Seventy-five million. That’s how many books are in print by Harlan Coben. A gobsmacking number. Surely with this many of his books out in the world many of you would have them on your bookshelves already. With 31 novels under his belt, you’d think if we enjoyed a good crime or thriller we’d all have read at last a couple, surely. Maybe that is everyone but me.

You’d have to say that this is an author, even after so many books published, still at the top of his game. Coben’s trophy collection cabinet doors are literally bursting open with the number of awards stuffed inside. He has won the Edgar Award, Shamus Award and Anthony Award. He was the recipient of the Vermeil Medal of Honor for contributions to culture and society by the Mayor of Paris. He has won the El Premio del Novela Negra RBA in Spain, the Grand Prix de Lectrices in France, and the CWA/ITV3 Bestseller Dagger for favourite crime novelist in England. Even the Little League Baseball inducted him into their Hall of Excellence in 2013! This man is truly a writing machine and all-round literary phenomenon.

The reason I’ve been reading about Harlan Coben lately is because of COVID-19. Stuck at home, having re-potted every plant, pruned each one to within an inch of their life, and having clipped the dog until he now runs up the stairs when he sees a pair of scissors, I sat down to search Netflix for something to watch. It was here that I discovered Coben is not only creative with words but also with film.

I have been working my way through the variety of his limited series on Netflix which he has created and produced, including The Stranger, Safe and The Woods. Some were made in Europe and are subtitled. His novel, Tell No One, was turned into a film, taking a swathe of awards in France, where it was shot, including the Lumiere and was nominated for nine Cesars. This is next on my list to watch.

You have to applaud writers like Coben. Or for that matter many others in this genre. Think Michael Connelly, Stephen King and our own Michael Robotham to name but a few. What makes them so prolific and to be able to sustain writing and producing creative work at the top of their game for such long periods of time?

Part of their success must simply be confidence. Just solid, unshakable confidence in their ability to write an engaging story. If we could take a pinch of that confidence and apply it in our own lives I wonder what we could do?

Crime thrillers are usually gripping reads that begin as a thought bubble in an author’s mind. Coben says, ‘It’s a corny cliché, but anything can stimulate an idea. The hard part is, recognising which ideas will work and developing that idea into a workable story. An idea is not a plot. An idea is not a novel. Turning it into a story … that’s where the real work comes in.’

How does an author like Coben take the pictures in his head to create a plot and a cast of characters to build a story? Does he just innately know how to take that germ of an idea, pull all those storyline strings together and then tie them into a perfect bow? I have reverence for all writers who can pull this off. It’s what makes us as readers get excited about looking forward to devouring their books.

So now I’m making a space on my bookshelves for Harlan Coben’s books. I hope I can fit them all in. Will I have to part with some others to make room? Oh dear, that’s a whole other conversation isn’t it?

Rowena,

And Baxter. Bumpy, lumpy, and possibly even a bit grumpy.