Hey, it’s Diego.

This week, I listened to Gone Before Goodbye by Harlan Coben and Reese Witherspoon’s audiobook.

And as with other Harlan Coben books, this one was a popcorn thriller.

Popcorn thrillers are lighter, faster-paced suspense novels that are highly entertaining, albeit they ask you to suspend your disbelief, much like a movie that is easy to consume in one sitting.

I’ve read a lot of popcorn thrillers.

Let me share my top ones.

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Top Popcorn Thrillers

The Wedding Party by L.R. Jones

In The Wedding Party by L.R. Jones, a joint bachelor/bachelorette party at the famously haunted Stanley Hotel ends in murder. FBI agent Andi Castle, attending as a guest, is forced to step into the role of investigator. With secrets, lies, and shifting alliances among the wedding party, the stage is set for a thrilling psychological drama.

In Her Eyes by Sarah Alderson

In Her Eyes by Sarah Alderson follows Ava, a mom and wife living an enviable life in an upper-class neighborhood, until they are the target of a house invasion. After the incident, her younger daughter is in the hospital with a bullet wound, and her husband has taken a beating. Things turn for the worse when she finds out this was no random attack and the perpetrators are back to finish the job.

The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose

The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose: Sarah Morgan, a high-profile case attorney, wakes up one day to discover her husband, Adam, has been accused of murdering his mistress. She takes on the case because she still loves him, but can their relationship survive as Sarah discovers the lies her husband has been feeding her all this time? Adam is an adulterer, but is he guilty of murder?

And the newest addition to the list:

Gone Before Goodbye by Harlan Coben and Reese Witherspoon - Review

Maggie, a highly skilled and renowned Army combat surgeon, is thrown a lifeline by a former colleague to perform plastic surgery on a Russian oligarch when she loses her medical license, only to find out that he’s connected to her husband.

Gone Before Goodbye by Harlan Coben and Reese Witherspoon is a psychological thriller spanning multiple locations.

Coben’s writing is normally utilitarian, but I could feel Witherspoon’s presence here, with the prose taking a warmer, descriptive tone. It’s an improvement over his other books, where his attempts at creating richer descriptions would not work well.

I was thoroughly entertained throughout the story. It has moments where you feel you are in a James Bond movie, but that is kind of the point, and the suspension of disbelief was very gradual, which worked great to keep me immersed.

When I found out that Witherspoon and Chris Pine performed for the audiobook, I chose to listen to it instead of reading it, and I strongly recommend it. The performances come from actors, and it shows. I only wish I got more Pine, although Witherspoon should do more audiobooks, that’s for sure.

We follow a single timeline from the point of view of Maggie, as she works her way into and out of trouble.

Maggie is a proactive main character and moves the plot along as she performs surgeries, runs from bad guys, and investigates the connection between them and her husband.

The book explores the themes of the dangers doctors could find themselves in if they take matters too far when it comes to scientific discoveries.

There is no romance in the story and no sexual scenes. There is also no graphical violence, although there are scenes where Maggie performs surgeries.

So, what about the ending? (No spoilers, obviously)

The ending wrapped everything up in a satisfying way. There is no denouement.

Gone Before Goodbye is the kind of book that you can read in a couple of sittings or listen to the audiobook to enjoy the performances. It’s not deep or challenging, quite the opposite, it’s the perfect read for someone looking for a good time.

This Week’s Update

• Darkly by Marisha Pessl (her first novel in six years) is set for November 12. The story is centered around a mysterious game designer, Louisiana Veda, and the terrifying creations that gave her foundation special appeal to young people. The foundation is offering an internship with the tagline: “What would you kill for?”

• New series Down Cemetery Road (adapted from Down Cemetery Road by Mick Herron) debuted on Apple TV+ on October 29. When a house explodes in a quiet Oxford suburb and a girl disappears in the aftermath, neighbor Sarah Trafford (Ruth Wilson) becomes obsessed with finding her and enlists the help of private investigator Zoë Boehm (Emma Thompson).

• The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (2025 film) (a remake of the 1992 domestic thriller) was released on October 22 on Hulu.

That’s all for this week. See you next time.

— Diego Dunne

P.S. Let me know how I did today by replying to this email.

P.P.S. I read this book because one of my readers asked me if I was going to cover it. Thank you, Kathleen. I would love to hear your recommendations for thrillers you loved or ones you’d like me to review. Reply to this email and I’ll add them to my TBR list. Thanks!