Netflix has unleashed its latest must-binge mystery thriller Run Away, an intense eight-part adaptation of Harlan Coben’s 2019 bestselling novel that has viewers hooked from the opening scene. With powerhouse performances from James Nesbitt, Ruth Jones, Minnie Driver, and Annette Badland, the series delivers a heart-pounding search for a missing daughter that unearths dark family secrets and twists no one saw coming.
Nesbitt leads as Simon Greene, a successful wealth manager whose seemingly perfect life — loving wife Ingrid (Driver), three children, upscale New Jersey home — implodes when his eldest daughter Paige (Ellie de Lange) disappears into addiction and the streets. Six months later, Simon spots her busking in Central Park, high and desperate, but an altercation with her boyfriend Aaron (Thomas Flynn) ends in violence, and Paige vanishes again.
What begins as a father’s frantic search spirals into a labyrinth of deception, with Simon uncovering layers of lies involving drugs, murder, and long-buried family traumas. Ruth Jones shines as private investigator Elena Ravenscroft, a no-nonsense Welsh force who aids Simon while grappling with her own past. Minnie Driver brings vulnerability to Ingrid, whose polished facade cracks under pressure, while Annette Badland adds gravitas as a figure tied to the couple’s secrets.
Coben, executive producer alongside Nicola Shindler and Richard Fee, relocates the story from the U.S. to the UK, infusing it with British grit while retaining his signature relentless pacing and moral ambiguity. Each episode ends on a cliffhanger, making the series impossible to pause — viewers report finishing all eight in one sitting.
Critics have raved. The Guardian called it “Coben at his twisty best,” praising Nesbitt’s “raw, desperate” performance and Jones’ “scene-stealing toughness.” Variety noted the “unrelenting tension” and “shocking revelations that reframe everything.” With a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score, audiences agree: “Dark family secrets, lies you never see coming — this is peak Harlan Coben.”
The adaptation expands Coben’s page-turner with deeper character backstories, exploring addiction, parental guilt, and the cost of perfection. Driver’s Ingrid confronts devastating truths, while Badland’s enigmatic role ties past to present in jaw-dropping fashion.
As Simon races against time, the series asks uncomfortable questions: How far would you go for your child? What secrets are worth burying? The answers are darker than expected, turning a missing-person case into a shattering family reckoning.
All eight episodes dropped January 1, 2026, instantly climbing Netflix’s global Top 10. For fans of Fool Me Once or Safe, Run Away is essential viewing — a thriller that starts with a father’s love and ends in moral chaos. With Nesbitt and Jones at their peak, this is the mystery that shatters expectations.
Watch all episodes now on Netflix — but clear your schedule. Once you start, stopping isn’t an option.