ARC Review:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben

Nobody’s Fool is the second in a series that follows Former Detective turned PI, Sami Kierce. This time a former flame that Sami thought was murdered, Anna, shows up in his classroom. Can Sami find out the truth about that night 25 years ago?

You guyyyyssss, I’m a huge Harlan Coben fan and this did not disappoint! I love Coben’s ability to create characters who are flawed, relatable, imperfect, witty, and at times unlikeable. Sami Kierce is definitely all of those and he makes for a fun point of view for a detective mystery. It was twisty and suspenseful, while also humorous. The Myron Bolitar easter eggs in this book had me giggling with joy. I really hope this series continues, and it’s definitely not one to miss!

Everyone go out and buy Nobody’s Fool on March 25th, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley, Grand Central Publishing, and @harlancoben for the opportunity to read this arc!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben. There are a few authors that I will always read when they have a new book. Mr. Coben is one of them. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced reader copy. Sami Kierce is backpacking around Europe after his college graduation. He falls hard for the alluring Anna, and then one morning he awakens covered in her blood. Years later, Sami is a former NYPD police officer teaching a night class in Manhattan when he’s suddenly certain Anna is in the back of the lecture hall. He Chase’s after her, but does not get any answers. Sami is determined to solve this mystery that has haunted him for decades. His wife and new baby are out at risk, and Sami’s efforts are thwarted time and again. This is the second mystery by Coben to feature Sami Kierce. There’s a few references to the previous novel. I read that one but over 8 years ago. I had no recollection of the story, and it didn’t hinder my enjoyment of this one at all. Easy and quick read! Release date is next week. Thumbs up! #books #whatiread #bookstagram #bookworm #harlancoben #advancedreaderscopy #bookgram #reading #netgalley #goodreads

Sami Kierce, a young college grad backpacking in Spain with friends, meets a girl named Anna at a club one night and decides to go off with her instead of continuing on with his friends. One morning he wakes up covered in blood, a knife in his hand, and Anna beside him, dead. He doesn’t know what happened. His screams drown out his thoughts—and then he runs. Twenty-two years later, Kierce is now a private investigator a new father of a little boy, and he also teaches 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. As soon as Kierce 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. His investigation will bring him face-to-face with his past—and prove, after all this time, he’s nobody’s fool.

I am a huge fan of this author's books and all of the mini series that are on streaming services. All I can say is. I can't wait fo this one to come to Netflix! I was on the edge of my seat for the entire book. It kept me guessing until the very end. This is perfect for fans of David Baldacci, Joseph Finder and Linwood Barclay. If you love a good thriller, then this needs to be at the top of your TBR pile!

Nobody’s Fool is the second book in the Detective Sami Kierce series, but will work very well as a stand-alone. The past and present day collide and, as he tries to find the answers of what happened way back when, he finds himself knee deep in mystery, secrets, lies, revelations, and danger!

As night school teacher, Sami has his class looking into a cold case, Sami is seeking answers for an event that left him reeling and with lifelong questions ultimately changing the trajectory of his life.

There are twists, turns, and revelations. The ending was definitely a complete surprise – I never saw it coming.

Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben is a suspenseful action-packed thriller that tries to solve a 20-year-old mystery.
I didn't know that this book was a sequel so it's possible that I missed something but I struggle to connect with this book.

Twenty years ago in Spain, Sami woke up covered in blood with a dead Anna next to him. He ran and never told a soul what happened simply because he has no memory of what happened.
Now while teaching criminology class he notices a woman sitting at the end of the class... He knows instantly it's Anna b ut how that's possible?

The storyline is really intriguing, and you do have this curiosity to see how the story will unfold at the same time I could not get to the stage where I care about characters or their stories. I believe this wasn't for me but I highly recommend to try!


Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for a copy of this book.

I love Harlan Coben books. This is another interesting installment--Sami Kierce runs into a mysterious woman from his past who he thought was dead and races against time to figure out who she is and why she's back in his life. Lots of twists and turns, and you'll be guessing until the end.

Harlan Coben masterfully weaves two timelines into a compelling story filled with unexpected twists. The plot follows Sami Kierce, whose life has been shaped by a series of tragic and mysterious events spanning two decades. As past and present collide, Coben skillfully builds suspense, leading to an explosive and surprising ending.

While the pacing feels slow at times, especially through the middle, the payoff is well worth it. Fans of intricate mysteries and layered storytelling will find this a satisfying read.

Thanks to the author and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read this excellent book. Thoughts and opinions are expressly my own, and are for use by my friends and followers when choosing their next book. #harlancoben #nobodysfool #netgalley #netgalleyreview

While a bit predictable, it didn't make it any less enjoyable! You know there will be twists and drops on a roller coaster, but it doesn't make you enjoy it any less! (I'm not a fan of roller coasters, but it's an apt analogy.) Harlan Coben does it again!

3.5 stars

As a young college grad backpacking in Europe with friends (seriously, maybe the best time of my life) Sami Kierce (a guy…I was confused with the spelling) wakes up one morning in Spain, covered in blood. He has a knife in his hand and his girlfriend of about a week, Anna, is beside him, dead. He remembers nothing. He goes to the police, but then he runs.

Over two decades later Sami is not the doctor he planned the be, but, instead, is a P.I. after being fired from the police. He also teaches a night school course on crime in NYC and he’s a new dad. One night Anna comes into his classroom, but as soon as she sees Sami she runs. Sami knows he must find her to see if she actually survived that night in Spain.

My question…why? Just go with the win, Sam! I mean, I would WANT to know, but would also be feeling some great relief. But Sami has more ambition than me, I guess, so away we go!

Coben is a really good plotter and I don’t know that Inexpected anything in particular from this, but it was interesting and there are some great supporting characters here. I get the impression this is the second book featuring Sami, so perhaps there will be more, and I like him. Rounded up to 4 stars, even though 3.5?8/ a good spot.

Kierce is back and I am glad to see him.

Generally, I find Harlan Coben to be a bit muddled with feints and red herrings.
Not the case with this book.

I loved, loved, loved this novel

I figured out the mystery but it takes nothing from feeling immersed in the characters and storyline.
The Epilogue leads to a story further down that I;m not really interested.

But, for now, Kierce is a must read going forward for me.

I really enjoyed this one. It’s a fast paced read filled with twists and turns that you won’t see coming! Sami is a relatable and likable character and so is his wife Molly. I loved his humor and determination. I also really liked his criminology students, especially the Pink Panthers. The story was one that I couldn’t put down and I will be watching for more to come in this series, I can’t wait. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the chance to read and leave my best opinion.

As a huge Harlan Coben fan, I was very excited to get this book as an ARC. To start, I did not read the prior book Fool Me Once, only watched the show. I believe this book works as a stand alone, but there were some scenes that I felt I was lacking a bit of information that I am assuming were in Fool Me Once. If this is planned to work as a standalone, then that should definitely be rectified. The plot was very good and had me on my toes. I didn't start putting the pieces together until Sami realized he knew what happened, which was towards the end of the book. So props to the author for not being too obvious with how this book ends, something that has been difficult to come by as of late. And now onto my issues with the book. The "three weeks later" chapter felt very rushed and not at all satisfactory. I was hoping for a little more revenge. I also felt that the characters weren't as deep as I had wanted them to be. I would have loved to have dived deeper into the connection between Sami and Anna, but felt we only received vague interactions to not give away the book. I had no empathy or sorrow for these characters because they were so surface level. Besides that, I did enjoy the plot and thought the ending was difficult to guess.

Thank you to Harlan Coben and Grand Central Publishing for this advance reader copy!

Wow! This book was absolutely superb. Nobody's Fool leaves no doubt as to why Harlan Coben is such a successful author.

I loved how the MC Sami Kierce unwrapped the mystery stemming back 25 years. As the story unravels, Sami seems to be in the midst of the mystery every step oft he way. Why does it keep. I loved how the truth was peeled back one layer at a time. I was completely glued to the pages.

Apparently Sami is featured in at least one other book, but I haven't read it. There is still some of Sami's backstory I'm not clear on, and I'm not sure if that is covered in a prior book. It left an air of mystery to him and left me wanting to know more, in a good way.

Harlan Coben is a must read for me. Every book I read from him is highly enjoyable and Nobody’s Fool is no different. This book reminded me of some of Coben’s earlier work with the character Myron Bollitor. There was some humor woven into this mystery full of a cast of characters. Good solid read.

I like Harlan Coben's books, but Sami Kierce is not my favorite character. There's something about him that lacks presence and strength. This was a decent story, but it did drag a bit. I much prefer the standalone books by this author.

Again, Harlan Coben has kept me reading late into the night. Samie Kierce is a private investigator. During one of the classes he gives to help make ends meet, a long-buried secret shows up in the form of a woman he thought he'd murdered decades before during a drug-fueled vacation party. So, of course, he investigates. He travels to Spain, the scene of the crime. And when the truth is finally revealed we don't see it coming. Coben is a master storyteller, and I always look forward to his books.

I loved this book. You really can’t go wrong with a Harlen Coben book. I liked the character Sami and this had a few good plot twists. I would definitely recommend this. It got me out of my fantasy reading rut.

What you expect from a Harlan Coben book is definitely what you'll get from this sequel to Fool Me Once. I was so here for it and the book totally delivered! This had the mystery, had the action, and had the intrigue. I enjoyed so much the interweaving of all the aspects of the storyline as everything just kind of hit it right on cue.

Sami Kierce was such an interesting character. I was glad to follow along a main character that had such a complex back story. Even more so that he was flawed and simply was reacting to anything and everything surrounding him. The supporting characters in this book were also brilliantly done, and this was so well rounded and such a great fun read. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced reader copy of Nobody's Fool in exchange for my honest review.

When Sami was a teenager, he went on a trip to Europe with some friends. After meeting a beautiful young woman and staying together for a few days, Sami decided to let his friends go on without him, as he was going to stay with this girl for a few more days.
The two of them had fun for a few days, going to parties, drinking, doing drugs and having lots of sex. Then one day Kierce wakes up next to the girl, but she's covered in blood and he has a bloody knife in his hand. He doesn't know what to do, what would the police think of a young non-white man in a foreign country who is in an apartment full of drugs and has woken up next to a dead girl?
It still haunts him after 22 years. He just ran away and never found out what happened in that disaster. Now Kierce is a retired policeman, with a wife and son, who teaches forensics to a very peculiar group of people.
One day in class he recognizes a familiar face that has appeared there. But he can't believe he's actually seeing that person, because he woke up next to that woman covered in blood 22 years ago.

When I requested the ARC, I didn't know that this book would be a sequel to another older book by the author, “Fool Me Once”. I decided to read that first book and then pick up this new release.
I found the first book very okay, with many controversial and convenient moments, despite the author's very good writing, he just didn't know how to work the plot he had well and decided to do crazy things. And he did the same thing in this sequel.

In fact, this book is not a direct sequel to the first book. In “Fool Me Once”, the story is told from another character's point of view, but detective Sami Kierse appears a few times and interacts a lot with the main character.
Now, in “Nobody's Fool”, Kierse appears as the protagonist. Here we see more of his personal life, which I'm absolutely sure the author took many details from the Netflix adaptation of the first book.
The events and characters from the first book are mentioned here, but it takes place a few years later. So I wouldn't say it's a direct continuation.

Now about the book. The story begins very well. The author promises a very interesting plot and manages to develop it in a way that made me very curious, but only up to a point.

One thing I noticed about Coben here is that he can't just stick to one line of investigation, he started adding lots of subplots, which seemed like everything was going to connect at some point, but something would happen that didn't reveal any connection between the cases, and one case would be forgotten while another gained focus, then the case would reappear out of nowhere and be the focus of that chapter, and so on.

The characters are very interesting, but they only appear when they're needed, which is extremely convenient. Sami Kierce is a great investigator, but he has some attitudes that don't quite fit in with the narrative that the author has created before and is creating now.
Kierce is an officer who has been removed from the police force, but he acts as if everything he does is better than the police. He has a source at the police station who helps him from time to time, but no one is there questioning this help? Why is the policeman helping someone who has been dismissed for misconduct? You know, these are questions I ask that I think it's important to clarify in a police investigation book.

As I mentioned, the main line of investigation was very interesting up to a point. I was keen to find out what was going on, and that left me with expectations that the author didn't meet with the direction he decided to take the story.

I didn't like the way he only threw in twists after 50%, for me that's when the book started to go off the rails.
I found the ending and all the conclusions very dull. I was expecting something so grand and surprising that I was frustrated by something so basic and obvious.

I've come to the conclusion that Coben's books aren't for me.
Yes, I love the way he writes. He knows how to hook the reader, even at times when I knew I wasn't going to like the book, I kept reading and the story flowed as if I was loving it.
But he has a level of writing that doesn't match my background in thrillers and investigative books. I feel that he is a perfect author for those starting out in this genre.

This is a book that had immense potential, but I didn't know how to work it in a way that suited me, so I ended up not liking it. But that doesn't mean the story is bad.
I've seen reviews saying very good things, so I'm glad there are people who liked it.

4.5 stars. Nobody's Fool is Book 2 featuring Sami Kierce. Confession Time: Book 1 was made into a Netflix series and I...I watched the show instead of reading the first book. Please don't strip me of my bookworm title! Book 2 can be read as a standalone, but there are references to Sami's past including mistakes from which he is still suffering hefty consequences. I was happy to have the full picture and recommend reading, listening or watching the respective first book, audio or mini series.

The events in Book 1 were bad enough to strip Sami of his badge. And now, even worse, since his screw up was all over the news, bad guys and their defense attorneys have used it to get cases overturned. There's one man in particular that would be a travesty to allow freedom, but the DA understandably, won't retry without new evidence.

If you know Coben, his novels often have dual plotlines that find a way to intersect or coalesce.

Because he is no longer employed as an officer, Sami is teaching a criminology class called No $hit Sherlock. One night a woman shows up that Sami recognizes from his trip to Europe 20 years ago. She made quite the impression on him; he'd know that face anywhere. But when he left, he thought she was dead. Naturally, Sami has questions; he tries to speak with her, but despite showing up at his class, she runs. Sami might not be law enforcement anymore, but he is an investigator at heart. And he has a team of enthusiastic students ready to assist!

I've read many of Harlan Coben's books and watched a few of his shows and there's a reason he's accomplished so much. This man is incapable of authoring anything less than a darn good book and often surpasses my high expectations.

I don't agree with Sami's last decision and I wonder about the consequences - but I will be first in line for Book 3!