—fast-paced, twisty and addictive, written in the author’s trademark witty style. The book is packed with suspense and intrigue and although some parts require suspending disbelief, that only adds to the fun. It’s an easy, entertaining read that keeps you hooked until the very last page, although the epilogue was a little overdone.

Another gripping masterpiece from Harlan Coben. A rollercoaster ride of suspense, fear and emotion. Sami Kearce is a former detective who lost his job due to a mistake leading to someone’s death. Twenty five years previously Sami was on a lads holiday in Spain where he met and became infatuated with a girl called Anna. One day he woke up next to Anna who was covered in blood. Sami had a knife in his hand. Panic ensued and he fled back to the states convinced he had somehow murdered Anna. That is until one day she appears at his criminology class. He is now happily married to Molly and has a young son, Henry. His former fiancee having been murdered by Tad Grayson who is now freed on a technicality. This fast paced story eventually gives answers but not before an involved investigation fraught with danger leads him to face his past. A brilliant original concept that has several clever twists and an ending with an interesting question.

It took me a couple of chapters to get into this book but then I was completely hooked. Sami is an empathetic character, backed by a loving wife and a quite hilarious group of investigative students. The plot is fast paced and takes the reader on a thrilling roller coaster of a ride. Fans of Harlen Cobden will not be disappointed. (.and as a Springsteen fan I loved the song reference too).

I think after watching the first series on netflix, it was hard to get into this second book being in USA. It was usual Coben fare, a good thriller with some twists. Just me, I prefer UK based storylines.

Harlan Coben's "Nobody's Fool" hooks the reader from the beginning, weaving a tale of intrigue that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

The characters Sami Kierce and Victoria, are richly developed and immensely relatable. Coben has a unique talent for breathing life into his characters, individuals with depth, flaws, and genuine humanity. The protagonist's journey is both riveting and poignant, drawing you into their world.

Coben's writing style is engaging and the pacing of this novel is excellent. With this story, told in 2 timelines (2000 and 2025), he is able to blend tension and revelation, allowing the plot to unfold in a way that is extremely satisfying. Just when you think you have everything figured out, there is another twist that leaves you reeling.

What sets "Nobody's Fool" apart is Coben's ability to infuse the story with humour, suspense and unpredictability.
I did not realise this was the second book in the series. It works great as a stand alone read. But I will definitely go back to read the previous book in the series.

It is a deeply satisfying read that earns every one of its five stars. Whether you're a long-time fan of Coben or new to his work, this novel is a must-read that will leave a lasting impression.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.