First of all, I don't think you need to read Fool Me Once before reading this one. Kierce is such a minor character in that one you won't be missing anything. Nobody's Fool is a better book anyway. The mystery is complex yet somehow believable and the side characters are unforgettable. Since this is a series, I hope we get more involving the students in his little criminology class. I would love to know more of their back stories.

This is my third Harlan Coben novel and the second one where someone says, "Himmler likes tuna steaks." I can't tell if this is a cultural reference I'm not picking up on or some sort of Easter egg Coben wrote in. There were a couple of other objects or descriptions that were reused which gave me an odd sort of deja-vu while reading. Again, not sure if that was intentional or if Coben unintentionally reuses descriptions. It probably isn't noticeable unless you read his books in rapid succession, like I plan to continue doing.

Harlan Coben brings us a second novel starring Sami Kierce, a former Manhattan detective who lost his job because of inappropriate approaches to his investigations. I really enjoyed the plot, characters and writing in this novel. Coben never disappoints, but this time, he wowed me! Sami graduated from a prestigious private school where he was a scholarship student, then a prestigious college and is accepted to medical school. He is heading on a summer backpacking trip with very well-off friends from high school, having deferred his entry to medical school. While in Spain, he falls for Anna, a woman he meets in a bar, and they have a vacation fling that feels kind of serious to Sami. It ends badly and changes the entire trajectory of Sami's life.

Sami's first fiancé, another police officer, was murdered twenty years earlier. Thanks to his termination from the force, her convicted killer is being released based on Sami's conflict of interest in working on the investigation and assertions of wrongdoing. He is happily married, deeply in debt, has an infant son and works as a private investigator. He also teaches a pay as you go weekly class on crime solving, with each week's theme based on a Sherlock Holmes quote placed on the blackboard.

The class members are a hodgepodge of older women who try to solve cold cases online, an obviously wealthy guy who obviously plays golf, a woman Sami uses in some of his divorce investigations who is very poor and the unhoused, unhinged man she gives a sandwich each night. Three influencer type women round out the class, which has grown in recent weeks from a much smaller attendance rate. One night, twenty years after he last saw Anna, a woman stops in the doorway of his class and Sami is convinced it is Anna. This starts him on the road to finding out where she seems to live, who owns the well guarded mansion she apparently lives in, a cold case mystery surrounding the kidnapping of a daughter of the house, and just in general, Remi's getting involved when he shouldn't. Simultaneously, since his fiancé's alleged murderer was not pardoned, he might get retried. Sami wants to find new proof to nail him, but it's looking like they got the wrong guy.

In a great spirited move, Remi engages his most talented students in an advanced version of his course, kind of an adult group of Baker Street Irregulars. There is a definite need to follow the bouncing ball in the two very much fun and sometimes scary investigations. The ending was a great surprise but the clues were there. The characters were a lot of fun. The writing was Coben at his best which is the best!

Wasn’t able to read this one digitally but I did order a copy of the book so will be reviewing it after I’ve read it. I’m really excited for it as I’ve only heard great things about it.

I was new to the Sami Kierce series but love that coming in at book two didn't affect the story. Sami is a former detective who lives in New York and is currently teaching a class on sleuthing as well as working as a private investigator. However, being removed from the police force isn't the only story from Sami's past. He had gone to Spain when he was getting ready to go to college. He was backpacking with friends and met a young woman named Anna. They hit it off and he thought he was falling in love tell he woke up covered in blood and she was dead. Sami called his Dad and came straight home to be forever haunted by not knowing what had truly happened to Anna and if he was responsible for killing her as he was drinking and doing a ton of drugs when they were hanging out. Twenty two years later while he is teaching his group of sleuths she walks into the class and leaves. Sami chases after and the story begins of what really happened twenty two years ago. This was a great read and story. I am a huge fan of Harlan Coban and can't wait for the next Sami book in the series.

I was not expecting to fall in love with this book more than Fool Me Once, but I did! The story follows Sami Kierce, whose past never truly stays in the past. His journey begins during his backpacking trip to Europe, where he encounters the infamous Anna. A series of unexpected events leads Sami down his current path. Twenty plus years later, everything comes to a head in a whirlwind of events. This story kept me enthralled and compelled me to discover the ending. Trust me, the ending will not disappoint.

The first thing I would say about Nobody's Fool is that, although it says it is set ' a year after the devastating events that took place in Fool Me Once', this is not a continuation of the story from Fool Me Once so it can easily be read as a standalone.

The story does follow Detective Sami Kierce, now disgraced former police officer, who can currently be found teaching wannabe private detectives in a local community college. One night during class, Sami sees a woman at the door who quickly flees and Sami is convinced it is the same woman, Anna, who he met in Spain as a teenager. However, Sami woke up one morning next to Anna in Spain and she was quite clearly dead! So, who is this person he has just seen? And to complicate matters further, Sami receives unwelcome news about the killer of his former partner who is currently in prison.

Coben is an author who never disappoints me and I was delighted to read his latest novel. Sami Kierce is a brilliant, but flawed, character who you will find yourself rooting for throughout this novel as he attempts to deal with two significant changes in his life. Coben weaves both stories perfectly towards a dramatic and stunning conclusion.

Although the book concludes perfectly, Coben leaves a brilliant teaser for what is sure to be a third Kierce novel and I cannot wait!

Another hit from Mr. Coben. I must confess that I am a sucker for the Myron Bolitar series. This is the second book featuring Sami Kierce. While I enjoyed it, it doesn’t rank up there with my favorites. But until Mr. Coben goes the way of James Patterson, I will probably read everything that he writes. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

This book releases in March. This was soooo good! An ex cop turned PI teaches an investigations class to a group of characters and during one class a lady returns from his past. He is determined to figure out who she is and what happened in the time that has passed since they last saw each other. This would honestly make a GREAT tv show. I thought the characters were all great and even though there are a lot of people to keep up with it never felt too hard or complicated. Just a great story. And if you’ve read any of Steve Cavanaugh’s books about Eddie Flynn you will love this one!

Addictively entertaining! I usually listen to Harlan's books but got this from NetGalley so I had to read it. I Love the narrators for the Harlan books, but I was so excited to get this one that I started on it right away.

This book grabs your attention from the beginning and holds it until the very end. I loved Sami and his sarcasm and his humor, I loved his students being part of the investigation and their different personalities. This book has two different mysteries going on but the way they are presented makes it very easy to follow. Even as the twists kept coming, it was so easy to keep it all straight. This got me out of my reading slump, thank you NetGalley and Harlan Goben for my ARC, my only complaint is that Steven Webber didn't read it to me.

I was so excited to get a copy of Nobody’s Fool. I love Harlan Coben and I loved Fool Me Once(first Sami Kielce book). While you don’t have to read the first one to read this one I recommend it, it was so good.

Nobody’s Fool is full of mystery, family drama, lies, and deceit. It was a wonderful mystery(more mystery than thriller in my eyes) book. Right from the first pages it takes you on a crazy ride. I was hooked from the first page. As always Harlan delivered a 5 ⭐️ read. Ok, I am biased, as he is one of my favorite authors.


Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for a honest review.

Harlan Coben does it again! After reading Fool Me Once, I knew I needed to read this book asap! Full of twists and turns and shocking revelations, this book will have you hooked from page one. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book as soon as you can!

First, I have to confess that until I became immersed in the story, after the first four or five chapters, I was a little lost about what was going on. I was glad to see the character of Sami Kierce once again, so I knew the story would be interesting once I got past the intro that set the stage for all of the action. In this novel, Sami seems to be chasing a ghost from his past in the form of a young woman he met in Spain and who he thinks is dead. After all, he was sleeping with her and woke up covered in blood with her body next to him. The plot defies belief but it is very well-crafted and drew me into the story, captivating my imagination and my curiosity to find out just who died and what was the real truth about Sami’s encounter in Spain. I really enjoyed the author’s signature humor that became a way to relieve the tension of the intrigue that just kept going, from one mystery to the next. I also enjoyed the portrayal of the characters although I did not find them particularly relatable. I thought that Sami’s wife was too passive and didn’t seem to want to know what happened to Sami as much as I wanted to. The pace was moderate but not too slow that I lost interest. There were some parts of the book that seemed to drag as more and more details were layered into the story. Because of the mountain of details, there were also numerous characters who seemed not to add much to the story but who were amusing or provided a backdrop for Sami to show his brilliant deductive powers. The sub-plots all tied together well in the end and the skillful plot made for a creative and uniquely written page-turner.
Disclaimer
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Sami Kierce went to Europe after college with some college friends. While in the Costa Del Sol, he met a woman he began to fall in love with...except he murdered her (or so he thought). It completely derailed his life and sent him into the police academy instead of medical school. Now, he has been kicked out of the police for an horrific accident on his watch and he is trying to support his wife and child working as a PI. One day, he sees that woman he thought he murdered twenty years ago. It sets him on a path of destruction as he tries to figure out how she is now living in luxury, while claiming to have no memory of her kidnapping and subsequent re-emergence eleven years after she went missing. He is hired by the woman's family to investigate where Victoria was for those eleven years. What Sami uncovers will change the lives of three families. While I always enjoy Harlan Coben, this book was quite convoluted and did not seem to flow as well as others. That being said, Coben writes a very twisty and complex plot.

Sami Kierce is a mess and he may be the unluckiest guy in the whole world. He's not letting that slow him down, though. When his past comes back to haunt him, he dives headlong into an investigation to figure out what happened 22 years ago.

Harlan Coben once again proves why he's an auto-buy author for me! Fans of his Myron Bolitar series will be happy to know that the sarcastic wit that is employed so well in that series is alive and well in Sami Kierce. It's a mystery, sure, and horrible things have happened here, but Kierce is still cracking wise and not taking himself too seriously. Fans of MW Craven's Fearless series will appreciate this brand of writing and humor. Suspend your disbelief, grab your cozy blanket, and curl up for a lightning fast read you don't have to take too seriously to appreciate.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me to go on this adventure with Kierce prior to this book's publication in exchange for my honest review.

Harlan Coben books are always a hit! Fast paced and gripping. I hope this one day too becomes a Netflix mini series! Thank you Coben for always entertaining us!

Nobody’s Fool brings back one of Coben’s characters, Detective Sami Kierce, from Fool Me Once and 9 years later, he’s taking the front seat in this thriller story that focuses on his past and present.

Along with his astoundingly bad luck, Sami brings a new look, now working as a private detective and teaching a class on that very subject, he spots a figure in the back of the class – someone he once knew very well and thought was dead. He was there, after all.

As with all Coben’s books, there’s no lack of wit and a rich twisty plot full of trickery and deceit. Delving into Sami’s past was fascinating – from one catastrophic incident to the present, the reader gets insight into why and how Sami did/does what he does. Just fascinating to read about and all while on the edge of my seat – BRAVO! The way the past and present intertwine is just a work of art and racing through this story was a thrill ride. I never worked out exactly what was happening and when the puzzle pieces start to move together, again, BRAVO!

And …. That last line!

I’ll leave this here and hope that every Coben fan and every thriller fan enjoys this as much as I did and, like me, can’t wait to read what happens next for Sami.

My thanks to Grand Central Pub for this gifted DRC!

Thanks to Netgalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Hachette Audio for early ebook and audiobook access in exchange for my honest opinion. I mixed up reading and listening to the audio, and I thought the audio was done extremely well - I tended to listen more than reading because I wanted to know what was going to happen ASAP while I was doing household chores, etc. I definitely recommend both formats, and if you aren’t already a fan of Harlan Coben’s writing, get excited because there are SO many books of his that you can add to your TBR!
Nobody’s Fool follows one of the characters in Fool Me Once, Coben’s previous release which has been turned into a highly-rated Netflix show. I haven’t watched it, but I took the time to read Fool Me Once, because I figured I should go into this one with as much background knowledge as possible. I really enjoyed Fool Me Once, and it wasn’t until about 2/3 of the way through Nobody’s Fool that I was glad I had read that one, as more connections are revealed. I do think you could read Nobody’s Fool without having read Fool Me Once, but I got more out of this read (and I think you would, too) by knowing more about how the characters and locations involved overlap.
The plot starts 20+ years ago, when Detective Kierce is backpacking Spain with his college buddies after graduation. He has a fling which ends with him waking up covered in blood, with a knife in his hand. He flees back to the US and moves on with his life, eventually becoming the Detective in Fool Me Once. Kierce now works as a PI and is teaching a night class for budding detectives when a woman appears at the door - and he immediately recognizes her as the woman he had a fling with in Spain. She bolts, and he follows her, knowing he has to find out what happened - because he thought she was dead. It’s twisty and exciting, and I absolutely loved it. Coben can do no wrong in my mind!

Nobody's Fool is the second book in Harlan Coben's Detective Sami Kierce series. It is the first book I have read by him, but it is not the first time I have encountered his work. I have watched almost all of his TV shows on Netflix and loved them dearly, so when I had the opportunity to read one of his books, I didn’t hesitate.

I am glad I did, as I fell in love all over again, drawn into one of his captivating stories. Nobody’s Fool hooked me from the beginning with its twists and turns. The mystery and suspense appeared on every page, making me race to the finish to see how it would unfold.

I tried to understand what was happening, but I soon realized that would not be possible. Just when I thought I was on the right track, another twist sent me off in search of the truth once more. Each twist left me in shock over what had happened all those years ago.

The man who was sent to prison for killing Sami’s ex-girlfriend has been released and claims he is innocent. He asks Sami to help him find the real killer.

One day, a woman from Sami’s past appears in his class, and when he calls out to her, she runs away, deepening the plot.

Who is this woman, and why did she flee? If the guy imprisoned for murdering his ex-girlfriend is innocent, then who is the real killer?

Grab a copy of Nobody’s Fool to find out who did it and why!

You can always count on Harlen Coben to bring a mystery to life.

I did not realize this was book number 2 in the series
and I did not read book number 1 prior to this one.

There were so many twists, it had my head spinning (in a good way).

Nobody’s fool is typical Coben (meant in the best way possible)! It is full of twists and turns-long thought dead people resurrecting complicated families and trademark humor. Cobens heroes are always a mess but always lovable and rootable. There are two main plot lines here-Sami runs a class for wanna be detectives. Sami had a bright future until he woke up after a night on spring break to find the girl of his dreams, Anna, dead besides him with a knife in his hand. Samis life and career was ruined. Leaving class one night, Sami sees a girl he thinks is Anna, but how is that possible? To make matters even more complicated, samis fiancé after Anna was murdered and her killer is now claiming that there is evidence that proves he was wrongly convicted of the crime. How will Sami reconcile these two unconnected events that are upending his life years later?

Coben is a master of plot and pacing and will have his legions of fans continuing to turn the pages to get to the conclusion! Keep track of all the sub characters as they prove important later near the denouement. Not sure if Coben does anything new here but when he has perfected his formula like this, I am not sure that he needs to!

Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.