The plots of his novels often involve the resurfacing of unresolved or misinterpreted events in the past, murders, or fatal accidents and have multiple twists.

He then began writing a series of thrillers featuring a former basketball player turned sports agent, Myron Bolitar, who often finds himself investigating murders involving his clients.

His novel Hold Tight, published on April 15, 2008, was his first book to debut at number 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list.

Director Guillaume Canet made a French-language film, based on the book, titled Ne le dis à personne, in 2006.

Coben is the creator of the British crime drama television show The Five, which first aired in April 2016 on the Sky 1 channel in the United Kingdom.

[26][27][28] Coben also created the French-British crime drama television show Safe, which premiered on Netflix in 190 countries on May 10, 2018.

[31] Jaden Michael stars as Mickey, alongside Constance Zimmer, Adrian Greensmith, Abby Corrigan, and Sage Linder.

[37] In October 2022, it was announced that Netflix had extended the deal for another 4 years, with the Myron Bolitar series now also available for adaptation but has been canceled following the end of the first season.