James Nesbitt stars in yet another binge-worthy Harlan Coben thriller that certainly isn’t perfect but will undoubtedly keep you glued to the screen
With big footsteps to follow in after the success of both The Stranger and Safe, the latest Harlan Coben masterpiece certainly lives up to its forebears. Jam-packed with thrills, twists, and tension, the binge-worthy series will undoubtedly have the dreaded ‘Continue watching?’ Netflix prompt interrupt you at least once.
2021 saw the eponymous Stranger herself inform a married man that his wife had lied about her pregnancy and her miscarriage, all shortly before her mysterious disappearance. If this sounds like your type of television, you won’t be disappointed by Coben’s latest storyline. This year treats us to Stay Close, a thriller that follows the lives of suburban mum Megan (Cush Jumbo), local homicide detective Broome (James Nesbitt), and photojournalist Ray Levine (portrayed by The Stranger’s Richard Armitage) as their lives become entangled over the disappearance of a young man named Carlton Flynn (Connor Calland).
When Megan returns from her hen party to find a card addressed to Cassie – her former name – her past soon starts to plague her once again. The sender turns out to be Lorraine (Sarah Parish), an old friend who was left behind after Cassie’s disappearance. She warns her that Stewart Green, Cassie’s abusive ex-partner who was missing and is presumed dead, may actually still be alive and well. When another young man, Carlton Flynn, disappears in exactly the same circumstances as Green did 17 years prior, the case comes back to haunt Detective Broome who has never been able to solve the disappearance.
Source: Netflix
As this one visit kickstarts an unfortunate series of events, we are also introduced to other significant characters along the way, including friendly lawyer Harry Sutton (Eddie Izzard) and killer couple Barbie and Ken (Poppy Gilbert, Hyoie O’Grady) who, unsettlingly, dance around their victims before torturing them.
While some elements are perhaps far-fetched for fictional purpose, the biggest criticism of the series has to be the introduction of the aforementioned murderous duo. Whilst the enigmatic couple add to the unnerving aspect that keeps you on your toes from start to finish, and leaves you continually second-guessing ‘whodunnit’, their theatrical approach to life doesn’t always make sense. As disturbing as their portrayal is, it deflects from the realistic aspects and fails to add much to the storyline and it simply could be left out whilst the narrative remains intact.
Many also have an issue with the Northern location too, as it appears Manchester and Blackpool are confusingly close in the Stay Close world. Whilst this is sometimes an unavoidable aspect in storytelling, it is a bugbear of many who are well aware of the geographical blunders. Whilst the show did need to pay homage to where the book was originally set – this being Atlantic City in New Jersey – the series was filmed in parts of Manchester, Blackpool, and Liverpool. This choice is therefore largely distracting due to the blatant implausibility of the settings, and could easily have been avoided to prevent watchers from switching off completely.
However, that’s probably as far as Stay Close critiques go. The thriller will have you hooked from the moment Flynn disappears, and manages to point the finger of suspicion in every direction possible. Is Stewart Green still alive? Who was Cassie? Where is Carlton? And so on, and so on.
Stay Close provides the perfect recipe for a thriller – it focuses on a missing child, a coercive ex-partner, several mysterious strangers, a possible dead body (or maybe two), and the basic yet still exciting ‘I know who you are and what you did’ storyline. As toxicity, mystery, and unreliability take form in each of the protagonists, an abundance of questions emerges as to what is really going on, especially with a belter of a first episode closing scene…
Giving credit where it is very much due, the series is able to provide the perfect combination of clues and thrills to keep the audience hooked. Whilst remaining traditional, the series intertwines each of its characters to create a truly original, engaging plot. The inclusion of Megan’s secretive past alone embodies a variety of tropes that result in a high-end thriller, and pushes for questions to be raised elsewhere in the narrative as a result of Coben’s intertwined ‘butterfly effect’ style.
With the producers throwing various hints of information your way as you watch the story unfold, they have barely put a foot wrong throughout – and this will hopefully continue with each new Coben adaptation. Stay Close is a treat of a thriller that grasps your attention and keeps a firm grip. It’s a guaranteed Netflix-binge session as it fulfills our need for a constant stream of cliff-hangers which we often struggle to say no to. Good luck trying to look away, as you aren’t going to want to miss this.
Words by Lauren Whitehead
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.