Earlier this week, news broke that the thriller genre is set for a high-profile debut in 2025 with Oscar-winning actor, producer, and founder of her own book club, Reece Witherspoon (The Morning Show, Legally Blonde, etc.), teaming up with veteran New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben for an untitled suspense novel that’s sure to generate a ton of buzz.
The novel, which is slated for release on October 14, 2025, and is currently available for pre-order here, will be published by Grand Central Publishing, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, and is based on an idea that Witherspoon came up with. Of course, readers are already familiar with new co-author Harlan Coben and his impressive body of work, a list that includes this year’s Think Twice, his 12th Myron Bolitar book, and next year’s Nobody’s Fool, which is said to be set in the same universe as his 2016 #1 bestseller, Fool Me Once, a story that was adapted into a massively successful series on Netflix.
“To say I am a fan of Harlan’s body of work is a massive understatement,” said Witherspoon via a statement issued through Grand Central. “The fact that he found my idea for this thriller intriguing enough to want to partner with me on it as co-author is a dream becoming a reality. Scheming with Harlan on how to thrill audiences with mysterious characters and complex narrative twists and turns has already been more fun than I can describe. I can’t wait for everyone to read what we have been imagining.”
“Once we began discussing her idea, there was no turning back,” said Coben, who has sold over 80 million books worldwide. “Collaborating with Reese has been a pure joy and so creatively rewarding. I could not be more excited about putting this novel out into the world.”
While the news may surprise some, it’s not altogether shocking, considering that Witherspoon has long been a champion of books and an advocate for encouraging people to read more through her Reese’s Book Club, which just picked Lauren Ling Brown’s Society of Lies for the month of October. Witherspoon often posts about what she’s reading on her Instagram account, sharing titles with her more than 30 million followers.
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While we await more information, including a title, cover art, and plot details, readers can pre-order Witherspoon and Coben’s forthcoming book here.
Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, Ryan Steck has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). Steck also works full-time as a freelance editor in addition to running TRBS. He is the author of FIELDS OF FIRE, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr says “will leave you speechless and begging for more,” LETHAL RANGE, OUT FOR BLOOD, and TED BELL’S MONARCH. For more information, follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and BookBub. To interact with other readers and talk about your favorite books and authors, join The Real Book Spy’s Discord server.