Super Short Summary

Fool Me Once is a mystery thriller by Harlan Coben set in contemporary New York/New Jersey, where protagonist Maya Stern, a widow and veteran, investigates her husband’s murder while uncovering long-hidden family secrets and dealing with her own traumatic past. This narrative explores themes of trauma, deception, and the challenges of reintegration into civilian life. This novel contains descriptions of graphic murder, domestic violence, war, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcoholism, and suicide.