Catch Up on the Catalog™ Harlan Coben

15 of the author's best heart-stopping twisty thrillers

Fun fact: Before becoming a bestselling author of dozens of twisty thrillers, Harlan Coben was in a college fraternity with The Da Vinci Code writer Dan Brown. Maybe they compared notes?

Coben has a lot going on with several new TV shows in the works. Lazarus is his upcoming original horror-thriller series for Amazon Prime Video. An adaptation of his 2023 novel, I Will Find You, is set to come to Netflix sometime next year. His newest novel, Gone Before Goodbye, coming out October 14, was coauthored with none other than Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon!

Coben has won an Edgar Award, a Shamus Award, and an Anthony Award—the first author to receive all three mystery-focused literary prizes. If you're unfamiliar with the prolific author's body of work, the plots of his novels often involve the resurfacing of unresolved events from the past, murders, or fatal accidents. If this sounds like your jam, here's your essential Harlan Coben reading list.

Deal Breaker (1995)

The first book in Coben's beloved Myron Bolitar series, this page-turner introduces the hot-headed, tenderhearted sports agent. Poised on the edge of the big time, Myron finds himself in the midst of a dangerous game when his prized client gets a phone call from an ex-girlfriend he thought was dead. 

Tell No One (2001)

Everyone tells him it's time to move on, but for Dr. David Beck there is no closure. It's been eight years since the horrible night when his wife was violently taken from him, the last night he saw her alive. Now a message has appeared on his computer—a phrase only he and his wife knew.

Gone for Good (2002)

Growing up, Will Klein idolized his older brother, Ken. But after being accused of the brutal murder of the young woman Will once loved, Ken vanished. Eleven years later, Will learns that Ken is alive, and he's forced to confront startling truths about his brother—and himself. Check out the Netflix adaptation.

Just One Look (2004)

When Grace Lawson picks up a set of new photos, included in the mix is a decades-old picture of a man who looks to be her husband, Jack. After denying that it's him, Jack disappears, along with the photo. Now Grace must confront the dark corners of her own tragic past to save her family from a fierce, silent killer.

The Innocent (2005)

Nine years ago, Matt Hunter innocently tried to break up a fight and ended up a killer. Now, he's an ex-con who takes nothing for granted. His wife, Olivia, is pregnant, and they've found their dream house. But with one shocking, inexplicable call from Olivia's cell, Matt's life is once again shattered.

The Woods (2007)

Paul Copeland, a New Jersey prosecutor, is still grieving the loss of his sister twenty years ago—the night she walked into the woods, never to be seen again. But now, evidence has emerged suggesting that she might be alive. As his hope rises, so do dangerous secrets from his family's past.

Hold Tight (2008)

"We're losing him." With those words, Mike and Tia Baye decide to spy on their sixteen-year-old son Adam, who has become increasingly withdrawn since the suicide of his best friend. But their surveillance draws them deep into a maze of mayhem and violence that could destroy them all.

Caught (2010)

Reporter Wendy Tynes is making a name for herself, bringing down sex offenders on nationally televised sting operations. But when social worker Dan Mercer walks into her trap, Wendy gets thrown into a story more complicated than she could ever imagine and the consequences leave her questioning everything.

Shelter (2011)

Mickey Bolitar is as quick-witted as his uncle Myron, and eager to go to any length to save the people he cares about. This is the first book in a YA spinoff series following Myron Bolitar's teenage nephew as he works with his friends to solve thorny mysteries, like the disappearance of his new classmate, Ashley.

Stay Close (2012)

Megan is a suburban soccer mom who once walked on the wild side. Ray used to be a talented documentary photographer but now finds himself in a dead-end job posing as a paparazzo. Broome is a detective who can't let go of a cold case. Each is hiding secrets that even those closest to them would never suspect.

Missing You (2014)

Surfing an online dating site, NYPD detective Kat Donovan feels her whole world explode. Staring back at her is her ex-fiancé, the man who shattered her heart—and whom she hasn't seen in eighteen years. But when Kat reaches out to the man in the profile, an unspeakable conspiracy comes to light.

The Stranger (2015)

Adam Price has a lot to lose: a comfortable marriage to a beautiful woman, two wonderful sons, and all the trappings of the American Dream. But when he learns a devastating secret about his wife, Corinne, the mirage of perfection disappears, sending Adam on a collision course with a deadly plot. 

Fool Me Once (2016)

Former special ops pilot Maya, home from the war, sees an unthinkable image captured by her nanny cam while she is at work: her husband, Joe—who was brutally murdered two weeks earlier—playing with their two-year-old daughter. Can she trust her own eyes?

Don't Let Go (2017)

For fifteen years, New Jersey Detective Nap Dumas has been searching, both for his high school girlfriend Maura, who disappeared in senior year, and for the real reason behind his brother's death earlier that same year. And now, it looks as though he may finally find what he's been looking for.

Run Away (2019)

Simon Greene’s daughter, Paige, is lost—addicted to drugs and on the run with an abusive boyfriend. But Simon hasn't given up on bringing her safely home. When he happens to see her in Central Park, he does the only thing he can, following her into a dark and dangerous world he never knew existed.

And if you like to read and watch, most of these titles have been adapted for film or television and are available for streaming.  

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon