If you’re a fan of mystery thrillers that keep you guessing with twist after twist, then you’ve likely indulged in a Harlan Coben story or two. Coben’s novels have become staples for Netflix adaptations, with the author striking a massive 14-book deal with the streaming giant back in 2018. So far there have been eight Coben thrillers translated to Netflix originals, dominating the mystery genre on the platform.
The latest to join the “Harlan Coben Cinematic Universe” is Fool Me Once, an eight episode miniseries landing on the service in early 2024. It follows army veteran and helicopter pilot Maya Stern, played with fierce intensity by Michelle Keegan, who watches her husband Joe (Richard Armitage) get gunned down by muggers right in front of her eyes. Things take a crazy turn when Joe mysteriously appears on their daughter’s nanny cam weeks later, very much alive. Determined to uncover the truth, Maya contends with Joe’s absurdly wealthy mother Judith (Joanna Lumley oozing superiority), all while dealing with her own troubled past and the unsolved murder of her sister.
It’s a classic Coben formula – secrets, trauma, characters with shadowy motivations, and a propulsive mystery threaded through it all. Fool Me Once takes a familiar recipe and infuses it with a talented cast, plenty of lush cinematic style, and that addictive need-to-binge pacing. While it might not reach the soaring heights of the iconic Stranger, this new series looks primed to deliver another round of suspense-filled entertainment, further cementing Coben’s reign over Netflix thrillers. All aboard the twisty mystery train!
A Web of Secrets and Lies
Fool Me Once hits the ground running, throwing viewers into the chaotic life of Maya Stern, an army vet whose world has been upended by trauma. We meet Maya in the immediate aftermath of her husband Joe’s violent murder, struggling to pick up the pieces as a single mom to their young daughter. But the rollercoaster is just getting started.
Maya is not your average grieving widow. Her proficiency with weapons and strategic thinking betrays a mysterious past in the armed forces. Through flashbacks, we learn Maya was an acclaimed army helicopter pilot whose promising career was cut short thanks to a whistleblower expose. Discharged in disgrace, Maya settled down into domestic life, marrying the wealthy Joe Burkett.
Their suburban bliss is obliterated when Joe is shot dead in front of Maya’s eyes during an apparent mugging gone wrong. Yet on the day of Joe’s funeral, the plot takes a crazy turn – footage surfaces on Maya’s nanny cam showing Joe, seemingly alive and well, hugging their daughter in her room.
Desperate for the truth about her supposedly dead husband, Maya kicks her investigation into high gear. Every discovery only brings more questions as she peels back the layers of secrets and lies in Joe’s life. There’s the hostile mother-in-law who always disapproved of Maya; the unsolved murder of Maya’s own sister that may be connected; the maelstrom of whistleblower drama surrounding Maya’s army discharge.
As Maya searches for answers, she crosses paths with police detective Sami Kierce, hot on the trail of Joe’s killer. But Sami has hidden demons too, struggling with a mysterious medical condition even as he navigates a touchy partnership with a younger hot shot detective on the force. The duo ultimately team up with Maya, uncovering clues suggesting the shooting victim wasn’t even Joe at all.
The 8-episode series barrels through shocking revelations and red herrings at breakneck speed. Twists come fast and furious, both in Maya’s dangerous quest for the truth and Sami’s secret-filled investigation. It all builds to an ending that flips the script entirely, culminating in a final whammy that very few viewers will see coming.
Talented Ensemble Tackles Secrets and Lies
Anchoring this serpentine mystery is actress Michelle Keegan, taking the lead as the tough yet vulnerable Maya. Fans will recognize Keegan from her award-winning role on the long-running soap Coronation Street, but in recent years she has stretched her talents in thriller series like Our Girl. Here she’s perfectly cast as a complex protagonist haunted by trauma – navigating loss, secrets, and the need to protect her daughter. Keegan is utterly convincing as a badass helicopter pilot turned suburban mom, showcasing dramatic range from bereaved weeping to firearms expertise.
Her on-screen husband Joe might be killed off early, but Richard Armitage makes the most of his screen time portraying the picture-perfect spouse hiding plenty of secrets. Maya sees him gunned down brutally before her eyes – making his later appearances on the nanny cam footage all the more jarring. Through flashbacks and home videos, Armitage slowly reveals a whole other side to dutiful family man Joe.
No one does a disapproving aristocratic mother-in-law quite like Joanna Lumley, verging on campy grande dame as Joe’s mom Judith Burkett. Lumley has a gleeful time dripping condescension as old money Judith, who makes no attempt to hide her distaste for daughter-in-law Maya. Shrouded in wealth and privilege, Judith may know more about Joe’s business dealings than she lets on. Lumley classes up any production she graces, bringing a theatrical flair to the ugly family tensions.
On the police side of the investigation, British actor Adeel Akhtar steps up as Det. Sgt. Sami Kierce, a seasoned detective plagued by mysterious health woes. Initially reluctant to be saddled with a millennial rookie partner, Sami spends much of the series battling intense physical symptoms while struggling to maintain control of the case. Of course there is more to earnest Sami than meets the eye, with the truth surrounding his sickness adding yet another layer to the drama at hand.
The younger generation gets spotlight too in Daniel Burt and Danya Griver as Maya’s niece and nephew, left reeling after the unsolved murder of their mother (Maya’s sister Claire). Not content to sit on the sidelines, the savvy siblings launch their own informal investigation, chasing down online leads about the mysterious camera found in their late mother’s possessions. These gritty amateur sleuths serve to underscore the human toll resulting from the violence and secrets threatening Maya’s family.
Signature Coben Style, Amped Up
As the eighth screen adaptation of a Harlan Coben novel, Fool Me Once bears all the celebrated author’s trademarks – elevated with cinematic flair. Most evident is the rapid, relentless pacing, with new twists and turns in every episode to keep audiences on their toes. Cliffhanger endings lure you to hit “Play Next,” the central mystery branching into shocking tributaries along the way. Red herrings and false leads abound, historically a Coben specialty. His love of secrets and deception receives royal treatment here, nothing and no one quite what they first seem.
Tonally the series trends dark, even grim at times, steeping viewers in the traumatic pasts of its damaged leads. Extensive flashbacks flesh out the painful formative events that shaped characters like Maya, from wartime horrors to buried family trauma. Death features heavily too, with multiple murders casting shadows – graphic at moments but largely implied. The violence however drives home a constant undercurrent of danger, heightening the risks at play in Maya’s relentless investigation.
The glossy cinematography belies this darkness to a degree, often bathed in a sheen of privilege and luxury. Maya’s combat boots may be army-grade but her home life was cushy suburban opulence with now-deceased husband Joe. Even as she plays action hero, the lavish trappings of Joe’s elite lifestyle loom large over proceedings. Fancy estates, luxury cars and Maya’s designer grieving wardrobe reinforce she wasn’t always an embattled vigilante.
Yet the placid suburban setting harbors ugly secrets. As Maya works to uncover whether husband Joe is really dead, each discovery reveals hidden sins – infidelity, blackmail, shady business dealings. Lurking beneath the veneer of respectability lies a tangled web of deceit. Everyone wears a mask, obscuring their true motives with lies. Particularly slippery is exactly what happened to Joe, with that tantalizing nanny cam footage upending everything we think we know.
Here the stylistic elements merge toward an ethos best described as “suburban noir.” On the surface Fool Me Once has all the sleek trappings of a prestige thriller grounded in reality. But peel it back to find the dark heart of something much pulpier and harder edged. Maya shatters norms left and right on her quest for retribution, cutting through pretensions and hypocrisy by any means necessary. And Coben gleefully piles on reveal after jaw-dropping reveal right up through the credits, until our heads are spinning.
The Good, the Bad, and the Twisty
At its core, Fool Me Once’s greatest strength lies in serving up exactly what audiences expect from the Coben thriller formula – plenty of bingeable intrigue. The central mystery effortlessly hooks viewers as Maya races to determine her husband’s true fate, hitting satisfying narrative beats along the way. Coben stories are as comfortably familiar as your favorite sweater, but this franchise entry throws in enough fresh character dynamics and modern stylistic flash to feel current.
Not to mention lead actress Michelle Keegan keeps things plenty captivating with her badass portrait of resilient fighter Maya. Grieving army widow turned vigilante is a role Keegan sinks her teeth into, equally convincing as lethal weapon and loving mother. She nails Maya’s mercurial emotional shifts while showcasing some serious action chops in pursuit of the truth. Keegan has always been a small screen talent to watch; consider this her star-making vehicle.
As is customary with Coben on screen, the plot itself takes baroque twists and turns at every opportunity. The tangled threads split and bisect wildly, incorporating corporate cover ups, army whistleblower scandals, dark family secrets – all orbiting the central question of whether Joe still walks among the living. It’s operatic in scope, precisely crafted to keep audiences compulsively hitting “Next Episode,” chasing each shocking reveal and cliffhanger.
For some viewers, that maze-like storytelling might actually backfire, however. At a certain point the abundance of red herrings border on cumbersome, the sheer quantity of rug-pulls almost cancelling each other out. It risks crossing the line into ludicrous, requiring patrons towillingly suspend quite a bit of disbelief. The show is damned entertaining, yes, but will you remember these characters in a year? Unlikely.
The dialogue and atmosphere don’t always help ground things either. Supporting players too often speak in weighty platitudes seemingly built for trailer snippets. And the perpetual rain/gloom visual palette teeters into self-parody after one too many ominous meetings in shadowy underground car parks.
But maybe those elements simply come with the territory, part of the stylistic fabric that sets a Harlan Coben story apart. At the end of the day Fool Me Once delivers on exactly what franchise enthusiasts expect – pulpy, propulsive, high stakes drama where nothing is quite what it seems. Forbes magazine may have called Coben’s work “readymade binge TV,” but he’s made an artform out of that decidedly modern storytelling medium.Fool Me Once proudly carries the torch.
A Worthy Binge That Won’t Be Forgotten
At the end of the day, Fool Me Once accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do – deliver an intensely watchable mystery thriller in the proven Harlan Coben style. It ticks all the requisite boxes for twisty intrigue, stunning performers, and ultimately satisfying resolutions. Michelle Keegan cements her place as a versatile leading talent, while Coben himself deepens his claim as modern master of binge-friendly suspense.
Within the now expansive “Harlan Coben Extended Universe” on Netflix, Fool Me Once sits comfortably amongst the more memorable entries thus far. Perhaps it fails to reach the soaring highs of edge-of-your-seat series like The Stranger – but strong source material coupled with charismatic stars push it distinctly above lesser franchise offerings like Stay Close or The Innocent.
It delivers the perfect balance of emotional weight and salacious fun, welcoming both fresh faces and devoted Coben readers. Fierce performances from Keegan and Lumley transcend any plot hiccups, matched by lush production design that looks like a movie despite its small-screen origins. The series takes big swings story-wise too, building on provocative themes exploring truth and perception.
Will we see Maya and company joining the upper echelon of unforgettable Netflix leads? Unfortunately her chaos-fueled journey wraps up conclusively over 8 tidy episodes, limiting her breakout potential. Anthologies still dominate the streaming landscape. But that revolving door quality allows the franchise space to experiment with new characters that better catch fire. And Fool Me Once has left those shoes in capable hands for whoever follows.
For now the credits roll on another slam-dunk adaptation from the Netflix/Harlan Coben dream team partnership. They’ve clearly unlocked a winning formula judging by their multi-year development plan. So if you’re ever unsure what to stream next, just turn to Coben. His signature sauce of secrets and lies await – tailored-made for a world increasingly living life through the Netflix lens.
Come for the Twists, Stay for Michelle Keegan
At its core, Fool Me Once embodies everything that fans have come to expect from Harlan Coben page-to-screen adaptations – pulpy intrigue, propulsive pacing, enticing secrets around every turn. Coben stories were practically engineered for the binge-viewing era, and this latest mystery handily delivers on deliciously addictive entertainment. While the convoluted plot risks going off the rails at points, the tension rarely flags even across 8 twisting episodes.
It certainly helps having captivating lead actors guiding us through the mayhem. Michelle Keegan continues her small-screen ascent with a stellar turn as the fierce, flawed Maya. Grappling with loss amidst the suburban facade, Keegan grounds the melodrama with wrenching humanity.Matched by veterans like the divine Joanna Lumley, the ensemble shines bright even when the material gets murky.
Based on Netflix and Coben’s established partnership, we can expect more binge-friendly adaptations to come, likely with casts this charismatic. Formulaic? Perhaps, but the author clearly knows how to craft compulsively watchable intrigue out of familiar elements. Fool Me Once suggests the well has not yet run dry.
Granted, the series probably won’t enter the pantheon of truly classic television…but does it have to? This is perfect entertainment for a dreary winter weekend, best enjoyed with minimal critical distance and snacks abundant. You’ll race through all 8 hours eagerly, after which details may fade but the viewing experience remains gratifying.
Sometimes solidly executed genre comfort food fills the spot. Fool Me Once checks off every box for suspenseful escapism and likely won’t disappoint loyal Harlan Coben readers. Just sit back, digest those oh-so-satisfying twists, and savor the arrival of Michelle Keegan as the next great British television detective. The only fool here would be missing out.
The Review
Fool Me Once
Fool Me Once delivers exactly what viewers expect from the winning Harlan Coben formula - pulpy intrigue, propulsive pacing, and a leading lady who commands the screen. Michelle Keegan cements her small screen star status as the complex, badass antiheroine Maya. While the serpentine plot strains believability at times, the tension rarely falters across eight addictive episodes. Forget winter doldrums - let the binge commence!
PROS
- Bingeable, twisty plot that hooks viewers
- Standout lead performance by Michelle Keegan
- Slick cinematic style and prestige production value
- Harlan Coben's signature complex mystery delivered effectively
- Enough surprises and reveals to keep audiences guessing
CONS
- Overly convoluted storytelling at times
- Supporting characters lack depth
- Melodramatic tone and questionable realism
- Some clunky, expository dialogue
- Fails to reach potential as a truly memorable thriller
