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Fool Me Once

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Fool Me Once

Written by: Harlan Coben
Narrated by: January LaVoy
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About this listen

A widowed veteran gets the shock of her life in this impossible-to-put-down thriller from the bestselling author and creator of the hit Netflix drama The Stranger.

In the course of eight consecutive #1 New York Times bestsellers, millions of readers have discovered Harlan Coben’s page-turning thrillers, filled with his trademark edge-of-your-seat suspense and gut-wrenching emotion. In Fool Me Once, Coben once again outdoes himself....

Former special ops pilot Maya, home from the war, sees an unthinkable image captured by her nanny cam while she is at work: her two-year-old daughter playing with Maya’s husband, Joe - who was brutally murdered two weeks earlier. The provocative question at the heart of the mystery: Can you believe everything you see with your own eyes, even when you desperately want to? To find the answer, Maya must finally come to terms with deep secrets and deceit in her own past before she can face the unbelievable truth about her husband - and herself.

©2016 Harlan Coben (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
Crime Thrillers Suspense Thriller Fiction Marriage
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What the critics say

"Narrator January LaVoy's well-paced performance enhances the tension of this stand-alone thriller.... LaVoy's dynamic narration and distinct characterizations make this multilayered story a winning audiobook." (AudioFile)

“Coben is simply one of the all-time greats - pick up any one of his thrillers and you’ll find a riveting, twisty, surprising story with a big, beating heart at its core.” (Gillian Flynn, best-selling author of Gone Girl)

“[A] stellar standalone.... Coben is like a skilled magician saving the best, most stunning trick for the very end.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

What listeners say about Fool Me Once

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Binged this!

Really enjoyed this one. Had me on the edge of my seat, paying full attention. Loved the twists. I binged this one!

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    4 out of 5 stars

Good story, not my favourite from this author but entertaining

Good book, I felt like this one was a bit cheesy but would still recommend it. Keeps you interested the whole time.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved this one!!

Great twists and beautiful performance. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for something to keep them entertained all the way through.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Plot-Driven

I have the longer version of this book (almost twice the length) in my library. I'm quite curious to see how effective the abridgement is in this offering - but I'm guessing that it's excellent.
Many abridged books feel "skeletonized" - stripped down to bare bones - often spoiling pacing and (in a Mystery) editing out Red Herrings and surprise plot twists. That is apparently not the case in this presentation of 'Fool Me Once'.
Harlan Coben's signature hyper-realistic "guy-at-the-end-of-the-bar" dialogue is intact, descriptions are vivid, and the presumably pared-down plot is still twisty-turny, full of surprises, and keep-you-guessing captivating.
My only real issue with this recording is that the characters feel moderately 2-dimensional. The protagonist - ex-Assault Chopper pilot 'Maya' - is, in fact, quite unlikable (on purpose?).
I wonder if the removed segments of the book ruined Coben's efforts at characterization. The focus on plot is entirely justifiable, but this book might be *much* better than what is presented.

Fortuitously, Brilliance Audio retained January Levoy to read both this version and the unabridged iteration. Her diction, timbre, cadence, and voice-acting are beyond reproach. Furthermore, despite reading a little too slowly (listen at 1.15X), Levoy's emotive (alternately angry & empathetic) tone matches the dialogue and drives renewed interest in the story.
I wonder if this recording is an edited version of her performance of the unabridged book or if she is reading this version de novo (the flow is smooth enough that I strongly suspect the latter).
Regardless, this audiobook exhibits exemplary production standards.

The length of this 8.5/10 star book (5:50) makes it ideal for a long drive or a boring night shift - and it delivers great entertainment. I am grateful to Audible for including it as a 'Plus' selection.. because it actually merits a Credit.
I haven't listened to the unabridged version yet, so I can't recommend one over the other - but this version is good enough to make length a reasonable deciding factor.

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Another good one

Mr Coben is quickly becoming one of my favourites on this app. Always a good little story for a drive.

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