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.