Harlan Coben Discusses "Final Twist," True Crime Fascination, and Writing Process

The Unpredictability of Reality

• 💡 Fact is stranger than fiction, especially in true crime, where reality's twists and turns are often more unbelievable than anything a novelist could invent.
• 🧠 Human beings are complex, varied, and sometimes more unpredictable than fictional characters, making real-life stories uniquely compelling.
• 🎭 Even for a seasoned writer like Coben, who can usually spot plot twists from afar, real-life cases present surprises he never sees coming.

Elevating Victims' Voices

• ❤️ "Final Twist" aims to not only thrill viewers but also to stir their hearts by giving voice and agency to victims and their families.
• 🗣️ Coben emphasizes that caring about the people involved strengthens the story, making it more impactful and meaningful.
• 🔍 The show strives to let the people involved tell the story, with Coben stepping in only to guide the narrative, avoiding a detached narrator's voice.

The Nuances of Crime and Justice

• ⚖️ The series delves into the complexities of police work, highlighting the human mistakes and frailties within the justice system, rather than presenting a simplified view.
• ⏳ Some cases featured in "Final Twist" took over 20 years to solve, illustrating that solving crimes is often far from easy or straightforward.
• 🧩 Coben prefers to describe his work as a camera coming into focus, revealing the truth, rather than a simple puzzle, emphasizing the emotional journey over pure intellectual problem-solving.

The Appeal of True Crime

• 📚 Coben notes that fascination with crime is not new, appearing in classic literature, and suggests that true crime offers a unique lens into the human condition under pressure.
• 🧐 The added bonus of true crime is the potential to learn from real events, gaining insights into human nature from various perspectives: victim, killer, law enforcement, and family.
• ⚠️ True crime provides a safe distance to explore these dark aspects of life, acknowledging that while it's not happening to us, it could.

Coben's Writing Philosophy and Process

• ✍️ Coben believes fiction must feel real and authentic, often needing to be more believable than reality itself because it lacks the ultimate trump card: "it actually happened."
• 🚀 He advocates for incremental ambition, celebrating achievements while looking towards future goals, which he finds more sustainable and enjoyable than setting impossibly high initial targets.
• 🔄 His writing process is fluid and adaptable; he changes routines when they stop working, focusing on producing pages rather than adhering to strict daily word counts.
• 💡 Coben often knows the ending of his stories from the start, describing the final writing sprint as an intense, exhilarating, and exhausting period, akin to childbirth or the end of a boxing match.