Harlan Coben Has Revealed the Unlikely Advice He Received From Reese Witherspoon's Mom [Exclusive]

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In over three years at Collider, senior author Jake has now penned over 2500 articles covering a wide range of TV and film for the resources, lists, utilities, news, and interview teams. Alongside interviewing stars such as Selin Hizli, Rose Ayling-Ellis, and Chelsea Peretti, Jake was lucky enough to visit the set of Aardman and Netflix's Wallace and Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl in 2024, getting the chance to chat with four-time Academy Award winner Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Jake has also worked for other publications, including Agents of Fandom.

Harlan Coben's latest twisting series on Netflix, Run Away, is proving immensely popular as the streamer's annual adaptation of the crime writer's work again proves dividends. A smart, stylish mystery keeping viewers on the edge of their seats, the series has earned an impressive 81% from critics on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with Collider's Jeff Ewing calling it "a fun yarn, full of violence and surprises that will keep audiences guessing" in his official review.

Not only has Coben released this new novel adaptation to kick off 2026, but his first foray into the world of true crime also just debuted on CBS. Harlan Coben's Final Twist sees the acclaimed author move in front of the camera as he guides audiences through stranger-than-fiction true-crime tales that even he himself couldn't conjure. Ahead of the series' release, I spoke with Coben about his move into this new area and wondered exactly how he manages to balance so many projects at once, with the writer's answer sure to take you by surprise.

"It’s funny. I was just on the road with Reese Witherspoon for a book tour," Coben said, before admitting it was the Academy Award winner's mom who inspired him with some pretty great advice. "Reese is a pretty busy person too," he continued, "and we were quoting Reese’s mom, who says, 'If you want something done, ask a busy person.' It seems to me the more I get thrown on my plate, the busier I get, the more I’m able to focus."

Harlan Coben's Latest Mystery is Outperforming a Flagship Netflix Series

From Fool Me Once to The Stranger and now Run Away, Coben and Netflix are striking up quite the formidable partnership since their 14-novel, multi-year deal back in 2018. Eight years later, and there is no stopping them, with the latest installment proving so popular that it is even currently outperforming Stranger Things, with the final episode of the Duffer Brothers’ acclaimed sci-fi spectacle having debuted just one day before Run Away. A synopsis for this latest novel adaptation reads:

"A desperate father searching for his runaway daughter gets caught up in a murder case and stumbles upon secrets that could destroy his family for good."

Harlan Coben's Run Away and Final Twist are available now on Netflix and CBS, respectively. Stay tuned to Collider for all the latest exclusive quotes and updates.