Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben Review – A Twisty, Fast-Paced Thriller

Nobody’s Fool is a gripping thriller that follows disgraced detective Sami Kierce as he unravels a decades-old mystery after coming face-to-face with a woman he thought was dead.

Acknowledgments:

Thank you to Hachette Audio and Netgalley for the ARC of this audiobook. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

Summary:

In Harlan Coben’s twisty thriller Nobody’s Fool, former Detective Sami Kierce’s past comes crashing back when he sees a familiar face in his night school class. Twenty-two years earlier, while backpacking in Spain, Kierce woke up covered in blood next to the body of his girlfriend, Anna, with no memory of what happened. Haunted by the mystery, he fled. Now a private investigator and new father, Kierce is stunned when he recognizes Anna—alive. Determined to uncover the truth about that fateful night, Kierce embarks on a dangerous investigation that forces him to confront his past and unravel a decades-old mystery.

My Thoughts:

This was my first time reading Harlan Coben, and while Nobody’s Fool is technically a follow-up to Fool Me Once, I had no trouble diving right in. Though I may have missed some of Sami Kierce’s backstory, I still found myself completely engaged in this gripping thriller. Now that I’ve had a taste of Coben’s writing, I’m eager to check out more of his work.

The premise is impossible to resist. Imagine being a young backpacker in Spain, waking up one morning covered in blood, with a knife in your hand. Next to you lies Anna, the girl you’ve been seeing—dead. You have no memory of what happened, only the overwhelming certainty that you need to get out of there.

Fast forward twenty-five years, and Sami is no longer that terrified young man. He’s now a disgraced detective, a husband, and a father, teaching night school to make ends meet. But his past comes crashing back when he looks up at his class one evening and sees Anna. The moment their eyes meet, she bolts. Sami knows he has no choice—he must find her and finally uncover the truth that has haunted him for decades.

As if that weren’t enough, Sami is also dealing with another nightmare. The man who killed his fiancée has just been released from prison on a technicality. Sami is convinced of his guilt and is determined to prove it.

One of the things I loved most about this book was the involvement of Sami’s students in the investigation. Their amateur sleuthing added an extra layer of intrigue, and I found myself really enjoying that aspect of the story.

The Narration:

Coben’s writing pulled me right in, and I felt completely immersed in Sami’s world. I chose to listen to this in audiobook format, and Vikas Adam’s narration was fantastic. His voice suited the story perfectly, and he did an impressive job distinguishing between characters—both male and female. I’ll definitely be looking for more audiobooks narrated by him in the future.

Final Thoughts:

Nobody’s Fool was a well-written, fast-paced thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. If you’re a fan of mystery, suspense, and complex characters, this one is definitely worth picking up!

A Similar Book I’d Recommend:

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston