Nobody's fool by Harlan Coben

Is Sami Kierce ‘Nobody’s Fool’? In his youth he was a victim, but was he also a murderer? The uncertainty of this question has haunted Sami, disrupting the trajectory of his life and when a ‘ghost’ from his past re-enters his ’new normal’, he is compelled to investigate. Once a police officer, but now a disgraced former policeman, Sami lives a basic life as an investigator for hire and a night-school lecturer for would-be crime and truth finders. His past keeps coming back to remind him of his fall from grace, and when a convicted man who had apparently killed Sami’s fiancée is released from prison because of Sami’s own failures, he is thrust into a twisted investigation that winds two threads of his life into a knot that needs unraveling. With a new wife and young son to consider he is also keen to see that they are well-supported through all the dangerous twists and turns of his investigation.  He is ripe for manipulation, but is he really ‘nobody’s fool’? In an almost comedic way, his idiosyncratic class of amateurs are extra eyes and feet on the ground in this compelling crime drama. This is a story that you won’t want to put down. 

I loved this story! Although it is obviously a continuation of a story thread begun in a previous Harlan Coben story (Fool Me Once), the story stands alone as a compelling crime drama, and I could imagine this as a made-for TV series. The flawed central character must untangle stories that have mired his own life.  With wealth and corruption, truth and lies, kidnapping and scams, and also redemption and re-writing of history all raising their heads, it is complex but intriguing. Lovers of crime drama will find this an enjoyable reading journey.  It is an adult story, but in a pleasing way is light on swearing and grubby detail, but it is in no-way squeaky-clean. The essence of the story is the psychological complexity of carrying guilt. Readers aged 16+ will appreciate this story from an experienced author.

Themes: Murder, Corruption, Lies and truth, Guilt, Private investigators.

Carolyn Hull