The Netflix Crime Mystery Thriller Series You’ll Binge In One Sitting

Safe, on Netflix, begins a year after Rachel Delaney dies of cancer. The relationship between Tom and his daughters Carrie (Isabelle Allen) and Jenny (Amy James-Kelly) is strained. Jenny is particularly troubled by her father’s romantic relationship with family friend Sophie Mason (Amanda Abbington), whom he often sneaks out to meet.

When Jenny disappears after a house party, along with her older boyfriend, Chris Chahal (Freddie Thorp), Tom begins to panic. As he hunts for his daughter, the murky underbelly of the seemingly idyllic neighborhood is exposed, revealing hidden agendas and betrayals. With each revelation in Safe on Netflix, the line between friend and foe begins to blur.

The premise presented in Safe is that Tom lives in a neighborhood designed for safety, with cameras installed everywhere to ensure transparency and security. Despite this, everyone he meets has secrets that vary in size. From minor ones like a couple hiding their impending divorce from their children to a larger sex scandal at the nearby school, the series sometimes feels like a Desperate Housewives reboot.

However, while some may argue that Safe is a slightly melodramatic Netflix series, it does manage to avoid the aimless wandering seen in other high-profile shows. It’s an entertaining series with plenty of surprises and a strong cast. Michael C. Hall brings a compelling presence to the lead role, even though the drama doesn’t fully explore his range.

Safe has earned positive reviews from Netflix viewers, with a 71 percent critics rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and an equally impressive audience score of 75 percent. Although some folks found Michael C. Hall’s English accent peculiar, they acknowledged that the series skillfully crafts sinister characters and cliffhangers, which makes for good viewing.

Safe isn’t the only Harlan Coben novel to be given the Netflix series treatment. Other shows based on his work include Gone for Good, The Stranger, The Woods, The Innocent, Tell No One, and Hold Tight. The most recent release, Fool Me Once, debuted on Netflix on January 1. It stars Michelle Keegan, Richard Armitage, Adeel Akhtar, Emmett J. Scanlan, and Joanna Lumley.

Fool Me Once introduces viewers to a family in mourning after two murders. Maya Stern (Michelle Keegan) stumbles upon disturbing footage captured by her home security cameras, showing her supposedly dead husband, Joe, playing with their toddler. Meanwhile, Maya’s niece and nephew, Abby and Daniel, attempt to solve the mysteries behind their mother’s death.

Like Safe and Fool Me Once, the various Harlan Coben series have been produced by Netflix and filmed on location in Poland, Spain, the UK, and France. The stories often revolve around mysteries and secrets hidden in suburban communities, with themes of family betrayal and loss. Coben has signed a five-year deal with Netflix to adapt 14 of his novels into individual series.