Fool Me Once – Netflix Series Review

FOOL ME ONCE on Netflix is a new Harlan Coben limited series. This time it takes place in the UK and has a strong cast. A strong start to 2024 for Netflix. Read our full Fool Me Once series review here!

FOOL ME ONCE is a new Netflix series based on a Harlan Coben novel. The limited series has 8 episodes and is extremely binge-worthy. To be fair, Harlan Coben-based series usually are. This one takes place in the UK, so there are no language barriers. Only some interesting dialects.

It’s essentially a murder mystery, but one that is character-driven and uncovers many secrets along the way. Some small, others very big. Again, this is usually the case with Harlan Coben’s stories, and this one has the amazing advantage of starring Michelle Keegan in the all-important lead role.

Continue reading our full Fool Me Once series review below. Find all 8 episodes on Netflix from January 1, 2024.

It all begins with a murder – but it isn’t the first

While I enjoyed Richard Armitage in The Stranger (also a Harlan Coben series), I really did not like him in Stay Close. I thought it was an extreme case of miscasting. So, when I saw that he was in Fool Me Once, I wasn’t thrilled.

Fortunately – I feel bad for saying that, but it turned out well – his character is murdered in the opening scene. Of course, we see him in flashbacks, but he is not the star of this Harlan Coben series and I was relieved. Also, the murder of his character isn’t the first murder in the story.

I’m getting ahead of myself, so let me backtrack a bit.

This new Harlan Coben thriller follows the ex-army captain Maya Stern (Michelle Keegan). Her husband Joe Burkett (Richard Armitage) is brutally murdered in a park, and Maya sees it happen. Two weeks later she sees something that cannot be.

MORE WITH RICHARD ARMITAGE?

Check out the Netflix series Obsession which is not a Harlan Coben story >

Via a nanny cam in her two-year-old daughter’s bedroom, the image of her dead husband appears. He seems to be playing with their daughter, which clearly cannot be the case.

To find out what’s going on, Maya must deal with her brutal past and deep secrets. Also, she has to go up against Joe’s powerful, and extremely wealthy, family. First and foremost, her mother-in-law Judith Burkett (Joanna Lumley).

Working to solve the murder, we meet detective Sami Kierce (Adeel Akhtar from Sweet Tooth), but he also has secrets of his own. The other murder was that of Maya’s sister. Her niece, Abby (Danya Griver), and nephew, Daniel (Daniel Burt), search for answers about their mother’s unsolved murder.

All too fast, it turns out that the two cases may be connected. That means everything points to Maya being the connection, but could that be? Or is something else going on? Before the series is over, the truth will be revealed. This includes shocking secrets that change all their lives forever.

More thrillers with Michelle Keegan, please!

When the series begins, and we see Michelle Keegan as the petite and beautiful former army captain Maya Stern, I found myself a bit disheartened. I thought it was silly that this tiny woman was supposed to have been a tough soldier. A pilot, sure, but still.

Then she started talking and we saw her react to people who tried to threaten or belittle her, and I absolutely understood the casting. Bloody hell, she is one fierce little lady! Michelle Keegan is perfect as Maya Stern.

From the way she communicates with people – she tends to perfectly mirror the vibe of whoever she speaks with – to her no-nonsense approach to any challenge. I ended up loving this character despite her obvious issues and challenges that she refuses to deal with.

Michelle Keegan has been on more than 800 episodes of the iconic British soap opera Coronation Street but has clearly moved on. Most recently, she also starred in the BBC series Our Girl (2013-2020) which focused on female medics in the British Army, so the whole military part of Fool Me Once wasn’t new to her.

I hope to see her in a lot more thriller and mystery production. Hell, she’d be the perfect final girl or sci-fi star.

Watch Fool Me Once on Netflix!

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this Harlan Coben series. To be honest, I never am, but the stories do tend to hold up. For this one, I was extremely pleased and could not wait to finish it. Sure, there are cliffhangers at the end of most episodes, to keep you going. But also, I was just invested.

When I saw that the release date for this latest Harlan Coben series would be January 1, I thought it was brilliant. What better way to begin the new year and get over any hangover?! Well, if the series was good, obviously.

Fortunately, this one is. It’s one of the best. Especially thanks to Michelle Keegan!

All eight episodes of Fool Me Once will be on Netflix from January 1, 2024.

Details

Creator: Harlan Coben
Writers: Danny Brocklehurst, Nina Metivier, Yemi Oyefuwa
Directors: David Moore, Nimer Rashed
Cast: Michelle Keegan, Adeel Akhtar, Joanna Lumley, Richard Armitage, Emmett J. Scanlan, Dino Fetscher, Hattie Morahan, James Northcote, Daniel Burt, Danya Griver, Laurie Kynaston