I Will Find You: A Review of the Maddeningly Watchable Harlan Coben Adaptation
The Harlan Coben Industrial Adaptation Complex™ continues to spew out another installment of premium-grade bunkum, this time in the form of the eight-part Netflix series I Will Find You. With a 14-book deal with Netflix and an ongoing deal with Amazon, it seems we're trapped in an ever-spiraling cycle of preposterous thrillers. But fear not, dear reader, for I will guide you through the labyrinthine plot and offer my expert commentary on this latest Coben adaptation.
The Familiar Formula
I Will Find You follows the familiar Coben formula: somebody is missing, somebody is accused of a crime they didn't commit, the police are inept or corrupt, and everyone speaks with a sense of urgency and gravitas (or, as the case may be, Zumba). Set in the US, the series features bigger guns and captions that shout out cities like BOSTON, adding a sense of grandeur to the proceedings.
The Protagonists
We meet David Burroughs (Sam Worthington), a muscular everyman serving a life sentence in a Maine penitentiary for the murder of his young son. Despite his innocence, no one believes him, and he spends his days dolefully punching fellow prisoners and wallowing in self-reproach. But then, ex-sister-in-law and disgraced investigative journalist Rachel Mills (Britt Lower) turns up with a recent photograph of a frolicking youngster who looks remarkably like David's son. This sparks a chain of events that leads David and Rachel on a quest to uncover the truth.
The Plot
As the plot unfolds, a labyrinthine global conspiracy emerges, and David and Rachel find themselves entangled in a web of questions: where is David's son? If it wasn't Matthew who was murdered, who was it? And who is the shadowy puppet-master pulling the strings? The series is filled with red herrings, narrative cul-de-sacs, and plot holes, but somehow, we're drawn into the next episode, eager to find out what happens next.
My Take
I Will Find You is classic small-screen Coben: maddeningly watchable crap with bells on. The script is made of Play-Doh, and our protagonists are but flaps of luncheon meat pegged to a washing line. But despite its flaws, the series is still a page-turner, and I found myself binge-watching the eight episodes in a single sitting. It's a testament to Coben's skill that he can create such an engaging, if flawed, narrative.
The Takeaway
I Will Find You is the 13th adaptation of a Harlan Coben novel to be processed by Netflix, and with just one more to go, it seems we're in for a long ride. But fear not, dear reader, for even in the face of such preposterous thrillers, we can find solace in the knowledge that we're not alone. As the series concludes, we're left with a sense of unease and a lingering question: who is the puppet-master, and what are they hiding?
