Actress Reese Witherspoon Teams with Harlan Coben for ‘Gone Before Goodbye’ (with Details)

Last year, 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 #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben for Gone Before Goodbye, a riveting new suspense novel that’s sure to generate a ton of buzz later this fall.

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.”

See the cover art and plot details below.

Release Date: October 14, 20225

Grand Central Publishing

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Combining the storytelling talents of Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben into one masterpiece of suspense fiction, Gone Before Goodbye is the unforgettable story of an indomitable woman, trapped in a conspiracy she helped create but can’t understand. Her harrowing search for the truth could expose a conspiracy woven throughout the exclusive world of the global ultra elite—but at an unfathomable cost to Maggie herself.

Maggie McCabe is teetering on the brink. A highly skilled and renowned Army combat surgeon, she has always lived life at the edge, where she could make the most impact. And it was all going to plan…until it wasn’t.

Upside down after a devastating series of tragedies leads to her medical license being revoked, Maggie has lost her purpose, but not her nerve or her passion. At her lowest point, she is thrown a lifeline by a former colleague, an elite plastic surgeon whose anonymous clientele demand the best care money can buy, as well as absolute discretion.

Halfway across the globe, sequestered in the lap of luxury and cutting-edge technology, one of the world’s most mysterious men requires unconventional medical assistance. Desperate, and one of the few surgeons in the world skilled enough to take this job, Maggie enters his realm of unspeakable opulence and fulfills her end of the agreement. But when the patient suddenly disappears while still under her care, Maggie must become a fugitive herself—or she will be the next one who is…

Gone Before Goodbye

Reese Witherspoon is an award-winning actress, producer, New York Times bestselling author and founder. In 2016, she established the media brand, Hello Sunshine, which puts women at the center of every story across all platforms– from scripted and unscripted television, feature films, animated series, podcasts, audio storytelling, and digital series. Hello Sunshine is also home to “Reese’s Book Club,” a community propelled by meaningful connections with stories, authors, and fellow members. Witherspoon is best known for her roles in feature films like WALK THE LINE, WILD, ELECTION and LEGALLY BLONDE as well as Emmy award-winning TV series “Big Little Lies,” “Little Fires Everywhere” and “The Morning Show.”

Harlan Coben is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of the world’s leading storytellers. His suspense novels are published in forty‑six languages and have been number one bestsellers in more than a dozen countries, with eighty million books in print worldwide. His Myron Bolitar series has earned the Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony Awards. Coben is also the creator and executive producer of many television shows, including adaptations on Netflix of the #1 global hits Missing You and Fool Me Once, Stay Close, The Stranger, The Innocent, Gone for Good, Hold Tight, and The Woods as well as the Amazon Prime series adaptation of Shelter. His forthcoming TV series include Run Away and I Will Find You on Netflix, Lazarus on Amazon Prime and many more in the works.

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, GONE DARK, and TED BELL’S MONARCH. For more information, follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and BookBub. For even more content and book news, subscribe to The Real Book Spy Substack!