Harlan Coben isn't just a master crime writer, he's an incredibly prolific one, releasing his page-turner novels at speed. The 62-year old New Jersey author has published a remarkable 35 books already – and there are still more on the way. His novels have been printed more than 75 million times worldwide in over 43 languages, picked up dozens of awards, and he's also a New York Times best-selling author. Many of his books have also been adapted for TV.
Coben, who tries to publish a book ever year, has secured deals with Netflix, Amazon Studios, MGM International and Apple. In fact, there are now so many Harlan Coben adaptations that we felt it was finally time to offer up a definitive ranking. The series and films, like the books, are easy to demolish: yhere's usually a suspicious figure, a romance, a murder or two, and a hair-raising twist to cap things off.
Here is our ranking of the top Harlan Coben shows and films available on all of the streamers right now, listed in ascending order.
7. Stay Close (2021), Netflix
Coben has a real knack for examining the ways that dark secrets bleed into one of America's happiest communities. This series follows a suburban soccer mom, a man pandering to celebrity-obsessed affluent kids, and a detective who can't let go of a cold case, all of whom are hiding dark secrets from their loved ones. As the story escalates, the pretty façade of the American dream fades. Fans of previous Coben adaptations should be able to ease comfortably into this series and binge episodes as they lead from one cliffhanger to another.
7. Une Chance de Trop/No Second Chance (2015), Available to rent on Prime Video
Coben's imagination runs riot in this one. A web of deceit, ruthless criminals and suspicious police ensnares Alice, who we first meet after the day from hell: she is shot in the back, her husband is murdered, and her infant daughter gets kidnapped. The word overwhelming doesn't do this trying episode of her life any justice. Faced with the inept police, Alice enlists the help of some friends instead, and begins a private investigation on her own terms. The narrative is enthralling on account of its fast pace and its intense plot.
6. The Stranger (2020), Netflix
The series follows a married man, Adam Price, whose life falls to pieces when his wife Corrine goes missing. When a stranger tells him a secret about Corrine, he begins wondered whether he really knew her at all. It steadily emerges that this is just the beginning, and she has more secrets than he could ever have imagined; ones the stranger is also revealed to be connected to. They catapult Adam into a world of danger. The drama has been directed in such a way that it keeps its audience guessing as to what exactly its characters are capable of, psychologically or otherwise.
5. The Innocent (2021), Netflix
As any Coben fan knows all too well, old skeletons in the closet have a way of escaping. Just as The Innocent's Mateo and his wife Olivia are about to close a deal on their dream house, a call to her mobile phone shatters their world. Suddenly, Mateo is left to confront a moment from nine years ago when he broke up a fight and ended up as a killer. When Olivia gets the call, he frantically begins a race to discover the truth as his innocence is questioned. Certain incidents are revisited across the series, constantly adding extra pieces to the puzzle and thickening the plot.
4. Fool Me Once (2024), Netflix
Maya's story begins when she tries to come to terms with the murder of her husband, Joe, who was mugged and shot to death in front of her eyes. But not all is as it seems: two weeks after the funeral, she is shocked to find him playing with their two-year-old child on one of the nanny cams she has installed in the house. Maya sets out to discover the truth, but soon finds herself up against some formidable forces. The binge-able show, with all of its twists and turns, is bound to keep people on their toes.
3. The Five (2016), NOW
The Five opens with a group of friends: Mark, Pru, Danny and Slade. They are all out wandering the forest aged 12, and Danny's younger sibling is also tagging along. Frustrated, he tells his five-year-old brother, Jesse, to stop bothering them so Jesse disappears. He isn't seen again. 20 years later, Danny is a detective and Jesse's DNA is found at the murder scene of a sex worker named Annie Green. Drama, naturally, ensues. This one is exciting for its hooks, and is perhaps the only crime series to feature a high-speed foot chase involving a detective leaping over caravans.
2. Safe (2018), Netflix
Tom Delaney is a widowed father of two. After his teenage daughter goes missing, and her boyfriend is found dead, the surgeon begins to unearth dark secrets of those closest to him in his quiet, peaceful gated community. The question of who Tom can trust is one he finds himself consistently wrestling with. The fascination with this show lies in the appearance of his neighbourhood seeming completely normal, while the behaviour of its elusive inhabitants is perplexing.
1. Tell No One, Ne le dis à personne (2006), Amazon Prime Video
Inarguably the best adaptation of Coben's work yet, Tell No One is an story of loss and redemption. In classic Coben fashion, we follow protagonist Alexandre as he struggles to cope with the murder of his wife Margot, who was abducted eight years ago; her body was later found in a ditch. Even more disturbingly, he receives a message years on from her death, mentioning a specific phrase - one only the two of them knew. David soon discovers that nothing about the night she was murdered was what it seemed to be, and he attempts to unravel the story behind what truly happened. The film is layered and is possibly one of Coben's most intriguing adaptations with its multifaceted storyline and eclectic soundtrack.
