Books to read if you love Harlan Coben
Can't get enough of Harlan Coben's books (and their TV adaptations)? These six reads are perfect for those looking for more long-buried secrets, suburban nightmares and twisty domestic thrillers.
Harlan Coben has been thrilling readers for over thirty years. Whether you're hooked by the latest Netflix adaptation, Run Away, or are a long-term fan, we've got just the list for you: six books like Harlan Coben you're also sure to love.
Deadline
by Steph McGovern
Why read this: If you liked Harlan Coben's I Will Find You, you'll love Deadline, as a mother goes to extraordinary lengths to save her family. . . She’s live on air in the middle of the interview. Her earpiece has been hacked. The voice tells her they have kidnapped her family. In the debut thriller from award-winning broadcaster and journalist Steph McGovern, a high-stakes, nightmare scenario turns a TV reporter's dream opportunity into a terrifying hostage situation.
If you’re looking for: A high-concept thriller, real-time suspense, family high stakes, psychological duress, forced choices.
What the experts think: ‘A pacy, witty, engaging thriller, entertaining and delightfully authentic, but hard-hitting and thought-provoking too.’ ー Ann Cleeves, author of the bestselling Vera and Shetland crime series
Beautiful Ugly
by Alice Feeney
Why read this: Instant Sunday Times bestseller Beautiful Ugly is a gripping and deliciously dark thriller about marriage, secrets and revenge. When Grady Green finds his wife’s car by a cliff edge, the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there . . . but she is nowhere to be seen. A year later, still in the depths of grief and on a trip to a remote island in search of a fresh start, he sees the impossible: a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife. Prepare for a tense, atmospheric read with a chilling twist.
If you’re looking for: A dark thriller, psychological suspense, revenge, unreliable narrator.
What the experts think: 'I was consumed by this book, it's her best ever, a work of genius.' – Lisa Jewell, author of None of This is True. ‘Her best book yet.’ – Harlan Coben
Nash Falls
by David Baldacci
Why read this: Like David Beck in Coben's Tell No One, the latest thriller from David Baldacci features an ordinary man forced into reinvention by extraordinary circumstances. Walter Nash's comfortable life is shattered when the FBI reveals that the company he works for is a front for a criminal organisation. Asked to join a risky scheme to bring the whole thing to the ground, Nash is thrust into a high-stakes undercover mission which will force him to become someone completely different.
If you’re looking for: Everyman protagonist, criminal organisations, revenge mission, transformation, high-stakes justice.
What the experts think: ‘Baldacci is the master.’ – Jeffrey Archer
Exiles
by Jane Harper
Why read this: Long-hidden secrets and papered-over cracks slowly reveal themselves as federal investigator Aaron Falk discovers a community is not as close-knit and friendly as it presents itself to be. Set in the depths of rural Australia, Jane Harper's novel follows Falk's investigation into a missing mother, who has disappeared at a festival, leaving her baby alone in the pram. As he looks into the case, repressed secrets and resentments come to the fore.
If you’re looking for: Tightly held secrets, community underbelly, Outback noir.
What the experts think: 'Fine writing and addictive storytelling.’ – Ann Cleeves
Eye Spy
by C. M. Ewan
Why read this: Emotional family survival and unravelling secrets meet edge-of-your-seat suspense. Mark discovers that the 'Bad Man' his daughter spies during a game in the train waiting room is on their Eurostar with an odd-looking suitcase, sitting ominously close. Can Mark save his family? Or will their journey come to a fatal end?
If you’re looking for: Dark secrets, dangerous strangers, the past catching up with you.
What the experts say: 'A pitch perfect, a superbly executed high concept thriller with an emotionally wrenching story of a father trying to do the right thing at its heart.' – Gilly Macmillan, author of The Manor House
The Neighbour
by Fiona Cummins
Why read this: This is a twisting thriller about a quiet neighbourhood hiding a deadly secret. The Lockwoods have moved to The Avenue for a new start. But they arrive into a media storm: a killer has struck in the nearby woods, there are police are everywhere and their dream has turned into a nightmare. The Lockwoods are now living on high alert, watching everyone. And someone else is watching them. . .
If you're looking for: Suburban nightmare, secretive neighbours, a page-turner, twists.
What the experts say: 'Creepy as hell, and kept me guessing to the very end.' – Ian Rankin
