Harlan Coben does it again! This was an action packed ride and fantastic story the whole way through. Sami has spent the last 25 years thinking he killed a woman in Spain then fled for safety. This is his quest to find out what happened.

Coben doesn't disappoint in keeping you interested and guessing in this fast paced thriller. It was an amazing story with a surprising ending for me, Loved going along with Sami on this journey to find the truth.

You know how they say “He makes a mean burger?”
Well, Harlan Coben weaves a mean thriller. It’s that PERFECT classic detective mystery that so rarely appears among the modern genres. I certainly haven’t read a wonderful semi-amateur detective mystery in a long time.
It’s one of those books where you read the first page and just know that this story already owns you and you are must finish it incredibly fast!
It’s written in a mature, seasoned, clever writing voice.
The voice surprisingly not devoid of emotion and humanity.
I can’t help but love a good classy detective! And this one was great!
The writing, the language, the nuances, the way the author so artfully, so subtly leads you very gently in the direction of his plot twist. Without TELLING you, without making suggestions…. Just slowly nudging your subconscious in the right direction.
His writing voice is just such a pleasure. I always seek a humorous writing voice, one full of heart and meaningful soul. One that doesn’t take himself too seriously.
I want a writer who conquers you with the story, who wins the round of the guessing game every time. It’s a pretty difficult task. And Harlan Coben knows how to develop a tight perfect-puzzle double plot.
And to do it with grace, with talent of storytelling, genuine unexpected humanity… it was a breath of fresh air!

It was wonderful to read such a vibrant detective story that brings back all the greats - the Sherlock Holmes being the KING of the Detective Genre.

Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben

Following up his bestseller Fool Me Once, which was turned into a hit Netflix series, Harlan Coben is back with another tale featuring disgraced former detective Sami Kierce. Because of poor professional judgment, Kierce is no longer a cop. Instead, he is scraping by as an unlicensed private investigator and a sort of criminology teacher at a sketchy adult-education enterprise. Out of nowhere, he sees a woman from his past—or does he?

When he was a young college grad traveling through Europe with friends, Kierce takes up with a beautiful young woman named Anna. When one morning he awakes beside her covered in blood and holding a knife, he decides that discretion is the better part of valor and flees, believing that she is dead.

Twenty-two years later, Anna’s sudden reappearance upends Kierce’s entire life. At the same time, his former fiancée’s convicted killer is released from prison as the result of perceived errors in the case Kierce had helped to build against him. Kierce must deal with the anguish caused by this while simultaneously trying to solve the mystery that he has lived with almost his entire adult life.

If you’re already a fan of Harlan Coben, you know what to expect and you won’t be disappointed. This book is full of twists and turns, and the last forty or so pages contain one surprising development after another. This is another compelling thriller from Harlan Coben. Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Nobody’s Fool.

I don’t think I’ve read a book in under 24 hours since middle or high school, being off work today greatly helped, but I just could not put this down.

The constant tug of war with our main character, the need to find closure, the need to move on, the need to find answers, the fear of losing what he has—but this has already taken so much from him. Five days. Five days was all it took for years of prepping a future, destined for greatness, dreams and hopes, to just vanish. But it was so much more than that, that was taken away that day.

What we embark on is a journey, of how life has a funny way of showing you, “What goes around, comes around” and “What’s done in dark, will always find its way to light.”

From start to finish, I empathized with the narrator. You can feel every pain, every terror, every question that he was feeling. Never fully feeling closure, and as more was exposed about that night in Spain, every question turns an answer that opens several more to follow.

Deception, lies, money, and almost heartlessness is what lies inside the walls of the Belmond “castle”. With great money comes great problems, or so I’ve been told. And nothing could be any more true than for the Belmond household.

Uncanny character connections, some likely twists with some still gut wrenching turns, Coben has created what I am positive will be a sure fire hit. I’ve never been consumed in a book as I was this. I, unfortunately as a reader and a dabbling writer, suffer from aphantasia—but I’ve never been able to physically place myself in a book as I have this. I always am able to imagine myself as a fly on the wall, hearing what one has to say. But here? I was there. I was in Spain. I was at the crime scenes. I was at the press release. I was in the Powell residence. I was there for it all.

Bravo.

*Huge thank you to NetGalley for allowing this read, for an honest review*

Thank you Harlan Coben for robbing me of 2 days/nights of my life, for giving my eyes that red tinged and droopy lids look, and for keeping me alert - looking for Tad. Sheesh! Every one of his books do this to me. As with his other books, this has a few twists that you don't see coming. Sami is a young man in Spain and he falls for Anna. He wakes and she appears to be dead - his money is gone and he reports this to the police who do not believe him. Fast forward 11? 25? years and Sami is happily married with a young son - when he sees Anna again in a class he's teaching. He runs after her without success.
Before he was married, his fiancee Nicole was killed, there was a trial, and a dude named Tad was convicted. But now he's out of prison and pleads his innocence to Sami.
These two events intertwine and it will keep you guessing until you give up - and then the twists come.
That's all for now. I've gotta get some sleep. Oh - and thanks for the publisher for this advanced copy. zzzzzzzzz

Sami Kierce’s world begins to crumble when his long-buried past comes back to haunt him. Years ago, a passionate romance with Anna in Spain ended in a nightmare—he woke up covered in blood, and Anna was gone without a trace. The truth of that night has eluded him ever since. Now, as a husband and father, Sami’s carefully built life is thrown into chaos when Anna unexpectedly shows up in his class. What follows is a gripping journey as Sami unravels the truth about Anna and the mysterious events that have haunted him for years. A compelling read that needs to be added to your 2025 reading list.

Harlan Coben has done it again! I’ve read several of his books and they always pull me right in. This was no exception. If you like twists and turns, don’t sleep on this book! Read it now!

The number of times I thought I knew what was happening is only one less than how it actually happened. I did call one thing correctly - just one. And it is likely the storyline of his next book, at least I hope so!


Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an early read of this book!

#netgalley #nobodysfool #harlancoben

Nobody's Fool is a quick, action-driven read. I've been a fan of Harlan Coben since I would pick these novels off my dad's shelf as a teen. Former police officer Sami Kierce thinks he sees a woman from his past that should be dead in a class he teaches one night. This turns into a big web of lies to untangle.

I found the premise intriguing but didn't 100% love the delivery. There were a ton of characters to keep track of and lots of them weren't distinctive or memorable. There are a couple subplots to follow and at times there is a little too much going on. I hadn't read any previous Sami novels so the references to previous drama was lost on me. Interesting twist at the end, but a lot of loose ends. I'm always skeptical at how much old witnesses remember and how willing they are to talk to strangers in cold case books like this.

WOW.
Harlan Coben delivers an amazing thriller about an ex-cop who "sees" his dead ex-fling from 25 years ago. Being the cop he is, he tracks her down and goes down a huge rabbit hole to figure out what happened in the past and has to confront things along the way.

My first Harlan Coben novel did not disappoint! I love how fast paced the story is, I read this in less than 6 hours. I definitely did not see the ending coming, I had a feeling about Victoria but wasn't completely sure but never would have guessed the part with Anna. I've watched a couple of the shows on Netflix, but this book was so much better than I think any show would be. I am now hooked on him and am excited to dive into his other books.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine living your best life on summer vacation in Spain. You meet a cutey at the club and yall become inseparable only for you to wake up one morning with a knife in your hand and the girl's dead body laying next to you.... This is exactly what happened to Sami Keirce.

Fast forward 25 years later, Keirce, no longer a NYPD detective, is teaching criminology night classes when the "dead" girl Anna walks into his class and he stops at nothing to find her and find out the truth.

WOW the storyline had me hooked and I felt like I was right there with Sami Kierce to find out what happened to his Anna. The more digging he did, the more he realized that everybody was lying but as the title says, Kierce is nobody's fool. My mouth dropped when things finally came together.

Read this ASAP!

Pub Date: 03/25/2025

Thank you Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for my advanced readers copy.

This is another engaging, fast-paced book from Harlan Coben. It has plenty of twists and turns which kept me guessing until the end. I really enjoyed how Sami, Molly and all the characters interacted. His students helped make the book fun. I recommend this book to all mystery lovers. Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Another compelling read from one of my favorite suspense writers. Nobody’s Fool is a page Turner with twists all the way up to the thrilling conclusion. It’s not required to read the first Sami Kierce book but I’d recommend it so you have the context on all of the characters who appear.

Another outstanding book by Harlan Coben (and yes, I can see this on Netflix). As per usual, I never figure it out. Great twists until the end!

“Nobody’s Fool” is the second installment in the Detective Sami Kierce series, but can be read as a standalone.
Disgraced after a complete debacle in his last police investigation, Sami Kierce teaches a night class in criminology when a mysterious woman from his past enters his classroom, then promptly runs away, triggering Sami’s biggest quest for the truth.
Harlan Coben never disappoints. This book got me hook, line and sinker from the very beginning and I ended up canceling plans with friends to finish it. And I sure never saw the final twists coming. Loved this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Loved this book! I read it in 3 days. While I had my suspicion about who was the killer, I did not expect the motive/turn of events of what did happen. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Harlan Coben is one of my autobuy authors!

Thank you to both #NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me an advance copy of Harlan Coben's #MysteryThriller, Nobody's Fool, in exchange for an honest review.

#NobodysFool is the follow-up to the first installment in the Detective Sami Kierce series, Fool Me Once, which was released nearly a decade ago. The story, however, is set a mere year later, and involves a murder that occurred twenty two years prior in Spain. While reading the first book in the series introduces the characters and helps set the tone, the sequel can easily be read as a standalone novel.

I'm struggling to write this review because on the one hand I always look forward to reading Harlan Coben thrillers, and even rated the first installment in this series four stars. On the other hand, this novel did not read like a Harlan Coben novel. The prose was wooden and the plot was bland. I'm hoping this was intentional to flesh out the full background for the rest of this series, and that book three will return as strong, if not stronger, than book one.

On a positive note, I enjoyed the nods to other notable detectives throughout fiction works, as well as the P.D. Eastman shoutout. I also found the initial few chapters hilarious. There were parts of the story where I finally thought it was leading somewhere, but ultimately fizzled out. I do appreciate the mostly tidy ending, and am very much looking forward to reading the third installment based on the hint in the epilogue.

Sami Kierce returns and this time we get a glimpse into his past. The book starts with him waking up in Spain, meeting a girl who sweeps him off his feet. He wakes up one morning shortly after meeting her, thinking he killed her with a knife in his hand. Many years later, he teaches a class at night for fun and in one night walks that same girl. Did he actually kill her or is this deja vu?

I absolutely love Harlan Coben and this is no exception. He is such a phenomenal writer, I don’t even have any negative feedback. Eternally grateful for getting a preview into this book!

Sami Kierce was a detective who was dismissed from the police force for his actions. Now he is doing some investigative work and teaching a class in criminology. While teaching his night class he sees someone enter - a woman he thought he’d never see again. Twenty five years ago Sami met Anna in Spain. Sami was touring Europe with some college friends and met Anna in a discotheque. He the said goodbye to his friends and spent several days being inseparable from Anna, only to wake up one morning with her covered in blood with a knife in his hand. The memory has haunted him since he fled Spain. When he spies the woman in his class, she immediately runs off. One other event from Sami’s past is playing a prominent role in his life right now - the man who 20 years earlier was convicted of killing his fiancée Nicole is being released from prison on a technicality having to do with Sami’s involvement with the case. I found Sami to be an extremely interesting character. He has many flaws but is determined to do the right thing. He is happily married with a small son now. He has good instincts and seems to know how to get to the truth. Harlan Coben has once again written a book I found very hard to put down. I have been a huge fan for many years and am always eager to dive into a new Coben book - this one did not disappoint! The plot moves along quickly and has a few twists and turns while introducing us to a variety of characters that I loved! I highly recommend this book! I give it 5 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on March 25, 2025.

Nobody's Fool - Harlan Coben
Pub Date - 3/25/25
Rating - 4/5
Summary - Sami Kierce, a young Pakistani American, goes to Europe before starting medical school in the fall an stumbles upon Anna, a beautiful mysterious woman at a bar. One morning, Sami wakes up covered in blood and holding a knife in his hand. The body of his girlfriend laying right next to him. He does the only thing that makes sense, he runs.

Twenty two years later, Sami is now a private investigator who is teaching a class on crime when suddenly he sees Anna appear. The woman who's life haunted Sami's for years on end was alive and Sami springs into full detective mode to find out what really happened all those years ago and if this mystery woman really is Anna.

Thoughts - Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. I absolutely love reading and watching Harlan Coben books/tv series' and this one is no different! First of all, I love the representation of the main character being of south asian decent. Second, Coben hooks his reader in and doesn't let them go until the very end. I found myself reading for hours because I needed to know where this next twist was going. Can't wait to read his next book!

5 stars out of 5!

Wow, this book had me hooked from the beginning, I could not turn the pages fast enough. I was on the edge of my seat for the majority of the book. The twists throughout were unexpected and I did not see any of what transpired happening. There was a great cast of characters that really worked with the book. This is an excellent thriller and I highly recommend it!

In Nobody's Fool, we meet Sami who is back packing with his friends through Europe. They are in Spain when he meets Anna in a club. He hangs back with her and the two have a great couple of days together. One morning Sami wakes up covered in what appears to be blood and Anna stabbed next to him. He even has a knife in his hand. Sami flees the country but it left a huge mark on his life. Fast forward, Sami is teaching a night class to amateur detectives after being fired from the police force. He sees Anna at the class but she flees before he can get to her. Now he is trying to figure out if it was really her or not.

Thank you Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.