I haven’t read any of the 33 books by Harlan Coben. The American writer of mystery thrillers has 75 million books in print around the world. His stories share common themes: multiple twists, offshoot plot lines, secrets, resurfacings of the past, and dead bodies. The books, filled with cliffhangers, certainly make for binge-worthy TV. In 2018, Coben signed a deal with Netflix for 14 of his novels to be developed into TV series. The British eight-episode thriller, The Stranger, was the first one, debuting in January, 2020.
The Stranger
We’ve seen it before…suburban tranquility is about to get rocked. A mysterious young woman in a baseball cap (Hannah John-Kamen, Game of Thrones) approaches Adam Price (played by Richard Armitage, The Hobbit) and tells him his wife has faked her pregnancy. The wife discovers that her husband has found out and she quickly disappears. This is the central mystery in the series, but multiple characters, side stories, twists, and secrets abound.
The Stranger is an eye-catching enigma. Adam isn’t the only one she surprises with life-changing information. Veteran actors Stephen Rea (The Crying Game) and Siobhan Finneran (Downton Abbey) bolster the solid British cast. There’s a lot going on, including a dead alpaca? It’s far-fetched, but you can’t just watch the first episode. No way.
D² Rating ◼◼◼◩☐
The Woods
The Netflix deal will include several foreign productions of Coben’s stories. The first of such is the six-episode The Woods transposed from New Jersey to Poland. In 2019, Warsaw prosecutor, Pawel Kopinski, identifies a murder victim. The murder scene is linked to a 1994 summer camp where Pawel was a chaperone during which two people were killed, and two others, including his sister, went missing without a trace. A couple of side plots include another investigation in 2019 for Pawel and his reconnection with a former girlfriend.
The Woods is intriguing, complex, and pushes the boundaries of reason. (I think it’s safe to say that some suspension of reality will be necessary at varying degrees in these Coben shows.) The cinematography is noteworthy with its depiction of the summer camp forest environment and the distinct atmospheres of the time periods. The Polish cast delivers, both its young and older actors. It’s refreshing sometimes to not recognize any of the actors and the preconceived notions that come with familiarity. The Polish language was also interesting and unusual to hear. The only other Polish-language show or movie I can remember seeing was 2019’s Oscar-nominated Cold War.
D² Rating ◼◼◼☐☐
Safe
The eight-episode Safe series was created for TV by Coben, but is not one of his novels. It has some star power with Michael C. Hall (Dexter), in the main role of Tom Delaney; a pediatric surgeon and widowed father of two daughters. He’s struggling to connect with his daughters one year after they lost their mother to cancer. His 16-year old daughter goes missing and Tom uncovers a network of secrets as he and his best friend, Pete (played by Marc Warren, Flack) search for her. Tom’s dogged pursuit has him running ahead of the Police investigation, headed by Detective Sophie Mason (Amanda Abbington, Sherlock).
Michael C. Hall’s British accent has garnered much attention, mostly negative. Let’s just say that it’s clear that the Brits do a better American accent, than the Americans pull off an English one. With that said, it’s not that bad and shouldn’t be a distraction. You’ll be hanging off the cliff, anxious for the next episode. And the cavalcade of secrets…well, the skeletons need a bigger closet.
D² Rating ◼◼◼◩☐
Next on the Coben Netflix train is The Innocent; a Spanish-language series that premiered in April, 2021. An unintended killing leads a man on a dark path until he finds love. Of course, it’s too good to be true as his past comes back to haunt him.
Trivia ? – What is the name of the award-winning Harlan Coben 11-part series?
Answer: Myron Bolitar. There’s also a three-part Mickey Bolitar series.