Spoilers are ahead for the ending of Netflix's Fool Me Once and Harlan Corben's 2016 novel.

Summary

• Characters' names were changed to make them more relatable and to avoid confusion with similar characters.
• The TV adaptation of Fool Me Once is set in the UK instead of New Jersey like the book.
• New characters were added to the TV show, providing variety and new storylines for the series.

Harlan Coben's bestselling novel Fool Me Once has been adapted by Netflix as a series, but not without making some changes to the book. Deviation from the source material is sometimes necessary when a book is being adapted into a series or a movie because some things that make sense in the book might not translate well on screen. Of course, book readers are not always happy with some changes, but there are instances when changes that are implemented make the series or movie better, but the opposite can also be true.

Fool Me Once has become one of Netflix's most popular thrillers since its release. The show follows Maya Stern, an ex-military captain, as she investigates the murder of her wealthy husband, Joe Burkett. Even though it initially seems like Joe's death was a robbery gone wrong, there are more sinister reasons that led to his murder. Fool Me Once perfectly captures the suspense packed into Harlan Coben's novel, even with the changes the creators of the show made to the source material. The series is packed with action, thrillers, and shocking reveals that will keep audiences guessing until the very end.

10 The Names Of Some Characters Were Changed

Not Every Character Has The Same Name

It's fairly common for names of characters in TV adaptations to be changed to something different. This is done to either make the characters more relatable or to avoid confusion with characters who might have a similar name. Some of Fool Me Once's TV show characters don't have the same names as their book counterparts. Eva, Maya's best friend's name in the Fool Me Once book, was called Eileen. Alexa became Abby, Roger Kierce was changed to Sami Kierce, Hector was named Luka, Tommy Douglass was turned into Tommy Dark, and Jean-Pierre, Claire's summer fling, was changed to Alexander Dosman.

9 The Location Of The Show Was Changed

Fool Me Once Isn't Set In New Jersey

One of the most significant changes made to Harlan Coben's best-selling novel is the location. In the book, the story is set in New Jersey, while the TV adaptation of Fool Me Once was set in the UK. In an interview with CBS Mornings, Coben explained why the show's location was changed, stating:

"I have this great team over there. This is the fourth show we’ve done... And so, working with this team is just a lot of fun, and so we just take the story, we move it over, and I think that hybrid makes it richer, you know?"

8 New Characters Were Added To The Show

New Characters Added Variety To The Series

The TV adaptation of Fool Me Once added a set of new characters that were not present in the book. One of the new characters added to the story was Marty McGreggor, DS Sami Kierce's partner, who played a significant role in solving Joe's murder. Nicole Butler, Kierce's sponsor (also a figment of his imagination), and his pregnant fiancé, Molly, were other new characters added to the show. A new character who was part of Claire Stern's past, Louis, a son she gave up for adoption, was another new character.

7 Sami Kierce Has His Own Storyline

Sami Kierce Was A Multilayered Character

In the book, Kierce is a significant character because he is the main investigator in Joe Burkett's case. Despite this, not much is known about him. The series, however, gave Kierce a backstory, and a lot more depth was added to his character. He was portrayed as a recovering alcoholic and had a fiancé who he was expecting a son with. Kierce also had a mysterious illness that was supposedly caused by faulty medication that was being manufactured by Burkett Pharmaceuticals. Without these new additions to his story, Kierce would not have been a compelling character.

6 Daniel And Abby Had Their Own Storyline

Daniel And Abby Dug Into Claire's Past

Maya's nephew and niece, Daniel and Abby Walker, are mostly relegated to the background in the novel. In Netflix's adaptation, Daniel and Abby were more involved in the story than they are in the book. When the two go digging into their mother's past, they discovered that when Claire was in her 20s, she fell pregnant and gave the baby up for adoption. Abby and Daniel managed to find the son Claire gave up and form a relationship with him. Abby and Daniel's storyline was a new addition to the series. The novel does not depict that part of Abby, Daniel, or Claire's life, but ultimately, their story offered a refreshing new mystery in the show.

5 Maya And Corey's Meeting Place Was Changed

Maya And Corey Met At A Strip Club And Not At An Arcade

When Maya was investigating what led to Claire's murder, she discovered that Claire had a secret phone. A few days before Claire died, she made calls to one number. When Maya traced the number, it led her to an arcade where Claire and Corey the Whistle had been having secret meetings. The series depicted the secret meeting place as an arcade. However, in the novel, Maya meets Corey at a strip club called Leather and Lace. The location of the secret meetings in Fool Me Once was probably changed by the creators of the show to make it more appropriate for the viewers.

4 The Helicopter Chase

Corey And Maya Met In A Less Exciting Way

Maya had known for some time that someone had been following her, but she had no idea who it was. When Maya was giving one of her students helicopter flying lessons, she spotted the car that had been following her. She chased the car, leaving her shocked students behind and discovered that Corey the Whistle had been the one who was tailing her the whole time. The helicopter chase was a nice touch that added some excitement to the show. In the book, Maya corners Corey at Leather and Lace and forces him to tell her why he has been following her.

3 Coach Dawson's Arrest

Coach Dawson Was Not A Suspect In Joe's Murder

When Joe was shot, Maya told the police that she had spotted two men fleeing on motorcycles from the crime scene. Upon further investigation, the police discovered that one of the motorcycles belonged to Abby's soccer coach, Philip Dawson. Coach Dawson was arrested and taken in for questioning, but it soon became clear that he had nothing to do with Joe's death. His son, PJ, had been the one who had stolen the bike and had fled the crime scene when Joe was shot. In the book, Coach Dawson barely gets any attention except for the time when Maya pulls down his pants because he is bullying Abby.

2 Corey The Whistle’s Arrest

Maya Did Not Sell Corey Out

Corey the Whistle had been secretly meeting Claire to get dirt on the Burkett family. In exchange for her cooperation, Corey agreed not to release the audio of the video that showed Maya disobeying orders from her superiors, which led to the deaths of civilians. When Joe discovered that Claire was selling his family out to Corey, he tortured her and then killed her. Maya eventually found out that Claire and Corey had been meeting privately and that her husband had killed her sister so he could silence her.

Kierce discovered that Maya had been meeting with an unknown man, so he brought her in for questioning, and she told him about Corey. Corey was then brought in for questioning, and he revealed what he and Claire had been investigating. In the book version, Maya does not sell Corey out, and Corey never gets arrested. Maya keeps whatever information she has uncovered about her sister’s death because she knows that is the only way she could find out why Claire had been killed. Additionally, Corey is extremely adept at hiding from the officials. He wouldn’t have given himself up or his source so easily.

1 The Ending In The Series Is Different From The Book

Detective Kierce Lets Maya Go Instead Of Arresting Her

In the Fool Me Once ending, DS Kierce found out that Maya was the one who killed Joe when one of the bikers who was in the park confessed. Kierce confronted Maya, but instead of arresting her, she convinced him to let her go so she could make the Burkett family pay for their crimes. The two had a heart-to-heart conversation, and Kierce told Maya about his illness, which he suspected was caused by the drugs he was taking. However, in the book version, DS Kierce doesn't arrest Maya for killing Joe. Instead, Maya dies before the police can arrest her for the crime.

Another significant difference in the ending between the book and the series is DS Kierce's appearance at the hospital when Lily gives birth to baby Maya. The series portrayed DS Kierce as having been part of Lily's life after Maya died. However, in the book, Kierce is not part of the entourage in Lily's hospital room, nor had he been part of Lily's life when she was growing up. In the ending scenes of the novel, only Shane, Eddie, Abby, Daniel, and Dean are present. Fool Me Once's most confusing character, Shane, is the one that holds baby Maya and not Detective Kierce as the series portrayed.

Source: CBS Mornings