Dark secrets, cults and shocking twists make 'Run Away' one of Harlan Coben's best thrillers

As an avid viewer, I'm invariably drawn to the crime genre, and Harlan Coben's productions on Netflix are a particular favourite. 

I've binge-watched "Safe," "The Stranger," "Stay Close" and "Missing You". However, of these, "Missing You" was a significant disappointment; I detested it for its flimsy plot and utter lack of logical coherence.

That being said, I decided to give “Run Away” a watch recently. 

The ingenious script, stellar cast, and overall nail-biting direction completely blew me away.

Let me get into it. 

The eight-part series kicks off with Simon Greene (James Nesbitt) in a state of distress, urgently searching for his daughter, Paige (Ellie de Lange), who is a runaway drug addict. His desperation culminates in him assaulting a man named Aaron, whom he holds responsible for Paige's predicament, and the video of the attack goes viral.

His wife, Ingrid (Minnie Driver), a doctor, and their other two children are unimpressed with his volatile behaviour.

However, Simon's pursuit is unwavering. The search takes a grim turn when Ingrid is shot while they are attempting to get information from dangerous individuals.

The narrative features two simultaneous plots: the murder of Aaron, which is linked to Simon’s missing daughter, and a killing spree carried out by orphaned childhood best friends DeeDee/Holly (Maeve Courtier-Lilley) and Ash (Jon Pointing).

Dee-Dee, who is a follower of a cult called The Shining Truth, acts as their contract killer, performing their "dirty work".

While Ash is happy to go along with their initial contract, he feels uncomfortable with her blind trust in her cult.

DS Isaac Fagbenle (Alfred Enoch) and DC Ruby Todd (Amy Gledhill), the investigating officials looking into Paige’s disappearance, are finding Simon's constant interference in the case unimpressive.

Elena Ravenscroft (Ruth Jones), a recently widowed private investigator, enters the narrative when she is hired by wealthy businessman Sebastian Thorpe (Simon Thorp) to investigate the disappearance of his son, Henry. 

Initially, the distinct storylines seem unrelated, but connections begin to emerge as the plot unfolds.

At the core of the narrative is Simon, who, truth be told, does put the police to shame. As he meticulously follows the key clues, he uncovers shocking truths, which in turn humble him and expose the flaws in his initial hasty judgments.

Simon also teams up with Elena, whose sharp-nosed instincts lead her to a family tree website and a connection between several orphans who have been killed. She is helped by her tech-savvy mother-in-law. 

While his wife is in recovery at the hospital, Simon starts to question their relationship after learning that she knew more about Paige than she let on.

The directors, Nimer Rashed and Isher Sahota, have been brilliant at maintaining the intense suspense throughout each episode, constantly challenging viewers to guess the culprit.

In his lead role, Nesbitt conveys a broad spectrum of emotions, often centred on deep-seated, ongoing conflicts.

A defining characteristic of the Coben franchise is its layered storytelling, which serves as a crucial hook for its fans. 

I am often floored by the twists, and "Run Away" was certainly an example of this. 

While you'll need to watch the series to discover the reason, I guarantee you won't regret it. It offers an abundance of secrets, significant twists, inherent danger, and high drama.

Rating: **** a standout series with exceptional qualities.

Below are similar offerings worth watching:

• “Fool Me Once”: Maya Stern is trying to come to terms with the brutal murder of her husband, Joe. However, when Maya installs a nanny cam to keep an eye on her young daughter, she is shocked to see her husband in her house.
• “Stay Close”: The lives of a photojournalist, a soccer mom and a homicide detective are disturbed by a terrible event from the past.
• “Safe”: Widowed surgeon Tom has struggled to raise his two daughters alone following his wife's death a year ago. Things seem to be on the right track for the family, who live in a gated community because they have close friends nearby, and Tom is in the early stages of a new relationship. But the situation takes a turn for the worse when Jenny, Tom's oldest daughter, goes missing along with her boyfriend.