Fool Me Once: Release date, trailer and plot for Harlan Coben drama

But when he mysteriously appears on her "nanny-cam", Maya is left questioning everything, and sets out to investigate the truth on her own.

"I want answers," she tells her mother–in-law Judith (Joanna Lumley) in the recently released trailer.

"How can a dead man appear on a secret camera?" Maya asks Joe's mother. She responds, "What, my dead son, who we buried?"

"I think you should get help," she adds. To which Maya responds, "I want answers."

Audiences will have to binge the season, which is released on New Year's Day, to get answers of their own - and they're in for a jaw-dropping treat, as creator Coben told RadioTimes.com that viewers can expect "the most shocking ending" from any of his dramas so far.

If you're excited to dive into this latest mystery, read on for everything you need to know about the upcoming Netflix series.

Fool Me Once release date: When will it air?

You can watch the eight-parter from Monday 1st January at 8am on Netflix.

Fool Me Once cast: Who stars?

The series stars Michelle Keegan (Brassic, Coronation Street, Our Girl) as Maya Stern, a woman who believes her husband could still be alive after he was supposedly murdered.

Richard Armitage, who has appeared in a number of other Coben adaptations, plays her husband Joe.

Maya is not the only one digging for clues, however, with Adeel Akhtar (Sherwood) playing DS Sami Kierce, who leads the police investigation into Joe's apparent death – and is harbouring some secrets of his own.

Dame Joanna Lumley (Finding Alice) also stars as Joe's protective mother Judith, while Emmett J Scanlan (Peaky Blinders) and Dino Fetscher (Years and Years) have been cast as Shane Tessier and Marty McGreggor, respectively.

Completing the cast is Marcus Garvey (The Suspect), Hattie Morahan (Enola Holmes), James Northcote (The Last Kingdom), Dänya Griver (Malory Towers), Daniel Burt (A Very British Scandal), Adelle Leonce (Rosie Molloy Gives Up Everything), Natalia Kostrzewa (Save Me) and Laura Gibbons.

The full cast list for Fool Me Once is as follows:

• Michelle Keegan as Maya Stern
• Richard Armitage as Joe
• Adeel Akhtar as DS Sami Kierce
• Joanna Lumley as Judith Burkett
• Emmett J Scanlan as Shane Tessier
• Dino Fetscher as Marty McGreggor
• Marcus Garvey as Eddie Walker
• Hattie Morahan as Caroline Burkett
• James Northcote as Neil Burkett
• Dänya Griver as Abby Walker
• Adelle Leonce as Eva Finn
• Natalia Kostrzewa as Izabella Godek
• Daniel Burt
• Laura Gibbons

Fool Me Once is written by Danny Brocklehurst (who worked with Keegan on Brassic), with David Moore (Outlander) and Nimer Rashed (The Good Karma Hospital) set to direct.

Fool Me Once plot: What's it about?

Fool Me Once follows Maya Stern, a widow still adjusting to life alone following the shocking murder of her husband when she encounters jaw-dropping evidence that he could still be alive.

Fearing for the safety of her infant daughter, Maya installs a so-called "nanny-cam" in her home so that she can keep an eye on her at all times – but playing the footage back, she is startled to see her husband on the recording.

Coben's thrillers are known for their "double-twists", so this isn't necessarily confirmation that her husband survived the brutal attack inflicted upon him - but it certainly raises an awful lot of questions that demand answers.

Is there a Fool Me Once trailer?

Yes, watch below:

Netflix and Century Publishing previously shared this footage of Michelle Keegan reading the novel that inspired it to mark the start of production.

Watch below:

Is Fool Me Once based on a book?

Yes! Fool Me Once is based on the novel of the same name by Harlan Coben, which was first published in March 2016.

In the year of release, the book was nominated for a GoodReads Choice Award in the category of Best Mystery/Thriller.

The novel is set in the United States, but events have been shifted to the UK for the screen adaptation, which was also the case for Netflix's Stay Close.

If you'd like to read Fool Me Once ahead of the Netflix series debut, you can buy it now on Amazon.

What are the other Harlan Coben adaptations on Netflix?

In 2018, Netflix closed a deal with Coben to adapt 14 of his novels into streaming shows, and Fool Me Once will push this over the halfway mark as the eighth title in the streamer's collection.

Here are all the entries in the Harlan Coben collection on Netflix:

• Safe (British, 2018)
• The Stranger (British, 2020)
• The Woods (Polish, 2020)
• The Innocent (Spanish, 2021)
• Gone for Good (French, 2021)
• Stay Close (British, 2021)
• Hold Tight (Polish, 2022)
• Fool Me Once (British, 2023 – upcoming)

Fool Me Once is coming to Netflix on 1st January 2024. Sign up for Netflix from £6.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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