I've always loved Harlan Coben and his books. But he's very quickly walking the Patterson road and I don't like that.

Nobody's Fool is about a man who is scammed into thinking the woman he's sleeping with died and could be at his hand. He runs because he's in another country and it looks bad. Twenty five years later, he's teaching a class and the woman walks in. He tracks her and finds out she is a woman who has a complicated past. Fourteen years ago, she went missing for eleven years. Complicated? Yes. Makes sense? Once the book is all put together it does. Oh and there is the man that killed the MC's fiancé getting out of prison and may or may not be on another killing spree. Or its something else all together. Somehow in the end it all makes sense and is a decently good book.

Kept me interested. I wanted to know what the heck was going on. Not Mr. Coben's best work though.

I'm slightly discomforted that Mr. Coben has chosen to write an American-Pakistani main character. I thought we had learned to do better but I guess not.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand central publishing for this ARC.

When I requested the ARC, I was unaware that it’s book two of series. However, I was able to read this story fine as a standalone. This book felt slower to me than previous ones I’ve read by author. The characters were complexed. I don’t want to spoil anything. Once the storyline picked up, it never stopped moving. I never saw that twist coming!

Harlan Coben‘s newest release had me hooked from page one. I picked this one up on a whim. I’m not a huge Coben reader, I’ve liked the few of his I’ve read but haven’t tried many of them— still, something about this blurb just caught my eye. This one was unputdownable, I had to understand what was going on, and the pages FLEW by. He had me guessing the whole way through. It took twist and turns that I never saw coming and I absolutely loved that — it was exactly what I needed at that moment. A lot of Coben‘s books are being turned into Netflix series, and this one very much feels like it was written with that in mind. To put it simply, this felt like a Netflix thriller series, put on paper, in the best of ways.

Now here’s where I have a confession to make: I am NOT usually an animal who reads series out of order. That’s not me. But… This time around, I was an animal when I picked this one up. I missed that this was a sequel and went in without reading the previous book, Fool Me Once. All this to say, I had no trouble keeping up, I never felt like I was missing something important, and while I now see how they’re connected, I don’t feel like book one has been spoiled at all for me. In fact, I will be going back to read it soon. If you really want to be an animal too and jump into this one first, I think you could safely do that.

Don't worry if you missed the first novel-Fool Me Once- or if you've forgotten all but the broadest details (it was 2016, after all), Coben pulls you right into this page turner and gives you all the background you need to be fully immerse. Sami fled Spain after finding Anna, the woman he's been romancing dead in bed next to him covered in blood and a knife in his hand. Only thing, when the police arrived, there was no body. Now, all these years later, he's lost his job with the NYPD, he's married, he's got a son, and he's cobbling together an income part of which comes from teaching a class. So when Anna appears in the back of the classroom, he's determined to find her and get answers. But Anna isn't Anna, she's Victoria Belmond, daughter of a wealthy family who went missing on New Years Eve 1999 and resurfaced 11 years later. Then the Belmond family hires him to find out what happened. Oh, and the man who killed Sami's fiancee has just been released from prison and he wants to prove he didn't do it. What a sleigh ride this is, with a lot of twists and turns (no spoilers). The characters, not just Sami but the rest of them starting with Sami's students, family, and friends, shine. And the storytelling is terrific. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is one that you might well find yourself reading in a day.

This was the second book about Sami Pierce which takes place a year after Fool Me Once. This definitely could be read as a stand alone though. It starts off fast and exciting. It captured my attention right away. As in all of Cohen's books there were twists and surprises and so much going on. I couldn't see how it was all going to intersect until it did. There was also some humor, even though there was alot of darkness. A great read for both fans of Harlan Coben and those new to him.

Harlan Coben is absolutely brilliant!! Sami Kierce is an outstanding character.. This book was filled with all these unexpected twists and turns and I just never saw it coming!!! Definitely a must read!!!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Life isn't about the big mistakes...

...its about the little ones.

Twenty two years ago Sami Kierce had just graduated from college and was backpacking through Europe with friends before starting medical school in the fall. He met a beautiful girl named Anna at a disco on the Costa del Sol, someone way out of his league, but they hit it off and quickly became involved. His friends left to continue the itinerary and Sami stayed behind with Anna, spending days on the beach and nights partying until the morning he woke up to find his hands covered in blood and Anna in the bed next to him - dead. He ran from the scene and after calling his father in a panic headed back to the US. But he couldn't run from the guilt and the horror of that scene; he never made it to medical school, instead becoming a cop, and used ever increasing amounts of alcohol to ease the pain. It wouldn't be his last tragic loss, and he would eventually get thrown off the force as well. These days he's sober and married to Molly, a fantastic woman whom he knows is far too good for him, and they have an infant son Henry. He's eking out an existence (barely) as a PI, doing surveillance work for an uptown law firm and teaching a night class at a shady institution for would-be amateur sleuths/true crime podcasters. Then two events happen that upturn his life. First the man convicted of killing Sami's fiancėe years ago, Tad Grayson, has been released from prison, mostly because of Sami's improper actions on another case during his time on the force (and which have by extension tainted every case with which he had contact), and a woman walks into the class he's teaching and he swears its Anna. Now, with the reluctant help of his former partner Marty and the enthusiastic assistance of his oddball students, Sami is both trying to find new evidence that will put Grayson back in prison and to track down the mysterious Maybe Anna. In doing so, he gets caught up in the never-solved kidnapping of a wealthy teenaged girl over twenty years ago and realizes that someone is putting his family in the crosshairs. Is there a connection between the two cases, or is it just the worst kind of coincidence that both things resurfaced at the same time? Who is stalking his family? And can he get the answers he needs to keep his loved ones safe and put the past behind him once and for all?
Harlan Coben has a way with twisty thrillers, and Nobody's Fool is another addictive read in that tradition. With its main character dealing with his fall from grace and haunted by something from his past that he hasn't shared with anyone other than his father, not even with his wife, Sami is a likable guy who owns his (many) mess-ups. He realizes that, financial woes aside, he's extraordinarily lucky to have his wife and son and is doing his best to carve out a way back to life on solid ground. Having two triggering events, the release of Grayson (who swears he's innocent and wants Sami to help him find the real killer of Sami's fiancée) and the reappearance of the girl he loved for a brief time who was murdered right next to him (he has never been able to remember what happened that night), is enough to unmoor anyone. With the quirky group of amateur sleuths (and boy are they quirky) and a plot that has more than a few plot twists, red herrings, and possible villains, this is a story that grabs the reader from the beginning and maintains its hold on their attention till the very end. Coben fans (including those who have watched the streaming series "Fool Me Once", which introduces some of the characters in Nobody's Fool) as well as readers of David Baldacci, Dennis Lehane and Thomas Perry, will likely enjoy this latest offering. My thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me access to a copy of this tale of mistakes that haunt a person and secrets that refuse to stay buried in return for my honest review.

Harlan Coben spins another impossibly twisty yarn in Nobody's Fool. Sami Kierce is a former detective, moonlighting as a PI and teaching a criminology course at a New York City night school. If Kierce sounds familiar, it's because he was the detective in Coben's Netflix series Fool Me Once. [Full disclosure: I did not read that book but apparently there was a name change from Roger to Sami and an expanded role in the TV series (which I did watch)]. Yes, I went down a Coben rabbit hole, and it was satisfying to remember what led to Kierce's exit from the force.

Ok back to Nobody's Fool. There are multiple mysteries at play. A woman pops into class and Kierce recognizes her before she bolts. He last saw in Spain over twenty years ago. Dead.

His former fiancé's killer is released from prison on a technicality caused by one of Kierce's indiscretions. He's got a bone to pick with Kierce.

And a wealthy family wants to hire Kierce to investigate a case from the family's past.

Sami Kierce is busy. How is it all connected? Coben will keep you in suspense until that last page.

My thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the Advance Reader Copy. (pub date 3/25/2025)

As always, Harlan Coben writes a story that is fast paced and completely engaging. Kierce is a character that is easy to care about and I found myself rooting for him. This is the second book in a series but completely works as a standalone.

𐙚 Dual Timelines
𐙚 Haunted Past
𐙚 Twisty Ending

Harlan Coben stays true to his style with Nobody’s Fool. The novel is packed with twists, tension, and well-developed characters that keep the pages turning. Sami, a former cop-turned-teacher, becomes entangled in a dual mystery: a cold case from his youth in Spain and a fresh investigation aided by his quirky criminology students. Coben masterfully weaves humor, suspense, and family drama into the narrative. I appreciated the mix of mystery and human emotion that drove the story.

Rating: ✰✰✰.5/5

Thank you for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. ・❥・

Nobody’s Fool is a tie-in with Fool Me Once, following the life of the detective from that novel who has been fired from the police force and is doing investigative work for an attorney while teaching a night class about criminal investigations on the side. One night in class, a woman walks in, a woman he last saw twenty-two years earlier, dead, when he woke up with a bloody knife in his hand. He follows her to discover she may actually be a woman who was missing for eleven years, which was during the time he knew her. Since she claims to not remember anything from that time period, her family hires him to discover the truth.

If you’ve read other books by Harlan Coben, you know he is the king of the twist you don’t see coming. Since there are actually three mysteries going on in this novel, Coben has plenty of twists to work with. The characters are engaging and Coben’s trademark sarcasm brings some comic relief to an intense story.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to mystery lovers.

Not family friendly due to profanity.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you, NetGalley for giving me access to read this book before it releases to the public. I’ve been looking forward to it ever since I found out Coben was releasing a new one.

This book was a WILD ride that kept me interested from page 1 to the last page. There were so many twists and turns throughout and especially towards the end. The last page was left on a little bit of a cliffhanger but I think I figured it out!

If you’re a Harlan Coben fan you need to add this one to the top of your TBR list!

I can’t wait to see more people read this one and obsess over it as much as I did!

An easy 5 stars!

Harlan Coben you have become one of my favorite authors. The way you were able to write this book was amazing. I didn’t get a chance to read the previous book but did see the movie of it on Netflix because I noticed the name Detective Kierce as I was reading this book. Regarding this book a lot of times I would be on edge or left with some form of unexplainable emotion, which I loved!
I literally stood up clapping for this book! This was an amazing read, that have now made me want to read any other books written by you. This was really great! All the characters were wonderfully written into the story. I’m also hoping to see more of Detective Sami Kierce. Well done!!

Harlan Coben's new book Nobody's Fool was a bit of a slow start for me, but stick with it because it will soon grab you and will be hard to put down. It's a deep mystery with an unexpected ending.

Nobody's Fool by Harlan Coben is a book that will keep you turning pages well into the night - so start reading early in the day so you can finish this book within a day! The plot and characters are well developed. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and I always review every book that I read. I did not realize that this was the 2nd book in this series; it can be read as a stand-alone (which I did). I kept turning pages to find out what was going to happen and "whodunit"! The ending surprised me! I had no clue! Everything came together at the end. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I highly recommend it.

Synopsis:
Sami Kierce, a young college grad backpacking in Spain with friends, wakes up one morning covered in blood. There’s a knife in his hand. Beside him lies the body of his girlfriend, Anna who is dead. With no memory of what happened he then catches a flight back to the U.S.

Twenty-two years later, Kierce is a private investigator, a new father working surveillance for a lawyer in order to pay his legal bills, and a teaching a detective type class in New York City. One evening, he spots a familiar face in the back of his classroom, Anna. She’s alive. When their eyes meet, she bolts. Now, Kierce has no choice but to uncover the truth and solve the mystery that has haunted him for decades.

Thoughts:
I was really torn on what to rate Nobody’s Fool, but ultimately, I landed on a three, though it might be closer to a 3.5. I kept reading because I wanted to know how it ended, but the beginning felt slow, with too much filler that made it drag. While Harlan Coben is known for his twists, I had already figured out the ending, so the reveals didn’t pack much of a punch for me.

That said, the book wasn’t bad and it was worth the read, but it wasn’t great, and it won’t go down as one of my favorites. If you’re a Coben fan, you’ll likely still enjoy it, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

Nobody writes a thriller like Harlan Coben! This is a fast paced, mind blowing book, with several different plots going on. Just when I thought I had it figured out, I was wrong. Sami has had a bad string of luck since college, but is happily married with a baby and you can't help rooting for him. He teaches a criminology class and the students are a hoot! I hope we get to see more of them in future books (hint, hint.) I highly recommend this book. It's a fast paced, can't put down, on the edge of your seat kind of book. The cliff hanger at the end of the book will leave you speechless and waiting very impatiently for the next book.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

As a long-time fan of this author, I am happy to say that we have a classic Harlan Coben here. With an intriguing premise, an interesting main character (and a great bunch of others – Sami's students :)), a believable (and sad) story, engaging plots and twists, and a satisfying ending, in my opinion, it's one of the best books by H. Coben.
I've added Nobody's Fool to the list of my favorite books by this author.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the copy.

This is Harlan Coben's second book featuring PI Sami Kierce. It starts out right after college (about 20 yrs ago)when Sami and some friends went backpacking in Europe, and they went to a club. He meets Anna, and they stay together until he wakes up one morning to a lot of blood and a knife in his hand. He panics, calls his father and gets on the next plane out of Spain.
Currently, Sami is happily married to Molly, and a new father to Henry. He was on the police force but lost his job due to some irregularities in his performance. Now he teaches a criminology night class to people who want to learn to be sleuths like Sherlock Holmes. One day a woman who looks like Anna comes into the class (unregistered), spots Sami, and takes off. Sami follows her but loses her. He then has some of the students take up the search for her and the investigation whether it really is Anna.
At the same time, a murderer who Sami helped put behind bars is released due to an error that Sami made, and he seems to be holding a grudge against Sami.
Needless to say, Coben takes us through many twists and turns, dropping hints and red herrings along the way. This well crafted mystery was fast paced, with great fully developed characters and a lot of tension. Of course the ending is unexpected but it is realistic and brilliant!
I can't wait for the next book with this character!

In full disclosure, I have not read the first book in the series, though I may well have to back now to do so. I really loved the main character, Sami Kierce, who used to be a cop, who has a checkered past. I really would love to sit down and have a cup of coffee with this character.
About 20 years ago, Sami's girlfriend was found dead in bed next to him. There is a knife in his hand. For 20 years he has thought he was responsible for her death in a night of debauchery. He teaches a class to ordinary people interested in crime solving and in walks someone that is the spitting image of Anna, the former girlfriend. He mires himself in an investigation because he needs to find out if he is truly responsible.
There is a strong plot and good character development which kept me reading straight through. There were moments where things were a bit confusing but not nearly as much as many such novels.
Thanks to NetGalley and to Grand Central Publishing for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.
4 1/2 stars rounded up.