Harlan Coben is the master of twisty page-turners and, increasingly, television shows. The prolific crime writer has had a number of his thrillers adapted for the screen and the latest film, “Missing You,” will have Netflix viewers talking once again, following the success of his last adaptation for the streamer, “Fool Me Once.” one of the streamer’s most popular shows in 2024.

For Coben, showrunner Victoria Asare-Archer and the cast, the challenge was balancing these exciting cliffhangers with character development and relationships that viewers could relate to. “We wanted to keep the twists and tension,” Coben said during a press release for the series in November. “But I think, as (producer) Nicola Shindler mentioned, this is also a love story. The story between Kat and Josh is really the focus here.”

The character is Detective Inspector Kat Donovan, played by “Slow Horses” star Rosalind Eleazar. After the death of her father (played by Lenny Henry) and the failed engagement to Josh (Ashley Walters), she’s still trying to pick up the pieces and uncover a secret that could give her the answers she’s been looking for. “It has all the typical Harlan things that people love,” Henry said. “These fascinating details, these relationships and these hooks.”

But what sets it apart from a typical procedural, in Henry’s eyes, is the focus on the relationships between Kat and her friends, family and colleagues, including her boss Ellis Stagger (Richard Armitage, his fourth Coben adaptation).

“I think what’s happened these days is that we allow family and relationships to permeate these things,” Henry said. “It is the humanity of the drama that makes us want to watch it. It’s not just the procedural element, it’s everything now.”

“We’ve had a bit of a revolution in television,” the Rings of Power star added. “And for that I say hurrah.”

For Coben, who weaved in storylines about Kat’s aunts and their friendships amidst the suspense, this adaptation was the most moving of all his work to date. “This is the most emotional ending I’ve ever experienced,” he admitted. “When I saw episode 5, I actually cried. I think I may have had a little tear in my eye during “Fool Me Once” too. But I think this will be the most emotional series.”

Of course, that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of tension (Henry joked: “It’s like crack for TV”). Eleazar, who was invited to audition shortly after her marriage, said she spent her honeymoon reading the novel – something she joked her new husband “wasn’t particularly happy about.”

“The book is incredible,” she said. “It’s a real page-turner and the final moments are simply the most shocking. I didn’t expect the story to turn out like that at all.”

Asare-Archer also said she was shocked by the ending when she first read the book. “I thought, ‘I’ll guess the ending.’ “I will predict who the killer is,” she recalled reading. “And it was the only book I made it to the end of – gasp – I went straight back to the beginning. Even I couldn’t predict it. It’s definitely both emotional and with a big twist.”

When it came to adapting it for television, the author said she was aware that many fans would be tempted to binge-watch the five episodes, which were released simultaneously on Netflix on Wednesday. But she didn’t let that affect how she approached the adaptation.

“Our job is to write brilliant stories and make a brilliant series. It’s up to the audience to decide how they want to see it,” she said. “But if the show is as compelling, characterful and emotional as we think it is, I think it should be a show you don’t want to stop watching. You want to keep going… and it’s only five episodes, so it’s a perfect New Year’s rush!”