Yet another brilliant psychological thriller by Harlan Coben, I was kept guessing until the end. Fast paced and makes the reader want to keep on reading through the night. Wholeheartedly recommended.

So this follows on from Fool Me Once with disgraced detective Sami Kierce, who I must admit I didn't remember from the first one even though I read it last year, but you definitely don't need to have read it. This was a bit slow and not a great deal seemed to actually happen until the last minute and the ending was a bit underwhelming.
I do love Harlan Coben but this didn't really captivate me like the previous ones.

A superbly written psychological thriller - Coben has the brilliant knack of drawing you wholly into a character's life and their situations, and this was no exception. Fast paced and with perfect subplots, I did guess the twist but I thoroughly enjoyed this nevertheless.

Back in 2000 Sami Kierce is backpacking in Spain when he wakes up one morning and there is a is dead woman in the bed beside him and he is covered in blood. He ring his father who tells him to get on the first plane back to the US. Forward to New York the present day and Sami is a disgraced NYPD cop he teaches night classes. During one of the classes a woman turns up, is it Anna the woman from Spain all those years ago. He chases her around NYC and he must solve what really happened that night all those years ago in Malaga.

Another fantastic thriller from Harlan Coben.

A favourite author of mine and another book that didn't disappoint at all.

Fast paced from start to finish, there's no let up in the pace at all.

Sami Kierce goes through one hell of a journey.

I really liked the narration style where you thought you were part of the jokes, with genuine humour and witty sarcasm throughout amongst all the action.

Sami runs a bit of an amateur detective club and the members add real humour and a variety of characters into the story to varying degrees.

It was an easy read and thoroughly enjoyable. I'll be looking forward to my next Harlan Coben book as always.

Many thanks for the ARC.

Nobody's Fool by Harlan Coban is a well paced and entertaining read. It is the second book in the Sami Kierce series, but easy to read as a stand-alone ( as I did)

Sami has a dark event in his past which has affected his entire life course- and this novel relates how he finally works out what occurred.

Sami's criminology students are a delightful addition to the investigation and eventual uncovering of the truth in various cases. There is plenty of suspense, pace and twists before the conclusion.

An author I will continue to seek out new titles from as his books guarantee a fantastic read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for eARC of this book.

Another fab read from Harlan Coben! Set a year after Fool Me Once, this is a gripping read from start to finish.
Sami is a brilliant character and his class of students are fabulous. This book is full of twists and a good few laughs along the way. Highly recommend!

Mr Coben you have done it again, another brilliant book with twists and turns that keep you guessing right to the very end. Sami Kierce had his life planned out but while backpacking in Spain his life was never the same again.
Eventually, the past catches up and Kierce is determined to find the truth in what happened during his backpacking days in Spain that ruined his life

A master at work and I Loved loved loved it. It is a five from me :]

The main character is Kierie a medical student involved with the college football team who meets Anna at a disco in Spain. They begin a relationship and She is a drug user and free spirit who quickly embroils Kierie in her world.
One day, after spending the night together, Kierie wakes up to find a bloodied knife in his hand and Anna lying dead next to him, having been brutally stabbed.

Kierie panics as you'd expect but knows deep down he wasn't capable of such a violent act so he goes to the police. Their investigation finds no body and no trace of blood or violence so Kierie is free to go.

Shortly after returning home on his Dad's advice there is a major incident in the news surrounding the disappearance of Victoria Belmondo, a local heiress.

Fast forward 11 years or so and Kierie's life has changed completely. He has given up on his dream of becoming a doctor and instead has become a cop. He's made a new life with Nicole, the love of his life who is subsequently killed. He's put away the person he believes to be responsible using some questionable methods as a result of which he has lost his job.

Picking himself up he decides to set up a Criminology 101 class which is a success. His life is upended one day when someone he believes to be dead walks back into his life. Superb thriller.

A good story in a typical Harlan Coben style.Disgraced former police officer Sami is teaching a night class course when a woman he thought had died in Spain over twenty years later walks in. Before he can speak to her she runs off. His search to locate her involves him in a missing person cold case and with a wealthy and influential family. To complicate matters a man found guilty of murdering a former fiancé is released from prison on a technicality. Aided by his students Sami reinvestigates both cases with suprising results. There are many red herrings throughout the story leading up to unexpected ending.
Another Netflix series perhaps

Interesting and complicated detective thriller - very entertaining and dfferent.

Sami, our narrator, becomes involved in a cold case involving the kidnapping of an heiress. Of course, things develop which make this a lot more convoluted that just an investigation as there's a good deal of emotional involvement, revelations, mistrust and lying. by various characters. The main characters are all very interesting and well-developed. The plot moves along at a steady even pace. I was amused by the little bits aimed at the American readership (yes, the Costa del Sol is in Spain). There was many twists and turns as you might expect and it makes for an engaging and satisfying read. Certainly fans of the author will not be disappointed. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Free courtesy of Netgalley

Another triumph for Harlan Coben, I could not put this book down, it was full of the twists and turns that you would expect from this writer, with a good solid plotline and believable characters.

Sami Kierce is a disgraced police officer who is now doing private detective work. Married with a new baby, he supplements his income by teaching a "how to be a PI course" to members of the public. Everything is going along nicely until one night a familiar face turns up to his class but runs off when she realises that he recognises her. This sets off a chain of events that spans over 22 years of Sami's life.

As this is a new book I don't want to give too much away but I will say, not everything is how it seems and I cannot wait for them to make a TV show of this book. I would recommend this book to all Coben fans, and to all new readers of his work who like the twists and turns of a crime novel.

Harlan Coben’s Nobody’s Fool is a gripping psychological thriller that seamlessly blends suspense, mystery, and an exploration of identity. With his signature fast-paced storytelling and unexpected twists, Coben delivers a novel that keeps readers engaged from beginning to end. The story follows former detective Sami Kierce, a man haunted by his past and forced to confront long-buried secrets when a shocking figure from his past resurfaces.

The novel alternates between two timelines. In the year 2000, a young Sami wakes up in Málaga, Spain, covered in blood next to the body of a woman named Anna, with no memory of what transpired. In a moment of panic, he flees, setting off a chain of events that will haunt him for years. Fast-forward to 2025, where Sami, now a disgraced detective turned criminology professor in New York, is stunned to see Anna—whom he believed to be dead—attending one of his lectures. As soon as their eyes meet, she disappears, launching Sami into an investigation that forces him to question everything he thought he knew about his past.

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is Coben’s ability to create complex, multi-dimensional characters. Sami is a deeply flawed yet compelling protagonist, a man burdened by guilt and searching for redemption. His struggle to piece together the truth about his past is both thrilling and emotionally charged. The supporting characters add further depth to the story, each playing a crucial role in unraveling the mystery surrounding Anna’s reappearance.

Beyond the suspenseful plot, Nobody’s Fool explores themes of memory, identity, and the impact of guilt. Coben masterfully examines how our perceptions of the past shape our present, and how the truth can be more elusive than it seems. The novel also raises questions about justice, self-forgiveness, and the lengths people go to in order to protect those they love.

With its fast-moving plot, shocking twists, and emotional depth, Nobody’s Fool is a compelling thriller that will keep readers on edge until the very last page. While some moments may require suspension of disbelief, the novel’s gripping narrative and well-crafted characters more than make up for it. Coben once again proves why he is one of the most acclaimed thriller writers of his generation. Fans of his work, as well as newcomers to his books, will find Nobody’s Fool to be an exciting and thought-provoking read.

Another brilliant read from the master himself Harlan Coben! A thrilling rollercoaster of a ride with so many plot twists I was left speechless.
I highly recommend this for fans of Cobens other work, this is one of his best yet!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC

The second book to feature Sami Kierce (Fool me Once being the first). There are some elements from that book that roll over but here we find ex detective Sami lecturing on crime to private citizens. An appearance from his past starts an investigation into his own situation and that of a girl who was missing for 15 years and found with no memory. Can there be some sort of link?

So Sami does what he does best, investigate. And this time ropes in his students to help.
It all comes together nicely, he’s a good character and Harlan Coben always knows how to write a great story. Often these types of story are marred by the central character doing stupid things and not telling people what’s going on, but not here. Sami does seek help and advice when needed and generally never does things that will frustrate and annoy the reader.
Mr Coben is a great writer who delivers another treat for his many fans.

Classic Coben! I have been a huge fan of Harlan Coben for years and his novels never disappoint. Whether we're following Myron and Win, or any of his stand alone novels, readers are guaranteed a brilliantly twisty plot, a multitude of colourful, complex characters and a prose that's imbued with Coben's unique brand of humour and warmth.

I didn't realise until I'd started this that it's the second novel in what promises to be another cracking series from this author. We first met Sami Kierce in Coben's hugely successful novel Fool Me Once. This time, Sami is back. No longer a detective, he's working as a private investigator and teaching an evening class on crime solving techniques. He is married and has a young son and, generally, life is ticking over quite nicely. Until, one night at his evening class, Sami is literally confronted by a ghost from his past. A girl he dated years ago in Spain, who died in harrowing circumstances, appears in the classroom. When Sami recognises her, she runs away.

What follows is a page-turning delight of a novel as Sami tries to discover how a dead woman can still be living, and how her sudden re-appearance in his life might be linked to a more recent tragedy.

It would be pretty near impossible to summarise the plot of a Harlan Coben novel so I'm not going to try. Suffice to say, this is a fabulous book. Fans of Harlan Coben will not be disappointed.

Excellent twisty storyline.
Keeps you guessing right to the end.
Thoroughly enjoyable.
Thanks for the opportunity to read and review

It is only reading other reviews that I realised this was a sequel, and I have read all of Harlan Cobans novels. I feel he is trying to capture the essence of Myron Bolitar in Sami Pierce with the wit and smart comments but there can only be one Myron. That spoilt the novel for me. I kept picturing the words coming out of Myrons character. That's how strong that character was. I think Sami needed to be more of his own person.
The plot is entertaining but is it now being written with a not great Netflix adaptation in mind? I don't know (obviously) but it had a looseness of story and emphasis on twists for me that made it a good read that did not necessarily mean you would seek out the back catalogue, which is a shame because there are really good reads in there.
Entertaining for the duration.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

A partial sequel to Fool me Once and featuring the disgraced detective Sami Kierce, it is a fast paced crime mystery with lots of twists and turns. The authors graceful storytelling shines as bright as ever and I liked the addition of Kierces crime study students in the pursuit of solving the case.

Sami Kierce hasn’t had a lot of luck in his life. As a twenty-one year old he’d had a terrible experience whilst holidaying in southern Spain with a bunch of guys, and later he’d been kicked out of the police force after chasing a suspect off of a roof. To put the tin lid on it, his fiancée was murdered by a man who’s now about to be released from prison. What else can go wrong? Well, he’s about to find out. Whist running a night class for wannabe amateur detectives, a woman enters the room. It’s a face he recognises. The woman doesn’t hang around though. In fact, as soon as she sees that she’s been spotted by Sami, she turns and dashes out onto the street.

We’re appraised of Sami’s bad luck in life in a series of episodes that prompt as many questions as they provide answers. The good news for Sami is that though he’s currently lacking the funds to live the life he’d favour, he is now married to a lovely wife and has a young son he dotes on. But some mysteries from the past still haunt him, and the woman whose face he’s seen is certainly at the core of one of the worst experiences of his life. He needs to track her down. So, in his determined quest to find her he enlists the help of the ragtag group who attend his classes and also any grabs any information he can source through a close friend from his time as a police officer.

This is one of those books where I’m reluctant to provide any more details than I already have. It contains a bunch of mysteries all wrapped up in one story – perhaps they all interlink, or maybe they don’t. Some characters are pushed to the forefront of the tale, whilst others – characters you think might will feature more prominently – aren’t. Will what’s really going on become glaringly obvious sooner rather than later? Well, the answer for me was no. In fact, I really didn’t get a clear view of how events knitted together until the very end. It’s an imaginatively created labyrinth of events that kept me hooked from start to finish. I loved everything about it: what we’re told, what we’re not told, the characters, the settings, the pacing – everything.

I’ve enjoyed many of Coben’s books over the years – though some more than others – but this one has definitely made it’s way to the very top of the pile. Miss it if you dare!