Harlan Coben’s “Stay Close” TV Mini Series On Netflix

No one else has watched this??

Against my better judgement (after how bad Safe was), I watched it this weekend. I enjoyed the twist at the end, but otherwise it was another typical "are the cops really this stupid" murder mystery. Cush Jumbo's talents were wasted.

I loved it but hey I love mysteries

I'm about to. I love Harlan Coben's novels. Thanks for letting us know.

I love mysteries and just finished it, had a hard time keeping my interest! And not enough hot guys lol.

I tried it. I love his books, but the only adaptation I've liked is this French one. Bonus: Kristin Scott Thomas plays a lesbian.

R5 exactly my thought. I am having a difficult time finishing the series. Where are all the hot men??

R6 is the movie only in French or is it subtitled in English?

Well, I don't speak French, so I must have watched it with subtitles, r8.

It was awful and so preposterous.

Bitch wants to escape her past and start a new life under an alias so she moves five minutes down the road! Nobody from her previous life ever runs into her in 17 years.

One other thing that's ridiculous, both in this series and the other Coben Netflix series: A detective realizes someone is in trouble so the detective goes ALONE to try an save that person, without notifying anyone else. WTF? What detective in the whole world would not notify the other cops immediately?

What detective in the whole world would not notify the other cops immediately?

Pretty much every detective in every cop show.

R10 you nailed it about her starting a new life. Everyone from her past was baffled by her disappearance, yet she moved just across the bridge. Then Lorraine miraculously found her when she needed to 17 years later.

I lost interest. Those dancing killers were the final straw for me.

Nobody ever realized that the last place all of the murdered men were seen was that stupid club? Like, not one person in nearly 20 years?

Cush Jumbo! Cush Jumbo! Cush Jumbo!

R12 that is a big problem with a lot of murder mystery shows imho. This could have been a great story about someone running from their past, how the various characters were involved, the murder investigation, etc. A few twists are to be expected and when done correctly (like the one revealed at the wedding) can enhance the story.

Instead a lot of them go off on silly tangents (like the creepy dancing killers), too many red herrings and the like. Always ruins what could be a good story.

Also, the reveal of the killer was a big WTF. Not only are we to believe that person was able to haul the bodies through the forest, but then get them down into the underground bunker to where they were discovered. The bodies weren't located as if they'd simply been dropped into the bunker. They had been dropped and then were moved further into it.

Did anyone in England watch it? I wondered where exactly the beach locations are, as well as which cities the bridges connect. IMDB lists Manchester as the filming location, but that's inland.

I liked it, pretty well. The original NJ locations are about 30 miles apart, and the easiest way to get from one town to the other is on the Turnpike. So maybe the fact that no one discovered the heroine's true identity in 17 years seemed more plausible. But as the drama progressed, I kept asking her, "why didn't you move to California or New Jersey FFS?"

As someone who grew up not far from the original NJ locations, I sure would have loved it if they'd been able to shoot there, in Livingston and Ridgewood. I thought it was clever the way they used the names of those towns in creating the fictional English locations, but I still would have preferred they'd shot it in New Jersey.

R12 me, too.

I also find Eddie Izzard incredibly annoying so that didn't help either.

It's like this production took all the elements of potential failure and put them together and now are probably surprised nobody likes it.

R18 I agree.

[quote]Also, the reveal of the killer was a big WTF. Not only are we to believe that person was able to haul the bodies through the forest, but then get them down into the underground bunker to where they were discovered. The bodies weren't located as if they'd simply been dropped into the bunker. They had been dropped and then were moved further into it.

Seriously! And these men were murdered in the woods directly next to the club, it was just a very short walk away. The bunker the crazy bitch dragged the bodies into was also right there. None of the multitudes of people coming and going out of the club ever saw anything? They were like 20 feet away from the crazy bitch killing these guys. It was ridiculous.

Who was the killer? Just cannot bare to finish this series. I’ve tried three times, I just cannot finish this daunting series.

My husband and I absolutely loved “Safe” on Netflix another by Harlan Coben. In fact, we were so addicted we stayed up until 4 am just to finish the series.

Plot: Safe focuses on Briton Tom Delaney (Hall), a paediatric surgeon and widowed father of two teenage daughters. He is struggling to connect with his daughters as they still grieve the loss of his wife from cancer one year prior. After his 16-year-old daughter Jenny goes missing, Tom uncovers a web of secrets as he frantically searches for her.

It really keeps you guessing until the very end.

Anyone else have other recommendations?

Yeah, I want a spoiler too. I can't be bothered trying to finish this steaming pile of crap but am curious to know.

SPOILER

It was Lorraine, played by Sarah Parish. She was raped by her ex-husband and killed him, so every year during Carnival she picked a man in the club who was acting rough with women to kill. She lured the men outside, stabbed them, then hid their bodies in the bunker.

Yes, really. It was that ridiculous.

Thanks R23 - now I'm really glad I didn't bother finishing it. Just terrible.

I couldn't finish SAFE because Michael C Hall's British accent was just too awful to listen to. He should have just played an American because it was unwatchable.

Well I loved it but obviously I am in the minority

R26 what about it did you love?

R23 thank you.

Who is that gorgeous twink who played one of the psycho killers? Loved him! But I didn't find it realistic that he was straight. My gaydar pinged hard. Maybe it was just his preppy look that made him look gay idk? But then they met doing theatre lmao. He should have been gay. Huge missed opportunity imo. Loved when he told Lorraine he didn't come for the girls or the boys.

Richard Armitage looked hot in this. Hope he plays gay soon. And that he comes out.

Was Fester gay? It seemed like he had a crush on Ray. I was waiting for the revelation, yet it never happened. Huge missed opportunity imo.

I knew who the killer was early on. It made sense. That person was the only one with a real motive. With that said, the little plot twist at the end was kinda fun.

R29 his name is Hyoie O’Grady he was a cutie.

Has anyone watched the other recent Netflix release based on another Coben book? It's called Gone For Good. If so, is it similar to Safe and Stay Close in that it kept you watching but there were a lot of things to pick apart about it?

r34, I haven't seen the series, but Gone for Good is one of my favorite novels by Harlan Coben. I have no idea how I'll take to the story's transposition from New Jersey to France. It's in French with English subtitles. I wish they'd shot these series in NJ where they originally took place.

I have recommended this to many!

Is Robby Benson in this?

My biggest WTF was this: if Cassie was a “dancer” in a club, so the fuck what? She wasn’t a hooker. Is it so terrible to be a pole dancer that you have to lie to the father of your children?

It was a pleasant piece of schlock. Knowing it was Harlan Coben, I didn't go in expecting something particularly deep and realistic but I'd watch Cush Jumbo in pretty much anything. If you think this was bad, you should see some of those Polish-made Netflix shows based on his books.

Plus, the actor playing her common law husband was easy on the eyes.

I did watch it but can't remember anything about it except the stupid dancing killers and that English drag queen who plays a heroin-addicted lawyer.

The women who work at The Viper are, like, "empowered" artistes. They don't allow men to touch them, accept money, do private sessions, or hook on the side.

They are "sex workers" who don't "do" sex.

I couldn’t watch the one set in Spain. All the characters blended in with each other and it was too focused on stripper stuff. I did love the detective with the platinum pageboy.

The French one is much better so far.

Also, I appreciate the gay and lesbian characters that get wedged in.

I absolutely hate this authors adaptations. They are brain dead and about the twist and using tried and true methods to try and keep you watching. I don't

I enjoyed Cush Jumbo in this. She's an engaging actor.

I also liked Eddie Izzard's character a lot.

I thought that sadistic murdering couple was too over-the-top for a show like this. They existed in a different universe.

Does Harlan Coben insist on Netflix casting Richard Armitage in 51% of his adaptations? Because he is in the upcoming Fool Me Once.

R39 I loved the Harlan Coben’s The Woods but haven’t watched the Polish Netflix adaptation because it looks cheap. Like Doctor Who cheap.

Coben’s game plan is to have his crown jewel Myron Bolitar made in New Jersey and his standalone novels continue to be produced in France, Spain, the UK, Poland and eventually Argentina, Mexico, India etc. Maybe the goal is to sell more books overseas?