Fool Me Once stars reveal “unputdownable” changes from the book

The story follows Maya (Michelle Keegan) as she is struggling in the wake of her husband Joe's murder but, one day, spots him on her daughter's 'nanny cam', bringing into question everything she thought she knew.

Chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com about the ways in which the series differs from the novel, Keegan said: “The book’s set in New York so it’s totally different now because they’re in Manchester. It sort of grounded it for me.”

Similarly, Joanna Lumley – who plays Maya's mother-in-law Judith – admitted: “I think it worked really well. It switched over very easily without any sense that you’re losing too much. And also, Harlan and his team had written in a new strand which was a very English strand, Adeel’s character. That whole sort of subplot was beautiful.

"So the book had sort of been plasticined, morphed into a kind of British shape, and it worked really well."

Lumley continued: "Both of us had read the book before we’d read the scripts, and you want to read the script greedily, you look at your part, see if it’s going to work, see how the scene’s going to work and then read it through and see how it seems as a story. It was unputdownable, we were begging to get the next scripts.”

The new series not only follow Keegan's Maya but, as Lumley describes, Akhtar's Detective Sergeant Sami Kierce as he works on Joe's homicide investigation while also grappling with secrets of his own.

As per the synopsis: "Meanwhile, Maya's niece and nephew, Abby and Daniel, are trying to find the truth about their mother's murder, several months earlier. Are the two cases connected? Fool Me Once follows these characters on a thrilling hunt for the truth that will reveal shocking secrets and change their lives forever."

The new series is yet another addition to the Harlan Coben Netflix universe, with previous British drama hits including Safe, Stay Close and The Stranger.

But even though the previous slate of dramas have certainly kept viewers gripped, it seems as though Fool Me Once is set to deliver a different kind of twist.

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Previously speaking to RadioTimes.com, Coben revealed that fans should brace themselves for what is set to be "the most shocking ending" yet.

Coben said: "When you binge a show on Netflix ... when the show drops, people have watched all eight episodes by the time I’ve woken up in the morning, it’s kind of amazing. I think it’s our most surprising and emotional ending.

"It’s sort of a powerhouse emotional ending, and I think our last episode, which is also unusual, is our shortest episode. Rather than try to bloat the finale, we decided we were actually just going to deliver what we wanted to in that finale."

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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