Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy to read and review.

3.5 Stars - I think I would have enjoyed it more had I realized this was book #2. The author did a pretty good job providing some background context, but it felt like details and some characters would have further explained plot points in this novel.

Interesting plot, a thrilling mystery that I didn’t quite solve until the final pages.

From the first pages, this story had my undivided attention. I enjoyed the ongoing theme of how the past influences and intrudes into the present. Sami Kierce, a former NYC police detective, was an Interesting main character, struggling with the consequences of past poor decisions while trying to do his best to keep his family afloat. The story played on this while alternating between two eras and locations, with a varied cast of characters contributing to the color and suspense.

I’ve read just about everything this author has written, and while not my favorite, this book kept me engaged until the end. It’s the second in a new-ish series, but could work a standalone.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Nobody's Fool is a continuation of the Sami Kierce series, whose first installment was Fool Me Once. It was also adapted into a miniseries for Netflix if you're wondering why it may should familiar to you. A year after the events of Fool Me Once, Sami is a disgraced detective forced to take on jobs as a PI for a law firm while teaching night classes for a few bucks to people obsessed with crime. After his breaking protocol in his last case led to the release of his fiancee's killer, Sami is already mentally on thin ice. While teaching his class, he spots a face of someone he thought was dead. Someone he might have killed in his 20s on a trip to Spain. Anna.

In his effort to find more, he wonders if Tad Greyson's release and Anna's reappearance could be connected. The story definitely kept me on my toes, but there was admittedly a lot going on with the two storylines. I really loved the Pink Panthers (Sami's "best" students), though. They had a lot of character development so even though they were supporting characters, I felt like I knew about them so they adequately added to to the story.

I shouldn't have been surprised after Fool Me Once, but THE. PLOT. TWISTS!!! I was completely unprepared. My jaw literally hung open. All in all, I enjoyed Nobody's Fool. I do wonder if there will be a third book. If so, I'll pick it up. I think this would be another great contender for a Netflix miniseries as the continuation of Fool Me Once.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for a free advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 5 ⭐️
Pub Date: March, 25 2025
How I Read It: 📱

Synopsis
Sami Kierce is a young college grad backpacking in Spain with friends, when he meets a girl, Anna, one night in a club. They become smitten with each other, and he decides to stay behind with her while his friends continue on in their trip. But he wakes up one morning covered in Anna’s blood, and there’s a knife in his hand. She’s dead, and Kierce doesn’t know what happened, but flees the country in fear.

Twenty-two years later, Kierce, now a private investigator and teacher, is in his classroom in New York City, teaching amateur sleuths, and he recognizes a familiar face at the back of the classroom. It’s Anna, but how? She’s dead…


My Thoughts
Harlan Cobin is such an exciting writer! This book had me hooked from the beginning and I finished it in two days. I had to know what the heck was going on! I kept guessing and guessing with every twist and turn! I loved the addition of Kierce’s students to the book, as it was fun to see how amateurs would think compared to an actual detective. They were also an interesting bunch of characters!

Final Thoughts
I’m looking forward to the next Sami Kierce book. Pick this one up if you like a good, page-turning thriller. You’re not going to be able to put this one down!

Of Note: this is the second book in the Sami Kierce series. You don’t have to read the first book to read this one.

Themes:
🔪 murder
🌪️ twists/turns

Ratings
Characters: 5 ⭐️
Pace: 5 ⭐️
Enjoyability: 5 ⭐️


Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Former cop, now private investigator, Kierce is haunted by events from his distant past. Anna's seeming reappearance calls his assumptions about what happened into doubt. He is driven by a need to find out whether she really is who she says she is. Kierce is easy to relate to and his narrative is peppered with sarcasm.

This book starts off strong with a flashback to Kierce's past, immediately engaging the reader in what promises to be an intriguing story. Although the story was indeed intriguing and it started off at breakneck speed, it seemed to slow down as the story unfolded. The plot was complex and original, however not as much of a page-turner as other books I have read by this author. Nonetheless, a well-written and enjoyable read.

This book will hook you from the start, take you on a twisty ride to the shocking end.
Already down on his luck, the past comes back to haunt Sami Kierce! Twenty plus years ago Sami was a recent college grad vacationing in Spain when he woke up next to a dead girl, covered in blood and holding a knife. Panicked, he runs. Present day, he’s a disgraced ex NYC detective working as a Private PI and teaching. One night, the girl he believed to be dead walks into his classroom, but as soon as he sees her, she runs. Sami is determined to track her down and find out what truly happened.

Another great Harlan Coben book and #2 for Sami Kierce. Knocked it out of the park. Full of twists and shocks. Highly recommend.

I always enjoy books by this author, full of action , suspense and very interesting characters. A tragic event happened during Sami’s college days and years later he is still looking for answers. He may be close to the answers when he spots someone he thought was dead. A great read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My first Harlan Coben book, I'm hooked! I love the way the story came together. Such a great cast of characters, and hope they will be in future stories. I watched Fool me Once on Netflix and loved it, so this book was definitely a must read. I loved learning about Sami Kierce's back story.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. Harlen Coben is absolutely one of my favorite authors (it helps that I grew up in North Jersey so I love his references to the area). Unfortunately, the amazing ending to this was not enough to get over the hump of the forest half ish of the book.

Sami Kierce is back for round two, trying to find new evidence on his ex, Nicole's murderer who was released from jail because of Sami. Not only did Sami lose his job as a detective, many of his cases were reviewed and convictions overturned.

While doing some private investigator work and teaching a night true crime class to make ends meet, a girl from Sami's distant pass enters his class. She turns and leaves as soon as he notices her and then the chase is on. The book goes through his chase of Anna, the disappearance of super rich Victoria, and the murder of Nicole. With the help of his former partner, Marty, and his students he discovers the truth about all three cases.

I do believe it's worth reading because there is no way Detective Kierce's story could end here. I am still excited for Harlan's announcement of book 3 in the DS Sami Kierce series.

Loved this book! It started off with a bang, was a slow burn for a while, and the ending was unexpected and such a great twist!!

I didn't even realize until about half way through that this was related to Fool Me Once. It was great to get more of (ex) Detective Sami Kierce's story. I loved him in the first book. While the references are there, you don't have to read Fool Me Once to enjoy this one.

I'm a huge fan of all things thriller and the more of Harlan Coben I read the more I like.

If you're a fan, you'll love it! If this is your first book by Harlan, you will love it as well. Great cast of characters, a couple of mysteries intertwined, and shocking (at least to me, and it takes a bit to shock me) twists make this a five star read!!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Nobody’s Fool had me from the first page. I loved Sami’s snarky attitude and jokes. I loved his students and how they jumped in to help him. Anna/Victoria was a woman I could cheer for although I didn’t always understand her actions. Thankfully all is explained in the end. This is the second book in a series. Unfortunately I didn’t remember most of first book but I didn’t have trouble following the current story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

4.25 Stars 🌟

This is the second book in a series that introduced us to Sami Kierce, a former NYPD policeman who has washed out of the police department by making one too many mistakes. This book takes us back over 20 years to when Sami was a young teenager, celebrating his high school graduation with a back packing trip in Europe. Things happened on that trip that he thought were buried, but they come crashing back due to a chance sighting of a stranger he thought was dead.

That starts Sami down a crazy path, trying to bring back memories that he thought were long put away while the answers that he is finding are not quite making sense.

This was a very typical Coben book in the way that you are taken down a certain path, then in the middle of that path the story then veers off and doubles back in another direction to only stop near the end with a "TA-DA" moment that you were not expecting.

There are a couple of different storylines going on in this story and while they do not appear to be connected, you never know what to expect.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone. This book will be out for publication on March 25, 2025.

This is a sequel to Fool Me Once, which was made into a decent Netflix miniseries. It’s not necessary to read these two novels in order—the storylines are disparate enough that they can stand alone. TBH I saw the TV show (love the Coben adaptations) but mostly forgot about the relevant details and it didn’t affect the engagement or understanding of the sequel.

Nobody’s fool picks up with Sami as a 20 something backpacking through Europe with his friends. He meets Anna, and they have an intense, life altering fling. He wakes up one morning with a bloody knife in hand, next to the mangled Anna then he flees the country looking to escape any legal repercussions. He’s been living with an oppressive guilt ever since, so it was a formative experience that derailed his life plans.

He has gone through some stuff recently- his first wife was murdered and he shoulders some blame for that. He’s not thriving- kicked off the police force and ending his beloved career that’s also most of his identity. Yet, he’s been picking up the pieces; he’s remarried and moving on and working as a teacher to promising police students.

One day he sees a woman that looks like Anna, the resemblance is uncanny- but he never would have forgotten her face. He follows her a mansion, and learns that the person he thinks is Anna is actually the daughter of a very wealthy family, Vicki, who mysteriously vanished, only to resurface decades later with no memory of her time away. the family used it’s fortune to suppress the public info about it, but rumors circulate.

Sami is enlisted by the family to help them investigate what happened to her during her disappearance. The family is relieved? They seem to love Vicki, yet there is an unsettling undercurrent to Vicki’s return as he gets to know Anna/Vicki and her family. She’s enigmatic, and unknowable, elusive about her true identity. Sami is highly motivated to learn the truth about what happened to Anna, and what they shared that summer in Spain. Sami is spiraling after the loss of his beloved job and fall from grace (the plot of the first novel). There are so many bizarre coincidences, surely some of them are connected, but which? And why? Who was Anna? What Sami uncovers is so much worse than expected.

Harlan Coben writes intricately twisty suburban thrillers that unravel around bizarre and unpredictable endings that always leave your jaw on the floor. Coben is a captivating story teller, and this one is no different. Sami is a deeply flawed, but lovable character that exudes warmth and integrity. He’s soft and vulnerable, he’s really gone through some shit and I want to hug him. There, there Sami 🧡.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

As with all Coben novels, this one is filled with twist after twist. It's the second in the Sami Kierce universe, but stands alone as a mystery novel in which the lead detective is disgraced from NYPD and working as a private investigator. I got through this in a breathless day.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben
Book two in the Detective Sami Kierce series
Rating ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
4 stars

This book follows Fool Me Once which was published in 2016 (I believe,) and I was wondering how Harlan Coben would pull off a sequel written 9 years after the series starter.
(He did it well, obviously!)

Detective Sami Kierce is a crossover character from the first book. Nobody’s Fool finds him disgraced from NYPD and doing some scuzzy small time investigative work for an attorney and teaching a Criminology night class to an eccentric group of students. During one of these classes he notices and makes eye contact with a woman who his conscience immediately recognizes and his memory immediately takes him back 20 years to a woman he met in Spain. He chases after her and….

This story is fast paced and full of twists and turns. I really like Detective Sami Kierce’s character. His dry humor is so relatable! 🤣. He might have fallen from grace within the police department but he is still a good guy and the relationships he keeps are solid. I love the dynamic he has with his wife, his former police force partner and his unlikely group of delinquent criminology students.

This story takes us back through a lot of history and mystery in Sami’s younger life. There is a lot of investigative work, painful memories, grief and loss. Some of the twists were predictable but the twist at the end really got me and left me with more questions. I might have given this five stars had the ending been explained more thoroughly and hadn’t left me wondering “what the hell?”

Harlan Coben is a favorite author for me. I really enjoyed this read and look forward to the next book in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review

I've been reading Harlan Coben for years, and I'm getting tired of him. The same tropes in every book. Someone dead might not be, the main character loves his woman and children like no one else, and the corny tough guy talk. This caused lots of eye rolling on my part which significantly interferes with my enjoyment of the story, which was okay. I did the ebook and audio version. The male narrator did an excellent job with female voices. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

📖: Nobody’s Fool
✍️: Harlan Coben
⭐️: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Special thank you first to @netgalley for letting me read Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben. Release date for this book is this month March 25th.

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Nobody’s Fool is the sequel to Fool Me Once (now a Netflix show) and it revolves around detective Sami Kierce. Now if you know about Fool Me Once you know that Sami hasn’t had the best of luck in his career and is now working the odd end jobs just trying to get by. Nobody’s Fool starts off as a flash back from Sami’s past when he was back packing in Spain during his college days when he wakes up one morning covered in blood with a women dead next to him. Now in present day he is teaching night classes when he suddenly sees someone amongst the crowd from his past who he recognizes as the dead woman. And of course for any good detective (even disgraced) he has to figure out what is going on.

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💭 very very well written! A great who don it story. I felt like one of his junior detectives in the night class trying to piece all the information together. I gave this book 4/5 and this is because I watched the show and I wasn’t to fond of Kierce in the show and they also were British in the show and in the story they are American living in New York….i had a visual idea of what everyone looked like being that I watched the show so I liked that I just did not like how the settings were different

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: March 25, 2025

I haven’t read a Harlan Coben book in well over a decade but they still hit all the marks of a good mystery. This had all the twists and turns you’d want, and if you let yourself mindlessly enjoy them, maybe you won’t figure them out ahead of time. Enjoyed the cast of characters in this—especially the students in his class! Great option for a vacation read.

Really great fast paced mystery!! A quick read that kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved the plot twist and the characters were so interesting!