Harlan Coben
Encyclopedia
Harlan Coben is an American
author of mystery
novel
s and thrillers. The plots of his novels often involve the resurfacing of unresolved or misinterpreted events in the past (such as murders, fatal accidents, etc.) and often have multiple plot twists. Both series of Coben's books are set in and around New York and New Jersey, and some of the supporting characters in the two series have appeared in both.
in Newark, New Jersey
, but was raised and schooled in Livingston, New Jersey
with childhood friend and future politician Chris Christie at Livingston High School. While studying political science
at Amherst College
, he was a member of Psi Upsilon
fraternity with author Dan Brown
. After Amherst, Coben worked in the travel industry, in a company owned by his grandfather. He now lives in Ridgewood, New Jersey
with his wife, Anne Armstrong-Coben MD, a pediatrician, and their four children.
. The novels of the popular series follow the tales of a former basketball
player turned sports agent
(Bolitar), who often finds himself investigating murder
s involving his clients.
Coben has won an Edgar Award
, a Shamus Award
and an Anthony Award
, and is the first writer to have received all three. He is also the first writer in more than a decade to be invited to write fiction for the New York Times
op-ed page. He wrote a short story entitled The Key to my Father, which appeared June 15, 2003.
In 2001 he released his first stand-alone thriller since the creation of the Myron Bolitar series in 1995, Tell No One
, which went on to be his best selling novel to date. Film director Guillaume Canet
made the book into a French thriller, Ne le dis à personne
in 2006. Coben followed Tell No One with six more stand-alone novels. His 2008 novel Hold Tight was released on April 15, 2008 and became his first book to debut at No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list
. Although this is another stand-alone novel, Coben commented on his official website that certain key characters from The Woods will make brief appearances. His 2009 novel, Long Lost, featured a return of Myron Bolitar and also debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times Bestseller List.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author of mystery
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s and thrillers. The plots of his novels often involve the resurfacing of unresolved or misinterpreted events in the past (such as murders, fatal accidents, etc.) and often have multiple plot twists. Both series of Coben's books are set in and around New York and New Jersey, and some of the supporting characters in the two series have appeared in both.
Background
Coben was born to a Jewish familyFamily
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, but was raised and schooled in Livingston, New Jersey
Livingston, New Jersey
Livingston is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 29,366.Livingston was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 5, 1813, from portions of Caldwell Township and Springfield...
with childhood friend and future politician Chris Christie at Livingston High School. While studying political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
, he was a member of Psi Upsilon
Psi Upsilon
Psi Upsilon is the fifth oldest college fraternity in the United States, founded at Union College in 1833. It has chapters at colleges and universities throughout North America. For most of its history, Psi Upsilon, like most social fraternities, limited its membership to men only...
fraternity with author Dan Brown
Dan Brown
Dan Brown is an American author of thriller fiction, best known for the 2003 bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code. Brown's novels, which are treasure hunts set in a 24-hour time period, feature the recurring themes of cryptography, keys, symbols, codes, and conspiracy theories...
. After Amherst, Coben worked in the travel industry, in a company owned by his grandfather. He now lives in Ridgewood, New Jersey
Ridgewood, New Jersey
Ridgewood is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the village population was 24,958. Ridgewood is an affluent suburban bedroom community of New York City, located approximately northwest of Midtown Manhattan.The Village of Ridgewood was...
with his wife, Anne Armstrong-Coben MD, a pediatrician, and their four children.
Career
Coben was in his senior year at college when he realized he wanted to write. His first book was accepted when he was twenty-six but after publishing two stand-alone thrillers in his twenties (Play Dead in 1990 and Miracle Cure in 1991) he decided on a change of direction and began a series of thrillers featuring his character Myron BolitarMyron Bolitar
Myron Bolitar is a fictional character in a series of thrillers written by Harlan Coben.The series protagonist is a formerly renowned basketball player and is the owner of MB SportsReps , an agency representing sports stars and celebrities...
. The novels of the popular series follow the tales of a former basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player turned sports agent
Sports agent
A sports agent procures and negotiates employment and endorsement contracts for an athlete.In return, the sports agent generally receives between 4 and 10% of the athlete's playing contract, and 10 to 20% of the athlete's endorsement contract, though these figures vary...
(Bolitar), who often finds himself investigating murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
s involving his clients.
Coben has won an Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
, a Shamus Award
Shamus Award
The Shamus Award is awarded by the Private Eye Writers of America for the best detective fiction genre novels and short stories of the year....
and an Anthony Award
Anthony Award
The Anthony Awards are literary awards for mystery writers presented at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention since 1986. The awards are named for Anthony Boucher , one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America....
, and is the first writer to have received all three. He is also the first writer in more than a decade to be invited to write fiction for the New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
op-ed page. He wrote a short story entitled The Key to my Father, which appeared June 15, 2003.
In 2001 he released his first stand-alone thriller since the creation of the Myron Bolitar series in 1995, Tell No One
Tell No One (novel)
Tell No One is a thriller novel by American writer Harlan Coben, published in 2001.The book was Coben's first novel to appear on The New York Times Best Seller list. It was also adapted into a French film with the same title in 2006 ....
, which went on to be his best selling novel to date. Film director Guillaume Canet
Guillaume Canet
Guillaume Canet is a French actor and film director.Canet began his career in theatre and television before moving to film. He starred in several films like Joyeux Noël, Love Me If You Dare and The Beach...
made the book into a French thriller, Ne le dis à personne
Tell No One
Tell No One is a 2006 French thriller film directed by Guillaume Canet and based on the novel of the same name by Harlan Coben. It was written by Guillame Canet and Philippe Lefèbvre and stars François Cluzet...
in 2006. Coben followed Tell No One with six more stand-alone novels. His 2008 novel Hold Tight was released on April 15, 2008 and became his first book to debut at No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
. Although this is another stand-alone novel, Coben commented on his official website that certain key characters from The Woods will make brief appearances. His 2009 novel, Long Lost, featured a return of Myron Bolitar and also debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times Bestseller List.
Myron Bolitar
- Deal BreakerDeal BreakerDeal Breaker is a 1995 thriller novel by Harlan Coben and is the first of the novels which feature Myron Bolitar.-Description:The first to the series of a thrilling yet funny series introduces the main characters - Series protagonist - Myron Bolitar and his best friends Windsor "Win" Horne...
(1995, ISBN 0-440-22044-0); Edgar AwardEdgar AwardThe Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
Nominee, Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original - Drop ShotDrop ShotDrop Shot is a murder mystery by Harlan Coben. It is the second novel featuring Myron Bolitar.It was published in 1996.-Plot :A young woman is shot in cold blood, her lifeless body dumped outside the stadium at the height of the US Open. At one point her tennis career had skyrocketed...
(1996, ISBN 0-440-22044-0) - Fade Away (1996, ISBN 0-440-22268-0); Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Paperback Original, Shamus Award for Best P.I. Paperback Original
- Back Spin (1997, ISBN 0-7528-4916-6)
- One False Move (1998, ISBN 0-385-32369-7)
- The Final Detail (1999, ISBN 0-385-32371-9)
- Darkest Fear (2000, ISBN 0-385-33433-8)
- Promise MePromise Me (novel)Promise Me is a novel by Harlan Coben. It is the eighth novel in his series of a crime solver and sports agent named Myron Bolitar.-Plot :...
(2006, ISBN 0-525-94949-6) - Long LostLong LostLong Lost is a novel by American writer Harlan Coben. It is the ninth novel in his series of a crime solver and sports agent named Myron Bolitar.-Plot:...
(2009, ISBN 0-525-95105-9) - Live Wire (2011, ISBN 0-525-95206-3)
Standalone Novels
- Play DeadPlay Dead (novel)Play Dead is the first novel by American crime writer Harlan Coben. This book was reissued by Signet in September, 2010....
(1990, ISBN 0-945167-28-8) - Miracle CureMiracle Cure (novel)Miracle Cure is the second novel by American crime writer, Harlan Coben. The novel was first published in 1996, and is currently out of print.-Plot summary:...
(1991, ISBN 0-945167-39-3); - Tell No OneTell No One (novel)Tell No One is a thriller novel by American writer Harlan Coben, published in 2001.The book was Coben's first novel to appear on The New York Times Best Seller list. It was also adapted into a French film with the same title in 2006 ....
(2001, ISBN 0-440-23670-3); Adapted into a 2006 French thriller filmTell No OneTell No One is a 2006 French thriller film directed by Guillaume Canet and based on the novel of the same name by Harlan Coben. It was written by Guillame Canet and Philippe Lefèbvre and stars François Cluzet...
. - Gone for GoodGone for Good (novel)Gone for Good is a novel by American crime writer Harlan Coben, published in 2002.-Plot summary:Will's ex-girlfriend has been killed and his brother Ken, has disappeared. He was the prime suspect in the girl's murder. Will also has the demands of his job as a worker with the homeless of the New...
(2002, ISBN 0-440-23673-8) - No Second ChanceNo Second Chance (novel)No Second Chance was written by Harlan Coben, and published in 2003 as a stand-alone thriller. No Second Chance was the first international Book of the Month Club pick in 2003 due to its global appeal -External links:*...
(2003, ISBN 0-525-94729-9) - Just One LookJust One Look (novel)Just One Look is a 2004 novel by Harlan Coben. It is a stand-alone novel but does contain at least one reference to his Myron Bolitar novels. The plot centers around a woman whose whole life changes one day upon taking home a roll of pictures and finding one that does not belong....
(2004, ISBN 0-525-94791-4) - The Innocent (2005, ISBN 0-525-94874-0)
- The Woods (2007, ISBN 0-7528-7441-1)
- Hold TightHold Tight (novel)Hold Tight is a Harlan Coben 2008 stand-alone thriller dealing with problems of parental controls, teenage suicide, children independence and abuse of prescripted drugs. It features several characters that are equally important. It was moderatly well received by the critics. It debut simultaneously...
(2008, ISBN 0-525-95060-5) - Caught (2010, ISBN 0-525-95158-X)
- Stay Close (2012)
External links
- Harlan Coben's official website
- Harlan Coben's MySpace page
- Harlan Coben's French website
- Commercials and Videos About Coben's Books
- Harlan Coben's profile in July/August 2007 issue of the Atlantic Monthly