The relentless conveyor belt of Harlan Coben adaptations continues with 'Run Away', a new eight-part Netflix series that stands as a welcome return to form for the prolific thriller writer's screen ventures. Starring James Nesbitt and Minnie Driver, this tightly wound drama offers the deeply pleasing, twist-laden comfort television that has become Coben's signature.
A Tormented Father's Quest
Nesbitt plays Simon, a man whose life unravels when his daughter, Paige, vanishes while battling drug addiction. Defying official advice and his wife Ingrid's (Driver) fears, Simon continues a secret search. A tip leads him to a park where Paige is busking, but a confrontation with her manipulative boyfriend and dealer, Aaron (Thomas Flynn), causes her to flee—living up to the series' title. A subsequent fight, caught on camera and edited to paint Simon as the aggressor, goes viral. When Aaron is later found murdered, Simon becomes the prime suspect.
The plot thickens when Simon and a hospitalised Ingrid—sidelined with injuries—sneak into the crime scene. They meet Cornelius (Lucian Msamati), who once offered Paige refuge, and are plunged into a dangerous underworld involving a basement shootout with Aaron's supplier. Nesbitt, while not in groundbreaking territory, reminds viewers he is a master of the tormented Everyman, delivering a performance full of palpable desperation.
Multiple Threads of Intrigue
As with any Coben story, multiple narratives intertwine. In a separate strand, private investigator Elena Ravenscroft (a brilliantly understated Ruth Jones) is hired by wealthy Sebastian Thorpe to find his missing adoptive son, Henry—a case the police are ignoring. The word "adoptive" hangs in the air with deliberate significance. Elena's investigation curiously also involves surveilling a local vegan restaurant owner, for reasons initially unclear.
Meanwhile, a chilling subplot follows a young, murderous duo (including a mesmeric Maeve Courtier-Lilley) executing targets on the orders of a mysterious third party, their motives and connection to the main story slowly coming to light. Each of the eight episodes concludes with a compelling twist, expertly ushering viewers into the next chapter of intrigue.
A Stellar Supporting Cast
The series is elevated by its superb supporting actors. Tracy-Ann Oberman is formidable as Simon's terrifyingly efficient lawyer, Jessica, while Ruth Jones brings a steely, unsettling grace to the role of PI Elena. The adaptation, penned by Coben regular Danny Brocklehurst alongside Tom Farrelly and Amanda Duke, retains the harrowing tone of the 2019 source novel, favouring tense character drama over bombast.
'Run Away' successfully operates in the well-oiled grooves of the Coben machine. It is solid, binge-worthy television designed to hook audiences with its relentless pace and layered mysteries. While it may not redefine the genre, it executes its formula with a polished confidence and a top-tier cast, proving exactly why these adaptations remain such reliable rating-bankers for Netflix. All episodes of 'Run Away' are available to stream on Netflix now.
