Fool Me Once

By: Harlan Coben

Narrated by: January LaVoy

Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

A widowed veteran gets the shock of her life in this impossible-to-put-down thriller from the bestselling author and creator of the hit Netflix drama The Stranger.

In the course of eight consecutive #1 New York Times bestsellers, millions of readers have discovered Harlan Coben’s page-turning thrillers, filled with his trademark edge-of-your-seat suspense and gut-wrenching emotion. In Fool Me Once, Coben once again outdoes himself....

Former special ops pilot Maya, home from the war, sees an unthinkable image captured by her nanny cam while she is at work: her two-year-old daughter playing with Maya’s husband, Joe - who was brutally murdered two weeks earlier. The provocative question at the heart of the mystery: Can you believe everything you see with your own eyes, even when you desperately want to? To find the answer, Maya must finally come to terms with deep secrets and deceit in her own past before she can face the unbelievable truth about her husband - and herself.

©2016 Harlan Coben (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Narrator January LaVoy's well-paced performance enhances the tension of this stand-alone thriller.... LaVoy's dynamic narration and distinct characterizations make this multilayered story a winning audiobook." (AudioFile)

“Coben is simply one of the all-time greats - pick up any one of his thrillers and you’ll find a riveting, twisty, surprising story with a big, beating heart at its core.” (Gillian Flynn, best-selling author of Gone Girl)

“[A] stellar standalone.... Coben is like a skilled magician saving the best, most stunning trick for the very end.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

Fool me once, fool me twice...

Struggled to finish this.
I first listened to another one by Coben because I kept seeing his name everywhere, on streaming channels, on Audible, several places, so I thought his work would be good. The first one was just ok. Male reader, Stephen Webber, who did quite well to pull it up. Fool me once. Ok, so then I tried this one. Fool me twice, shame on me.

The performance was ok but the whole story was lacking. Actually, usually I dislike female readers because they often sound singsongy and speak in long drawn out wafts of fairytale recitation. This woman read with a more natural pace but the story was a dud. I mean, really.

Normally, I gravitate to well written books that take me exploring caves in the Basque country, or espionage in Asia with a master of martial arts, and tea ceremonies with spies. Or a recent series about the drug cartels or another about an Irish mob family out of Rhode Island. Those books are so well written that one is transported in the story and sometimes transported by the delicious turn of a phrase. I listen to those books more than once.

Someone else commented that the Coben oevreur is suburban lit. Well, the best I can say is that it was a fast read, until the last hour and it was a struggle to finish it. Boring and trite. Like trying to watch a movie made in the 1970's, ridiculous plots, and a lot of bellyaching. High school level writing. Hey, I get it, he's making a ton of money from these books but I'm looking for better.

Sorry, not for me.

Remember how every Scooby Doo Cartoon ended

What did you like best about Fool Me Once? What did you like least?

I found myself bored with the characters. There's a character named Shane in the book. He's a small side character/friend of the main character. I found myself wondering more about him than I did the main plot.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Despite wanting to give up I pushed on to the end. When the killer was revealed my immediate thought was of the Scooby Doo cartoons I watched as a kid...The mask gets ripped off, everyone is shocked and the villain confesses his sins explaining exactly how he did it. This is how Coben wraps the book up. It's like he noticed he was out of time and cranked out a tidy little ending with a bow on it.

Was Fool Me Once worth the listening time?

Skip it.

Top notch thriller.

Excellent production and story. One of my new favorite authors. Don't read too many reviews.

I fell in love with the main character.

If you like a good contemporary mystery then you will love this book. The main character is very believable. As The story unfolds, if is pretty easy to follow, you think... Then you realize at the end, you didn't have a clue. The only part I didn't care for was the attempt the author made at the wiki leaks wanna be. 'Nough said. Great read. Great author. Great narrators.

Listen was great from start to finish

Would you listen to Fool Me Once again? Why?

Nope. Have never listened to an audio book twice. Even though I thoroghly enjoyed this book.

What did you like best about this story?

Couldn't figure out the guilty party til was revealed at the end. Really enjoyed the various plot twists.

Which character – as performed by January LaVoy – was your favorite?

Maya - she was extraordinary and I was shocked with what happened to her at the end of the story.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending, Maya knowing that she might not survive.

Any additional comments?

Great listen. One of the best I have had the pleasure of.

Many twists and turns.

Harlan Coben and January LaVoy have another winner. The story had many twists and turns. This was definitely one of a few books I couldn't figure out who the guilty one was. Kept my interest so much I read/listened in one sitting. Can't say I liked the ending but I can say I was fooled!

Excellent book

what can I say this book is awesome.....held my attention tho the very end. highly recommended

It fooled ME!

Great story and a fine performance. An ending I never expected. It certainly fooled ME!

Picked this up because of January LaVoy

Was not dissapointed, first mystery in a long, long time to have me guessing until the end.

January LaVoy does an amazing job.

Fooled me thru the whole book!

An exciting read. Slow at first, but well worth the wait. I enjoyed this book!