As Harlan Coben’s latest Netflix thriller hits screens, fans might be surprised to learn that his ‘college best friend’ is an even more famous writer.
The American mystery novelist, 62, who’s book has been adapted into the gripping series Missing You, is a former fraternity brother of The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown.
Before their names became synonymous with best selling crime fiction, the pair attended Amherst College in Massachusetts together in the 1980s.
The talented duo quickly became close while in the Psi Upsilon fraternity, with Coben graduating in 1984 and Brown just two years later in 1986.
Coben has since become a household name thanks to his addictive Netflix adaptations, such as, The Stranger (2020), Stay Close (2022), Fool Me Once (2023) and now Missing You, which is out today.
Meanwhile Brown has earned the title of one of the world’s most famous writers thanks to his thrillers such as Angels & Demons (2000), The Da Vinci Code (2003), The Lost Symbol (2009), Inferno (2013), and Origin (2017).
His novels have sold more than 200 million copies and have been translated into 57 languages, while tree of his books have been adapted into films, starring Tom Hanks.
Speaking to The Sunday Times Culture Magazine Coben revealed he was one of the first to read The Da Vinci Code and he even wrote a blurb for the cover.
He said: ‘I was one of the first people to read it. It was a cultural touchstone, like no novel in our lifetime.’
He recalled walking into Barnes & Noble to find Brown’s book at number one, while his own was second.
‘A year later I had a new book out. Dan’s was still number one and mine was number two.’
However despite not being the best selling author in his fraternity, Coben is still sitting pretty at the top of the literary food chain, dominating Netflix with his adaptations.
Hot off the heels of the huge success of Michelle Keegan’s Fool Me Once, the crime author has signed a five-year deal to bring more of his novels to the streaming service.
Fool Me Once centred around Judith’s (Dame Joanna Lumley) opulent home, which also featured as Tommy Shelby’s abode in Peaky Blinders.
