Harlan Coben, the master of thrillers, returns triumphantly with his highly anticipated (Detective Sami Kierce Series), following the success of his bestselling thriller and #1 Netflix series, Fool Me Once #1.

Now, he unveils the next chapter in this gripping saga with NOBODY'S FOOL (#2). In this unputdownable thriller, a long-buried secret from former Detective Sami Kierce's college days in Spain resurfaces, threatening to shatter his present. His past is about to catch up with him in the most unexpected way…

About...

2025 New York City: Sami Kierce is now a disgraced detective and PI teaching night classes in New York City. He sees her in his classroom: Anna. He could never forget her face. Could she be alive and here in New York City? Is he hallucinating?

The Anna he knew was 20-ish, and this woman was in her mid-forties. She does not have long auburn hair like before, but she is short, blonde, and wears glasses. Is she in disguise? It can't be her. It makes no sense.

He believed she was dead twenty-five years ago in Spain. The woman who has tormented him for years. He reaches out. She flees. He is determined to locate this woman and unravel the enigma that has haunted him incessantly.

2000 Málaga, Spain: Sami is backpacking in Spain with friends and wakes up one morning covered in blood with a knife in his hand. Beside him is the body of a woman, Anna. DEAD. He does not know what happened. He still hears the echo of his screams.

After he reported, he ran. His hopes of becoming a doctor ended, and he dropped out of medical school, drank, and became a cop, then that ended.

After all this time, Sami's investigation will bring him face-to-face with his past—and prove that he's NOBODY's FOOL. Some secrets should stay buried!

My thoughts...

Harlan Coben, the King of this genre, in a category of his own and a long-time favorite, is back with another showstopper, NOBODY'S FOOL. A master storyteller, no one does it better! Detective Sami Kierce takes center stage with more action than you can imagine!

An action-packed, fast-paced, heart-pounding suspense full of thrills, intrigue, mystery, plot twists, turns, and shockers with plenty of humor. As always, this is an unputdownable series.

Sami is a great character; when his past meets the present, it is explosive. He finds himself in a mystery with secrets, lies, and plenty of danger. You feel for him as a disgraced detective, teaching and, as always, a rule bender who wants justice, and he has the worst luck.

His lover, Nicole, was murdered (his fiancée). He got kicked off the force for messing up big-time. He is working for a high-end white-shoe Manhattan law firm and not getting paid. He is being sued by the family of a high school kid named PJ Dawson. Whit Shaw represents him in exchange for his working jobs off the books following cheaters (divorces).

He is happily married to Molly and has a baby, Henry. He also teaches a night class named Academy Night Adult School on the Lower East Side, a group of amateur sleuths.

His criminology class and characters are a riot! The Pink Panthers (three women in their 70s - think Golden Girls); Debbie the Goddess (the Daddy tactics are hilarious); Instagram influencers who started true-crime podcast gals called Three Dead Hots; Hex, who wears gray sweatpants with matching hoodie and wants to solve his aunt's murder from 1982; Golfer Gary who wears ironed polo shirts with logos from ritzy clubs; and Leisure Suit Lenny (show n tell) with his mysterious gadgets and tracking devices. And Raymond.

Please continue this series and Netflix! I cannot wait to see The Pink Panthers and the others on screen and who they cast.

There is a whirlwind of action as Sami endeavors to piece together the puzzle to track down this woman who could be Anna and a mystery that spans decades.

Plus, in another storyline, which is also intriguing, his ex-fiancée's convicted killer is being released from prison, claiming innocence, and wants Sami to team up with him to find the real murderer.

Needless to say, Kierce has a lot on his plate! Get ready for a wild ride, and hang on. It is a doozy! Now, the million-dollar question? When😉 is #3 coming? Harlan, between all you have going on, I hope the next one is in the works.

Audiobook...

The audio version was a treat, narrated by the sexy and mega-talented Vikas Adam, a classically trained actor with numerous credits in stage, film, commercials, and television, in addition to his 200+ audiobooks. He's established himself as one who creates versatile, distinct, and clear voices for the characters he embodies. Vikas adds flair, humor, and plenty of drama, making an ideal choice for NOBODY'S FOOL, further elevating the story with great characterization for all voices. Highly entertaining!

In summary, if you're a fan of Harlan Coben, you simply can't miss Nobody's Fool. Get ready for a rollercoaster of suspense, action, and a shocking twist that will leave you reeling.

Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for a gifted advance reading and listening copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: March 25, 2025
March 2025 Must-Read Books
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Many thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing and Hachette Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest thriller by a favorite, Harlan Coben, wonderfully narrated by Vikas Adam. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

When Sami Kierce was in college, he took a fateful backpacking trip with friends to Spain. Then he woke up one morning, covered in blood with a knife in his hand, and his girlfriend's body lying next to him. He runs. Decades later, Sami is now a private investigator, married with a young child. He's also teaching night school to wannabe investigators when one evening, he recognizes Anna at the back of his classroom. As soon as they make eye contact, she runs. Sami knows he must find her to understand the nightmare that has haunted him since Spain.

While this is the second in the Detective Sami Kierce series, I somehow missed that one, although I must admit I saw the Netflix series. But it’s easily read as a standalone, so don’t hesitate. There’s a lot going on in this one, with a big timeline and multiple mysteries, but it’s Harlan Coben so you know he pulls it off in grand style. This is written as though Sami is talking to the reader, a style I enjoy for I feel like it pulls me into the book as a participant and not just an observer. There are plenty of twists and reveals, along with Coben’s humorous moments. I ended up mostly listening to this one on audiobook and thought the narration was perfect.

What a CRAZY ride!
If you like suspense…. And NEVER being able to figure out the twists… then look no further! You have found your match!

Sami Kierce has just graduated from college, and has been accepted to medical school. A dream he’s had for years!
But before he starts, he sets out on an adventure with a group of friends, in Spain.
And once he meets Anna, well, his plans change. Until one morning he wakes up covered in her blood! 😮

His father tells him to GET HOME! NOW!! And so, he does….

Fast forward 20+ years. He’s married with a child. He was a police officer, but lost his job.
Now he’s an investigator, AND, he teaches sleuthing at night school…
Then one day his whole world changes, as he sees Anna walk into his classroom… but as soon as their eyes meet…she RUNS!!!

And so the mystery begins…
And what a story it is!
In order for Kierce to get to the bottom of it, he must go back to the beginning!!!
At the same time, he must protect himself, his wife and his baby!!!

#NobodysFool by #HarlanCoben and narrated beautifully by #VikasAdam.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!!!
Be sure to put on your seatbelt! Or else, you’ll have whiplash with all the twists!!!

Thanks so much to #NetGalley, #HachetteAudio and #GrandCentralPublishing for an ARC of the audiobook, in exchange for an honest review.
*** Release date is March 25, 2025 so look 👀 for it on shelves soon !! ***

You can find my reviews on: Goodreads,
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Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!! 📚⭐️

This was my first Harlan Coben book, and it did not disappoint. The book had multiple storylines intertwined, which made me curious about how the author would tie them all together. While at least two storylines were unrelated, I could see how the author left the plot open for future books in this series. Even without having read the first Detective Sami Kierce book, I thoroughly enjoyed this captivating story. I enjoyed the author’s voice and how the main character broke the fourth wall at times throughout the text.

Thank you, Harlan Coben, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this audiobook! The sound quality was excellent. The narrator, Vikas Adam, did a great job bringing the characters to life especially with the witty banter written for the main character.

This was a mystery full of twists and turns and it held my attention throughout. It was enjoyable listening while I was walking my dog.
#netgalley

Rating: 4.5 ⭐️
Format: Audiobook 🎧
Perfect for: fans of fast paced crime thrillers
What I loved: narrator, how well it kept my attention. 11 hours and 17 minutes of goodness!

Another great read by Harlan Coben! Filled with suspense, intrigue, and well paced twists. I did not find myself bored with story at any time, as it was engaging and kept my full attention.

Sami Kierce wakes up one morning next to the young lady that he’s been dating, dead. He can’t remember what happened the night before and he is very confused. He doubts himself & wonders if he could have harmed her although he knows this is not in his character. Young, scared, in a foreign country, out of options, & unsure he runs and doesn’t look back, but this has haunted him nonstop. Now over 20 years later, he spots the woman that is “supposedly” dead. When he digs into this decades old mystery, secrets are uncovered, putting everyone close to him in danger!

A great read that builds tension with compelling characters. Again, the narrator definitely brought life to Sami & the intensity of his voice during the intense moments was amazing. Thank you Hachette Audio and NetGalley for this advanced listening copy. All opinions are my own.

This was my first time reading Harlan Coben, and while Nobody’s Fool is technically a follow-up to Fool Me Once, I had no trouble diving right in. Though I may have missed some of Sami Kierce’s backstory, I still found myself completely engaged in this gripping thriller. Now that I’ve had a taste of Coben’s writing, I’m eager to check out more of his work.

The premise is impossible to resist. Imagine being a young backpacker in Spain, waking up one morning covered in blood, with a knife in your hand. Next to you lies Anna, the girl you’ve been seeing—dead. You have no memory of what happened, only the overwhelming certainty that you need to get out of there.

Fast forward twenty-five years, and Sami is no longer that terrified young man. He’s now a disgraced detective, a husband, and a father, teaching night school to make ends meet. But his past comes crashing back when he looks up at his class one evening and sees Anna. The moment their eyes meet, she bolts. Sami knows he has no choice—he must find her and finally uncover the truth that has haunted him for decades.

As if that weren’t enough, Sami is also dealing with another nightmare. The man who killed his fiancée has just been released from prison on a technicality. Sami is convinced of his guilt and is determined to prove it.

One of the things I loved most about this book was the involvement of Sami’s students in the investigation. Their amateur sleuthing added an extra layer of intrigue, and I found myself really enjoying that aspect of the story.

The Narration:

Coben’s writing pulled me right in, and I felt completely immersed in Sami’s world. I chose to listen to this in audiobook format, and Vikas Adam’s narration was fantastic. His voice suited the story perfectly, and he did an impressive job distinguishing between characters—both male and female. I’ll definitely be looking for more audiobooks narrated by him in the future.

Final Thoughts:

Nobody’s Fool was a well-written, fast-paced thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. If you’re a fan of mystery, suspense, and complex characters, this one is definitely worth picking up!

4.5 stars

I received an ARC of this audiobook from the publisher but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

Nobody's Fool
(Detective Sami Kierce, #2)
by Harlan Coben
4 out of 5 stars
Expected publication date: March 25, 2025

Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for a free copy of this audio book in exchange for my honest review.

When Sami was in college, he woke up covered in blood, had a knife in his hand, and was lying next to a woman. Twenty-two years later, Sami sees the same woman standing at the back of his classroom. He chases her and begins to solve the mystery of how this woman could be there.

This book is classic Harlan Coben! The story is twisty, but it doesn't drag on. It keeps the reader engaged and interested throughout the book. As always, the ending was surprising, but the reader is left knowing that all the clues had been dropped along the way.

I didn't realize that this was the second book in a series. I'll have to go back now and read the first book.

I was recently asked if Harlan Coben books are graphic, and it's interesting that I said no, based on the description of the book. However, Coben writes in such a way that the reader gets the point, but he doesn't linger on the gory details. The picture is painted in such a way that the reader can fill in any details that are needed.

This book is recommended to anyone who enjoys a good thriller that will keep you on your toes.

Excellent mystery, kept me guessing and very interested to find out what would happen.

This is the second book featuring Sami Kearce, who was a police detective when we first met him in Fool Me Once. Although the mysteries in both books stand alone, I think that readers should start with Fool Me Once in order to get the character's background and to know what happened with Sami on the job to lead him to where he is now, and why some of the events of this book are occurring.

In this installment, we have two mysteries--one features a woman from Sami's past who shows up when he is teaching a class. The problem? Sami has thought she was dead for twenty-two years. And when he follows after her, what he discovers is astonishing. The second is that the man who was convicted of Sami's fiancee's murder is released from prison on a technicality. Can Sami find new evidence to prove the man's guilt?

This book went in a direction I was absolutely not expecting. Just when I thought I had everything pieced together in my mind as to what occurred, I discovered I was totally wrong. I like Sami as a character. He's not perfect, but he is committed and really tries to do the right thing (or what he thinks is the right thing) no matter what. I loved the inclusion of the members of his class in the investigation, it added some humor to the tale.

I listened to this as an audiobook, and Vikas Adam does a great job with the narration. I'm really used to Steven Weber doing the narration for Coben's audiobooks, but Adam is able to give Sami the right tone and I hope he will continue to narrate these books if Coben writes more featuring Sami.

If you're looking for a solid mystery thriller, then look no further than Harlan Coben's latest.

This is book two in the Detective Sami Kierce Series. Sami Kierse's college days come back to haunt him in the latest book by Harlan Coben.

We are following Sami Kerce as he puts the pieces together of a mystery that is connected to his college trip to Spain twenty years ago about a night he woke up next to a bloody knife and a bloody girl. Is she still alive all these years later? Possibly…you will have to read to find out!

I liked this book, but I thought sometimes it dragged just a bit for me. It was fast-paced, but also slow if that makes sense. I liked his class of amateur sleuths that he taught, they were a fun group. You find yourself rooting for Sami even though I don’t find him that likeable of a character. I found his wife to be supportive and I liked her. The ending really ramps up with some twists you won’t see coming. This was my first book by this author and I would read from him again.

Thank you to Hachette Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this early audio copy. Meet Sami Kierce your typical dad, so you think until you realize he’s been living with built-up trauma for the past 25 years, still trying to discover what happened in the hotel room that one night in Spain that changed his life. This fast paste suspenseful mystery that will have you guessing the entire time. You will be entirely surprised at the twist and turns throughout the entire story.

Coben returned with yet another thriller, I absulotely love everything this authot puts out, SO twisty, edge of your seat kind of read.

I absolutely love investigations. The suspense of finding out what is happening and who is guilty always keeps me engaged and wanting to know more.

Former Detective, Sami Kierce, has been confronted with a secret that he long thought he buried. When Sami was in college, he went on a trip to Spain with his former roommates. Everything seemed to be going really well, they went to clubs and partied. While standing against a wall at a popular night club, he sees Anna. He is truly captivated by this woman while she dances with her friends. Everything is going really well....until one morning he wakes up and Anna has a knife plunged in her chest. Sami is convinced he's responsible for her murder and is quickly instructed by his father to leave Spain and return to America on his next flight. This secret has haunted him, until he's convinced he sees Anna while he's teaching a class.

"Hallucinations" are no stranger to Sami. He experienced them before while taking medication and saw visions of his former fiance whom was murdered. So now Sami must chase this girl and determine if she is really who he thinks she is.

While Sami is chasing "Anna", he is also dealing with the potential release of his former fiancees murderer. How much can Sami really hold it together and will he receive all the answers to the questions he's currently chasing?

I absolutely love Harlan Coben books. They are paced nicely, engaging and constantly keep me on my toes. I would absolutely recommend reading this one. But maybe after you've read Fool Me Once since the characters and some scenerios filter into this book!

Vikas Adam did a fantastic job portraying Sami. He was pleasant to listen to and easy to understand.

Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for this advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Sami Kierse is a former detective who fell from grace, losing his job in the meantime. His wife Molly is supportive and they are getting by with his work finding evidence for a lawyer and teaching a criminology class.

He has a dark event in his past that he ran from and has never got over followed by the murder of his fiance years later. His past and present collide when a face he thought he would never see again shows up out of the blue and some of the people he has help convict walk out of jail.

As expected with Harlan Coben books there are lots of twists and surprises culminating in an ending that is difficult to predict.

A very enjoyable listen, the narrator was perfect for the male voices, a little less so for the females but not enough to spoil the enjoyment of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the DRC.

3.5 ⭐️

Sami Kierce is thrown back into the past when a women walks into his class one evening, a women that he thought he murdered 25 years earlier. As he pursues her, he has to revisit his past to figure out the mystery of what happened all those years ago.

I'll start by saying that the narrator for this audiobook was pretty good. I think he did a good job of bringing Sami's character to life, all of his nuances, and sarcastic, subtly comedic personality. I enjoyed the relationship between the MC and his wife. There was a lot going on in this mystery. The story had subplots that until the very end of the book I wasn't sure if it was connected to the main mystery. I guess that was purposeful on the authors end to keep the reader guessing until the end. I think I was expecting more from the ending, it was a little anticlimactic.


Thank you to Netgalley and Hatchette Audio for the opportunity to listen to and ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed Detective Sami Kierce's character in Fool Me Once, so I just had to read this book. It didn't disappoint at all, and the way it ended hints at another book that I'm praying Harlan will write. I liked how this story brushes on the events of the first and shows us what happened to Sami after that case ended. And I loved all the new secondary characters, especially Sami's wife Molly and his students who assist in unravelling two different and intriguing mysteries. The pacing was great, and I found myself unable to stop listening to the audiobook once I started.

I have read so many of Harlan Coben’s books over the years and have always been a really big fan of his gripping, twisty plots. I was so excited to get approval to listen to this audiobook. Listening to his novel as an audiobook was a first for me and whilst the story was great as usual I wasn’t a great fan of the narrator - maybe it’s because I’m English, but his pronunciations of the Spanish words really grated. I’m still not sure if he spoke the female roles as well, but again I found them a bit condescending. Overall, as usual it was a great story with brilliant twists right to the end. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this audio book.

Thank you Hachette Audio for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.25 Stars

This story follows detective Sami Kierce who, as a young college grad backpacking in Spain with friends, woke up one day holding a bloody knife and his girlfriend Anna dead beside him. Twenty-two years later as a private detective, things begin to resurface. Seeing Anna's face in the back of a crime class he is teaching, things begin to spiral until he is wrapped up in an impossible mystery that he cannot turn away from.

So, mild confession, I did not realize that this was sequel, but it did not matter at all. Coben does such an amazing job of creating dynamic characters and twisty stories. Even besides that, the cadence and the story telling made this such an engaging read from start to finish. This was a book that I planned extra walks to be able to keep listening. This book also gave such fun vibes by having such a varied cast of characters to help Detective Kierce solve this new crime.

Nobody's Fool follows several different plot points at the same time, but they always seem to be connected in some way, even when you can't see the full picture. His final moment of weaving the clues and plots together into a cohesive "aha!" moment was thoroughly satisfying.

Additionally, Vikas Adam's narration of this story was very well done. Every character had a unique and distinguishable voice, and he made the story very easy to follow for someone who does not listen to many audiobooks. Just his way of telling the story makes this an entertaining book to listen to.

One of the few criticisms I would have for Coben is his portrayal of girls in their late teens/early twenties. To me, the characters who fit this description (of which there were six or seven, I think) all seemed to be somewhat vapid, if not an airhead. For instance, at one point Kierce approaches a group of these girls with some fairly strange questions, and they are just like "oh ok! here's what you want to know!" despite the strange circumstances. Personally, that felt both too easy and a bit of a strange characterization for 18-ish year old girls who are being approach with strange questions from a middle aged man. The other criticism for his portrayal of this group is the extreme overuse of internet slang in their conversations. It was RAPID FIRE Gen-Z slang every other word that these girls said. Which, okay, that's not a huge deal, but it does date the books pretty fast (some of the terms used by these girls are no longer relevant and would be strange to hear).

Overall, I really liked the book and would recommend it!

Harlan Coben's latest thriller, Nobody's Fool, marks the second installment in the Detective Sami Kierce series. While I enjoyed Fool Me Once, Kierce's role in the first book was minimal—he was portrayed as a well-intentioned and trustworthy figure, but little beyond that.

I'll be honest: the first 3/4 of this book are solidly "OK." But the final act? Absolutely phenomenal! When all the threads come together, it’s another Harlan Coben hit.

Sami has a much more fleshed-out character arc (thankfully!) this time around. He's flawed but committed to becoming a better man. And while Sami is fantastic, the ensemble cast truly elevates the story. The whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.

Molly, Sami's fiercely loyal wife, deserves her own spotlight in this series. Despite the couple’s challenges, her unwavering support for Sami provides depth and warmth to the narrative.

The heart of the story, though, lies with Sami's quirky team of junior PIs. I absolutely loved the Pink Panthers and would love to see a spin-off series of cozy mysteries centered on their solo case(s) and the shenanigans that ensue (think The Golden Girls meets a Miss Marple story)."

Narrator Vikas Adams delivers a wonderful performance in this audiobook. I’ll admit, though—every so often, when I closed my eyes, his rendition of Sami reminded me of H. Jon Benjamin's Bob Belcher. Not a bad thing, but it was hard to unhear!

Overall Rating: 4 ⭐️
Story: 4.5 ⭐️
Narration: 3.5 ⭐️

Harlan Coben can do no wrong in my book!
His stories are always so well constructed and thought out. Never a plot hole to be found!
This was no different and I loved experience this on on audio!