Harlan Coben Books In Order – Complete List of Novels

Last Updated on November 1, 2023 Reading the Harlan Coben books in order entails picking up the author’s popular Myron Bolitar starting with Deal Breaker, and the young adult Mickey Bolitar series, followed by Win’s own story in a new series titled Windsor Horne Lockwood III, focusing on Myron’s best friend, Win.  The author also started the Wilde series, and has several standalone novels, which can be read in any order you choose.

Without further ado here are the Harlan Coben books in reading order for his popular two series, and his chilling standalone thrillers. The books are listed in publication order and chronological order.

New Harlan Coben Books

Myron Bolitar Books In Order of Reading and Publication

1. Deal Breaker, 1995
2. Drop Shot, 1996
3. Fade Away, 1996
4. Back Spin, 1997
5. One False Move, 1998
6. The Final Detail, 1999
7. Darkest Fear, 2000
8. Promise Me, 2006
9. Long Lost, 2009
10. Live Wire, 2011
11. Home, 2016

Mickey Bolitar Series In Order of Reading and Publication

1. Shelter (Mickey Bolitar #1), 2011
2. Seconds Away (Mickey Bolitar #2), 2012
3. Found (Mickey Bolitar #3), 2014

Windsor Horne Lockwood III Series In Order of Reading and Publication

1. Win, 2021

Wilde Series In Order of Reading and Publication

1. The Boy From the Woods (Wilde #1), 2020
2. The Match (Wilde #2), 2022

Standalone Harlan Coben Books

• Play Dead, 1990
• Miracle Cure, 1991
• Tell No One, 2001
• Gone for Good, 2002
• No Second Chance, 2003
• Just One Look, 2004
• The Innocent, 2005
• The Woods, 2007
• Hold Tight, 2008
• Caught, 2010
• Stay Close, 2012
• Six Years, 2013
• Missing You, 2014
• The Stranger, 2015
• Fool Me Once, 2016
• Don’t Let Go, 2017
• Run Away, 2019
• I Will Find You, 2023

Collections of Stories and Anthologies

• Death Do Us Part, 2006
• The Best American Mystery Stories 2011, with Otto Penzler
• Crime Writers: A Decade of Crime, 2013, with Mark Billingham, Ann Cleeves, P D James, Val McDermid and Steve Mosby
• Birds of Prey: The Harlan Coben Challenge, 2022, with Kelley Armstrong, Ace Atkins, C J Box, Allison Brennan, S A Cosby, Robert Dugoni, Tess Gerritsen, Heather Graham, Gregg Hurwitz, Kathy Reichs and Hank Phillippi Ryan

Who is Myron Bolitar

Myron Bolitar, the main character in the series, is a former professional basketball player who has successfully transitioned into the world of sports representation. He is also the successful owner of MB SportReps, an agency that represents all sorts of sports stars and celebrities. From a young age, it was clear that Myron had a natural basketball talent, which was evident as early as the 6th grade. He went on to be drafted by the Boston Celtics in the draft’s first round. Still, unfortunately, his career was cut short when he sustained a devastating knee injury during a preseason game against the Washington Bullets.

This setback was a turning point in Myron’s life and motivated him to return to school and pursue a law degree at the prestigious Harvard University. After completing his studies, he decided to become a sports agent and founded his own agency, MB SportsReps.

In addition to Myron, two other characters are prominently featured in the series. The first is Myron’s best friend, Windsor Horne Lockwood III, fondly known as “Win,” a flirt, and quirky billionaire who owns the building where Myron’s agency is located. The other character is Esperanza Diaz, Myron’s assistant at MB SportsReps. Esperanza is a determined and ambitious individual who later in the series, after obtaining a law degree from New York University, becomes a partner at Myron’s agency.

There are currently 11 Myron Bolitar novels.

Who is Mickey Bolitar

In a sad turn of events, high school student Mickey Bolitar has been forced to move in with his estranged uncle, Myron Bolitar, a successful sports agent, following the sudden death of his father in a car accident. Despite the difficult circumstances, Mickey has demonstrated exceptional intelligence and perception, similar to his uncle, and has shown a willingness to go to great lengths to assist his friends and family.

Mickey’s life has taken a downward spiral with the loss of his father and the subsequent rehabilitation of his mother, leading him to transfer to a new high school. However, there is a glimmer of hope as he meets a remarkable new girlfriend, Ashley. Alongside his steadfast friends Ema and Spoon, Mickey becomes embroiled in a mysterious incident involving the shooting of their friend, Rachel. Undeterred by the potential danger, Mickey and his friends are determined to uncover the truth, no matter the cost.

Internationally best-selling author Harlan Coben has introduced a new generation of readers to his signature wit and masterful plotting through this series. The series follows Mickey and his friends as they navigate the complexities and mysteries of their teenage years with the guidance and mentorship of Mickey’s uncle, Myron Bolitar.

There are currently three Mickey Bolitar books.

About the Author – Harlan Coben Biography

Harlan Coben was born in 1962 in Newark, New Jersey, in the United States, to a Jewish family. He still lives in New Jersey (Ridgewood) with his wife, a pediatrician, along with their 4 children. He attended and graduated from Livingston High School. Later on, he went to Amherst College where he studied political science. During this time he belonged to the same fraternity (Psi Upsilon) with the author Dan Brown, also was a member. Dan Brown is well known for his Da Vinci Code thriller, belonging to the Robert Langdon thriller series.

After graduating from college, Harlan Coben took the first job within the family, working for his grandfather who owned a company in the travel industry as a travel agency. His passion for writing came about when he was in college in his senior year. He got his first book published at age 26, in 1990 with the title Play Dead, a romantic suspense novel.

After the publication of his second standalone novel, Miracle Cure, a medical thriller, in 1991, he started his by now very popular series Myron Bolitar, featuring a basketball coach who turns to solving crimes. Knowing that Harlan Coben played basketball in college (his impressing height also shows it –  6ft 4ins), his choice for the main character of the series doesn’t seem all that random.

2016 is the year that makes an interesting career change – a shift in Harlan Coben. He has written a drama for British TV  (Sky One) called The Five. It is a unique story not drawn from any of Harlan Coben’s books. The first standalone novel after writing the books in his Bolitar series is Tell No One, and I think it’s pretty much my most favorite book by him (and I love all the Harlan Coben books). It is also the novel which was turned into a French film in 2006.

Published in 2001, it features Dr. David Beck, whose wife died during one of their trips to the lake to celebrate their anniversary. When he is attacked and he hears his wife’s screams, once he wakes up he is told that his wife died in the ambush. After eight sorrowful years where he can’t get his wife out of his head, he receives a strange email which makes his doubtful that his wife is, indeed, dead. This starts his chase after the ghost of his wife and his investigation of what actually happened those eight years ago.

The Myron Bolitar series includes currently 10 books, with the latest one published in 2016 with the title Home. The Mickey Bolitar series has 3 books, with the latest one published in 2014, and I’m happy to see that Harlan Coben still continues to write his suspenseful standalone thrillers.

The Harlan Coben Myron Bolitar series starting with Deal Breaker focuses on Myron, a hothead sports agent who once upon a time was an FBI agent, and now has several clients, which who has issues that Myron has to solve. The Myron Bolitar books are highly entertaining and more often than not humorous, making them very different from the Harlan Coben standalone thrillers. The next books, Fade Away, Drop Shot, Back Spin, One False Move, The Final Detail, Darkest Fear, and the rest of the publications have been equally well received both by the readers, critics and reviewers alike. The publication order is the same with the reading order for these novels.

The Mickey Bolitar young adult spin-off series has as main protagonist Micky, sports agent Myron’s fifteen-year-old nephew who went to live with his uncle after his dad was murdered and he got to witness the deed. His mom is in rehab, so Micky is alone, thus the need to move to Myron’s house. Mickey was first introduced to the series readers in Live Wire, book #10 in the Myron Bolitar series. Mickey is just as clever and quick-witted as Myron, and he likes to solve puzzles and interesting cases just like his uncle.

The latest novel by Harlan Coben is Run Away, a standalone thriller published early 2019. Of course, reading the Harlan Coben books in order only involves his Myron and Micky Bolitar series, since the standalone novels can be read in any order you choose as they all feature different main (and secondary) protagonists. Well, except for Don’t Let Go, where Myron makes a cameo appearance, a wonderful treat to the Myron Bolitar series fans, but he is no way has a significant (or even partial) role in the case at hand. There is also his latest Wilde series which currently includes two novels.

Some of his other popular standalone novels I most enjoyed are No Second Chance, Fool Me Once, The Stranger, Missing You, Six Year, and Run Away.  I might be in the minority here, but maybe because I started reading first his standalone excellent psychological thrillers, I prefer them to his series. They are much more suspenseful, much darker and much more “edge of your seat” type of books.

The latest Harlan Coben book is titled I Will Find You, and is a standalone psychological thriller novel, published 2023.

The author, Harlan Coben, is married to Anne Armstrong Coben, a pediatrician, and the couple is blessed with four children.

New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben has been one of my favorite writers for a long time. The first book I’ve read by him was a standalone thriller called Play Dead, which was years before he started his popular Myron Bolitar series.

Harlan Coben’s Television Dramas and Films in Chronological Order

• Tell No One – Ne Le Dis A Personne, 2006 – French film – Pediatrician Alexandre Beck’s grief over the murder of his wife Margot is reignited when two bodies are found and he becomes a suspect. A mysterious email with a video clip suggests Margot may be alive.
• No Second Chance – Une Chance de Trop, 2015 – French mini series – Alice is shot and her husband is killed while her daughter is kidnapped. She searches for her daughter while navigating a web of criminals, corrupt cops, and secrets.
• The Five, 2016 – A five-year-old boy, Jesse, goes missing after being sent home by his brother and his friends. He is presumed dead, but 20 years later his DNA is found at a crime scene.
• Just One Look – Juste un regard, 2017 – a French drama. Eva’s world is turned upside down when she sees an old photo and her husband disappears. She is determined to find him at any cost.
• Safe, 2018 – In the wake of the disappearance of 16-year-old Jenny, her bereaved father Tom Delaney (Hall) undertakes a relentless and desperate search for her, only to unearth a sinister network of deceit and deception. (Netflix)
• The Stranger, 2020 – A young woman in her 20s begins a sinister campaign of extortion, targeting unsuspecting individuals with their own secrets. Her first victim, Adam Price (Armitage), is blindsided by the revelation and its potential to wreak havoc on his life. However, as more secrets come to light, a separate incident involving the disappearance of a woman adds a new layer of complexity to the situation. (Netflix)
• The Woods, 2020 – As a body is discovered in Warsaw, a prosecutor explores the truth behind his sister’s mysterious disappearance, which occurred 25 years prior. He holds out hope that this new development may provide valuable insights and lead to a resolution of the case. (Netflix)
• The Innocent – El Innocente, 2021 – Spanish series – After nine years of living with the guilt of accidentally causing a man’s death, Mateo and Olivia’s marriage is put to the test when a shocking phone call forces them to confront their past. Mateo (Casas) and Olivia (Garrido) struggle to come to terms with the event that had changed their lives forever. (Netflix)
• Gone for Good, 2021 – A decade after a tragic loss, a man’s world is turned upside down when his significant other disappears, and he becomes embroiled in a terrifying enigma. (Netflix)
• Stay Close, 2021 – Three individuals, who appear to have no connection, are all harboring dark secrets that could potentially destroy the comfortable lives they have constructed for themselves. (Netflix)
• Hold Tight, 2022 – Polish drama – the latest Harlan Coben series about a young man who goes missing after his friend dies, revealing secrets and lies in his tight-knit, affluent Warsaw community. (Netflix)

Harlan Coben Awards and Nominations

Harlan Coben’s books have earned him numerous awards and nominations, and he is, in fact, the first author to receive all prestigious awards for his novels. Several of his novels have been on the #1 position of the New York Times bestselling list.

• Anthony Awards Best Paperback original winner, 1996 for Deal Breaker
• Dilys Awards Best Book nominee, 1997 for Fade Away
• Shamus Awards Best Paperback original winner, 1997 for Fade Away
• Barry Awards Best Paperback original winner, 1998 for Back Spin
• Dilys Awards Best Book nominee, 1998 for Back Spin
• Anthony Awards Best Novel nominee, 2002 for Tell No One
• Edgar Awards Best Novel nominee, 2002 for Tell No One
• Macavity Awards Best Novel nominee, 2002 for Tell No One
• Agatha Award Best Children/Young Adult Fiction nominee, 2014 for Found