Nobody's Fool is the second book in the Det. Sami Kierce series and while you may want to read the novels in order, Harlan Coben does a good job of looping his readers in to previous plotlines. Sami is now a disgraced cop, but a bot happier in his new life with a wife and baby boy. He may be teaching cash only night classes to wannabe detectives, but the life suits him. When a criminal from his past is released early and orbits back into Sami's life, his peace is short lived and solving a few cold cases is his new order of business.

I would consider this novel a slow burning thriller. The plot dragged on at points but the ending was very satisfactory. Harlan Coben has a long list of best sellers, and this newest novel will soon enough be added to his successes. Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for giving me the chance to read this novel.

Harlan Coben is a 5 star read for me every time. I love everything he's written. I was thrilled to get this ARC. Another home run! Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I will definitely recommend this one!

In this stunningly twisty thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben, a secret from former Detective Sami Kierce’s college days comes back to haunt him. His memory is clear, but all these years later, the facts don’t add up…which is something he cannot ignore.

I was gripped from the beginning on this one. I could not put it down and finished this book in 1 day. I thought I had it all figured out and then I was blindsided with what really was going on. I could not have predicted what actually happened and it made it that much more heartbreaking.

Harlen Coben in an auto read author for me and I cannot wait for more people to read and enjoy this great book.

I love a good thriller and have been looking for new-to-me authors, which is why I requested this one. I really enjoyed this read--thanks so much for the gifted copy

My favorite author this was of course another wonderful read!! Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book.

This one didn't wow me quite as much as other books by this author, but it was still intriguing the whole way through. I think fans of the author should read it

Harlan Coben never disappoints when it comes to thrillers packed with razor-sharp dialogue, unpredictable twists, and gripping tension. *Nobody’s Fool* follows a character caught between the ghosts of their past and the dangers of the present. As the mystery unfolds, Coben keeps you on edge with his signature blend of suspense, dry humor, and emotionally charged storytelling. The pacing is electric—each chapter leaves you desperate to turn the page, uncovering the truth while questioning everyone’s motives. Classic Coben brilliance!

There's a mix of Sherlock Holmes combined with Philip Marlowe in this fast moving mystery thriller. Sami Kierce is a fallen hero, world weary and struggling to make ends meet. Haunted by a murder event of over twenty years ago, he moves through his days with little hope. When a woman from his past shows up the story moves forward as Sami tries to connect the dots as to why this woman he thought dead is now alive hiding a mystery of her own. Secondary characters are fairly well portrayed and become similar to the Baker Street Irregulars guiding Sami to the truth. The myster wraps up pretty well with only a slight suspension of disbelief.

This book follows disgraced former detective Sami Kierce as he works to solve several cold cases that seem to be following him. When he was just out of college, his girlfriend was brutally murdered and her body disappeared. But now, Sami thinks he’s seen her and follows her to a fancy, secure estate in the middle of nowhere, which leads him to believe she may be Victoria Belmond, an heiress who was kidnapped 25 years ago but then returned a decade later. If all that wasn’t enough, Sami also has to deal with the man who murdered his fiancée being released from prison on a technicality. This book is surprisingly fast-paced and twisty, and it made me want to read more by Harlan Coben (I’ve seen some of his Netflix shows but never actually read one of his books). I also really liked Sami and his cast of supporting characters who helped him solve the crimes. If you like more procedural crime novels, you’ll enjoy this!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for my copy! ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nobody's Fool is a book that you will read way too fast because the twists just keep on coming! I love Harlan Coben books because I feel like things happen at breakneck speed. I thought I had this book figured out and then BOOM, a huge twist, and I'm back to guessing! I love books like Nobody's Fool that keep you on edge until the very end! Sami Kierce is a young college graduate who decides to backpack through Spain with friends from the lacrosse team. Sami meets a girl he really likes and tells the guys to go to their next stop and he'll catch up. Sami really likes Anna and vice versa so they decide to spend some quality time together. All is going well until Sami wakes up one morning with a knife in his hand, blood all over the bed, and Anna dead beside him. Sami screams, has no memory of what happened, and catches a flight home.

Sami was supposed to go to med school on scholarship when he got back from Spain, but that didn't happen. Sami was destroyed thinking he had killed Anna. He decided to become a policeman instead, but was fired from that job when a suspect he was chasing fell to his death from a roof. The suspect was a teenager and Sami felt guilty. Sami is now a private investigator, is married, and has a one year old son. Sami also makes extra money doing surveillance for a law office and teaching future crime sleuths at night school. Sami's life didn't turn out like he thought it would, but he loves his family and makes ends meet. One night while he's teaching at night school, the door in the back opens, and someone sneaks in. This is a class where people pay each night they come, so Sami needs to see who the person is. When he meets eyes with the person, he immediately knows that it's Anna! How can it be Anna, though? When he gives the class an assignment, he tells them to stay in their seats, and he'll be back. Anna races out of the classroom and Sami gives chase.

Sami knows he has to catch this woman and find out if what he thought happened all those years ago really did! That night ruined his life and has weighed on him every day since. As Sami pursues this woman, his investigation will take him to places he's not supposed to be. He has opened up a link to the past that someone doesn't want opened. How far will they go to keep it closed from Sami? Could this be related to another case Sami worked on when he was a policeman? Will Sami be able to keep himself and those close to him safe? This book is a thrill ride and you'll be reading late into the night because you just can't stop! I absolutely loved Nobody's Fool and rate it 5 stars! The book is out now and should not be missed! I'd like to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for a fair review. #NobodysFool

Thank you Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of Nobody’s Fool, by Harlan Coben, in exchange for my honest opinions.

I really enjoy Harlan Coben books. He’s the type of writer where I have no idea how this is going to end and I’m tempted to peek ahead, but I don’t. I’ve read quite a few of his books. I’m sure there are a few that I haven’t read. In my opinion, Nobody’s Fool is his best book. The second book in the Sami Kierce series. (I have the first, but it’s in my TBR pile and it just moved up!) The bombshells that were dropping, one after another at the end were jaw dropping. The characters were extremely likeable and I can’t wait to read more stories about Sami Kierce and his people.

2.5 Stars. When former cop Sami Kierce sees a woman from his past who he believed was dead, he's drawn into one of New York's most famous kidnapping cases. At the same time, he's devasted by the release of his fiancé's murderer Tad from prison due to Sami's negligence while on the job, and determined to see Tad back behind bars. I've read a lot of Harlan Coben, although not the first book in this series, and Nobody's Fool feels disconnected from his writing style. The sentences are choppy, more so in the beginning and ending chapters, and the story gets off to a slow start. It also suffered from an overabundance of characters in Sami's night class. When mentioned by name at various points in the story, I'd think, "Who?" The premise was solid, but the twists fell short.

(⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½)

Nobody’s Fool was my fourth Harlan Coben book—and hands down, my favorite. It kicks off with a jaw-dropper: twenty-something Sami Kierce wakes up in a Spanish hostel, covered in blood, with his girlfriend Anna dead beside him and no clue what happened. So he panics and runs. Fast forward 22 years—he’s now a struggling PI, new dad, and night school teacher in NYC. And one evening, in walks Anna. Alive. Or is she?

That’s the moment this twisty thrill ride really takes off. Coben juggles multiple timelines and threads—a decades-old kidnapping, a released killer, and a deeply personal mystery—with sharp dialogue and a healthy dose of dark humor. Sami’s a hot mess of a protagonist, but he's also smart, funny, and impossible not to root for.

There’s a lot happening, but Coben keeps it all moving at a pace that makes the pages fly. The audiobook narrator nails the tone, especially the sarcasm and tension, making the experience even better.

With heart, grit, and a whole lot of surprises, Nobody’s Fool proves Coben still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. If you only read one of his standalones—make it this one.

** Thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Hachette Audio for ARCs of the eBook and audiobook in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book was typical Harlan Coben – twisty, sassy, fun. Sami Kierce is a disgraced former detective who woke up to a dead girlfriend one day, and now, 20+ years later, is just getting by. When the dead girlfriend reappears one night, Sami and his band of misfit students set out to solve the mystery.

This book was not a Myron Bolitar tale (just a couple of references here and there), and I actually enjoyed it more because of that. The writing and pacing were good, but I did notice a couple of inconsistencies in timing / storylines that were hopefully cleaned up in the final edit. The ending / wrap up of the book were fairly clean.

Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for the advance copy in exchange for honest review. 4 stars, solid, recommend.

This is my first Harlan Coben book, and overall, I found it quite entertaining. The number of twists was very satisfying and kept me wanting to see it through. Unfortunately, there were several slower parts in this book that made me sort of drift away. At times, I found it difficult to recall what I just read. I found myself rereading passages, and even writing this review 3 days after reading, I still can't recall everything. It was good, but it just didn't stick the way I hoped it would. A solid 3 star read.
Thank you NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Harlan Coben for this read.

Like Reading a Mystery on a Roller Coaster!

Harlen Coben has created a winning character in Sami Kierce, a former police detective who was kicked off the force in disgrace. A year later, Sami is married and the father of a baby boy. He is struggling to make ends meet doing surveillance work and teaching a class for wannabe investigators. During one of his classes, a woman sits down and when he notices her, his world is completely upended. Because he is seeing a ghost who has haunted him for most of his life. With the help of his students, Sami sets out to discover what really happened the night his world was forever changed.

Reading Nobody's Fool is like reading a mystery while riding a roller coaster. There are multiple story threads that all move quickly and twist and turn within the twists and turns of the primary story. It can be a little challenging keeping everything straight, but all plot lines ultimately resolve. It is helpful to have read “Fool Me Once,” the first book in this series.

Harlen Coben has a gift for creating not only engaging lead characters but supporting them with characters just as interesting. I will look forward to reading what comes next for Sami, his wonderful family, and his delightful students.

I wasn't sure I was going to like this one. It had a slow start, but quickly got better. Typical Coben book, lots of twists and turns. Well worth the read. The ending was a surprise, too.

Another solid read from Harlen Coben, Crime fiction vibes and a real crime thriller feel to it. The twists and turns were great and made you feel on edge waiting to see what would happen! Fantastic job.

Coben has a flair for twisty mysteries, mostly featuring everyday people who get caught up in a crazy situation. This book is trying out the hard-boiled detective story and brings back a character from a previous book who now has a different first name. Sami Kierce is a Pakistani-American who was once a police officer and now an unlicensed detective. His life changed twenty years earlier when he was a student vacationing in Spain and something happened to a woman he was seeing. Later, a fiancée of his was murdered and the murderer is being let out of prison with the charges being put aside. Kierce holds a class in detective work in an old building and one day he is sure he sees Anna, the girlfriend from Spain who he presumed was dead. This starts the whole twisty story as Kierce tries to track down Anna and he gets caught in a web of lies and secrets that people want to protect.
As always, Coben crafts an engaging mystery that I enjoyed following throughout the book. But I thought the gumshoe detective dialogue and characters were corny and the endless amount of quirky characters was over the top. I liked Kierce's wife Molly but wondered why she was OK with him teaching classes that charge eight dollars while they were struggling financially. I also notice that Coben, like a lot of older, male authors uses names for young characters that were popular when he was young, not today. He has people in their 20's named Debbie, Arthur and Marty. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.

This book had me on a rollercoaster of emotions. So many dark things have happened in Sami Keirce's past. One event right after college changed his path forever. Years later, the event that haunted him forever ends up being not what it seemed at all. Sami starts using his detective skills to figure out what happened 25 years ago. Other events in his not-so-distant past also come up, and they intertwine with the events of longer ago, making for a twisty, unpredictable ride!