Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC

Great book and an easy read. Full of twists and turns. I loved the main character he was witty and sarcastic. As usual Harlan Coben gives us another good one.

Another home run by Harlan Coben, this time made even better as an audiobook with an amazing narrator. I found myself looking for opportunities to pop my AirPods in so I could listen to another chapter or two. I was a little confused at times when a statement would be made as if it had been previously addressed only to have it fully revealed a few chapters later (notably when Sami went to the police station in Spain). But the genuineness of the main protagonist, Sami Kierce, was refreshing. His role as a teacher to his class of true crime misfits was also endearing.

3.5⭐️ Twenty years ago, detective Sami Kierce was a college grad backpacking through Europe when he met and fell in love with a young woman named Anna. Days later, he woke up with a knife in his hand, Anna dead in bed beside him. Now a disgraced detective teaching at the local community college, Sami is shocked when one fateful night, Anna appears at the back of his classroom.

I honestly am not entirely sure why I didn’t love this book, but for some reason, it fell kind of flat. Could it be because I enjoyed “Fool Me Once” so much, and therefore went in with very high expectations? Quite possibly. Could it be that audio alone made for a confusing format when so many different characters and backstories were introduced? Also possible. Whatever the cause, it was a slog to see this one to the end.

Let me start by saying, as it turns out, even according to Harlan Coben himself, this is not actually a series. Yes, the same detective is in both; however, you do not need to have read the previous book in order to fully appreciate or understand this one. That’s a benefit, and something I wish I myself had known.

While the plot line itself sounds absolutely fantastic for this one, I think my major issue with this book is the pacing. It started off with such a bang. We are presented with several interesting mysteries/cases that may or may not intertwine with a ton of potential for a very engaging story.

But then, something happened…and the pacing seemed to slow wayyyy down. I began to feel pulled in a bunch of different directions (and not in that fun thriller-y way) and I started to lose the threads. By the time we reach the third act, however, the pacing picks up again, and with a fun conclusion (although I might still be a little confused about one aspect of it).

Another element that kept me from fully loving this book is the main character himself. I struggled to connect with him throughout the entire book. At times, his inner monologue felt immature and cringy. I never felt his emotions come through, even when he was experiencing some of the worst moments of his life. He felt very two-dimensional in nature.

🎧 While the narrator himself was good, I think this type of story is best either in print or as an immersive read. While I was able to follow “Fool Me Once” entirely on audio alone, the same cannot be said with “Nobody’s Fool”.

Read if you like:
▪️psychological thrillers
▪️detective series
▪️police procedurals
▪️missing person storylines

Thank you Hachette Audio for the advanced copy.

I have read many of Harlan Coben's book, dating back to his first few. Living in/near New Jersey, I always appreciated the local references to places with which I'm familiar.

That said, Coben's storylines are hit or miss for me. Nobody's Fool didn't grab me like Fool Me Once, but it ended up pretty good. The story line was interesting, it was well written, and the characters were multi-dimensional. It was twisty, but you have to suspend realism a bit in the end.

The narration was very well done and added to the story.

This book got me hooked and I could not stop listening! I kept guessing and thinking one thing then it would turn out to be another! I love books that just suck me in from the start and keep me enthralled until the very last sentence. This book did just that. You get an answer for something and then another question pops up like umm what? You wonder what is going to happen next. Another great read by Harlan Coben and I hope there will be another book to answer the question the book ended on!

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!

I really enjoyed listening to this book! I had watched the TV show for the first in the series but even if I hadn't, it wouldn't take away from it. I liked the twists and turns but was left with a few questions. I'd recommend it to my friends.

Sami Kierce sees a woman he thought was dead a long time because he was covered in her blood the last time he saw her. It’s now many years later and he sees Anna again and he’s positive it’s her. Now he’s trying to find out what really happened that night many years ago.

This was a fun and wild ride. It takes you on quite a journey. The characters are well developed and it’s easy to connect to them. The twist near the end was completely unexpected. Harlan Coban is known for his layers and this book is an excellent example of this. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a mystery thriller. Even if you haven’t read anything by Coban before, this is still a great one to start with.

I was also lucky enough to get the audiobook DRC and this was produced very well. The narrator did a great job and I will look forward to his narrations in the future.

Thank you, NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own

Nobody's Fool
By Harlan Coben
Narrated by Vikas Adam
As always, my reviews are of the audio version of this book. As a rule, I listen at 70% speed or less as this makes it easier to hear details without needing to rewind as often. If things get tedious, I generally speed up.
Quite pleased to see an advance review copy of a Coben book! Barring his last Myron Bolitar book (see my review, the book was dreadful), I have loved every book he has written. Yes, obvs some more than others, but all good. I love all the series on NF as well (except for the one, also dreadful).
24% and going strong!
Slightly annoyed at 36% bc MY WORD how long does a golf story IN A BOOK really need to be?! This is the first real page filler I've encountered so far, and I am happy to say that, by the end, the word carbs were kept to a minimum.
My opinion on the ending...I'm ambivalent about the denouement. I mean this isn't actually Sherlock even if he is referenced by the protagonist frequently. If it were Mr. Holmes, yes. Monsieur Poirot, definitely. This guy ... I guess I can give him the benefit of the time his presentation took to hear in lieu of Mr. Coben having not wasted my time on a cruddy book.
There were a couple teeny holes for me, but I am a picky reader when it comes to mysteries that aren't cozy-I give cozies a LOT of leeway. I do prefer the entire thing being without a loophole if an author goes to the trouble of verifying facts, research, keeping the protag honest, etc.
My verdict is (teeny tiny drumroll in my head): This book was definitely an enjoyable read (listen) and I do recommend it, especially if you haven't read Coben before. This book is a much better intro to his work than the final (let's hope anyway) Myron Bolitar book.
And now, a word about the narrator: Mr. Adam is new to me, but I really hope to hear him a lot more. Not just a capable reader, quite a good voice actor, which is very different. He even did very good female voices, if a tad on the low side. I am now a fan.
As always, thank you to NetGalley for allowing me early access to this audiobook in exchange for a (brutally) honest review!

This is a fast-paced thriller, winding together multiple cold cases as Kierce tries to discover the truth. Like all Harlan Coben novels, there are twists and turns, and anyone who’s seen even one Netflix adaptation knows not to trust anyone or anything. I really enjoyed this audiobook - the narrator does a great job of making characters distinguishable, even small parts, and did well to build the tension. The narration was gripping and given the wide range of characters I felt the narrator did a fantastic job.

Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for an advance audiobook!

Another great book by Coben. Plenty of twists and surprises that you come to expect with this author. I’ve been reading his books for quite a few years now and this one was a great audiobook. Narration was well done as well.

Great book., full of twists and turns. A truly enjoyable journey. The main character was witty and sarcastic, I loved him!! As usual Harlan Coben delivers.

I liked the premise of this. I felt hooked from the start. I felt invested in the characters and the storyline. I liked how the ends were tied up at the end and it felt logical.

I was a reader of Harlan Coben's books long before Netflix found them. In fact, I think I was relatively young, and now I'm not, so I've read his books for a long time! There is no doubt that he knows how to spin a tale and keep the reader engaged. I didn't see until I finished Nobody's Fool that it was the second in the Sami Kierce series, and I would never have known that, as it read like a stand-alone novel.

Sami Kierce is a disgraced former policeman who is now making a living as a private detective, with a side gig as a teacher in a night class to want-to-be sleuths. At least his personal life is happy. He's recently married and has a baby son. But one night a woman from his past appears in the back of his class, someone he thought was dead. This sends him spiraling into a web of intrigue and deceit, because he will stop at nothing to find out what happened to Anna from his past.

The novel, for me, read a bit like it was created for the screen. This is not a criticism, just an observation. Coben's books have always had lots of fast-moving action, and maybe that's why they translate so well to the screen. I thought the night class which Sami engaged as free gumshoe helpers was a nice touch and brought a little humor to the book. Sami's character jumped off the pages, and having him as the narrator made this even more apparent.

The conclusion of the novel was a first a bit of a head scratcher for me, but the longer I sit with it, the more I appreciate it. Plus, nice little segway into a future novel, there in the last sentences!

I debated rating this book a 4 or 5 star. It was very readable, and I sped through it in a couple of days. I guess in a way I am rating Harlan Coben against himself. I've read so many of his books and given them five stars. From another writer, I might have been tempted, but I would say for me this was a 4.4, and I'll give 4 stars. It's a great book, I really enjoyed it, but rated amongst some of his other voluminous offerings, this is where I landed. Still, a don't miss for fans of his writing or of high-octane thrillers.

I listened to an audio of the book and mostly really enjoyed it. Sami's story is told in first person and the narration makes Sami's self-depreciating personality likable and engaging. The voices for the women characters, however, including Sami's wife, were a bit off. Not the narrator's fault, as it's not easy for a man to simulate a woman's voice. Fortunately, there weren't too many instances of women's voices. As for the main Sami narration, I rate it highly.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlan Coben, and Hachette Audio for allowing me to listen to this audio in exchange for an honest review.

In the book Nobody's Fool, author Harlan Coben writes about Sami Kierce who was planning on going to medical school. But while backpacking in Spain with friends, he meets Anna and decides to stay with her. But a few mornings into the relationship he wakes up covered in blood, a knife in his hand and Anna’s dead body next to him. And he runs, returning home. Twenty-two years later Sami is new father, a private investigator in New York City and teaching wannabe sleuths at night school. One night while teaching his class, he sees Anna come in and sit in the back. But she’s dead! Or is she? And now starts the search and mystery. And is anything real or as it seems? This was a good fast-paced story that kept you wondering. I would recommend this book. The audio-book narration was very good. I received a copy of this audio-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Hachette Audio for the copy of new Harlan Coben to read! I have loved everything I've read from Mr. Coben so far and this story was no different! As usual, he kept me on the edge of my seat and needing to know how the story would play out!

This is technically number 2 in the Sami Kierce series but I didn't know that before reading and didn't feel like I was missing anything; so this can definitely be read as a standalone.

The very beginning of this completely sucked me in. The instalove between Sami and Anna and then the tragedy was quite an opening! The story unfolds bringing us along as Sami realizes what really happened with Anna. There were some great twists in this that I loved. There were some parts that were harder to read and made me dislike certain characters but it was done in a way that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. I read this in a rush needing to know how it would play out.

The mystery kept me reading this in a rush but I also really loved (most of) the characters! They were a big driving force of this storyline for me.

I thought the narration of this was on point. It was a very enjoyable listen!

Nobody's Fool was an incredibly engaging read that struck a great balance of intrigue, humor, and suspense, keeping me hooked throughout. The audiobook narrator did an amazing job bringing the characters to life, though his Jamaican accent was a bit off and briefly pulled me out of the experience. While the story was thrilling, it did get a little overcomplicated at times. I was a bit disappointed by the ending, particularly when Sami essentially broke his NDA via a podcast, which felt like a bit of a cliché plot device. Despite that, I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns of the novel and will definitely be looking forward to more of Harlan Coben’s work in the future!

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I noticed Nobody's Fool was the second in the Sami Kierce series so I decided to read Fool Me Once first. I found this very confusing since there was no character called Sami Kierce. There was a Roger Kierce and he was a minor, background sort of character. So I was surprised now to read Nobody's Fool with Sami being the main character and the point of view for the story.

We are now about 20-25 years later. Sami is married to Molly and has a baby son, Henry. He was thrown off the police force after the events in Fool Me Once. In the meantime, he had a fiance who was murdered. He also is being sued for various things. He works as an investigator for a law firm in trade for his legal bills. He also teaches a class in criminology.

The class really are his friends and help him work cases by tracking down information or surveilling people. I really enjoy them as they are colorful characters interested in solving puzzles from grannies, to influencers, a former hedge fund manager, and other oddballs.

The story alternates between the past when he met a woman named Anna on a trip after college and thought maybe he killed her when high on drugs. It turns out she is Victoria Belmond who is a wealthy heiress who was missing for 11 years. The other big plot line is the his fiance's murderer gets his conviction vacated and is out of prison. Sami still believes he killed her.

Everything he is investigating happened about 20 years ago but it ties in to things happening today. With the help of his students he collects good information and moves closer to the truth. Sami works it out in the end.

The start seemed slow to me, maybe because I was distracted over the Roger / Sami. Or maybe it was because Sami, in general, was not a very compelling character for me. I enjoyed the first book more. I think you could read this without having read Fool Me Once.

Narration:
The narrator was one I have listened to and enjoyed previously. I did, however, keep thinking about Julius and Marcy! I listened at my usual1.5x speed.

Thank you, @macmillan.audio and @grandcentralpub for my free audiobook and @netgalley ARC. #MacAudio2025 #macmillanaudio

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 344 / Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Audiobook Narrator: Vikas Adam
Duration: 11 hours 17 minutes
Release Date: March 25, 2025
🥳#HappyPubDay!🎉

On a backpacking trip through Europe, Sami Kierce fell hard and fast for a beautiful girl he met on the dance floor. Then he wakes up one morning with a knife in his hand, and the girl lying in a pool of blood beside him. Flash forward 22 years later, he’s teaching a class and when he looks up, he sees the girl and when their eyes meet, she flees. What is going on?

While this is another twisty thriller from one of my favorite authors, this one wasn’t my favorite. It was a good ride and packed with surprising reveals, but I felt like the dialog wasn’t as witty as usual and the characters weren’t as engaging as others. Still a worthy read though. And Vikas Adam did a great job narrating the audiobook.
.

the setup…
Sami Kierce is now a private investigator in New York City, married to Molly and father of their infant son Henry. A former police detective forced to leave in disgrace, he’s working off debts by doing low level surveillance assignments for a law firm and teaching a criminology class to a small group of amateur sleuths. It’s during one of the classes that a woman walks in and slams him back into his past from twenty-two years ago. She’s Anna, the woman who he spent five nights with in Malaga, Spain as a college grad…and who he woke to find bloodied and dead in his bed with him holding the knife! She flees from the class as he chases after her.

the heart of the story…
It’s all Sami as he runs after the woman who has haunted him for over twenty years. The chase leads him to a wealthy enclave and while he now knows where she lives, the search for answers is elusive. In the meantime, the man he helped put behind bars for murdering his fiancée is released on a technicality, still professing his innocence. Sami enlists the help of a motley crew of his students to figure out how Anna is still alive and exactly who she is as well as how to put the man who killed his fiancée back behind bars.

the narration…
I quickly became enamored of Vikas Adam as he not only captured the essence of Sami’s as a character but created so many other distinct voices I was sure there were multiple performers. He is a talented storyteller.

the bottom line…
I love how Coben creates stories that are twisty from the onset and then gives you more. I liked Sami and soon figured out he was nobody’s fool. He’s got keen instincts, aided by that delightful group of students who made the investigation even more compelling. I knew a shocking revelation was coming but still wasn’t quite prepared for the resolution. And, there are some dangling bits that have my heart fluttering for more of Sami and friends. Well done, Mr. Coben.