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Member Reviews

Nobody’s Fool is my first Harlan Coben book and it won’t be my last. It was an enjoyable and thrilling read. I was hooked and entertained from the first page. There is a large cast of characters, but it was easy to follow. A bit of a stretch in some of the plot points, but nothing too unbelievable. I enjoyed the authors writing style and the mystery suspense kept me wanting to continue reading through the night.

After a backpacking trip in Spain gone wrong, Sam Kielce returns to the US to continue on. Life doesn’t go as expected, for Sam, burying his fiancee and being thrown off the police force. Fast forward a couple decades and Sam is married, has a child, and teaches a class for amateur crime junkies. After he spots a mysterious visitor in class whom he ultimately recognizes, he enlists the amateur sleuths help in finding the truth about the woman and what really happened on that fateful trip decades before.

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Nothing hits the spot quite like a Coben novel. I know I’m always in for an action packed, twisted ride and this one was no different. I especially enjoyed our main character Sami. He was flawed but incredibly dedicated and resilient. I loved the perspective of the book, like he was telling the story himself. The big twist had run through my mind previously while reading but I kept second guessing myself on it so no harm no foul. The layered storyline worked incredibly well as we unraveled several different mysteries in one. The ending! Cmon now! I was in shock.

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What I enjoy most about Harlan Coben books are their bingeable quality and the twists I don’t see coming. NOBODYS FOOL had both of these things 🙌🏻

Despite there being A LOT 😬 of characters, and needing to suspend a bit of belief, it all pays off and comes together in the end.

Thank you Grand Central Pub & NetGalley for the arc 🫶🏻

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Imagine being a young graduate and going on a grand adventure backpacking in Spain. Except you wake up covered in blood, but that's not all. You also are holding the weapon, a knife. His girlfriend has fallen victim to this violent crime, but who did this? Was is Sami who woke up to this nightmare?

Fast forward twenty-two years later and meet Kierce who is a private investigator. Doing everything they can to survive, by taking less fulfilling cases they see an eerily familiar face. Who is this mystery woman and what do they know? Go on this thrilling adventure and find out for yourself!

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I really enjoyed reading about Sami and his misfit group of amateur detectives. I hope this is made into a movie on Netflix.

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I've always enjoyed this author 's books, and this one did not disappoint. I didn't find Kierce as likeable as I might have, but his story was compelling. From the trip to Spain and the awful circumstances there to his current life with his wife and son, he definitely has been through a lot of struggles. The reappearance of Anna drew me in, and I was hooked on the story from that moment. I also enjoyed his amateur sleuths; they were fun and charming and added levity and interest as Kierce sorted through the events. Overall a satisfying and enjoyable read. I wouldn't say it's his best, but it's well done.

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Disgraced Detective Sami Kierce is teaching a night course and in walks a woman he thinks he recognizes from his past. When he approaches her she runs off and the chase is on. Sami Kierce must get to the bottom of what haunts him from his past and it begins with that familiar woman.
This is book number 2 in a series but it can be read as a standalone. There is some references to the case in the first book, but nothing too deep where you can’t catch on. Right from the start this book had me hooked and I wanted to know what happened. There are mini side cases (thats the best way I can put it) but they all fit in nicely into the story and everything comes together in the best best way.

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This is the second book in the author's "Detective Sami Kierce" series, and despite thinking I'd never read the first, I took it on just because I've read and loved several of his other books. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. But after I finished, I looked back through my old reviews, and surpise - I did read the first one, "Fool Me Once," back in 2016. No surprise, then, that I don't remember a thing from that one. But rereading my review of it did leave me thoroughly confused, because nowhere in that review did I even mention Sami Kierce - nor, I found after I checked, did his name appear in any reviews by other readers I checked. Huh?

Anyway, no matter where Sami was hidden in that first book, he's moved front and center here. A former cop who got thrown off the force for transgressions, he spent time in Spain right after college and before medical school, where he met and had a serious fling with a girl named Anna, he wakes up in a post-drug fog with her bloody body next to him and a blood-covered knife in his own hand.

More than 20 years later, he's happily married to Molly, with whom he has a young son Henry, teaching true crime night classes and doing private detective work for a law firm that specializes in divorce. One night, a woman shows up at the class - and she catches Sami's eye immediately: it's Anna, the woman he is certain he murdered all those years ago. She runs away, but when Sami and his class of true crime clue-hunters learn she was a victim of a supposed kidnapping years ago, Sami goes to meet the uber-rich family, who hire him to find out what really happened to her.

Amid all this, the man who was convicted of killing Sami's former fiance (yeah, Sami gets around) has just been released from prison; while and Sami and class of true crime clue-hunters think the guy is guilty as sin, the guy wants Sami to clear his not-so-good name by finding the real killer.

If you think all this is complex, it is; but I assure you it's easy to follow, especially as clues start falling into place - right up to the ending (a cliffhanger of sorts; to be continued, methinks). All in all, an entertaining read - and I'm already looking forward to seeing the next installment. For now, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy of this one.

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I typically love Harlan Coben novels, but this book is not one of my favorites. Sami is not a particularly likable character, but what happens to him on his trip to Spain would scar the best of us. However, Victoria’s family’s actions, particularly the father and brother, were just reprehensible. There was also very little back story about Molly and Sami, how they met and fell in love. That story would have helped us understand Sami’s character better. Also, Sami’s students….would have liked to see more development there. Overall, I was disappointed.

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Enjoyable mystery thriller about a disgraced cop who ends up teaching a night class to make ends meet and support his wife and young son. When a woman who he thought was dead turns up at his class one night, Kierce involves his students to help him solve the mystery.

Lots of funny moments and witty dialogue and colorful characters made this thriller highly entertaining. I also love that most of his books are set in the NYC/NJ area.

Hope this one makes it to Netflix too. Highly recommend. I did not read the first book in this series, Fool Me Once, but that did not seem to matter with following the plot.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

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Sami Kierce is with friends in Spain when he meets Anna, a gorgeous young woman. They have a short affair which ends when Sami wakes up to find a knife in his hand and an apparently dead Anna next to him. Buzzz, a friend of Anna's, comes into the room and encourages Sami to run before the police come. Sami runs, and Harlan Coben has a story to tell in Nobody's Fool. Unraveling the story, the reader is entertained by the events which develop, and when Anna appears in Sami's classroom years later, the mystery deepens. I found it a very entertaining read.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

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I feel like when you read any book by Harlan Coben you will not be disappointed. This is a sequel with main character Sam Keirce in it and wow! As expected by this author this book has twists and turns and is a page turner! Sam sees his ex girlfriend at the back of a room as he is teaching and runs after her. He thought he murdered her or did he??? Believe me when I say that's just the first couple pages this book takes you on a roller coaster of mystery and suspense! Absolutely loved this book and yes plan on staying up all night. Such a great author and accolades to another excellent book!

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Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben is a whirlwind of suspense and mystery that kept me hooked from start to finish. The twists in this story are relentless, and Sami Kierce’s journey to uncover the truth about his past had me on the edge of my seat. The moment he spots Anna—his long-lost girlfriend—alive after all these years is just the beginning of a mind-bending unraveling of secrets. I loved how Coben masterfully weaves together past and present, keeping me guessing at every turn. If you’re a fan of fast-paced thrillers with jaw-dropping twists, this one’s a must-read!

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Don't start reading this book late at night. Just ... don't. Trust me. You will go waaaay past your bedtime.

I received an advance e-book copy from Netgalley and the publisher, for which I am thankful.

I have read other books by Harlan Coben, but somehow have missed several books in recent years. I didn't realize that the protagonist of this book has another story in an earlier book. I will have to look for that....

Other reviewers have offered synopses of the plot, and I won't repeat their efforts here. Nor will I hint at any spoilers. I will just say that just when you think you've figured something out, a twist sends you in an entirely different direction. This happens multiple times throughout the story, and I have to admit I had not guessed that even one of the twists was on its way to me.

I will definitely be delving back into this author's books and reading the ones I missed. I might even reread some earlier ones that I read several years ago. They're that good.

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Really loved the last book I read by Harlan and this one didn’t disappoint. The master of twists and the master of character development. I didn’t see the twists coming. I would recommend.

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Thanks for the ARC Grand Central Publishing & NetGalley!! It took me a minute to get used to the extreme character POV style of storytelling, not that there's anything wrong with it. A bunch of my favorite Stephen King books do this as well, but I think I just didn't quite connect with the character right away, and you get thrown into this one pretty quick, and off the deep end. But, I came around to it, and got sucked in. Before I knew it the book was over, and I had thoroughly enjoyed it, so five stars from me. Easy to see this one becoming another Netflix hit for him.

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When I discovered that the character Sami appears in Harlan Coben's previous novel, Fool Me Once, I felt compelled to revisit my original review. To my surprise, Sami was not a character I particularly liked, and Fool Me Once did not rank among my favorite reads by Coben. With that in mind, I approached Nobody's Fool with somewhat lowered expectations.

However, I found this novel to be a fun and completely different experience. Perhaps it was the vibrant ensemble of characters surrounding Sami, particularly his students, who truly captured my heart. I would love to see them featured in their own ensemble novel—they brought a wonderful dynamic to the story!

The concept of Nobody's Fool was intriguing, and I must say it was executed brilliantly. This time, I found myself warming up to Sami; he felt more relatable and endearing throughout the narrative. I was genuinely rooting for him as he navigated a thrilling mystery and fought for the truth and at times, his survival—quite a shift from my feelings in Fool Me Once. Importantly, you absolutely don’t need to read the first book to enjoy this one; I highly recommend diving right in.

Overall, Nobody's Fool offers a fantastic blend of suspense, compelling characters, and an engaging storyline. I appreciated how the plot unfolded; it kept me on my toes and ensured that the twists and turns were anything but predictable. It was a captivating ride from start to finish!

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I have long been a fan of Harlan Coben’s work and this latest book is very good. The protagonist, Sami Kierce, is a former detective looking for a missing woman he had a brief relationship with twenty two years prior. He enlists the help of some of his night school students to help solve the mystery. The author kept me guessing until the very end which is not typical for me. It’s a very enjoyable read.

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I have always been a fan of Harlan Cobens and his new book, Nobody's Fool was another great read.

Very interesting story and would love to see this one on Netflix like some of his other's. You can count on Harlan Coben to deliver an engaging read full of twists and turns. The pace keeps me wanting to stay connected and begging to find out what takes place in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC.

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Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben takes you on a thrilling ride of mystery and suspense. Sami Kierce, a young college grad, wakes up one morning in Spain to find himself covered in blood, holding a knife beside the body of his girlfriend, Anna. With no memory of what happened, he flees the scene, and the event haunts him for years. Fast forward twenty-two years, and Kierce, now a private investigator and new father, sees a familiar face in a night class—Anna, alive and well. Determined to uncover the truth behind that fateful day, Kierce embarks on a journey to solve the mystery that has tormented him. Coben masterfully blends suspense with deep character exploration, keeping you hooked until the final page.

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