12 Best Harlan Coben Thrillers To Keep You Captivated

Crime and mystery thrillers are really having a moment these days and TV adaptations of some of Harlan Coben’s books have become insanely popular. So it’s no surprise a lot of new fans return to his books after watching the TV adaptations because Coben’s plots are dark and the web of mysteries he weaves is incredibly addictive. 

I remember reading my first Harlan Coben, The Stranger and being creeped out from the first page on because it was that realistic. The book was a mindblowing read for me, and a few chapters in, I realized I’d just found my new favorite crime author. 

Having written around 35 thrillers, Coben has won the Edgar Award, a Shamus Award, and an Anthony Award, making him the first author to receive all three. Simply said, this man is an incredible master of crime and thriller writing, and his award-winning, highly sought-after books are solid proof of the fact.  

It was challenging to create this list as I’ve read and loved most of his novels, but I’ve narrowed down 12 of the best Harlan Coben books here for you.

Best Harlan Coben Books List

Best Harlan Coben Book Reviews

1. Tell No One – My Favorite

Coben is well known for writing romance suspense thrillers that stirs the plot with matters of the heart as well as the mind. I was introduced to this genre with the hype around Coben’s Six Years, and after reading that one, I decided to jump straight into one of his older romance suspense novels – Tell No One – which became not only my favorite novel from the genre, but also my favorite Harlan Coben read. 

Is there anything more haunting than getting cryptic messages? Yes, absolutely—cryptic messages from your wife whom you saw being abducted (and later declared murdered) in front of you eight years ago. This is the premise of the book, opening with the scene where Dr. Beck and his wife met as children for the first time, and I knew I was in for a banger. 

IMHO, what makes up a great mystery novel is the author’s ability to hide clues in plain sight. That’s what Coben does here, not just for the reader, but also for Dr. Beck with the suspicious messages he starts getting. For someone who’s still haunted by his wife’s abduction, these messages are breadcrumbs leading him on a journey with dangerous hope that his wife is still alive.

The real cincher in this story was the love between Dr. Beck and his wife. Tell No One is ultimately a love story about two people who met when they were children and were inseparable until one of them was cruelly taken away. 

That’s why romance suspense novels are so great – they move you in unexpected ways as the mystery keeps you at the edge of the seat. You’ll be crossing your fingers wishing these two people can be together and there will certainly be a tear or two as they face terrible twists that they don’t see coming. This book will have you guessing till the very end, so when I say it’s 100% for those who are hooked on suspense and thriller, I really mean it.

• Best for – Fans of romance suspense thrillers
• Not for – Readers who are looking for detective/cop thrillers

2. Fool Me Once

I first heard of Fool Me Once because of the hype around the Netflix adaptation, and when I realized it’s a Harlan Coben, I decided to dive right in. This novel continues our trope of spouses who mysteriously come back from the dead but it’s not at all similar to Tell No One. This was a completely unique but equally bone-chilling read about a murdered husband making it one of my favorite Coben reads. 

I really enjoyed reading about Maya, the protagonist, because she’s a flawed but extremely bold mother and widow. Not only is she intent on finding answers to the mysteries that surround her, she’s also focused on working out her past trauma caused by her time in the military. I was gripped as she went about unraveling the mysteries of her recently-murdered husband and her previously-murdered sister. 

Now, I did spend a lot of time jumping to conclusions throughout the book (like any other seasoned reader of mystery thrillers) but Coben fooled me multiple times by hiding that final twist till the very end. I honestly did not see that coming, and when it did, I put down the book and took a moment because it was too intense to find the connections between the two murders and what it means for Maya. 

If you’re looking for a fast-paced mystery thriller with some family drama, Fool Me Once is the book for you. It kept my heart racing the entire time I was reading it because of the shocking twists and the equally shocking character arc of Maya. Take my word for iit and read the book – you’ll come across shocking surprises at every turn.

• Best for – Fans of family-centric mystery thrillers
• Not for – Readers who are uncomfortable with depictions of trauma

3. The Woods

The Woods is one of the highest rated Harlan Coben’s on Goodreads so I decided to give it a shot but I was not ready for the stomach-turning rollercoaster ride it took me on. It was doubly unsettling (in all the good ways of a suspense thriller) because of its history returns trope.  

This book played with my mind to no end – it’s a perfect combination of suspense and action, brought out through the character of Paul, the protagonist. On the cover, Paul is the perfect widowed father, successfully raising a child and winning cases in court in his career as a prosecutor. But in true Coben style, secrets from his past begin to rise to the surface, making us suspect Paul – and literally every other character we meet in the story. 

The Woods also had a creepy vibe to it because of the letters that were being delivered to Lucy, Paul’s ex-girlfriend who was with Paul the night the four teenagers disappeared 20 years ago. Think Pretty Little Liars and the letters from A; that’s the creepy, ‘look-over-your-shoulder’ feeling I had throughout the entire read. 

Coben has once again written the perfect suspense thriller in this book featuring one of his most popular tropes: history returns. Pick it up for an intriguing protagonist, an eerie story, and the ‘being watched’ feel you get when you read thrillers.

• Best for – Fans of history returns trope
• Not for –  Readers who are looking for a linear timeline

4. The Stranger – My First Harlan Coben

I’m super excited for this review because it’s about my first Harlan Coben and one of my favorite mystery thrillers of all time! One of my friends, knowing my penchant for reading crime/mystery thrillers, recommended The Stranger to me – and inadvertently converted me to a Harlan Coben fan overnight. 

There are many elements in The Stranger that make it a fantastic mystery thriller, but the main reason for me is the realistic nature of the mystery. Everybody harbors secrets; some are more harmful than others, and when a stranger turns up out of nowhere threatening to expose them, that is pretty scary. Coben perfectly captures how the characters were convinced their secrets were theirs to keep for life, only to be shocked and terrified to realize that a complete stranger knew them. 

The other side of this is the person who gets to know about the secret that their loved one has been harboring for years when the Stranger whispers it to them in random public places. The betrayal they feel is so well portrayed through the character of Adam Price, our protagonist, who learns a dark secret about his wife. 

There are two mysteries in this storyline that Adam tries to get to the bottom of: the one regarding his wife’s secret and the identity of the Stranger. These two storylines made this a fast-paced page turner, and I was just itching to know the motives behind the Stranger’s actions.

Right until the very end, Coben had me guessing, and I especially felt like an idiot for missing a clue that was literally in front of me the entire time. But that’s the thing about a good mystery thriller – clues hide in plain sight, cornered into paragraphs and tucked into the ends of sentences. This is a book I’ve reread and enjoyed just as much a second time, and is a must-have addition on any mystery thriller fan’s TBR.

• Best for – Fans of blackmail and secrets 
• Not for – Readers who are looking for an action-packed thriller

5. Six Years

Six Years received so much hype when it was first published in 2013 and book reviewers went absolutely crazy for it. Once I read the book, I realized the hype was so well deserved because the mystery in Six Years completely blew my mind. 

This is a high-concept thriller that kicked off with an eerie, subdued feeling because the MMC, Jake, cannot seem to find anyone who remembers him being with Natalie, his ex-girlfriend and the love of his life. To make matters worse, Jake realizes that Natalie never married her ex, Todd, like she claimed when she left him six years ago. Coben perfectly captures Jake’s frustration, fear, and ultimately his love for Natalie as he tries to find the actual truth behind her disappearance. We get invested in the twists and turns of the mystery alongside Jake because he is an intelligent character to follow, and you can’t help but feel for him. 

As the story picks up pace, we see just how quickly a normal life (in this case, Jake’s) unravels rapidly as he gets entangled in question after question. Coben’s mystery thrillers are extra creepy for me because I always find myself thinking, “This can happen to me,” because of how realistically they are written. I think that’s what makes this story all the more nerve-wracking to read. 

What’s even more chilling than the mystery of a disappeared ex-girlfriend is Jake’s realization that the love that defined his life so thoroughly was built on a lie. This, coupled with his recognition of his own complicity in setting the events off, made it a really moving read.

If you’re looking for a moving romance suspense thriller, this is the book for you. Fast-paced and easy to read, it’s the perfect combination of mystery and heartfelt longing to keep you turning the pages in one sitting.

• Best for – Fans of romance suspense thrillers
• Not for – Readers who are looking for multiple POVs

6. Don’t Let Go

I discovered Don’t Let Go during a Harlan Coben reading sprint and it remains one of my favorite Cobens because of the trope. It’s a suburban mystery with secrets hiding in the mundane of the everyday and it happens to be my favorite thriller trope after history returns. 

Detective Nap was an intriguing protagonist from the start, especially because of the inner dialogue he carries with his twin brother, who mysteriously died 15 years ago. Coben’s writing device of conversing with the dead both unsettled me and kept me hooked into the story and invested in Nap right from the start. When I found out he’s not only dealing with the death of his brother, but also with the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend on the same night, my detective mind immediately kicked into full gear.

Not that my detective hat was of any use – the mysteries were dark and unpredictable, keeping me guessing (and dying internally) at the suspense. At ridiculous odds with the suspense was Coben’s dry humor that came through in the narrative, making this read impossibly hilarious. The touch of humor coupled with backstories of romance and suburban life made the whole story very realistic, and it came as no surprise to me when I learnt that the story was actually based on events that happened in Coben’s hometown. 

Coben pulled out all the stops in this thriller, including the decades-long unsolved mystery, the detective cop with deep-seated personal trauma, and a suburban conspiracy theory. I couldn’t stop reading until the end and if you’re the type to cozy up to a suburban thriller, you should definitely give it a go.

• Best for – Fans of suburban mysteries
• Not for – Readers who are looking for an action-packed thriller

7. Caught

Harlan Coben’s Caught got my attention because many reviewers had mentioned that it had a true crime vibe to it (and I love true crime!), so I picked up the book one day. Few pages in, I realized the reviewers were true to their word because even though this was fiction, it read like an actual true crime novel. 

I think one of the reasons this novel comes off as true crime is because of the investigative aspect of the story. The book even starts with a sting operation by Wendy the journalist, and her crew to catch a pedophilic criminal. 

We see Dan, a social worker known to be a friend for teenagers, walking into a trap Wendy set. However, Wendy is thrown off her game when she realizes that some ends do not tie together in the case of Dan, even as proof shows that he was close with Haley, the 17-year-old girl who disappeared without a trace. 

In a novel full of unprecedented twists, Wendy’s steadfast determination to be on the side of the truth is admirable. But the truth is elusive in this book, giving us the eerie feels found in most Coben novels. I still get shivers down my spine when I think of this quote from the book: “I remember one time I heard this English professor asking the class what the world’s scariest noise is. Is it a man crying out in pain? A woman’s scream of terror? A gunshot? A baby crying? And the professor shakes his head and says, ‘No, the scariest noise is, you’re all alone in your dark house, you know you’re all alone, you know that there is no chance anyone else is home or within miles—and then, suddenly, from upstairs, you hear the toilet flush.’”

Coben explores themes of forgiveness through Wendy’s character as she struggles to forgive the alcoholic driver who killed her husband while also seeking forgiveness for her mistakes. Wendy’s character was well developed that way, but my only issue is that Haley’s story wasn’t as fleshed out as it should have been. A girl disappearing at such a young age in such an unprecedented way is scary and I honestly think there was more room for that plotline to develop. 

But the perfect combination of terrifying twists and predictable portrayals of everyday life often found in true crime novels made this such a good mystery thriller. If you’re in the mood for some shivers down your back, I’m sure this book will serve the purpose.

• Best for – Fans of true crime
• Not for – Readers who are uncomfortable with depictions of pedophilia/child abuse

8. Run Away

I love thrillers based on cults even though they creep the hell out of me, and that’s why I decided to go ahead with Run Away. Trust me when I tell you, I could barely handle the mind blowing mystery this turned out to be. 

Simon’s daughter, Paige has been dragged down a cycle of drug abuse under the influence of Aaron, a guy she met online. In a desperate attempt to get Paige out of this fix, Simon tries to talk sense to her while she’s begging for money. He gets through to her – almost – until Aaron turns up and whisks her away. A few months later, Aaron is found murdered and Paige has disappeared. 

The mystery delves deep into the connection that Aaron has to Simon’s family, Ingrid (Simon’s wife) and her involvement in secrets, and the cult named ‘The Truth’, that is now going around killing any men who may harm its new leadership. It’s a mind-boggling web of mystery and crime that I enjoyed unraveling right to the very end. 

Adding to this twisted storyline were the moving familial relationships in this story, especially that of Simon and his daughter. Simon’s heartbreaking quest to ensure his daughter is safe from harm, his guilt that his actions may have led her to make bad choices, and his helplessness in the face of the uncontrollable are all realistically portrayed, reminiscent of the struggles that parents go through when raising troubled children.  

This book was a little difficult for me to follow though. Its multiple storylines were somewhat complicated and they were also packed with secrets of their own, so I had a lot to take in. I even lost focus for a bit and had to resort to a coffee before I sat back again with the book. 

All in all though, this was a fantastic thriller depicting a creepy cult and moving family relationships. It can be a bit overwhelming with a lot of twists and turns to process, but I recommend not missing out on this if you like novels with cultish mysteries and family secrets.

• Best for – Fans of cults
• Not for – Readers who are uncomfortable with portrayal of substance abuse

9. Gone for Good

When I picked up this Harlan Coben and read the synopsis, my immediate thought was, “Hey, this mystery sounds a little too easy.” But I’m so glad I decided to trust Coben (and not my instincts) and give it a chance, because it was anything but easy. 

Coben combines two of my favorite tropes in mystery thrillers – history returns and family secrets – to give us a captivating novel filled with multiple storylines. Will is convinced that his brother, Ken, didn’t kill his ex-girlfriend eleven years ago, but if that was the case, why did Ken run? Will thinks he’ll never be able to find the answers to his questions until his mother, on her deathbed, whispers that Ken is alive. This time around, Will is determined to find the truth. 

I ended up rooting for Will because of how much he loves his brother. It was so heartwarming to see his conviction that his brother is not a killer and his determination to find him. Like most of Coben’s work featuring familial relationships, this one too had me shedding a few tears. 

The mystery itself was stomach-turning and kept me gripped because Coben delivered revelations in each fast-paced chapter until that one final twist. But one thing I didn’t like was how Coben tried to use some characters as mere plot points. He doesn’t usually do that, so I was a bit surprised when some characters weren’t given an arc.  

Even if some character got the secondary treatment, this is still a fast-paced, moving mystery thriller about a boy’s love for his brother and the secrets that often blanket suburban life. Read it up for a quick weekend pickup with some suspenseful revelations!

• Best for –  Fans of family secrets and history returns trope
• Not for – Readers who prefer fleshed out secondary characters

10. Missing You

Ever since I watched Tinder Swindler on Netflix, I’ve been obsessed with crimes that involve dating sites because I’m convinced anyone I pass by on the street could be a victim thanks to too many dating sites and too many ways to fool people. So when I heard Coben has also used this trope in Missing You, I knew I had to read it. 

Boy, what a mystery – I pretty much swallowed this book whole, spending an entire night gobbling it up just to get to the bottom of the mystery. I think most of the credit here goes to Detective Kat, the protagonist of the story, and a damn cool FMC at that! She’s all hard edges and hard work as she’s a super skilled detective determined to put logic and fact before her – even in the face of overwhelming emotion. 

When she discovers Jim (her ex who mysteriously disappeared from her life 18 years ago) on a dating site, she is hopeful at first. But when she reaches out to him, something about her conversation with him unsettles her. 

When a teenager comes to her with the mystery of his missing mother wires just begin to connect in her brain 🤯. The boy’s mom had gone on vacation with her new boyfriend whom she had met on a dating site and the guy is eerily similar to someone she knows. 

That’s not all though. There are two more mysteries that Coben explores in this novel: the one about Kat’s murdered father and the mystery where people are being kidnapped and tortured in Pennsylvania. All these mysteries and action combined together kept me gasping one minute and holding my breath the next – Coben’s a great storyteller but he’s clearly not good for my stress levels. 

The book was a little slow-paced at the beginning and I felt like we could’ve done away with some of those filler chapters because they just kept me distracted from the real story. But after the first three chapters, the pace picked up and I was up all night reading the book.

If you’re on the hunt for a detective thriller exploring a modern dating site mystery story, then this is the book for you. Once you get through the first few filler chapters, the suspense of multiple (sometimes gruesome) mysteries and a strong female protagonist will keep you turning the pages.

• Best for – Fans of online dating site mystery trope, strong female protagonist
• Not for – Readers who are looking for a clean mystery

11. Deal Breaker

Like many other hardened Coben fans, Myron Bolitar is one of my favorite Coben characters because of his hotheaded yet tender hearted nature and his unfortunate ability to somehow get himself tangled in a mystery like no other. When I first started reading Coben mysteries, his fans convinced me to try the Myron Bolitar series – which is how I ended up reading (and loving) Deal Breaker, book 1 of the series. 

Deal Breaker is one of Coben’s oldest novels, and it shows because of its unofficial, non-uniformed detective trope (in this case, ex-Fed turned normal guy Myron) that was super popular in the 90’s. 

Myron, our MC, used to work for the FBI but is now handling the country’s number 1 football team. When his prospective star player Christian’s ex-girlfriend (whom everyone thought was dead) reappears and fingers start pointing, Myron is forced to embark on a mission to clear the player’s name. 

There are many elements in this story which make it a quintessential mystery read, and the biggest one is the cast (of suspects?). This includes Myron’s best friend, Windsor, who’s willing to do Myron’s dirty work, Jessica whom Myron has a crush on, and Myron’s loyal secretary Experanza, who’s unhappy that Jessica is back in Myron’s life. 

While most of these characters made the book an enjoyable read, Myron is my favorite because he’s likable, funny, and endearing with his timely quips and the twisty mystery he followed. Don’t be fooled by the humor in Myron’s character though – a lot of high-stakes action goes down too, making it an action-packed read. My only issue was the ending because it felt far-fetched and implausible, but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the ride.If you’re looking for a blast into the past with a clichéd detective story featuring eccentric characters and a fast-paced, action-filled plot, this is the book for you.

• Best for – Fans of amateur detective stories, ex-cop turned normal guy trope, eccentric characters
• Not for – Readers who are looking for a realistic ending

12. Stay Close

This novel is responsible for two sleepless nights and me questioning everything I know to be true. I started Stay Close because a friend recommended the Netflix series, but I wanted to give the book a try first and discovered it’s a thrilling suspense novel. 

There are three mysteries in this story and we get to explore them through three characters: Megan, Ray, and Jack. Megan is a suburban housewife with an interesting past, Ray is a talented documentary photographer resigned to be a paparazzo for rich kids, and Jack is a detective who can’t let go of the disappearance of a father because the family is still waiting for him to turn up. When the past catches up with all three of them at the same time, they’re forced to be unlikely allies to protect their present and their futures. 

Although I loved the individual storylines of these characters and the flavor they each brought to the mystery, I wanted more from the mystery. I feel like Coben could’ve done more with these characters instead of making it slightly generic like he did in this story, allowing me to predict some of the twists. 

HOWEVER, I was not at all ready for that final twist at the end. Coben did it again by completely throwing me off balance and making me question everything I had read! That twist was so good it made up for the predictable nature in the first half of the book. 

If you’re looking for a great history returns trope explored through some interesting characters with a final unpredictable twist, this is the mystery thriller for you. Keep reading till the end and I promise you’ll end up gasping for air.

• Best for – Fans of history returns trope
• Not for – Readers who are looking for a fast-paced mystery thriller

And with that, we have come to the end of our Harlan Coben list. If you also have a (un)healthy addiction with mystery/crime/suspense thrillers and you are always looking for that eerie thrill from a good mystery, then an action-packed, fast-paced Harlan Coben won’t fail you. I was excited to put this list together because he’s one of my favorite thriller authors, and I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did!

What Are the ‘Must Read’ Harlan Coben Books?

This is a really tough one because I simply cannot pick only a few Harlan Coben books as must reads when all of his books are pretty near perfect, but let’s give it a try. 

To begin with, Tell No One is one of Coben’s best rated books, featuring a woman who has come back from the dead to leave cryptic messages. The thriller is full of mystery and plot twists, which made it impossible for me to put the book down once I started reading it. 

Coben is known to play with lengthy timelines, with the book digging up a mystery that may have been buried for decades. The Woods is one classic example of that technique with the story revolving around four teenagers who disappeared twenty years ago. This is a must read if you’re starting out with Coben’s books because it’ll give you a great insight into Coben’s writing mastery.

The Stranger is eerie, creepy, and just plain scary. It had me jumpy the entire time I was reading it, keeping me captivated till the end. It’s one of his most rated books on Goodreads and its TV adaptation is a popular Netflix TV show, so you really shouldn’t miss out on this story.

What to Read Next

If you’ve enjoyed these mystery thrillers, then my list of the best James Patterson books will help you find some compelling, fast-paced true crime/mystery stories to keep you up at night.

FAQs