Nobody's Fool is an exciting thriller from beginning to end! Sami Kierce is a former cop, now private detective, who supplements his income by teaching a class to future detective hopefuls. The book opens with a frightening incident from Sami's past that was never resolved. Now, it appears that ghost from his past has surfaced, with possible ties to a wealthy local family. His life is further complicated by a man he had arrested while he was on the force, who has now been freed on a technicality. As Sami's past and present collide, it will take all of his skills to unravel the mysteries that surround his former life as they threaten his life now, putting himself and his family in imminent danger. Aided by his students, Sami delves deep into his former life, and the secrets from his past, while he conducts his present investigation. Harlen Coben has written a brilliant, fast paced, character driven book. Sami has quite a philosophical look at his life that adds immensely to the story. It is a wild ride, with surprising twists and a plot that kept me guessing throughout! Don't want to divulge any more of the plot! I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for my advance copy. The opinions of this review are my own.

Harlan Coben is one of my favorite authors so I was super excited to read this story!

This book is a continuation of Sami's story which goes into his past experience traveling abroad.

Overall I really enjoyed the story, especially the plot twist involving Anna/Victoria at the end which I never could have guessed!

You can’t go wrong with a Harlan Coben novel - they’re all great! I loved the characters and their banter. The audiobook was good and easy to listen to.

Harlan Coben does it again with Nobody’s Fool—a gripping, fast-paced thriller that had me hooked from the start. The story follows former detective Sami Kierce, who is stunned when Anna, a woman he thought had died 20 years ago, suddenly appears in his criminology class. What follows is a relentless, twist-filled journey as Sami digs into the past, uncovering secrets that refuse to stay buried.

Coben is a master of suspense, and this book is no exception. The pacing is flawless, the twists come at just the right moments, and the characters feel incredibly real. Sami is a compelling protagonist—flawed, determined, and constantly battling his past while trying to uncover the truth. The supporting cast, especially his students, adds an extra layer of intrigue that makes the story even more engaging.

Just when I thought I had everything figured out, Coben threw in another surprise, keeping me on edge until the final page. If you love thrillers packed with mystery, suspense, and unforgettable twists, Nobody’s Fool is a must-read. Easily a five-star book!

Harlan Coben has long been one of my favorite authors. Nobody’s Fool may be my new favorite as I so loved the characters. Sami Kierce, a private investigator struggling to make ends meet, he is also teaching a class of amateur detective want to bes. One evening he catches sight of a face he has never forgotten that brings back horrifying memories. He immediately gives chase and meets with powerful fists at a very secluded estate.
As his memories flood back he finally shares his past experiences with his wife. He pursues the information he has gleaned as he just cannot let the fact that she is still alive go, meeting so many warnings and obstacles. His students are fascinated and also try to help him track her down.
Facing threats to himself, his wife and his baby Sami persists in finding out the truth once and for all. I enjoyed the way his mind worked following the small amount of information he knew. The twists were not on my radar and I loved every minute of the revelations that just kept coming. I was on the edge of my seat and unable to put this read down. So looking for number 3 in the series but will definitely miss Anna. I am definitely keeping my eye out for the third book in this series.
Many many thanks to Harlan Coben, Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this thrilling read.

Wow! Talk about unexpected plot twists! Two mysteries in one story… the ending had me SHOOK!

Thank you Grand Central Publishing for the arc.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for this arc. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.


In this book Sami Kierce is talking to his amateur detective class that he teaches through a “college” and comes face to face with a woman that he believed died twenty five years earlier because he woke up one morning with a bloody knife and a dead body. Kierce also finds out that the man who killed his fiancé was released from prison and that he wants Kierce to believe his innocence. Kierce is able with the help of his detective class that Anna his lover of five days that he met in Spain while backpacking after college is actually Victoria Belmont a girl who disappeared New Years 2000 and who showed up eleven years later with amnesia but the case is still unsolved. As Kierce investigates his past and learns what happened to Anna/Victoria he learns the lengths that a father and son went to cover up the murder of a young woman who had her whole life ahead of her and the other woman who assumed her life in order to give the mother closer and help the family heal. And Kierce is able to put the man who murdered his fiancé years ago back behind bars before he could kill Kierce’s wife and son. This book was very interesting and an amazing thriller.

Harlan Coben can publish his groceries list and I will read it! He’s actually the reason I’m deep into thrillers and mystery novels. His voice and his cliffhangers never cease to impress me. Fool me once was my very first novel so I was so happy to be back to the familiarity of the characters. Excellent!

Let me start by saying I could not put this book down. The chapters flowed and I really enjoy reading about Sami. I know this is the second book dedicated to him, but you don't need to read the first one to dive in to this fast paced story. Sami is a fun real character that you are routing for from the very beginning and he never gives up, which I love! There were some real twists at the end that I didn't expect which wrapped up this book nicely!
Thank you for the complementary ARC of this book that I received from NetGalley on behalf of the author and the publisher.

This book was absolutely amazing. Sami is a great character. It’s fascinating to see the fallout from his last case. This mystery is insane. A missing girl suddenly shows up out of nowhere years later. A complete mystery where she was, who took her, why she was returned. Sami recognizes her as an old dead lover with a different name. The twists and turns in solving this mystery are incredible. Add in the fun students that Sami teaches and you have a killer team of detectives on the case. Then there’s the side mystery of Nicole’s killer. Did Sami get it wrong all those years ago? Everything intertwines and leaves you frantically turning pages. The last hour of this book, my house could have been burning down and I wouldn’t have noticed. The end teases a 3rd Sami book and I can not wait.

Is it a Harlan Coben book if there are less than 2 twists that will pull some strong reaction from you? I can hear your answers already. Yeah, I had to say no you didn't several times in the story.

Sami thought that this girl she met during his backpacking tour died because of him. He couldn't get over that 20 years later still. When she saw the same girl in his little community class, he chased her to see if that was really her or he was hallucinating. His little run after her opened Pandora's box of trouble for Sami. Those 5 days in Spain were not what it seemed.

I read this book without reading the first installment and in my opinion it did not take away anything from the story. It was fast paced page turner that kept me on my toes. It was what you expected from a Harlan Coben book.

I would say this one was far more of a mystery than thriller, but maybe I’ve read too many Freida books! Bonus points for the quick and easy read with not too many characters and an easy storyline to follow. I will definitely be checking out more Harlan Coben books in the near future.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlan Coben, and Grand Central Publishing for the eARC! As expected from the master of fast-paced, action-packed thrillers, this book delivers nonstop suspense, unexpected twists, and compelling characters. From start to finish, it keeps you on edge, proving once again why Coben remains a standout in the genre. A must-read for thriller fans!

Another excellent Harlan book. This one is a bit different yet still very intriguing and interesting. A real quick read and a page turner. This author can’t do wrong.

Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben
Detective Sami Kierce series #2. Mystery, thriller, police procedural. Can be read as a stand-alone.
Former detective Sami Kierce is an unlicensed private investigator now. One evening as he’s teaching his night school class, there is a visitor at the back watching him. Though he hasn’t seen her in more than twenty years, he recognizes his girlfriend Anna. A woman that was dead the morning he woke up with a knife in his hand. She runs as soon as she realizes he recognizes her and Sami chases after her. He still has nightmares from those days and he needs to know what really happened.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and audiobook. The performance by Vikas Adam is superb. The tension comes through clearly during the story as does his love for his wife. The mystery is easy to follow on the audio but there are a lot of characters to keep straight. Often an ebook is easier to go back and search for a name which is why I like to read both formats at the same time. There are some timeline changes via memories but those are easy to discern. I did listen to this between. 1.5 and 1.7 to more closely match my reading and conversation speed.

Twists and brutal subject topics.
Riveting and engrossing. Always a good storyteller.

I was gifted a copy of this from NetGalley and Hachette Audio.

I enjoyed this mystery and it kept me guessing until the very last page. I enjoyed the way that the main character Sami’s amateur “detective” class helped him solve the mystery and the backstory on several of the characters and how it all came together at the end. Lots of juicy family secrets !

I have been a fan or Harlan Coben for many years and enjoy his writing style. He takes an event and fills it with lots of twists, keeping you guessing during the unraveling of the story. As with most of his books, this story has some “interesting” characters along the way that you learn to love, or hate depending on their backstory along with some moments of levity.

The main character of this story is Sami Kierce, who is down on his luck and is trying to get his life back on track. He started his career as an NYPD detective and was fired from that job. After leaving the police force, he does some private investigative work and teaches a Detective Skills for Amateurs class with students from very different backgrounds. One night will teaching class, a woman walks by his classroom who he thought was killed twenty-two years ago in Spain. There is also another mystery he is trying to solve associated with the death of his fiancé.

As the story unfolds, be prepared for lots of twists and turns, the uncovering of secrets and deceit, and danger along the way. Sami is a very relatable character despite all his flaws. He has his fair share of personal struggles but is committed to the truth and deeply cares about his family and friends.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

#NobodysFool, #HarlanCoben, #NetGalley

Nobody's Fool is not my favorite Coben book as it is a little slower than usual and took me a while to get into it. Once I did, however, I became caught up in the spider web that is woven with the mysterious woman who has haunted the main character for decades as he believes he murdered her. Or rather, that she was murdered by someone else and he was the scape goat.
When she reappears he feels no choice but to follow the mysterious path.
Well written, this book tells a story that winds up to a surprise ending.
I recommend this book - and that means sticking with the slow start.,

Going along with his rich friends on a backpacking tour of Europe after college graduation, Sami Kierce meets a woman in Spain whom he falls for instantly and completely. Sami abandons his friends to stay and spend time with Anna. Until he wakes up one morning to find her next to him in bed. Dead. And he's covered in blood. Sami has no idea what happened.

After fleeing back to America, he discards his plans to go to medical school and becomes a cop. After being a police officer, he becomes a private investigator, teaching a class at night to crime buffs. It's twenty-two years after Anna's death and Sami is happily married with a new baby at home. One night a woman enters his class, exchanges a look with Sami, and then disappears. Sami knows it's Anna, the woman who died in Spain over twenty years ago. Determined to solve the mystery that has haunted him for years, Sami chases after her, only to find she's holed up in an exclusive and well-guarded estate. Can he get to the bottom of the story and events that so dramatically changed his life?

This is another mystery fans of prolific author Harlan Coben won't be able to put down.

This was my first Harlan Coben book, and even though it was the second in a series, it was absolutely phenomenal!
Sami Kierce, a former police detective, is doing whatever it takes to support his loving wife and young son. On top of his private investigation work, he also teaches night classes. But during one of his classes, Sami is stunned to see a woman he once loved while backpacking in Spain. Someone Sami believed was dead and he was the one responsible. Now, faced with the shocking reality that she is alive and well, he's determined to uncover the truth behind her survival, no matter the cost.
This book had such an intriguing premise and kept me hooked from start to finish. Just when I thought I had it figured out, I was proven completely wrong. I truly sympathized with Sami as he fought to do what was right, all while grappling with the difficult realization that doing the right thing isn’t always in everyone’s best interest.

*Thank you to Harlan Coben, Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.