NEW HARLAN COBEN BOOK FOR 2024 – THINK TWICE – AND LOOKING BACK AT HOME AND FOOL ME ONCE ON NETFLIX!

Harlan Coben is one of the most popular authors in the world today and his books are always a ‘must read’. In recent years the success of his twisty, unpredictable novels has been enhanced by a well produced succession of Netflix
mini-series based on his books, which have ramped up interest and cemented his standing as a leading storyteller.

In 2024 Harlan has a new book coming out featuring his popular hero Myron Bolithar, Think Twice, and a new Netflix series: Fool Me Once. But before looking forward to his new book, I thought I would look back at his last Bolithar book, Home.

Home came out in 2016 and was the eleventh book in his well liked series about sports agent, and accidental detective, Myron Bolithar.

The story revolved around the aftermath of a high profile kidnapping. Ten years ago, kidnappers grabbed two boys from wealthy families and demanded ransom, then went silent. No trace of the boys ever surfaced. For ten years their families have been left with nothing but painful memories and desperate hope. Now Myron’s best friend, and the cousin of one of the boys, Win Lockwood receives an email tip that leads him to believe he might be able to locate the now teenagers. Myron and Win recover one of the boys in a desperate rescue attempt, but are left with the questions: where has he been for ten years, what does he know about the day he was taken and where is the other boy?

In the Canberra Weekly in October 2016 I said:

“Coben is the master of the twisty thriller, and his latest is tricky treat that delivers surprises all the way to the end.

Home joins the recent flood of books about the return of a kidnapped child long thought dead.  Ten years ago two boys went missing from their New Jersey home.  Now one of them has been spotted in London.  Occasional detective Myron Bolithar is enlisted to bring him home.  In typical fashion, however, things are not that simple and he soon finds himself caught up in a complex, violent web of lies. Great stuff!”

At the time I thought it was one of Harlan’s best books, with plenty of emotional punch and loads of surprises. That is still my view today, which adds to anticipation for the new Bolithar and Win book, Think Twice.

Think Twice (Penguin) is due out in Australia on 23 May 2024.

The publishers have provided the following information about Think Twice:

How can a man who’s already dead be wanted for murder?

This is the question sports agent Myron Bolitar asks himself when two FBI agents visit him in New York.

The man they are looking for is Myron’s former client and rival, Greg Downing. Greg’s DNA has been found at the scene of a high profile double-murder, and he is now the FBI’s main suspect.

But Greg died three years previously, Myron says. He went to his funeral and gave the eulogy.

The FBI are disbelieving, and Myron knows he has to find some answers – and quickly.

Could Greg Downing still be alive?

The more Myron and his close friend Win dig into what really happened, the more dangerous their world becomes.

Coben has a knack for creating interesting thriller premises and he seems to have done it once more with Think Twice. The story sounds great and, like most of Coben’s novels, it promises to deliver a good dose of secrets, lies and a murderous conspiracy that stretches back into the past.

It is certainly one that I will be looking forward to reading as soon as it becomes available.

Before the release of Think Twice, however, fans of Harlan’s work can look forward to the release on 1 January 2024 of a new Netflix series based on one of his books, Fool Me Once.

The British Netflix shows based on Harlan’s books have been a real success, helped along by strong casts and good adaptions of the original stories. The books to date, Safe, The Stranger and Stay Close, have all been successfully transported from America to locations in the United Kingdom and make for good viewing. They have all benefitted from interesting tweaks to the storylines, especially last year’s Stay Close, which delivered a neat little twist in the last minute or so.

Once again Netflix has assembled a strong cast for the show, with Michelle Keegan, Adeel Akhtar and Joanna Lumley joining Harlan regular Richard Armitage in Fool Me Once.

It will be interesting to see what they do with Fool Me Once, which is probably one of the darker stories written by Harlan.

When I reviewed the book of Fool Me Once in March 2016 in the Canberra Times I said:

“Coben well understands the requirement of a good thriller and this is probably one of his best books.

Maya Burkett is a former special ops pilot who is trying to put her controversial past and the murder of her husband behind her, as she attempts to establish a normal life for her young daughter.  That is normalcy is shattered, however, when she glimpses her dead husband on a nanny-cam.  As she digs into her husband’s background she discovers things she does not want to know.

Coben is a master of the double twist and this one will keep you guessing as the labyrinthine plot rapidly unfolds. The ending is shocking, logical and totally unexpected.  Highly recommended.”

So, while you are waiting for Think Twice check out Fool Me Once, and perhaps one of the foreign language adaptions, such as the Spanish version of The Innocent.