Harlan Coben’s thrilling Netflix dramas have become a must-watch for subscribers, with viewers eager to learn more about the creator of these captivating series.
From Fool Me Once and Missing You to The Stranger and the most recent Just One More Look, New Jersey author Harlan Coben is the genius behind some of the streaming platform’s most popular limited series.
He shows no signs of slowing down, with the Argentinian drama Caught set to release on Wednesday, March 26, and two more shows already in development.
As Coben continues to churn out top-notch content that attracts viewers, here’s all you need to know about the man himself.
Famous childhood friend
Born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1962 and raised in Livingston, Coben graduated from Livingston High School alongside his childhood friend and future Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie.
Christie, a former federal prosecutor, served as the United States Attorney for New Jersey from 2002 to 2008 and then as governor from 2010 to 2018.
In 2012, Coben spoke to CBS This Morning about his friendship with Christie during their youth.
“We disagree on a lot of stuff. And that was always part of the fun of the friendship, that kind of give and take.
“But I think that sort of that brunt style was always there with him. And I would always give it right back to him, so we always got along that way.
“Our senior year, I was president of the student council, he was president of the senior class.
“And you would guess which one of us would be making up novels for a living and which one would have gone into politics.”
Inside Harlan Coben’s life from ‘most traumatic loss’ and his sporting ‘obsession’ to Netflix author’s staggering net worth (Image: GETTY/NETFLIX)
Author Harlan Coben’s dad died of a heart attack, aged 59, when he was just 26. (Image: FACEBOOK/HARLAN COBEN)
Passion
Standing tall at an impressive 6ft 4in, bestselling author Harlan Coben wasn’t always immersed in the world of literature.
During his teenage years, he harboured a deep passion for basketball, as he revealed to The Big Issue: “I was pretty mainstream. I was a basketball player. That was my obsession. I was captain of the basketball team – maybe that was when I was 17 – and president of the student council.
“So I was a frighteningly normal and mainstream high school student at that point.”
Despite his early sporting ambitions, Coben chose a different path, studying political science at Amherst College in Massachusetts. After graduating, he joined his grandfather’s travel business, where he began penning his stories.
His debut novel, Play Dead, hit the shelves when he was just 26, and he has since crafted a total of 35 novels.
Traumatic loss
Coben, who grew up with two brothers, faced profound grief early in life when his father passed away from a heart attack at the age of 59, when the author was just 26.
Speaking to The Big Issue, he reflected on the impact of this loss: “My father’s death is still the most traumatic. Maybe because it was the first one. It came out of nowhere.
“I had quite a bit of tragedy in my 20s. Things moved along fairly smoothly until then, I led a fairly normal American suburban life, but I did something like seven eulogies that decade.
“So that probably also shaped me. Tragedy is a very cruel but effective teacher. I think that helped push me and made my writing better.”
Author Harlan Coben was childhood friends with former Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie. (Image: GETTY)
Coben has credited his late mother, affectionately known as Corky, as a significant influence on his career.
She passed away from cancer at around 60 years of age and became a muse for his gripping tales.
On his website, Coben shared: “I’ve set my novels primarily in the suburbs of New Jersey, mostly because of Corky.
“Her life taught me that gripping stories don’t have to be about the rich or the famous or the powerful.
“You don’t need serial killers or big weapons or conspiracies reaching the White House. There is drama – the best drama, the most relatable drama – in the everyday.
“There is beauty and outrageousness out here, in the plain-vanilla New Jersey suburbs, in the battleground of the American dream.”
Net worth
As of August 2024, Celebrity Net Worth pegs Harlan Coben’s net worth at a hefty $25million.
Not only has he seen incredible success with his crime novels—selling over 60 million copies in 43 languages—but he has also bagged prestigious accolades like the Shamus Award, an Edgar Award, and an Anthony Award.
Banking on his literary fame, Coben inked a lucrative deal with in 2018, which has since been renewed, promising fans more screen adaptations of his renowned books.
Harlan Coben dramas are available to watch on .