Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy. I absolutely love Harlan Coben's books and this did not disappoint. I love the plot and I felt like I really knew the characters. I now need to read book one in the series. It had great suspense!

4.5 stars

Every time I read a Harlan Coben book, I’m reminded of how much I enjoy his writing. Nobody’s Fool is immediately engaging—not a breakneck thriller, but one that steadily pulls you in with its twists and turns. While surprises are sprinkled throughout, most of the big reveals come toward the end, making for a satisfying payoff.

The major characters are well developed, while the minor ones, though somewhat flat, serve their purpose in driving the plot forward. While this book could stand on its own, I’d definitely recommend reading Fool Me Once first to get additional background on Sami Kierce and the returning characters. Their histories add an extra layer of depth to this installment.

Another solid, entertaining read from Coben!

I don’t remember much from Fool Me Once and this isn’t much of a sequel anyway, as it’s not a continuation of Maya’s story but one that picks up with Sami Kierce. I can’t remember him from Fool Me Once since I read it so long ago but that was fine, as far as getting into the story.

This was another wild ride but less confusing, convoluted, and implausible as some other ones (all of which I enjoyed anyway. I really liked Sami and all the characters, really. I liked the use of them and I would like to see more of all of them in the future. The story is fast paced and engaging and wraps up in a way that comes together well.

Another classic Harlan Coben! Grabs you right from the first page and never lets you go. Full of so many twists and turns that every time I THOUGHT I finally knew what happened...he would twist it on me again right up until the last chapter. The only thing I hate about Harlan Coben novels...is how much I love them. It's always such a letdown when I finish the book, knowing that it is over! Already looking forward to the next.

I have been a fan of Harlan Coben's writing for quite some time, so I was very happy to receive this ARC. Thank you so much, Grand Central Publishing! 🖤✨

What to expect:

🔪🩸Part of a series but can be read as a standalone
🔪🩸Ex Cop turned Private Investigator
🔪🩸Disappearance
🔪🩸Haunting Past
🔪🩸Twisty Ending

This book was so good. It is the perfect combination of a solid storyline and suspense. Both the main and side characters are well-developed, adding depth to the narrative. The plot unfolds in a way that is both intriguing and unpredictable, with clever twists that enhance the overall experience and keep you guessing at every turn. The build-up of tension kept me hooked. The story wrapped up perfectly and gave us answers to all of our questions. I love the sprinkle of a cliffhanger that hopefully promises a future installment to the series?! Honestly, I was truly hooked til the very last page. Highly recommend!

The expected publication date is March 25, 2025. Be sure to preorder and add this one to your TBR. You won't be disappointed!

As always, HC can tell a tale that will leave your head spinning! Quite the twisty tale! Love the characters Sami and his wife Molly. Love the people in his class. This could turn into a really fun series. Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

I was not prepared! This started kind of slow and I wasn't sure where it was going. But then, it started rolling and I couldn't keep up! Multiple story lines that kept me guessing the entire time!

I loved Sami. His sense of humor, his love of family, and his love of what is right & truth!

I love Harlan Cohen and he didn't disappoint! Run and get this one!!

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest review.

#NetGalley #NobodysFool #HarlanCoben

WOW!!! Harlan Coben can write a thriller like no other. His books take you in from the first page and keep you guessing until the last words!!!

I hope we will see much more of Sami Kierce in future books!!!

Thank you NetGalley, Hachette Audio and Grand Central Publishing for the honor to read and review this book!!!

I love Harlan Coben’s books and his newest is no different. There is a great cast of characters that help add some levity to the suspense. This one had a great twist at the end that was both heartbreaking and unexpected. You’ll love this book if you like a good suspenseful mystery.

Wow! Coben knocks it out of the ball park with this one. A seasoned and accomplished thriller writer, few authors create such appealing flawed heroes. Coben’s quick wit and humor is on full display in Nobody’s Fool, and he has created another a face-paced and entertaining read in this third novel of the Kierce series, wrapping up neatly a 25 year mystery from the former Detective Sami Kiece’s youth.
Highly recommended for all readers of mysteries and thrillers.

Harlan Coben does it again! Nobody’s Fool is a masterclass in suspense, weaving a gripping mystery that had me hooked from page one. As a longtime fan, I had high expectations, and Coben delivered in full force.

Just when I thought I had it all figured out—BAM! Plot twist. And then another. And another. He keeps you on your toes, making you question every character, every motive, and every clue. The pacing is flawless, the tension is thick, and the storytelling is exactly what you expect from a Coben thriller—absolutely unputdownable.

If you love a mystery that keeps you guessing until the very last page, this one’s for you. Highly recommend!

Coven has done it again. I was pulled in from the beginning and sitting in the edge of my seat throughout. Interesting, suspenseful, and twisty! Just how I love my thrillers!

Harlan Coben is a mastermind! This is a sequel to Fool Me Once. Sometimes a sequel can be a bust, but this was not the case. This was a fast pace stay up all night, you don’t regret it in the morning kind of book. The author does a fantastic job of weaving the two stories together and I highly enjoyed the Sherlock class and the students! This book had everything I enjoy likeable characters, witty banter, and a fast-paced twisty mystery. This is the second installment of this series, but it can be read as standalone. I hope they make this into another TV series.

Thank you, Net Galley, the author, and the publisher, for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

You can’t go wrong with Harlan Coben. His books are always hard to put down… this one was no exception. Nobody’s Fool was fast paced and captivating. It kept me glued to the very last sentence which left me reeling! Nobody's Fool is second in a series, but easily can be read as a standalone. I highly recommend reading this book! Always look forward to more from Coben. Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

“Did it all go wrong the moment I saw you?”


I thought this was a standalone book but it turns out it’s a sequel to Fool Me Once, which I read way back in 2016 and virtually remember none of. Even if you go back to read that book’s summary it doesn’t really give you much information about Sami Kierce and it doesn’t seem like he’s much of a main character.

If you plan to read Nobody’s Fool, I would recommend at least looking at spoilers for Fool Me Once because a couple members from the case show up in this book but with no context other than you know Sami Kierce does not like them at all. So if you want to know what that’s all about, you’ll have to do a little research.

This was a really good, fast-paced thriller. I read it in two days, somehow. But I’m not surprised because I’ve always liked Harlan Coben’s books. And I haven’t read one in awhile so it was fun to get back to one of his.

I will say, though, that I had to keep telling myself I wasn’t reading a Myron Bolitar novel. For some reason Sami Kierce felt like the same person. But Kierce is Pakistani and I kept picturing someone else. I wish there would have been more to describe him so I could better picture who he was as a character. Especially with this book being written so long after the first one it seems like Coben should have ‘refreshed’ the readers on who Kierce was.

Other than that, I can’t think of any other critiques of this book.



In Nobody’s Fool, Kierce is a bit of a disgraced police officer, thrown off the force for a mistake on a different case. He spends some of his time teaching a somewhat ‘off the books’ criminology class to an ecclectic bunch.

It’s in one of these classes that his past comes back to haunt him. A woman shows up that looks an awful lot like a girl he had a fling with in Spain on a backpacking trip many years ago. A girl he thought he had killed. Well… killed as in: he woke up from a drug and alcohol infused night to see her dead beside him and his hands covered in blood.

This shocking cameo (and then quick departure) sends Kierce on a new mission— to find her and find out what happened to her all those years ago.

We also have a side quest which may or may not be connected that also dredges up Kierce’s past. His first wife and fellow cop was murdered by an ex-boyfriend (also many years ago). But Kierce’s recent fall from grace has spurred reinvestigations and overturned verdicts based on any evidence gathered or touched by Kierce… including the prison release of the man convicted of killing his wife.

Kierce brings real life to the classroom as he uses the help of his students to look into both of these ‘problems’.



One of the things I really like about the book, other than the suspense and action, were the characters. Even if Kierce was too similar to Bolitar professionally and humorously, he had something Bolitar didn’t: a wife and son. I loved the relationship between Kierce and his wife and that he never tried to hide anything from her or lie to her… well I guess other than what happened in Spain… but he came clean about that. Filling Molly in on his investigations reiterated that they were a team and very close to one another and I liked that.

His students are also great characters. They all kinda have their own thing and come from different walks of life, but they all have a passion for solving mysteries so they’re willing to work together and they become bonded by the class and Kierce.



While I’m not entirely sure if I LOVED the ending (because I’m a hardcore justice fan), I think I can understand it. Maybe not on a personal level, but based on the compounded circumstances, I guess the outcome makes sense.

This book does end on a bit of a question mark or an open door to another book. And I would definitely read it.



Recommendation

I’m a fan of Harlan Coben and recommend his books, including this one. They have good characters, lots of action and suspense, and even some twists and turns. I never really had this one figured out and I’m totally okay with it!



**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

[Content Advisory: 4 f-words, 19 s-words; not really any sexual content; mentions of child-trafficking with one of the characters]

I haven't read too much of Coben, but I really enjoyed this book! It was captivating, suspenseful, and left me guessing at each twist and turn. I love his writing style and the characters he creates as well - definitely relatable and draws the reader in. Excited to read more Coben and was thrilled to get approved for this book!

Sami Kierce is a former New York City police detective, that left the force in exchange for no charges being filed against him for his mid-deeds. He is happily married with a one year old boy. But, he is haunted by something from his past twenty-two years ago. He does pretty well keeping the secret hidden, until one night during the class on Sherlock Holmes detecting he teaches a woman shows up that brings the past to the front of his mind again. Not being able to let it go, Sami enlists his students to assist him in finding out the answers he seeks. Little does he know that looking for his answers will net him way more than he ever dreamed of. The answers he is wanting, the truth to a woman's disappearance from New Year's Eve 1999, the real killer of his dead fiancé, and more money in his bank account than he could ever imagine having in his lifetime. And with all this, Sami has to look into his own self and question what he would do if faced with some of the same circumstances. And, the end leaves him with another mystery from that time twenty-two years ago. One that he may not be able to solve.

Harlan Coben can do no wrong and he never disappoints. I have been reading him since day one, and it never gets old. Just when you think you have things figured out, there is another twist. To say I loved this book would be an understand statement. I can’t wait to recommend it to everyone.

Another great, well written mystery by Harlan Cohen. It’s fast paced, suspenseful and will keep you guessing right until the end.

Nobody's Fool was a read that I could not put down. There were so many shady characters that I almost had a hard time keeping up. I loved the students in the sleuthing class. I give this five stars.