Netflix Latest Harlan Coben Outing Sensation
Traditionally, Netflix starts the new year with a new Harlan Coben mystery thriller – in this case it’s ‘Run Away’. Adapted for television by Danny Brocklehurst, who also helmed 2024’s ‘Fool Me Once’, the eight-episode limited series follows a desperate father determined to find his missing, drug-addicted daughter. Full of shocking twists and gruesome violence common to all of Coben’s works, the show is an entertaining maze from the opening scene to the end. “Run Away” reminds the audience that one secret is usually just the tip of the iceberg; as you start digging into it, more mysteries often reveal themselves.
Set in Great Britain, “Run Away” follows financier Simon Greene (James Nesbitt), whose life seems picturesque at first glance. He is happily married to his pediatrician wife, Ingrid (Minnie Driver), and he has three lovely children, Paige (Ellie de Lange), Sam (Adrian Greensmith), and Anya (Ellie Henry). Unfortunately, the Greene household is in disarray. Sam and Anya are doing well in college and high school respectively, but Paige has gone missing. After a rough start in college and dependency on drugs, she has now completely disappeared. While Ingrid insists that their eldest child is hitting rock bottom, Simon is driven to bring her home.
With his tenacity and a wealth of financial resources, Simon discovers Paige’s whereabouts after six months of no contact. Unfortunately, the father-daughter reunion quickly turns sour, when Simon violently beats Paige’s volatile boyfriend, Aaron Corval (Thomas Flynn), in front of a park full of spectators. When Aaron is found slaughtered a short time later, Simon becomes the prime suspect of detectives Isaac Fagbenle (Alfred Enoch) and Ruby Todd (Amy Gledhill). Desperate to clear his name and find Paige again, Simon joins forces with private investigator Elena Ravenscroft (Ruth Jones), who connects Paige to a separate missing person case she has been hired to work on.
Fans of Coben’s multiple film adaptations, including Netflix’s “Fool Me Once,” “Missing You” and “The Stranger,” know that his series are a tapestry of riddles, and “Run Away” is no different. The mystery surrounding Paige’s disappearance is central to this story, but is only one part of the story. Shocking revelations, gruesome atrocities and complex lies flood the story itself, even as it verges on the absurd. Still, the great cast, tight pacing, and inventive storylines keep the show compelling even when it could very well have fallen apart.
From the Greene family to Elena’s personal life and Inspector Fagbenle’s prejudices, there is a wealth of information packed into the series. But what is most compelling, like the theme in many of Coben’s works, is how little we actually know about our loved ones. As human beings, we all have secrets, things we’ve tried to forget, or examples we’re ashamed of. These are fragments of our being that we dare not admit because they can change how others perceive us or how we see ourselves. “Run Away” does an excellent job of honing in on why we choose to bury trauma and destructive behavior, both past and present.
Fascinating and intensely detailed, “Run Away” is an astonishing web with a series of seemingly unrelated characters and circumstances that all ultimately intertwine. The show highlights the secrets we keep from those we love most, and how these skeletons, once uncovered, can forever change who we are and how we view our loved ones. Amid the sheer volume of clues that slowly reveal themselves, to shootouts and terrifying flashbacks, the show is as expansive as it is intense. Furthermore, just when viewers think they have understood the truth, the plot shifts, taking the story in a different direction. Ultimately, the series reminds us that digging into other people’s lives can bring you answers, but you may not want to face these truths when they come to light.
“Run Away” premieres on Netflix on January 1.
