Nobody's Fool by Harlan Coben

A year after the devastating events that took place in Fool Me Once, Harlan Coben’s bestselling thriller and #1 Netflix series, a secret from former Detective Sami Kierce's college days comes back to haunt him. Present day is hard enough for the disgraced Kierce, but his past isn’t through with him yet…

MALAGA – 2000
Sami Kierce, a young man backpacking in Spain with friends, wakes up one morning. He is covered in blood. There’s a knife in his hand. Beside him, the body of a woman. Anna. Dead. He doesn’t know what happened. He begins to scream.

NEW YORK CITY – 2025
Kierce, now a disgraced detective, is teaching night classes when he recognizes a familiar face in the crowd. Anna. It’s unmistakably her. As soon as Kierce makes eye contact with her, she runs. 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 day.

His investigation will bring him face-to-face with his past. Soon he discovers that some secrets should stay buried . . .

Kindle Edition, 352 pages

Expected publication March 25, 2025

 by Grand Central Publishing

4/5 stars

Book 2 in the Detective Sammi Kierce Series takes place over two timelines. One being 2000 in Malaga  and the other current day in New York City. First introduced to Sammi in Fool Me Once where he had a low profile, here he takes centre stage as his past comes back to haunt him. 

What follows is in engaging story that came with the usual Harlan Cohen style in terms of red herrings, twists, unreliable characters and an interesting plot. Though it did take me a little bit to get captivated with the story once I did I was thoroughly entertained as I tried to decipher the clues and figure out what was actually taking place. There were many layers that wove together to an ending I really didn't see coming - that's why Harlan Coben is one of my auto-read author, he keeps me guessing.

My thanks to Grand Central Publishing for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review.  You can find Nobody’s Fool on sale March 25

I Will Find You by Harlan Coben

An innocent father serving life for the murder of his own son receives evidence that his child may still be alive, and must break out of prison to find out the truth in #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben’s latest breathtaking thriller.

David and Cheryl Burroughs were living the dream life when tragedy struck. Now, five years after that terrible night, Cheryl is remarried. And David is serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison for the brutal murder of their son.

Then Cheryl’s sister, Rachel, arrives unexpectedly during visiting hours and drops a bombshell. She’s come with a photograph that a friend took on vacation at a theme park with a boy in the background who has a familiar, distinctive birthmark … and even though David and Rachel realize it can’t be, they both just know. It's David’s son, Matthew, and he's still alive.

David plans a harrowing escape from prison, determined to do what seems impossible–save his son, clear his own name, and discover the real story of what happened that devastating night.

Kindle Edition, 400 pages

Expected publication: March 14, 2023

 by Grand Central Publishing

4/5 stars

Harlan Coben's highly anticipated new book is set to release next week, and it promised to be a gripping read. The story revolves around a parent's worst nightmare - the loss of a child. David, the father of three-year-old Matthew, is accused and convicted of his son's murder, and is now serving time in prison. Despite his claims of innocence, David accepts his punishment, because the way he sees it, he is at fault because he didn't protect Matthew.

"I Will Find You" is a heart-wrenching tale, especially when David is given a glimmer of hope that his son may still be alive. What follows is a thrilling game of cat and mouse as he evades law enforcement to unravel the mystery of that fateful night. With nice sized chapters it was easy to say, JustOneMoreChapter (pun intended), in fact I read this in a matter of days.  There were parts of the book I needed to see how the author was going to pull it off and he did (as usual). 

 A well written suspenseful story that would be a perfect fit for anyone who loves a good mystery.

My thanks to Grand Central Publishing for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review.

Friend Request by Laura Marshall

A paranoid single mom is forced to confront the unthinkable act she committed as a desperate teenager in this addictive thriller with a social media twist.
Maria Weston wants to be friends. But Maria Weston is dead. Isn't she?

1989. When Louise first notices the new girl who has mysteriously transferred late into their senior year, Maria seems to be everything the girls Louise hangs out with aren't. Authentic. Funny. Brash. Within just a few days, Maria and Louise are on their way to becoming fast friends.

2016. Louise receives a heart-stopping email: Maria Weston wants to be friends on Facebook. Long-buried memories quickly rise to the surface: those first days of their budding friendship; cruel decisions made and dark secrets kept; the night that would change all their lives forever.

Louise has always known that if the truth ever came out, she could stand to lose everything. Her job. Her son. Her freedom. Maria's sudden reappearance threatens it all, and forces Louise to reconnect with everyone she'd severed ties with to escape the past. But as she tries to piece together exactly what happened that night, Louise discovers there's more to the story than she ever knew. To keep her secret, Louise must first uncover the whole truth, before what's known to Maria--or whoever's pretending to be her--is known to all.

Kindle Edition, 385 pages

Published September 5, 2017

 by Grand Central Publishing

4/5 stars

Friend Request is a dual time period story where secrets of the past don’t stay hidden.

Back in 1989 Mean Girls was thriving and the repercussions roll over to 2016 just in time for the 25th Class Reunion.

This book had so much going for it, mysterious past, ghosts of the past and when those ghosts show up years later what follows is a twisted thriller with an unexpected ending.  

For Louise it’s a question of protecting not just her son but her mind. As she confronts the past and who this mystery person is (could it actually be Maria?) she also needs to reconcile to what happened and the role she played. This book had me questioning everyone Louise came in contact with, the time switches were nice and smooth, the mystery slowly unravelled to an fitting conclusion. It was a great ride.

This is Laura Marshall’s debut, looking forward to more of her books.

My thanks to Grand Central Publishing for a digital copy in exchange for a honest review.

The Boy from the Woods by Harlan Coben

Thirty years ago, Wilde was found as a boy living feral in the woods, with no memory of his past. Now an adult, he still doesn't know where he comes from, and another child has gone missing.

No one seems to take Naomi Pine's disappearance seriously, not even her father-with one exception. Hester Crimstein, a television criminal attorney, knows through her grandson that Naomi was relentlessly bullied at school. Hester asks Wilde-with whom she shares a tragic connection-to use his unique skills to help find Naomi.

Wilde can't ignore an outcast in trouble, but in order to find Naomi he must venture back into the community where he has never fit in, a place where the powerful are protected even when they harbor secrets that could destroy the lives of millions . . . secrets that Wilde must uncover before it's too late.

Hardcover ,371 pages 

First published March 17, 2020

by Grand Central Publishing

4.5/5 stars

I'm new to Harlan Coben books.  Grand Central Publishing graciously sent me The Match for review, which happens to be the sequel to this book and releases March 15th.  So here I am.

I wasn't sure what to expect given the title and not reading the blurb. But suffice to say this book grabbed me right from the beginnings.

Told from a couple different view points I got to know Hester, a feisty tv lawyer, grandmother/widow and a hoot.  I loved her, her one liners and bantering made me smile and want to read more about her (apparently she is in a Coben series as well - make room tbr pile.)  Wilde, the little boy lost in the woods is now an adult.  Driven, secretive, a survivalist and caring all at the same time.

Throw in a missing teen or two, some suspicious individuals, political intrigue made this layered story a pleasure to read.  Though political stuff isn't really my thing this one wasn't hard to follow.

The Boy from the Woods is a mystery with family drama, great characters a plot that kept me guessing along with the anticipation of seeing these guys in The Match (review coming tomorrow).

This book was part of my 2022 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge (#9)