Man of mysteries

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Suspense and crime-thrillers are netizens’ favourite genre these days. And the speed at which author Harlan Coben’s (HC) novels are being adapted into screenplay, there’s no doubt that he has established himself as a sub-genre in crime-thriller with the power of his pen. The most recent release, Fool Me Once, on Netflix, became the most-watched show in the week it debuted. HC’s adapted series are lapped by viewers for its guaranteed entertainer. So, we bring the extensive catalogue of binge-worthy shows from the house of Harlan Coben. Read on:

What’s new?

Safe, The Stranger, Hold Tight, The Innocent, Stay Close, The Woods, Gone for Good and Fool Me Once — these are the eight series based on Coben’s works on Netflix alone. The latest addition on this list, Fool Me Once, stars Michelle Keegan and Richard Armitrage as Maya and Joe, respectively. It is a mystery thriller that garnered about 90.6 million views and has been watched for 581 million hours since January. It follows Maya, who is shocked to spot her husband Joe (Richard Armitage) – who she believed to be dead – in her house after installing a nanny-cam to watch over her daughter. Reportedly, after its success, Netflix decided to adapt two more novels of the author titled, Run Away and Missing You. Production for Missing You is expected to begin around spring. It is produced by Quay Street Productions, which is also behind Fool Me Once. Coben will executive produce both the projects.

Style of Working

Coben has confessed that he treats novels and series as two different entities and does not believe in the idea of religiously following the text while making a visual adaptation. So, when it comes to series, it gives a fresh perspective to his avid readers and fans. For instance, Fool Me Once was shot in Manchester, UK, whereas the original novel is written with the backdrop of America.

Coben’s writing hooks you from the first scene itself. He dishes out dark crime thrillers one after another like a piece of cake. Furthermore, the plot twists in his stories are unpredictable which have made viewers fall in love with his adaptations as much as his best-seller novels.

On Similar Lines

Netflix series Safe is considered one of the best performances of actor Michael C Hall. He plays Tom, who searches for his missing teen daughter, Jenny, played by Amy James-Kelly. Aided by law enforcement, Tom’s investigation uncovers some deep, dark secrets that many in the small community wanted to stay buried. And then another series, Stay Close, also revolves around buried past and an investigation of a missing person. Even though Coben’s work revolves around familiar themes, there’s always room for added suspense which serves a breath of fresh air to the story.

The twist-laden novels of Coben are booked for adaptations by one or the other platform right on the release. Prime Video too offers a series, Shelter, which came out last year. It was developed by house of Coben as his daughter Charlotte Coben also collaborated for the teleplay. It revolves around a teenage boy, Mickey Bolitar, who starts a new life in New Jersey after his father’s death. While he does make new friends, soon finds himself entangled in a web of secrets in an attempt to uncover a decades-long mystery within the suburban community. Sadly, the show was not renewed by Prime Video and fans have their fingers crossed that it may be adapted again for another platform in the near future.

While Netflix has gone all out in making Harlan Coben a separate genre in their catalogue, just like Shelter, there are many more series available on different platforms or televised shows for foreign channels. The Five (2016) and No Second Chance (2015) are two of the most popular shows which are still excluded from OTT giants’ binge-list.