Harlan Coben

Author profile

born

January 04, 1962 in Newark, New Jersey, The United States

gender

male

website

http://www.harlancoben.com/

genre

Mystery & Thrillers

About this author

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International bestselling author Harlan Coben's last seven novels, The Woods, Promise Me, The Innocent, Just One Look, No Second Chance, Gone for Good, and Tell No One have appeared at the top of all the major bestseller lists, including The New York Times, Book Sense, The Times (London), Le Monde, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal, as well as many others throughout the United States and the world. His most recent book The Woods (2007) was a bestseller on lists across the country including USA Today, Publishers Weekly, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Nielsen Bookscan and Entertainment Weekly. Promise Me and The Woods were both named one of the best thrillers of the year by Library Journ...more International bestselling author Harlan Coben's last seven novels, The Woods, Promise Me, The Innocent, Just One Look, No Second Chance, Gone for Good, and Tell No One have appeared at the top of all the major bestseller lists, including The New York Times, Book Sense, The Times (London), Le Monde, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal, as well as many others throughout the United States and the world. His most recent book The Woods (2007) was a bestseller on lists across the country including USA Today, Publishers Weekly, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Nielsen Bookscan and Entertainment Weekly. Promise Me and The Woods were both named one of the best thrillers of the year by Library Journal. Coben's books are published in 38 languages and have 40 million copies in print world wide. His new novel, Hold Tight, will be published in the U.S. on April 15, 2008.
In his first books, Coben immersed himself in the exploits of sports agent Myron Bolitar. Critics loved the series, saying, "You race to turn pages...both suspenseful and often surprisingly funny" (People). After seven whodunit books Coben moved away from Myron Bolitar. "I came up with a great idea that simply would not work for Myron," says Coben. The result was the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller Tell No One, which has been credited by many as reinventing the thriller and which became the most decorated thriller of 2001 Ð nominated for an Edgar, an Anthony, a Macavity, a Nero, and a Barry; winner of the Audie award for Best Audio Mystery/Suspense Book; and a #1 hardcover book on the Book Sense 76 list. Coben followed the success of Tell No One with the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers Gone For Good (2002), No Second Chance (2003), Just One Look (2004) , The Innocent (2005), Promise Me (2006) and The Woods (2007).

Coben's unique take on the American dream has struck an international chord. Bookspan, recognizing his broad appeal, named No Second Chance its first ever International Book of the Month in 2003.

Since 1995, Harlan Coben has won the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award, the Private Eye Writers of America's Shamus Award, and the Anthony Award Ð the first writer to win all three. In 2004 he was shortlisted for the Author of the Year Award for the British Book Awards, dubbed "The Oscars of the Book Trade." He was the first American to make the list.

Tell No One, Coben's first stand alone novel, was released as a film in France in 2006. A runaway smash, Tell No One has grossed over $32 million in France and Variety called the film, "a sharp, efficient package." Tell No One was directed by Guillaume Canet (Mon Idole), and features an all-star cast including Kristin Scott Thomas (Gosford Park), Nathalie Baye (Catch Me If You Can), and Marie-Josée Croze (Munich). The movie will be released in theaters in the US in the summer of 2008. FOX TV has purchased the rights to Coben's popular Myron Bolitar series for a pilot by Bones creator-executive producer Hart Hanson.

A graduate of Amherst College, Harlan Coben was born and raised in New Jersey, where he still lives with his wife, Anne Armstrong-Coben. Harlan and Anne have four young children and two dogs. (less)

combine editions
Books by Harlan Coben

Average rating: 3.93 · 150,946 ratings · 13,459 reviews · 90 distinct works

	Tell No One 4.03 avg rating — 18,749 ratings — published 2000 — 61 editions	My rating:
	The Woods 3.93 avg rating — 14,332 ratings — published 2007 — 54 editions	My rating:
	Hold Tight 3.87 avg rating — 11,316 ratings — published 2008 — 57 editions	My rating:
	Caught 3.91 avg rating — 9,959 ratings — published 2010 — 41 editions	My rating:
	Gone for Good 4.04 avg rating — 9,076 ratings — published 2002 — 41 editions	My rating:
	Just One Look 3.94 avg rating — 7,819 ratings — published 2001 — 48 editions	My rating:
	No Second Chance 4.00 avg rating — 7,213 ratings — published 2003 — 46 editions	My rating:
	Promise Me (Myron Bolitar, #8) 3.90 avg rating — 7,409 ratings — published 2006 — 54 editions	My rating:
	Deal Breaker (Myron Bolitar, #1) 3.89 avg rating — 7,558 ratings — published 1995 — 41 editions	My rating:
	The Innocent 3.90 avg rating — 6,938 ratings — published 2000 — 52 editions	My rating:

More books by Harlan Coben…

Series by Harlan Coben

Myron Bolitar (10 books)
by Harlan Coben

3.90 avg rating — 54,087 ratings

Mickey Bolitar (1 book)
by Harlan Coben

3.88 avg rating — 2,652 ratings

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Interviews

February 2011, Harlan Coben
"His Favorite Sleuths: The thriller writer picks his favorite detective series in honor of his best-selling character, nice-guy sports agent Myron Bolitar, the star of his new mystery, Live Wire." ...More

more interviews »

Quotes by Harlan Coben

“..."better to have loved and lost" bullshit. Don't show me paradise and then burn it down.”
― Harlan Coben

tags: love , memorable

219 people liked it

“Years fly by, but the heart stays in the same place.”
― Harlan Coben, Promise Me

39 people liked it

“Myron reached for the phone and dialed Win's number. After the eighth ring he began to hang up when a weak, distant voice coughed. "Hello?"
Win?"
Yeah."
You okay?"
Hello?"
Win?"
Yeah."
What took you so long to answer the phone?"
Hello?"
Win?"
Who is this?"
Myron."
Myron Bolitar?"
How many other Myrons do you know?"
Myron Bolitar?"
No, Myron Rockefeller."
Something's wrong," Win said.
What?"
Terribly wrong."
What are you talking about?"
Some asshole is calling me at seven in the morning pretending to be my best friend."
Sorry, I forgot the time.”
― Harlan Coben, Deal Breaker

39 people liked it

See all Harlan Coben's quotes »

Polls

Which book would you like to see as the selection for our Winter 2010-2011 Group Reads category Suspense?

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

42 votes, 30.0%

Columbine by Dave Cullen

26 votes, 18.6%

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

19 votes, 13.6%

The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill

19 votes, 13.6%

Don't Blink by James Patterson

10 votes, 7.1%

The Woods by Harlan Coben

9 votes, 6.4%

Digital Fortress by Dan Brown

7 votes, 5.0%

Tell No One by Harlan Coben

3 votes, 2.1%

Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny

3 votes, 2.1%

Death and the Devil by Frank Schatzing

2 votes, 1.4%

140 total votes

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Novel Ladies: Nominations For March's Group Reads	38	24	Feb 01, 2009 02:08pm
Novel Ladies: Hold Tight by Harlan Coben - Gina and Crystal	23	14	Mar 22, 2009 09:14pm
Novel Ladies: Karin's 2009 TBR Challenge	1	20	Apr 10, 2009 06:22pm
M/T Reading Friends: Hi - Im new to this Group	45	53	Apr 28, 2009 05:04pm
Novel Ladies: What Are You Currently Reading?	736	62	Apr 30, 2009 02:52pm
Novel Ladies: April 2009	187	49	May 02, 2009 06:32pm
M/T Reading Friends: Tell us about your latest book	234	184	May 18, 2009 01:17pm
Novel Ladies: Group Reads for May 2009	94	60	May 26, 2009 10:29am

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