Harlan Coben's Latest Twist

The bestselling novelist ventures into true crime

- YANA GREBENYUK

With nearly 100 million books sold and more than a dozen hit TV adaptations (2024's Fool Me Once, 2020's The Stranger), Harlan Coben knows a thing or two about crafting a compelling mystery. But with CBS' Final Twist (Tuesdays at 8 p.m. and streaming on Paramount+), he takes on real-life cases for the first time in his career. “They say truth is stranger than fiction,” Coben, 64, tells Us. “Boy, do these stories prove it. Fiction has to follow certain rules. Reality doesn't.” He talks to Us about his pivot.

How did you pick the cases to investigate?