Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately, you might have heard about a little show that’s streaming on Netflix called Fool Me Once that’s currently turning heads and breaking viewership records. You might also know that the show, which consists of eight episodes, is based on Harlan Coben’s 2016 #1 New York Times bestselling novel of the same name.
Now that Fool Me Once has been on Netflix long enough for people to discover it and finish binge-watching every episode, there seems to be a renewed interest in the book. Certainly, that’s the case on our end, with our original posts about Coben’s book suddenly pulling in a ton of traffic on The Real Book Spy. To put things into perspective, my review of Fool Me Once, which ran six years ago (and is one of my favorite books I’ve ever covered), has been viewed over 50,000 times in the last ten days. That’s more than all of last year. Or the year before that. So, it’s pretty obvious that there’s a ton of interest in not only the book itself but that there’s a real appetite among viewers and readers for similar stories. If that’s you, well, you’ve come to the right place because below we’ve listed ten books that are perfect for fans of Fool Me Once, all jam-packed with the same suspense, tension, and mind-bending twists that have made both Coben’s book and the television show such a hit.
Happy Reading!
Originally Released On: September 20, 2016 from Dutton
Ten years after the high-profile kidnapping of two young boys, only one returns home in this gripping #1 New York Times bestselling Myron Bolitar thriller from the bestselling author and creator of the hit Netflix drama The Stranger.
A decade ago, kidnappers grabbed two boys from wealthy families and demanded ransom, then went silent. No trace of the boys ever surfaced. For ten years their families have been left with nothing but painful memories and a quiet desperation for the day that has finally, miraculously arrived: Myron Bolitar and his friend Win believe they have located one of the boys, now a teenager. Where has he been for ten years, and what does he know about the day, more than half a life ago, when he was taken? And most critically: What can he tell Myron and Win about the fate of his missing friend? Drawing on his singular talent, Harlan Coben delivers an explosive and deeply moving thriller about friendship, family, and the meaning of home.
Why You Should Read It: This one is obvious, right? Fool Me Once (the show) is based on Coben’s book, and naturally, if you enjoyed that you should check out the author’s other books. Back in 2018, Coben signed a massive deal with Netflix to bring his backlist of novels to the streaming platform, which would begin adapting his books into original productions. Currently, Home is not one of the books scheduled to be adapted. However, it is part of the Myron Bolitar series, which Netflix is said to be working to bring to life, so it’s likely you could see this story touched on once that show launches at some point. Just like Fool Me Once, which readers and viewers know packs a double-twist ending, Home also features one of Coben’s better surprises, with the author landing a solid twist—the kind you never really see coming but later look back on and go “of course, it’s the only thing that makes sense!”—that’ll leave you picking your jaw up off the floor.
Originally Released On: June 20, 2023 from Gallery/Scout Press
The New York Times bestselling “new Agatha Christie” (Air Mail) Ruth Ware returns with this adrenaline-fueled thriller that combines Mr. and Mrs. Smith with The Fugitive about a woman in a race against time to clear her name and find her husband’s murderer.
Hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems, Jack and her husband, Gabe, are the best penetration specialists in the business. But after a routine assignment goes horribly wrong, Jack arrives home to find her husband dead. To add to her horror, the police are closing in on their suspect—her.
Suddenly on the run and quickly running out of options, Jack must decide who she can trust as she circles closer to the real killer in this unputdownable and heart-pounding mystery from an author whose “propulsive prose keeps readers on the hook and refuses to let anyone off until all has been revealed” (Shelf Awareness)
Why You Should Read It: Ware has been likened to a modern-day Agatha Christie by some outlets, and for good reason. She always manages to pack surprise after surprise into her writing, and just when you think you have it all figured out, she lands a twist that’ll pull the rug out from under you. That is again the case here, in Zero Days, which follows Jack, a “penetration” specialist who is paid by corporations and security firms to find, exploit, and report on their security deficiencies and vulnerabilities. But after a routine job goes sideways and her husband is killed, Jack becomes the prime suspect in his murder, forcing her to go on the run in order to clear her name and find the real killer. If only it were that easy. Expect the unexpected with this one!
Blame by Jeff AbbottOriginally Released On: July 18, 2017 from Grand Central Publishing
From “one of the best thriller writers in the business” (Associated Press) comes a novel praised by Harlan Coben as “mesmerizing, gripping…the perfect blend of complex characters, plot twists galore, and great psychological suspense.”
Sometimes the person you thought you knew best…
Turns out to be someone you never really knew at all.
The crash that killed him
Two years ago, Jane Norton crashed her car on a lonely road, killing her friend David and leaving her with amnesia. At first, everyone was sympathetic. Then they found Jane’s note: I wish we were dead together.
A girl to blame
From that day the town turned against her. But even now Jane is filled with questions: Why were they on that road? Why was she with David? Did she really want to die?
The secrets she should forget
Most of all, she must find out who has just written her an anonymous message: I know what really happened. I know what you don’t remember…
Don’t miss Jeff Abbott’s most chilling thriller to date–perfect for readers of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl, or The Woman in Cabin 10.
“One of my favorite writers.” — Laura Lippman, New York Times bestselling author
“If you like Harlan Coben, read this book. Taut, twisty, and elegantly-written, with an ending you won’t see coming.” — Sarah Pekkanen, bestselling author of The Perfect Neighbors
“Jeff Abbott is a master…I am, and always have been, a devoted fan.”-Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling autho
Why You Should Read It: Personally, after all the success of Gone Girl, I thought we’d see Abbott’s nail-biting thriller fast-tracked to be adapted for a major motion film. It still boggles my mind that that hasn’t yet happened, but I promise you, you will NEVER guess how this book plays out. Take that as a challenge if you’d like, but never has a book rocked me harder than this one, except for . . . well . . . Coben’s Fool Me Once. The setup is brilliant, with Abbot first introducing readers to a girl named Jane, who has essentially been shunned by her entire hometown following a car crash that killed the community’s golden boy, David, who was a close friend of hers. Many speculate that Jane crashed on purpose, possibly because David didn’t reciprocate her romantic feelings. The problem is that Jane has no memory of what happened or if she even really is at fault for David’s death, though she can’t imagine she ever would have wished harm on her friend. None of it makes sense. Then, one day, someone messages her on social media, claiming to know what she doesn’t remember, and from there, the story takes off as Abbott twists and turns his way through a brilliantly woven tale of psychological suspense. The ending is genius, and will leave you stunned.
The Wife by Alafair Burke
Originally Released On: January 23, 2018 by Harper
This might be the most gripping, insightful work from the best-selling author Alafair Burke yet. She poses a seemingly impossible, if undeniably compelling, challenge: a woman must either save her life or defend her husband, but not both.” — Entertainment Weekly
From New York Times bestselling author Alafair Burke, a stunning domestic thriller in the vein of Behind Closed Doors and The Woman in Cabin 10—in which a woman must make the impossible choice between defending her husband and saving herself.
His Scandal – Her Secret
When Angela met Jason Powell while catering a dinner party in East Hampton, she assumed their romance would be a short-lived fling, like so many relationships between locals and summer visitors. To her surprise, Jason, a brilliant economics professor at NYU, had other plans, and they married the following summer. For Angela, the marriage turned out to be a chance to reboot her life. She and her son were finally able to move out of her mother’s home to Manhattan, where no one knew about her tragic past.
Six years later, thanks to a bestselling book and a growing media career, Jason has become a cultural lightning rod, placing Angela near the spotlight she worked so carefully to avoid. When a college intern makes an accusation against Jason, and another woman, Kerry Lynch, comes forward with an even more troubling allegation, their life begins to unravel. Jason insists he is innocent, and Angela believes him. But when Kerry disappears, Angela is forced to take a closer look—at both the man she married and the women she chose not to believe.
This much-anticipated follow-up to Burke’s Edgar-nominated The Ex asks how far a wife will go to protect the man she loves.
Why You Should Read It: Burke is such a gifted writer. Here, she spins a tale about a woman named Angela who wants nothing more than to live life away from the spotlight, only to be thrust back into it when her husband, Jason, is accused of some pretty horrible things by an intern named Kerry, who paints a very different picture than the man Angela thinks she’s married. Angela doesn’t believe the claims and wants to help clear Jason’s name, but doing so is easier said than done. Especially when she has her own secrets to protect and keep hidden. And Especially when Kerry suddenly goes missing, forcing Angela to do some digging of her own, afraid of what she might find. Everything about this book is fantastic. The setup. The twists. The writing. It all just works, and Alafair Burke held nothing back.
Originally Released On: March 7, 2017 by Dutton
Named a Best Book of 2017 by Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews and Winner of the 2018 Library of Virginia People’s Choice Award
Judge Scott Sampson doesn’t brag about having a perfect life, but the evidence is clear: A prestigious job. A loving marriage. A pair of healthy children. Then a phone call begins every parent’s most chilling nightmare. Scott’s six-year-old twins, Sam and Emma, have been taken. The judge must rule exactly as instructed in a drug case he is about to hear. If he refuses, the consequences for the children will be dire.
For Scott and his wife, Alison, the kidnapper’s call is only the beginning of a twisting, gut-churning ordeal of blackmail, deceit, and terror. Through it all, they will stop at nothing to get their children back, no matter the cost to themselves . . . or to each other.
Why You Should Read It: What would you do if you got a call that someone has your children but that they won’t be harmed so long as you do exactly what you’re told? That’s the setup here in Parks’ riveting novel, which follows Scott Sampson, a small-town judge who learns that his kids have been taken. The kidnappers promise the children will be returned without harm, but only if he does everything he’s told exactly as they say. His first order is simple: say nothing. If anyone learns of the kidnappings, the children will die. Scott keeps his mouth ordered, but as the story unfolds, he’s finally asked to do something he knows isn’t just unethical, it’s illegal—forcing him to decide how far he’s willing to go to get his kids back safely. I don’t want to spoil too much here, but this is one of my favorite books on this list. There are so many twists packed into these pages that, at times, you won’t know up from down. So buckle up because it’s an intense ride.
Lie to Me by J.T. EllisonOriginally Released On: September 5, 2017 from MIRA
Domestic noir at its best. Readers will devour this stunning page-turner about the disintegration of a marriage as grief, jealousy, betrayal, and murder destroy the facade of the perfect literary couple. New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison takes her exceptional writing to a new level with this breakout novel.
They built a life on lies
Sutton and Ethan Montclair’s idyllic life is not as it appears. They seem made for each other, but the truth is ugly. Consumed by professional and personal betrayals and financial woes, the two both love and hate each other. As tensions mount, Sutton disappears, leaving behind a note saying not to look for her.
Ethan finds himself the target of vicious gossip as friends, family, and the media speculate on what really happened to Sutton Montclair. As the police investigate, the lies the couple have been spinning for years quickly unravel. Is Ethan a killer? Is he being set up? Did Sutton hate him enough to kill the child she never wanted and then herself? The path to the answers is full of twists that will leave the reader breathless.
Why You Should Read It: Few writers can create the kind of spine-tingles suspense that J.T. Ellison regularly dials up for her readers, and while her backlist is filled with must-read novels, my favorite—and if you loved Coben’s Fool Me Once you will flip for this one too, promise—is Lie To Me. Here, Ellison delves into the lives of Sutton and Ethan Montclair. On the surface, the two seem to have the perfect marriage. But in truth, their relationship is anything but perfect. As the pages turn, more and more about each character is revealed until Sutton vanishes, thrusting Ethan into the spotlight, ala Nicholas Dunne in Gone Girl. Much like Gillian Flynn’s mega-popular thriller (which, of course, was adapted into a blockbuster movie starring Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck), Lie To Me will leave you speechless. Once you start this one, there’s no stopping, as you’ll quickly and hopelessly be sucked into the twisting plot as Ellison weaves her way to a brilliant conclusion that shows just was a special and talented storyteller she is.
None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
Originally Released On: August 8, 2023 from Atria Books
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author known for her “superb pacing, twisted characters, and captivating prose” (BuzzFeed), Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true-crime podcast.
Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summer crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.
A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.
Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realize that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.
But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.
Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?
Why You Should Read It: This book is a total mind-you-know-what. Seriously. It all starts with Jewell introducing readers to a true-crime podcaster named Alix. While out celebrating her 45th birthday, Alix meets Josie, who, it turns out, is also celebrating her 45th birthday. If that feels like a coincidence, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Soon after their chance meeting, Alix spots Josie again outside her kids’ school, and the two catch up, which is when Josie tells Alix that she thinks she would be a good fit to be interviewed on Alix’s podcast. Reluctantly, and against her better judgment, Alix agrees, and before she knows it, Josie has entered her world, creating a host of problems related to Josie’s dark past. Then, just as suddenly as she entered, Josie leaves, dropping off the face of the earth—but not before finding a way to totally and completely upend Alix’s life and the lives of her family members, forcing her to search for answers she isn’t sure she wants to uncover. A fast read that’ll keep you guessing until the very end, Lisa Jewell delivers a breathless reading experience that begs to be adapted for film or television.
Gone Missing by Linda Castillo
Originally Released On: June 19, 2012 from Minotaur Books
Linda Castillo’s bestselling series has been called “gripping” [People] and “impossible to put down” [Bookpage] and the “teeth-chattering suspense” [USA Today] continues with GONE MISSING―a deeply chilling novel about a rite of passage gone horribly wrong.
Rumspringa is the time when Amish teens are allowed to experience life without the rules. It’s an exciting time of personal discovery and growth before committing to the church. But when a young teen disappears without a trace, the carefree fun comes to an abrupt and sinister end, and fear spreads through the community like a contagion.
A missing child is a nightmare to all parents, and never more so than in the Amish community, where family ties run deep. When the search for the presumed runaway turns up a dead body, the case quickly becomes a murder investigation. And chief of Police Kate Burkholder knows that in order to solve this case she will have to call upon everything she has to give not only as a cop, but as a woman whose own Amish roots run deep.
Kate and state agent, John Tomasetti, delve into the lives of the missing teen and discover links to cold cases that may go back years. But will Kate piece together all the parts of this sinister puzzle in time to save the missing teen and the Amish community from a devastating fate? Or will she find herself locked in a fight to the death with a merciless killer?
Why You Should Read It: Read the blurbs from People, Bookpage, and the USA Today above. They’re spot-freaking-on. Here, in this brilliant novel from the incredibly talented Linda Castillo, a small Amish town is rocked when one of their own suddenly goes missing. Kate Burkholder, the chief of police, is called on to investigate, but the deeper she digs into the missing teen’s life, the more she realizes that something far more sister than she ever could have thought possible is playing out in front of her and has been for some time . . . putting her on a collision course with a ruthless killer who will stop at nothing to keep past and current events buried forever. This title stands out from others on this list because it’s part of a series. That’s not to say that it can’t be read as a standalone, though, and whether you’ve read Castillo’s work before or not, readers should have no trouble whatsoever jumping into this story and getting lost in the nonstop tension, suspense, and perfectly-times surprises.
The Other Woman by Sandie Jones
Originally Released On: August 21, 2018 from Minotaur Books
THE REESE WITHERSPOON X HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“One of the most twisted and entertaining plots.“―Reese Witherspoon
“Whiplash-inducing.”―New York Times Book Review
“Such fun you’ll cheer [Emily’s] chutzpah.”―PEOPLE
“This thriller will hit close to home.”―Refinery29
The most twisty, addictive and gripping debut thriller you’ll read this year.
HE LOVES YOU: Adam adores Emily. Emily thinks Adam’s perfect, the man she thought she’d never meet.
BUT SHE LOVES YOU NOT: Lurking in the shadows is a rival, a woman who shares a deep bond with the man she loves.
AND SHE’LL STOP AT NOTHING: Emily chose Adam, but she didn’t choose his mother Pammie. There’s nothing a mother wouldn’t do for her son, and now Emily is about to find out just how far Pammie will go to get what she wants: Emily gone forever.
The Other Woman will have you questioning her on every page, in Sandie Jones’ chilling psychological suspense about a man, his new girlfriend, and the mother who will not let him go.
Why You Should Read It: They say to be careful who you marry because you never know what kind of mother-in-law you might get out of the deal. For Emily, that proves to be a worthy concern once she meets Pammie, the mother of her fiance, Adam, who makes it known immediately that she doesn’t want the couple together. In fact, Pammie openly hates Emily, constantly doing her best to push Emily out of Adam’s life for good in order to keep the hold on her son that she’s always had. Buy why? Why would a mother do that, especially to a sweet girl like Emily? That question—one Emily seeks an answer for herself—leads to one shocking revelation after another, and by the time you get to the end, you won’t know who or what to root for as Sandi Jones lands a wicked-good twist that’ll forever change the way you look at relationships.
Everything You Want Me To Be by Minda Meija
Originally Released On: January 3, 2017 from Atria/ Emily Bester Books
People’s Best New Books Pick
The Wall Street Journal’s Best New Mysteries
“Fans of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl will devour this fast-paced story.” —InStyle
“Readers drawn to this compelling psychological thriller because of its shared elements with Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl (2012) will be pleasantly surprised to discover that Mejia’s confident storytelling pulls those themes into an altogether different exploration of manipulation and identity.” —Booklist (starred review)
2017’s Best Fiction Books —Bustle
12 Books Gone Girl Fans Should Have on Their Wish List —BookBub
No one knows who she really is…
Hattie Hoffman has spent her whole life playing many parts: the good student, the good daughter, the good girlfriend. But Hattie wants something more, something bigger, and ultimately something that turns out to be exceedingly dangerous. When she’s found brutally stabbed to death, the tragedy rips right through the fabric of her small-town community.
It soon comes to light that Hattie was engaged in a highly compromising and potentially explosive secret online relationship. The question is: Did anyone else know? And to what lengths might they have gone to end it? Hattie’s boyfriend seems distraught over her death, but had he fallen so deeply in love with her that she had become an obsession? Or did Hattie’s impulsive, daredevil nature simply put her in the wrong place at the wrong time, leading her to a violent death at the hands of a stranger?
Full of twists and turns, Everything You Want Me to Be reconstructs a year in the life of a dangerously mesmerizing young woman, during which a small town’s darkest secrets come to the forefront…and she inches closer and closer to death.
Evocative and razor-sharp, Everything You Want Me to Be challenges you to test the lines between innocence and culpability, identity and deception. Does love lead to self-discovery—or destruction?
Why You Should Read It: A small town mourns the death of girl-next-door Hattie Hoffman, a beautiful and charismatic young woman who always appeared to be the perfect student and girlfriend in this suspense-filled thriller from Mindy Mejia. But as readers already know, looks can be deceiving, and boy is that the case here as it’s slowly revealed that Hattie secretly had a bit of a darker side to her, one that took risks and was involved in things that nobody would have ever guessed she might be mixed up in. And the more people dig into her death, the more they realize that other secrets are lurking in the shadows, and once you shine a light on them, there’s no going back. Here’s another story that’ll grab you by the throat and hold your attention until the very end.
Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, Ryan Steck has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). Steck also works full-time as a freelance editor and is building a growing community on Twitch. His debut thriller, FIELDS OF FIRE, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr says “will leave you speechless and begging for more,” is now available. His second novel, LETHAL RANGE, is also in bookstores, and his third book, OUT FOR BLOOD, comes out on June 4th. For more information, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook. To interact with other readers and talk about your favorite books and authors, join The Real Book Spy’s Discord server.