You can’t go wrong with Harlan Coben. His books are always hard to put down… this one was no exception. Nobody’s Fool was fast paced and captivating. It kept me glued to the very last sentence which left me reeling! Nobody's Fool is second in a series, but easily can be read as a standalone. I highly recommend reading this book! Always look forward to more from Coben. Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

“Did it all go wrong the moment I saw you?”


I thought this was a standalone book but it turns out it’s a sequel to Fool Me Once, which I read way back in 2016 and virtually remember none of. Even if you go back to read that book’s summary it doesn’t really give you much information about Sami Kierce and it doesn’t seem like he’s much of a main character.

If you plan to read Nobody’s Fool, I would recommend at least looking at spoilers for Fool Me Once because a couple members from the case show up in this book but with no context other than you know Sami Kierce does not like them at all. So if you want to know what that’s all about, you’ll have to do a little research.

This was a really good, fast-paced thriller. I read it in two days, somehow. But I’m not surprised because I’ve always liked Harlan Coben’s books. And I haven’t read one in awhile so it was fun to get back to one of his.

I will say, though, that I had to keep telling myself I wasn’t reading a Myron Bolitar novel. For some reason Sami Kierce felt like the same person. But Kierce is Pakistani and I kept picturing someone else. I wish there would have been more to describe him so I could better picture who he was as a character. Especially with this book being written so long after the first one it seems like Coben should have ‘refreshed’ the readers on who Kierce was.

Other than that, I can’t think of any other critiques of this book.



In Nobody’s Fool, Kierce is a bit of a disgraced police officer, thrown off the force for a mistake on a different case. He spends some of his time teaching a somewhat ‘off the books’ criminology class to an ecclectic bunch.

It’s in one of these classes that his past comes back to haunt him. A woman shows up that looks an awful lot like a girl he had a fling with in Spain on a backpacking trip many years ago. A girl he thought he had killed. Well… killed as in: he woke up from a drug and alcohol infused night to see her dead beside him and his hands covered in blood.

This shocking cameo (and then quick departure) sends Kierce on a new mission— to find her and find out what happened to her all those years ago.

We also have a side quest which may or may not be connected that also dredges up Kierce’s past. His first wife and fellow cop was murdered by an ex-boyfriend (also many years ago). But Kierce’s recent fall from grace has spurred reinvestigations and overturned verdicts based on any evidence gathered or touched by Kierce… including the prison release of the man convicted of killing his wife.

Kierce brings real life to the classroom as he uses the help of his students to look into both of these ‘problems’.



One of the things I really like about the book, other than the suspense and action, were the characters. Even if Kierce was too similar to Bolitar professionally and humorously, he had something Bolitar didn’t: a wife and son. I loved the relationship between Kierce and his wife and that he never tried to hide anything from her or lie to her… well I guess other than what happened in Spain… but he came clean about that. Filling Molly in on his investigations reiterated that they were a team and very close to one another and I liked that.

His students are also great characters. They all kinda have their own thing and come from different walks of life, but they all have a passion for solving mysteries so they’re willing to work together and they become bonded by the class and Kierce.



While I’m not entirely sure if I LOVED the ending (because I’m a hardcore justice fan), I think I can understand it. Maybe not on a personal level, but based on the compounded circumstances, I guess the outcome makes sense.

This book does end on a bit of a question mark or an open door to another book. And I would definitely read it.



Recommendation

I’m a fan of Harlan Coben and recommend his books, including this one. They have good characters, lots of action and suspense, and even some twists and turns. I never really had this one figured out and I’m totally okay with it!



**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

[Content Advisory: 4 f-words, 19 s-words; not really any sexual content; mentions of child-trafficking with one of the characters]

I haven't read too much of Coben, but I really enjoyed this book! It was captivating, suspenseful, and left me guessing at each twist and turn. I love his writing style and the characters he creates as well - definitely relatable and draws the reader in. Excited to read more Coben and was thrilled to get approved for this book!

Sami Kierce is a former New York City police detective, that left the force in exchange for no charges being filed against him for his mid-deeds. He is happily married with a one year old boy. But, he is haunted by something from his past twenty-two years ago. He does pretty well keeping the secret hidden, until one night during the class on Sherlock Holmes detecting he teaches a woman shows up that brings the past to the front of his mind again. Not being able to let it go, Sami enlists his students to assist him in finding out the answers he seeks. Little does he know that looking for his answers will net him way more than he ever dreamed of. The answers he is wanting, the truth to a woman's disappearance from New Year's Eve 1999, the real killer of his dead fiancé, and more money in his bank account than he could ever imagine having in his lifetime. And with all this, Sami has to look into his own self and question what he would do if faced with some of the same circumstances. And, the end leaves him with another mystery from that time twenty-two years ago. One that he may not be able to solve.

Harlan Coben can do no wrong and he never disappoints. I have been reading him since day one, and it never gets old. Just when you think you have things figured out, there is another twist. To say I loved this book would be an understand statement. I can’t wait to recommend it to everyone.

Another great, well written mystery by Harlan Cohen. It’s fast paced, suspenseful and will keep you guessing right until the end.

Nobody's Fool was a read that I could not put down. There were so many shady characters that I almost had a hard time keeping up. I loved the students in the sleuthing class. I give this five stars.

Excellent! This detective thriller was well written, detailed and kept me wanting more. I loved the way the details unfolded, revealing yet another twist to the story. The end tied it all together in ways I wasn't expecting.

This book starts off so chaotic. I do think that it all comes together nicely at the end with so interesting twists and turns. I don't love the main character Sami Kierce - I just thought he was unlikeable. I did enjoy the other supporting character - most specifically his "class" of "private investigators". They really brought levity and humor into the overarching story.
Based on this - I would reach for Harlan Coben again.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

just finished Nobody’s fool by @harlancoben another great one. So many twists and turns I could not guess what was going to happen next. I can’t wait for you all to read that one! I didn’t want to finish it but cannot wait until the next book!

I have come to expect greatness from Harlan Coben. My expectations are always probably a little too high. Yet he exceeded them with this book. It is twisty and turvy and intriguing from the first page. I read it in one sitting because I could not stop despite midnight coming and going. This is more a mystery than a thriller, though there are thriller elements too. The story kept me engaged and wanting to know more throughout. There was no boring section or lull in the story. It was great from the first page to the last. I highly recommend!

One of things I love about Harlan Coben’s characters are their humanness- mistakes, warts and all. Sami Kierce is a completely flawed guy. That doesn’t make him a bad person, just someone who is capable of screwing up and does over and over again. While he is digging his way up from a self imposed fall to the bottom, he is trying to sort out an old love affair that has the potential to destroy him once and for all. Unfortunately he rarely does the rational thing and you can guess how this is going to play out. He is going to chase it down and. it going too turn back and chase him and those he cares about.

This is a brilliantly plotted mystery which keeps pivoting and twisting in the most interesting fashion. There is typical Coben humor and smart dialog. None of the characters are perfect except for being perfectly drawn and detailed for their purpose. The reveal shows how deeply Coben has tasked himself and his characters with a difficult inward introspection, and maybe a just rationalization. It raises a lot of questions that begs an opinion - it’s up to the reader to decide or look away.

Coben once again demonstrates that he is at the top of his game and the top of the heap of the mystery/thriller writers. Five golden stars and many thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for a copy.

My first Harlan Coben book and not my last!!

This is the 2nd in a series but I did not read the first and it read beautifully as a standalone.

I loved Coben's writing style. Great pace, great plot! Great character building but not to the point of feeling slow or wordy. So many times I found myself gasping at the end of chapters. The chapters were not super long - which I love! A good amount of whitty banter between characters that had me laughing out loud.

I did not anticipate or predict the twists or conclusion. It kept me on my toes and I felt it wrapped up well! Absolutely recommend for lovers of mysteries/thrillers and detective series.

Thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Harlan Coben for the ARC and chance to give my honest opinion!

This was my first Harlan Coben! But after watching so many of his books become Netflix series, I needed to read one! This was the perfect one since I knew a bit of back story of it. I really liked it!

Coben strikes again this is a definite hit 💯💯💯💯💯

A man's past rears it's ugly head, a woman once thought dead suddenly appears in his class, when he gives chase, she disappears behind a heavily fortified mansion. Not to mention the man he put away for his late fiancée murder has been released on a technicality due to a botched case. Are they connected? Only time will tell.

Coben is a master when it comes to winding up a story so good, that when he springs all the surprises on, you don't know which way to look!!!!!!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand central publishing for this ARC. Humbled and grateful 🙏🏾

"NOBODY'S FOOL" out Mar 25th 2025

Solid 5 stars!!!!!

Harlan Coben manages to astound with his latest novel "Nobody's Fool", an edge of your seat gripping thriller that will have you guessing til the very end. I can comfortably say this is one of my favorites by him so far and that's saying something! An easy 5 out of 5 stars, make sure to add this to your 2025 read list!

As a young man, Sami Kierce, went to Spain along with members of the school’s lacrosse team. They had planned to travel together until Sami met Anna Marigold in a discotheque. The two hit it off, and spent a week together, until one morning Sami wakes up with her dead body beside him and him holding a bloody knife. It’s twenty-two years later and Sami is married to Molly with a young son. Having been kicked off the police force, he picks up work where he can to support his family. One of those jobs is teaching a night class in criminology called “Sherlock”. One night, Anna briefly pops into his class.
An exciting thriller about a missing heiress. There are two story lines and the author does an excellent job of weaving them together. Sami Kierce is a great protagonist. He’s not without his flaws, yet he’s a caring family man with a strong sense of right and wrong. I loved the way he brought his students into his investigation too. Sarcastic humor had me smiling and laughing a few times. Skillful pacing, a suspenseful plot, and a main character whom I really liked made this an engrossing and entertaining story.
4.5 stars

I can't believe I had never picked up a Harlan Coben book before reading this, but this definitely won't be my last. Great character development and twists! Sami is a somewhat disgraced former police officer now working as a private investigator. When someone he thought had died many years before, possibly at his hand, shows up out of the blue he must race to find out what happened. This was a book I didn't want to put down!

Harlan Coben never fails to deliver. This story slowly wraps the reader into the story wherein the main character, a former policeman dismissed from the force sees a women he believes he murdered in bed with him while on vacation years before on holiday. This coupled with his haven seen a women he believes is her but also might be a woman missing for years.
A clever and compelling read.
Thanks to the author for this and all past works as well as to publisher and NetGalley.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC.

Harlan Coben has been a favorite author of mine for years. Once again, he has created characters you can relate to & care about. The story sucks you in from the beginning and takes you through a rollercoaster of a story that is gripping and full of twists. As usual, Mr. Coben does not disappoint!