Desaparecido Para Sempre

I have been reading Harlan Coben's books since he started publishing them. I rated this book on GoodReads at 5 stars. I'll be honest, I didn't recognize the plot at all. At times I was talking to my tv because I was so confused at times. But. That didn't keep me from binge watching the whole series tonight. One episode slid effortlessly right into the next so there was no question I was watching it all in one sitting.

It's a story of two brothers, one good and one bad. It's also the story of the night the main character loses both his ex-girlfriend and his brother. When the main character's now girlfriend goes missing after his father's funeral, he's pulled into the mystery of where she went and has to do more than a few illegal things while on his hunt. The man that employs both main characters is on the hunt with him at times and actually had quite the messed up backstory.

There was a lot going on in this series. Lots of subplots, some of which were not that important. One major free for all fight was really poorly done. So unrealistic. Still it kept me interested from beginning to end and I'm glad I decided to watch. If you like suspense with a bit of romance thrown in, this just might be the series for you to watch next!

Disparu À Jamais (or Gone For Good for the English title is a French mini-series (five episodes) based on a novel from Harlan Coben. The last series I watched based on a novel from Harlan Coben was the German series The Woods, another one that was worth watching. Sometimes his stories are a bit far fetched, with all kind of characters that know each other, when the chances that that would happen in real life are pretty slim. So was it also in Disparu À Jamais. Nevertheless the episodes are full of mysteries which keeps you guessing and interested. Decent acting from the entire cast, although some were better than others. It's not always easy to follow so you have to be concentrated. A good mini-series that you can finish in a couple days.

I found this show entertaining, BUT the series was filmed in France with French actors. I recommend watching it in its native language with subtitles if you don't speak French. The dubbing is horrible and annoying.

An ok attempt at drama and intrigue but filled with unrelateable, unlikeable characters. The story way too complex and try-hard. Setting is great in Nice.

Far too many contrived relationships and situations. I haven't read the book but I would guess that it is 100x better than this series.

That said, an ok diversion in times of Covid.

The thing with Harlan Coben stories is they always have a lot going on. You've got your main plot and several other subplots going on. This one didn't have as many subplots, as everything going on was all connected. With all of HC's work you get thrown a lot of information in the beginning which can often be confusing, but everything is alway explained at the end. Apart from The Woods, I've thoroughly enjoyed the Netflix adaptations of HC's novels. (Including the SKY production of The Five which he created). However, Gone For Good has not gone down well with me. It actually started out quite similar to The Innocent (which was fantastic), and there were a few surprises here and there and so I thought it was bound to have this shocking, massive twist at the end, however halfway through the show it started to go downhill and by the end the 'reveal' wasn't really a surprise. I've not read the book and so I cannot make comparisons but the show for me was a huge letdown. Unlike the other shows I've seen, this one became a bit predictable. I was disappointed with it, nevertheless I will continue to watch as Netflix continue to produce HC's novels. 5 down, 9 more to go! Looking forward to Stay Close which hopefully premieres on Netflix later this year.