Harlan Coben
Harlan Coben
Harlan Cobenis an American author of mystery novels and thrillers. The plots of his novels often involve the resurfacing of unresolved or misinterpreted events in the past, murders, fatal accidents, and have multiple twists. Among his novels are two series, each involving the same protagonist set in and around New York and New Jersey, and some characters appear in both...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth4 January 1962
CityNewark, NJ
CountryUnited States of America
Kids don’t do what their parents say-they do what they see their parents do. So who was to blame here?
Years fly by, but the heart stays in the same place.
Memories, you see, hurt. The good ones most of all.
Hope is cruel. Hope reminds me of what almost was. Hope makes the physical ache return.
I am very lucky that I get to tell stories for a living. I love being able to grab people's attention, to keep them turning the pages, to make them stay awake all night. I want to stir the pulse, yes, but also to stir the heart. I hope 'The Woods' does that.
That's what a good crime novelist - any good novelist - should do with you: play with your perceptions while showing you everything in plain sight.
I still try to make the "next" book my "best" book. I want to grip and move you in unexpected ways.
I'm the Jerry Lewis of crime fiction.
I would never write a memoir, because it would be too boring.
Writing a novel in general is like trying to reach a mountain top you'll never quite reach - so you try again and maybe get a little closer.
I've never chased the dollar, I've always chased the reader's heart. I love having more readers. The more people who read it, the more thrilled I am.
The state of New Jersey is really two places - terrible cities and wonderful suburbs. I live in the suburbs, the final battleground of the American dream, where people get married and have kids and try to scratch out a happy life for themselves. It's very romantic in that way, but a bit naive. I like to play with that in my work.
Frankly I'm fairly boring or fairly busy. Between writing and family, I have little time for anything else.
I once worked as a tour guide in the Costa del Sol of Spain.