Does true crime influence Harlan Coben's novels? The author explains as 'Final Twist' wraps Season 1
Harlan Coben has built a name on stories that zig when you expect them to zag. So it might surprise fans to learn that when real-life crimes pop up in the news, he keeps his distance. He notices the headlines, sure. He just doesn't stick around long enough to let the facts take over his imagination. While talking with US Weekly about his latest CBS project, 'Harlan Coben's Final Twist', the bestselling author explained that true crime only plays a tiny role in his creative process. A headline might catch his eye, maybe spark a loose idea, but that's where it stops. He prefers not to chase down details or research every angle of a real case.
Instead, Coben likes the freedom of asking a simple question and then running wild with it. A "what if" can take him much further than a stack of court documents ever could. In his words, "I'd rather—in the case of fiction—make up the story based off a headline or based off something else. I will say, 'Well, what if...' And I will have completely changed it around." By the time he's done, whatever inspired the thought has been reshaped into something completely new. That mindset also explains why Coben draws a clear line between the stories he writes and the true crime genre. Real-life crime, as he sees it, is "being devoted to the fidelity of the actual story."
The facts matter. The timeline matters. The outcome is already known. Fiction, on the other hand, gives him space to invent, rearrange, and surprise without being tied to what actually happened. Coben explained, "Our hope [with 'Final Twist'] was being able to work to create a full story that's absolutely true with the twists and turns in an hour of televised time. That was our challenge." The goal wasn't to invent shocking turns out of thin air but to present real stories in a way that still holds tension and curiosity from start to finish. Each episode follows Coben as he personally examines a case. The focus isn't just on what happened, but on why.
What pushes someone to cross a line they can't uncross? What secrets sit in the background before everything explodes into public view? Those are the questions driving the series. According to the show's premise, no two episodes are alike. The synopsis reads, "Each episode is a new mystery, exploring hidden motives, buried secrets, and unanswered questions. Coben focuses on uncovering shocking revelations where nothing is what it seems, and reveals that truth is often stranger than fiction." For someone who has sold more than 100 million books worldwide and seen many novels adapted for film and television, trying something unscripted might seem like an odd next step.
But for Coben, curiosity played a big role. Still, that doesn't mean he's ready to trade his keyboard for a camera full-time. Writing remains his first love. Asked whether viewers might see him on screen more often in the future, Coben didn't rush to promise anything. He said, "Let's do a step at a time. I still prefer writing. I still prefer creating things. But I thought this was an interesting experiment and quite fun in its own way. It was interesting to try to do this and try to give people a little bit of something else while we were doing it." Premiered on January 7, as per HarlanCoben.com, 'Harlan Coben's Final Twist' aired its Season 1 final episode on Tuesday, February 3, on CBS.
