Harlan Coben returns to Words with latest thriller

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Harlan Coben fans have learned to expect anything within the pages of his No. 1 New York Times bestselling thrillers. Yet, somehow, he always manages to shock them. From the return of long-lost lovers to the uncovering of family secrets with deadly implications, Coben has earned a reputation as a master storyteller for his ability to take compelling concepts and twist them in directions that leave even the most hardened mystery lovers scratching their heads in wonder.

And his latest novel is no different.

In “Fool Me Once,” which goes on sale one day before Coben’s visit to Words Bookstore in Maplewood on March 23, former Special Ops pilot Maya Stern thinks life as she knows it is over when her husband, Joe, is murdered. But then she sees something that truly rattles her — footage of Joe playing with their daughter recorded by her hidden nanny cam days after his “death.” In his typical page-turning style, Coben takes readers for a ride as Stern tries to figure out the truth behind the video and whether her own scandalous departure from the military has anything to do with it, leading up to a conclusion he promises will “knock your socks off.”

For Coben, “Fool Me Once” was a chance to return to a favorite theme — the search for the missing. Unlike a death, which is no doubt devastating but at least provides some form of closure, the author explained that the family of a missing person never knows what happened to their loved one. And that question is fertile ground for a storyteller like Coben.

“I find it intriguing,” Coben told the News-Record in a March 14 phone interview. “If somebody’s missing then they may still be alive, and you have hope. And hope is what I try to really write about most of all because hope can raise your heart and make it soar or it can crush your heart like it’s an eggshell. That’s what I love about it.”

Unlike his other works however, “Fool Me Once” features a new type of protagonist: a soldier reeling from the effects of PTSD as much as the loss of her husband. He said he was inspired to base a story around such a character after meeting a female fighter pilot during a USO tour, a woman he recalled as being as outgoing as her fictional counterpart is sullen. Nonetheless, Coben said she planted a seed in his mind to explore a character struggling to cope with her combat experiences. And, after speaking with several soldiers, including three women who flew combat missions in the Middle East, he said he developed the insight to bring that character to life.

Readers are sure to recognize another character with ties to the real world. Coben said it is no coincidence that Corey Rudzinski, who posts some distressing footage from Stern’s military past on his website CoreyTheWhistle, bears a more-than-passing resemblance to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The author said he thought it would be interesting to examine through Rudzinski whether Assange was justified in releasing numerous confidential military documents and videos to the public in 2010 — a debate continuing to this day.

But Coben stressed that readers should not equate his character with the inspiration; he said Rudzinski is not a replica of Assange and therefore should not be judged as such. As for the question of whether they both were correct in releasing the information they had obtained, he said he would prefer to let the readers decide for themselves.

“I hope (the book) raises the issues of: ‘Is he good or is he bad? Did he go too far? Is he an avenger or a hypocrite?’” Coben said. “But at the end of the day I want you to answer that. I really don’t want to be the one to answer that. I would rather have you take a look at it and figure it out for yourself.”

Not up for debate is the fact that Coben has been on a roll over the past few years. If all goes well, “Fool Me Once” will be the author’s ninth consecutive novel to debut at No.1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Meanwhile, he said the French television adaptation of his 2003 novel “No Second Chance” as well as his original television series “The Five” — which he created for British television — will likely be released in the United States on Netflix after airing last year in England.

In addition, Coben recently announced the formation of Final Twist Productions, his own production company, which will develop adaptations of his novels as well as original work for U.S. television networks. He said the company’s first project in the works is a television series based on his 2013 novel “Six Years,” though he could not comment on whether Final Twist or its partner, Red Production Company, the successful U.K. producer that handled “The Five,” is in negotiations with any particular station at this point.

Readers should not worry about Coben going Hollywood, though. While writing novels and writing for television are two entirely different processes, with the author acknowledging that series writing is much more collaborative, he said he enjoys both experiences immensely.

“In the end, for me, story is story,” Coben said.

In fact, Coben revealed that he is currently at work on another book in the Myron Bolitar series — his first since 2011’s “Live Wire” — though he was not ready to give out any details about the project just yet.

In the meantime, he is looking forward to returning to Words to promote “Fool Me Once.” Coben, who was raised in Livingston and now lives in Ridgewood, is no stranger to the Maplewood locale and usually stops by whenever he has a new book out. And likewise he urged Maplewood and South Orange residents to support the bookstore. Though American Booksellers Association statistics actually show a 27-percent increase in the number of independent booksellers since 2009, the author pointed out that many of the great local stores throughout the United States have closed in recent years while others are still struggling financially.

For a store like Words remain open in Maplewood is a rare gift that should not be taken for granted, Coben said.

“For them to try and make a go of it in this day and age is really impressive,” Coben said. “It’s a great bookstore and it’s an asset to the community.”

  Harlan Coben, Words Bookstore