These 4 Harlan Coben Shows on Netflix Have the Best Plot Twists

American author Harlan Coben is known not only for the high level of thoughtful and deep realism in his mystery novels, but also for the unexpected and sometimes crazy plot twists in his books.

There are two new series coming to Netflix in the near future, Missing You, based on the 2014 book of the same name, and Run Away, an adaptation of a 2019 novel. Until then, here's a look back at the best Harlan Coben series that contains the most incredible, mind-bending plot twists.

Beware, this article contains spoilers, so we suggest you check out the novels and TV series first!

4. Fool Me Once

Release Date: January 1, 2024

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 67%

Our list starts with the most recent release, Fool Me Once. The plot follows Maya Stern (Michelle Keegan), a military vet responsible for the deaths of several civilians during her service. But now a personal tragedy is on her mind as Maya mourns the loss of her sister (Natalie Anderson) and husband Joe (Richard Armitage). After installing a nanny cam, Maya realizes that her own supposedly deceased husband is pretending to be an intruder.

So what was the twist worthy of this list? Well, the killer was actually the one who was suspected at the very beginning — Joe. As such, the whole plot was built not on finding the real instigator, but on finding out why he did it. Unfortunately, this cost Maya life, as she was killed by Joe's brother after taking revenge on him. Nevertheless, the gruesome truth that Joe's family, who own a shady pharmaceutical company, had been hiding was brought to the public's attention..

3. Safe

Release Date: May 10, 2018

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 71%

Next up is Safe, adapted like Fool Me Once by Danny Brocklehurst and starring Dexter star Michael C. Hall. According to the plot, after losing his wife a year ago, his character goes in search of his missing 16-year-old daughter Jenny (Amy James-Kelly), but stumbles upon terrible secrets hidden by the local community.

The main twist, of course, is that the main keeper of the secrets turns out to be Sophie (Amanda Abbington), Tom's girlfriend, who is leading the official investigation. She killed Jenny's boyfriend Chris (Freddie Thorp) as soon as he found out the truth and was actively involved in the cover-up.

2. The Stranger

Release Date: January 30, 2020

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

Richard Armitage once again played a character created by Harlan Coben, this time a man named Adam who is suddenly confronted by a young woman (Hannah John-Kamen) who claims that his wife Corinne (Dervla Kirwan) is pregnant. When Adam decides to confront his wife, it turns out that Corinne has suddenly disappeared.

The Stranger offers one of the most shocking twists, as it's revealed that John-Kamen's character has nothing to do with Corinne's disappearance; she's Adam's half-sister who tried to tell him about it. Corinne's kidnapper turns out to be their neighbor.

1. Stay Close

Release Date: December 31, 2021

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

The story centers on three characters: an ordinary suburban mother Megan (Cush Jumbo) with a dark past, a photographer mourning the loss of his beloved (Richard Armitage), and a homicide detective (James Nesbitt). Their fates become intertwined when a murder occurs that is linked to a cold case from the past.

Stay Close contains the most unexpected plot twists and therefore deserves first place. The main killer was Lorraine (Sarah Parish), the owner of the nightclub where Jumbo's character worked. However, the most recent murder that set the investigation in motion was not committed by her, but by Megan's future husband, who accidentally killed someone who was trying to rape Megan's daughter and her friend.