Harlan Coben has a rare gift: turning mysteries into emotional, family-driven tragedies that feel almost like high-end soap operas. His characters aren’t heroes or villains — they’re ordinary people crushed by secrets, guilt, and coincidences that unravel entire lives. What moves his stories isn’t the plot twist itself, but the emotional aftershock it leaves behind. And that’s precisely why his thrillers have become such a natural fit for the streaming era.

After global Netflix hits like The Stranger, Fool Me Once, and Stay Close, Coben returns — this time with an original story, co-written with BAFTA-winner Danny Brocklehurst, his long-time collaborator. The result, Lazarus, promises to be one of his most personal and haunting creations yet.

A Man Haunted by the Past

In Lazarus, Sam Claflin stars as a man who returns to his hometown after his father’s (Bill Nighy) suicide — only to find that grief comes with ghosts. He begins experiencing strange visions, distorted memories, and coincidences that seem impossible to explain. Soon, he uncovers a disturbing link between his father’s death and the unsolved murder of his sister twenty-five years earlier.

The title Lazarus is deeply symbolic — it’s about resurrection, guilt, and the unbearable weight of bringing the past back to life. As always, Coben uses mystery as a framework to explore something far more intimate: trauma, loss, and the fragile line between sanity and despair.

Sam Claflin: The Right Man for the Role

Coben couldn’t have chosen a better lead. Sam Claflin — with his quiet intensity and ability to balance strength with vulnerability — carries the emotional weight of Lazarus effortlessly.

Audiences know Claflin as a shapeshifter: from romantic tragedy (Me Before You) to political menace (Peaky Blinders), and musical heartbreak (Daisy Jones & The Six). In Lazarus, he steps into darker, more psychological territory — a man haunted by loss and fear, trying to hold onto reality as it unravels.

Claflin brings depth and empathy to every scene, turning what could have been a cold mystery into something painfully human. He doesn’t just play the role — he inhabits it.

Harlan Coben’s Streaming Empire

Coben’s universe has become a cornerstone of modern streaming storytelling. With over 35 novels translated into 40 languages and countless international adaptations, he’s built a brand of suspense rooted in emotional realism.

Lazarus expands his territory, blending noir, psychological horror, and supernatural undertones while maintaining that signature focus on the human heart. With Bill Nighy in a spectral role and a tone that hovers between thriller and elegy, Lazarus feels like Coben’s most atmospheric work to date — one where grief itself becomes the mystery.

Sam Claflin’s Global Moment

Lazarus marks the beginning of a defining era for Sam Claflin, who has become one of the most versatile and magnetic British actors of his generation.

He will soon lead PBS’s adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo (2026), playing Edmond Dantès in a grand retelling of Alexandre Dumas’ classic tale of betrayal and redemption. The eight-part series, filmed across Paris, Rome, and Malta, co-stars Jeremy Irons and Ana Girardot, and promises the kind of sweeping, moral complexity that suits Claflin perfectly.

In parallel, he headlines MGM+’s Vanished (February 2026), a modern mystery thriller co-starring Kaley Cuoco. Set in France, the four-part series follows Alice Monroe (Cuoco), whose romantic getaway turns into a nightmare when her boyfriend Tom Parker (Claflin) disappears from a train. The disappearance triggers a labyrinth of secrets and deceit — another playground for Claflin’s layered performances.

Both projects — one a lush period drama, the other a sleek contemporary thriller — highlight his range and cement his status as an actor capable of carrying stories that blend emotion, danger, and transformation.

In Lazarus, Coben revisits his favorite theme: that the real mystery isn’t who killed, but who survives the loss. And Sam Claflin, with his rare mix of charisma and emotional precision, gives that question a face — and a soul.

Together, they redefine the modern thriller: less about crime, more about consequence. And that’s exactly what makes Lazarus feel alive.