5 things we know about Harlan Coben and Reese Witherspoon’s new book

He’s a number one New York Times bestselling author with 35 novels under his belt. She’s an award-winning actress and producer. Harlan Coben and Reese Witherspoon are the writing team nobody saw coming.

Although Witherspoon has been a huge champion of writing and writers for many years, both through her Book Club and her production company which had adapted several novels including Gone Girl, Where The Crawdads Sing and Daisy Jones & The Six, this is her first foray into writing fiction for adults.

Meanwhile, Coben is a mammoth of the books industry. He published his first thriller, Play Dead, in 1990, and has been a best-seller ever since, selling over 90 million copies of his books worldwide.

Despite the surprising pairing, the writers have created a stand-out thriller together: Gone Before Goodbye. This is a cracking good story, with Coben’s usual twists and tight pacing, and you can feel Witherspoon’s influence in central character Maggie, who is a brilliantly complex creation.

Gone Before Goodbye follows Maggie, an army combat surgeon who is grieving the loss of her husband and reeling after having her medical license revoked. When she accepts an offer of a secretive job performing surgery on a high-profile Russian client, she’s hoping for a fresh start – but then her patient disappears while under her care and Maggie finds herself on the run for her life.

To whet your appetite ahead of the book’s publication on 24th October, here is a (spoiler-free) run-down of everything we know about Gone Before Goodbye…

1. The original idea came from Reese Witherspoon

Although Harlan Coben is the more established writer in the partnership, the initial concept for Gone Before Goodbye came from Witherspoon.

“To say I am a fan of Harlan’s body of work is a massive understatement,” says Witherspoon. “I had an idea and I thought, wouldn’t it be fun to work on this with the greatest thriller writer around. I was nervous to pitch the idea to him. The fact that he found my idea for this thriller intriguing enough to want to partner with me on it as co-author is a dream becoming a reality. Scheming with Harlan on how to thrill audiences with mysterious characters and complex narrative twists and turns has already been more fun than I can describe.”

Coben has said in the past that he would never collaborate on a book and even after Witherspoon approached him originally, he was wondering how he would let her down gently. “Then she told me the idea,” he says, “and I thought, man I love this.”

2. It was a genuine collaboration

According to Coben and Witherspoon’s editor at Penguin, Selina Walker, the two talked almost every day during the writing process.

“Gone Before Goodbye is a genuine collaboration between two major talents and two brilliant minds. Reese had the initial idea for the story, and she and Harlan spoke most days, going back and forth until they felt they had it perfect,” Walker says. “It is perhaps one of the most successful collaborations I’ve ever read.”

3. The main character feels authentic

Army surgeon Maggie McCabe is a terrific character: tough as nails but vulnerable from the tragedies that have impacted her life. You can feel Witherspoon’s input into creating Maggie – her father was a military surgeon, so she has first-hand experience of this world. Coben has written well-rounded female characters before, but the layers and authenticity here point to Witherspoon.

The pair admitted that when they came up with the plot idea of Maggie travelling overseas to perform surgery, they worried it might be too ‘far-fetched’ but during their research found that this is surprisingly common.

4. There’s a signature Harlan Coben double twist

Coben has become known for his double twist plots – where the story seems to resolve with a big reveal and then, near the end, a second revelation changes the reader’s understanding completely. He’s used it to great effect in many of his novels including Fool Me Once, Tell No One and Run Away. No spoilers here but Gone Before Goodbye will certainly keep you on your toes!

5. It has a truly international backdrop

Coben is a lifelong New Jersey resident and the majority of his thrillers take place in suburban towns in and around New Jersey and New York City. Gone Before Goodbye has a more international flavour, with the action taking place in Russia and Dubai. This is world where money is no object – private planes, sports cars, penthouses – and reading about this luxurious way of life adds more glamour and intrigue to the story.

Pre-order your copy of Gone Before Goodbye now