As of most of Coben's books, this was a solid, fun read for me. I enjoyed the storyline and the pace, but some of the writing felt a little cheesy in a way that didn't quite hit as normally does. That said, I still really enjoyed it and I look forward to reading what Coben writes next! I also alternated with the audiobook and the narrator's voice was ok. It wasn't really my favorite, but I liked having the option to rotate between the book and the audio because I did want to keep the story going when I could!

Thank you NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and Grand Central Publishing for my advanced ebook/audio in exchange for an honest review.

For a thriller, this wasn't overly thrilling. It had potential, and I did enjoy parts of it. But overall it seemed a bit disjointed and slow.

Nobody's Fool is the second book with Detective Sami Kierce, but you can easily read this book without reading the first one. Sami is no longer a detective in this story, he has been let go due to misconduct. He is married with an infant and teaching a class about becoming a Private Investigator. One night a woman walks into his classroom and he can't believe his eyes. It is Anna, his girlfriend he met in Spain. The last morning there, he woke up with a knife in his hand and Anna dead and bloodied in his bed. His dad tells him to leave, get on the next plane and come home. How can she be alive. He chases her, but she slips away. He has to find her and figure out what happened. He enlists the help of several of his students and begins an investigation, but what will he find?

As with all of Coben's book, they are fast paced, twisty, well written and plotted and a bit over the top. His books are ones that I just sit back and enjoy. Every single one would make a great movie. I don't want to say anything else about the plot, because it will ruin the story for you. I will say that the characters are wonderful. She have Sami and his partner, who are actual PIs, then the rest are a motley crew, wanting to become a PI. They actually are really good at investigating and help Sami out a lot. They also add some humanity and humor to this tense story. There are secrets, lies, family issues, and lots of manipulation. There is also another storyline where the man who shot and killed Sami's fiancée years earlier has been released on a technicality, and he is sure that he has been harassing them and stalking his wife. I couldn't put this one down and highly recommend it. Vikas Adam narrates this audiobook and does an amazing job. This is the first time I have listened to this narrator and I won't hesitate to listen to other books he performs. His voice for Sami was spot on, and the other characters were also given distinctive voices. Using tone and expression, he brought the story to life. If you enjoy audiobooks, I recommend you listen to this one, otherwise any format will bring you a great story and reading experience.

Harlan Coben is such a dependable author. I don't think I have ever given one of his books less than three stars and most are four stars. Nobody's Fool is definitely in the four star group. I read the first book in this series, Fool Me Once (and of course, watched the Netflix series as well). I also gave it four stars, but I think I like Nobody's Fool just a bit better.

Side Note: I do not think you have to have read (or watched) Fool Me Once in order to read Nobody's Fool.

Nobody's Fool is fast-paced and action-packed. Detective Sami Kierce is an imperfect lead, but one the reader roots for. I was hooked from the first moment to the last moment of the story and will recommend it to all my friends who like thrillers.

Nobody's Fool by Harlan Coben - I haven't found a book that I haven't enjoyed by Harlan Coben yet. This book is no exception. This book was GOOD. So many unexpected twists and turns. You feel like you missed something but then it all comes together in the end. The narrator was fantastic. I could not stop listening.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: thriller 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A suspense thriller with depth.

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Psychological thriller
Crime mysteries
Dual timeline (Spain flashbacks + present NYC setting)
Emotionally heavy reads
Twists you won’t see coming
All the secrets and layers

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
The Pink Panthers
Topical undercurrents
The narration

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
Middle section was slow
Secondary characters could have used more depth

𝙵𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:
★ “Earth is 4.6 billion years old, Sami… humans have been on this planet for a mere four hours.”
★“It can’t be Anna… And yet… it might explain everything.”
★“The truth can be more painful than the lie.”

I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately I could not get into the story. Perhaps I just did not care for the narrator. I may try it as a physical book, but I had to DNF the audiobook format.

20 years after Sami Kierce flees Spain, after waking up to his girlfriend dead beside him, she appears in his life out of nowhere.

Harlen Coben brings us another classic, twisty thriller. A real chase and investigation. I honestly didn't know where this book was going, right up until the end. The past is back to haunt Sami Kierce, but in a rather surprising manner.

This is the first audiobook I've read from Harlan Coben, and I enjoyed it. Although keeping up with the twists is easier in print.

Highly recommended, extremely surprising.

Harlan Coben is a favorite author of mine, so I was excited to dive into this, his latest book. I'd read Fool Me Once, the previous book featuring Sami Kierce, back in 2017, and had also watched the Netflix adaptation of that book last year. I honestly didn't remember a lot about the character of Sami going into this book but as it turned out, that didn't matter too much. Sami was plenty interesting here as a man, a former police detective, who's fallen on tough times, making do the best he can for the wife and child he loves. When he glimpses someone from his past - someone he'd thought was dead for the past 22 years and whose death had completely changed the trajectory of his life - he becomes obsessed with finding that person and learning the truth of what had happened. It's twisty and turny, like all of Coben's books, and just as important for me, once again at its heart it's about the importance of family. (Also, it turns out that Sami is much more like the character in the Netflix series than the Detective Kierce from the book, which may be why I didn't really remember him from the book when I watched the show.) All in all, an excellent read all on its own, and the outstanding narration of the audiobook by Vikas Adam just added to my enjoyment.
My thanks to Netgalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Hachette Audio for providing copies for an unbiased review.

I pretty much like everything by Harlan Coben, and “Nobody’s Fool” is terrific as an audiobook. Narrator Vikas Adam embodies Sami Kierce, who was a new college graduate when a misadventure in Spain left him covered in blood next to a dead girl. Years later, he has finally pulled his life together when the past blasts through his door. You’ll be guessing, and rooting for Sami, right to the end.

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC.

Story: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Nobody’s Fool is an entertaining mystery based on a character from a Coben favorite Fool Me Once. Coben always delivers a layered, interesting thriller and I had a lot of fun learning more about this character.


ALC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

(⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½)
Nobody’s Fool was my fourth Harlan Coben book—and hands down, my favorite. It kicks off with a jaw-dropper: twenty-something Sami Kierce wakes up in a Spanish hostel, covered in blood, with his girlfriend Anna dead beside him and no clue what happened. So he panics and runs. Fast forward 22 years—he’s now a struggling PI, new dad, and night school teacher in NYC. And one evening, in walks Anna. Alive. Or is she?

That’s the moment this twisty thrill ride really takes off. Coben juggles multiple timelines and threads—a decades-old kidnapping, a released killer, and a deeply personal mystery—with sharp dialogue and a healthy dose of dark humor. Sami’s a hot mess of a protagonist, but he’s also smart, funny, and impossible not to root for.

There’s a lot happening, but Coben keeps it all moving at a pace that makes the pages fly. The audiobook narrator nails the tone, especially the sarcasm and tension, making the experience even better.

With heart, grit, and a whole lot of surprises, Nobody’s Fool proves Coben still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. If you only read one of his standalones—make it this one.

** Thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Hachette Audio for ARCs of the eBook and audiobook in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was an amazing read again by Harlan Corben. He has such great twist and turns that you don’t expect. If you need a read that’s gonna keep you up all night this is the one.

Twisty, full of action, and heart-pounding. But I wouldn't expect anything less from Harlan Coban. I was kept on the edge of my seat and couldn't stop turning pages, I needed to know what happened next. Vikas Adam did a great job narrating and really bringing the story to life. I highly recommend listening to the audio while reading.

Nobody's Fool by Harlan Coben

This is a character from another book which I lovedddd… Sami was the detective on the case in Fool Me Once but you can read this book easily as a standalone. He is now a PI and while he is teaching a class he spots someone he thought was dead… The sighting has caused an avalanche… One that will change the direction of Sami’s life.

What a wild ride. The pace was brilliant.. I love Harlan Coben and this one was top notch… The narrator…. Wasn’t brilliant but I did get used to their voice after a while and settled in for this amazing story.

I think the best part of the whole story was his crime class. Not so much the mystery but that class haha I would join. I thought the story was good, don't get me wrong, I didn’t see the twists coming.

4 stars

I thought the narration was great and fit perfectly for the scorned detective vibe.
This was a wild ride! I really hope the crazy twist at the end leads us to a sequel.

Wow! What a ride! This thriller is intense, heart-wrenching, highly intriguing, and absolutely gripping. Sami is a brilliant lead — sarcastic, sharp, and impossible not to root for. He’s the kind of character you just can’t help but love. The side characters add depth and intrigue. The Sherlock-style investigation is thoroughly captivating. The plot is tightly constructed, packed with mystery, suspense, action, and jaw-dropping twists. Vikas Adam delivers a stellar performance with distinct, expressive voices. Impeccable production quality. A must-listen — I HIGHLY recommend it!

Nobody’s Fool (Detective Sami Kierce #2) by Harlan Coben 👨‍🏫👨‍🏫👨‍🏫

I would like to thank NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Hachette Audio for providing me with an advance e-galley and an advance audio-galley in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

I liked this book, but I was super confused by one thing. This is the second book in a series, but it had absolutely nothing to do with the first book. There’s not even a Sami Kierce in the first book (Fool Me Once). I don’t get, and it was annoying. It can definitely be read as a standalone. The audiobook was standard fare. I enjoyed it.

“Everyone has hopes and dreams, I thought, which also means that everyone has a backstory. Every human you meet is a novel different from every other.”
— Harlan Coben, Nobody’s Fool

This was yet another masterpiece from Harlan Coben! The audiobook of Nobody’s Fool had me hooked from the very first second—narration on point, pacing flawless, and that trademark Coben twisty suspense? Absolute perfectiomn!!!

I’ve loved everything Harlan Coben writes, and I mean everything. I seriously cannot get enough. The man knows how to craft a story that keeps you guessing until the very end, and Nobody’s Fool is no exception. I hope they make this one a Netflix series also!! The narration made it even more immersive. Every character felt so real, and the emotional weight of Sami's journey was delivered with just the right nuance. I highly recommend anything that Harlan Coben writes, so this will be no exception.

I really enjoyed the story. I think the mystery was interesting and well-paced. However, I didn't like the audiobook narrator, as he spoke every sentence in the same way with the same intonation and in this weird "scary" manner...