In Harlan Coben’s latest book, he gives you a big spoiler on the first page.
I Will Find You is centred around a man who is in prison for murdering his son – but he reveals very early he didn’t do it.
“I know the beginning, I know the end, I know nothing in between,” he explained to Sky News about his writing process.
“So it’s like travelling from my home state of New Jersey across the country to LA – I may go Route 80, I’ll maybe go via the Suez Canal or stop in Tokyo, but I always end up in LA.”
And it’s this method that has kept people turning the thriller writer’s pages since 1995 – with 35 books making up his ever-growing bibliography.
Coben, who has won a raft of literary awards, said his inspiration comes from playing with the idea of a perfect life, and the outside forces that could change any aspect of it.
“I guess I like secrets, I like the past, I like things we think are buried that aren’t, I like family dynamics – you kind of mix all that together.
“Maybe you had that old relationship that you let go… you turned left instead of right – so what happens when things go the other way?
“What changes in your entire life? That sort of thing always fascinates me.”
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And as well as seemingly constantly writing books (he said he loved being out and about, but admitted he eventually longs to be back in the writing room), he also has a big-money deal with Netflix, which is adapting a number of his books.
Fool Me Once is currently in production at the streamer, with Coben serving as executive producer as he does on all his TV projects, and will boast a big-name cast, with the likes of Michelle Keegan, Richard Armitage and Joanna Lumley involved.
Talking about seeing his projects come to fruition, Coben said: “The first time I go on set and I see all of these people putting it together, the cast and crew all bringing it to life, I can’t help but think to myself, ‘man, I had this little idea in my house in New Jersey and now all these talented people… [are] bringing it to life for 190 countries, to over 200 million subscribers’.
“I can actually get genuinely moved when I’m on set, it’s pretty cool.”
But on the pressures of being a writer in 2023, Coben explained he isn’t fearful of how his books are received, and his writing reflects the ideals of his characters.
“I guess I don’t listen to the external voices, but the world is different, and so you have to reflect that,” he said.
“My novels take place in the present day, so my characters will speak now differently than when I wrote a book in 1989 or something like that.
“They should speak differently – the world is different.
“I try not to worry about it in the sense of… I’m not fearful of it, and some characters are good, and some characters are bad, and how they speak should reflect that as well.”
The new novel I Will Find You is available now, with titles such as The Stranger and Too Close also available to stream on Netflix.
Social media star “Big John” Fisher has said he is being deported from Australia after he was detained over visa issues.
Fisher, known for reviewing fast food online, arrived in Australia on Tuesday for appearances in Perth and Sydney.
In posts on his Instagram, he said he was questioned by border officials for four hours in the city of Perth.
He said he was due to head home on Wednesday, his birthday, at 6.30pm local time.
“My visa was legal coming in but they are not happy with what I am doing here so they are sending me home,” he said. “To be truthful, I just want to go home now.
“When common sense goes out the window you lose a bit of hope with human beings.
“Well even though I am under lock and key it’s my birthday, I’m still smiling and I still love Australia.
“Just can’t wait to get home to my family and good old England.”
It is understood Fisher was travelling on an incorrect visa.
An Australian Border Force spokesperson said it did not comment on individual passengers.
Fisher, who has more than 680,000 followers on Instagram, went viral for his love of Chinese takeaway and is best known for his use of the catchphrase “bosh”.
He makes regular appearances at restaurants, clubs and major events around the world.
His son, British heavyweight boxer Johnny Fisher, wrote on Instagram: “The Aussies have detained Big John and are sending him home- rumour has it they are frightened of his express pace bowling ahead of the Ashes.”
They’re getting through 70kg of rice a day and the wholesaler has run out of noodles. Yes, Sumo returns to London on Wednesday.
It’s just the second time a Grand Tournament has been held outside of Japan – and this is a sport that has records going back more than 1,500 years.
It’s 34 years since the Royal Albert Hall hosted the only previous such event on foreign soil – and the appetite for tickets meant all five days sold out immediately.
Much of the focus is on the two grand champions or yokozuna, the 74th and 75th men to attain the rank.
They’re the Mongolian Hoshoryu Tomokatsu, plus Japan’s Onosato Daiki – who this year became the quickest wrestler to achieve the rank in the modern era.
“I’m happy that Sumo is back after so many years,” Onosato said. “I hope I can show the UK fans how fantastic Sumo is.”
“Being a yokozuna has a lot of responsibility,” Hoshoryu told Sky Sports. “We have to show everyone an example of what a yokozuna is – and that’s very difficult.
“My uncle was a yokozuna – and I’m happy to follow in his footsteps. But I came here to London as a yokozuna which he didn’t, so I’m even happier.”
The two are already great rivals.
Image: Onosato Daiki became the quickest ever to achieve yokozuna rank. Pic: AP
At the recent Aki Basho – the most prestigious tournament on the sumo calendar – the pair finished with identical records after 15 days of bouts.
It all came down to a final play-off between the two yokozuna – the first time that had happened in 16 years. It was Onosato who came out on top on that occasion.
Hoshoryu says he is a big fan of basketball and football. He follows Chelsea, although his favourite players are going back a bit: “Didier Drogba and Petr Cech. He’s the ‘keeper. I like this guy!”
Early starts and a hearty stew: The life of a rikishi
The wrestlers – or rikishi – have a rigorous training regime.
They live in communal blocks called stables and practice starts early. Perhaps surprisingly, everyone skips breakfast. After training and practice – and for the younger rikishi, chores – the wrestlers all eat together.
The staple of their diet is chankonabe, a hearty stew packed with meat and vegetables. The feeding of the 40 rikishi who have come over for the five-day tournament is a challenge in itself.
Donagh Collins, the CEO of co-organisers Askonas Holt, said: “We are going through 70 kilos of rice a day. Somebody told me that the wholesaler for the noodles has run out of noodles. We’re really pushing the system here.”
The ring – or dohyo – is just 4.55m in diameter and quite small when two giant wrestlers leap at each other.
The aim of the fights is to either get your opponent onto the floor – or, more spectacularly, shove or hurl them out of the dohyo, so spectators in the ringside seats may be getting extremely up-close to the wrestlers.
The last time the tournament was in Britain, the massive Konishiki, known as the Dump Truck, took centre stage.
The giant Hawaiian was the heaviest-ever rikishi coming in at 287kg – or 45 stone. That’s a lot of wrestler to dodge if he comes falling out of the ring towards you.
The Royal Albert Hall may be firstly a concert venue, but it has hosted the likes of John McEnroe, Lennox Lewis and even Muhammad Ali.
And for the next five days, the cream of the world of sumo will be thrilling the crowds – provided a new noodle supplier is found.
What is a yokozuna?
Yokozuna is the highest rank in sumo, with its name meaning “horizontal rope” and refers to the rope worn around a competitor’s waist as they enter the ring.
Grammy-award winning R&B and soul singer D’Angelo has died following a battle with pancreatic cancer, his family has said.
He died on Tuesday, leaving behind a “legacy of extraordinarily moving music” following a “prolonged and courageous battle with cancer,” his family said in a statement.
The prominent musician, born Michael D’Angelo Archer, was 51 years old.
A family statement said: “We are saddened that he can only leave dear memories with his family, but we are eternally grateful for the legacy of extraordinarily moving music he leaves behind.
“We ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time, but invite you all join us in mourning his passing while also celebrating the gift of song that he has left for the world.”
The singer rose to prominence in the 1990s with his first album, Brown Sugar.
The track “Lady” from that album reached No. 10 in March 1996 and remained on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for 20 weeks.