‘Run Away’ series review: Perfect pulp to kick off the New Year

Harlan Coben comes through with yet another twisty thrill-filled adaptation for the New Year. Other than his Myron Bolitar series, Coben has written a series of standalone novels featuring ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances.

As part of a multimillion dollar deal with Netflix, which has since been renewed, Coben’s novels have been adapted into gripping miniseries. The adaptations have been moved from the novels’ U.S. setting to across the globe, with each country bringing in a unique flavour. While the Polish adaptations have been grim and the Spanish ones gritty, it is the British adaptations that are the most bonkers.

Danny Brocklehurst, who has worked on other Coben novels including The Stranger, The Five, Safe, Stay Close, Fool Me Once and Lazarus, has also adapted Run Away from Coben’s 2019 novel.

Simon Greene (James Nesbitt) seems to be living the perfect life with his paediatrician wife, Ingrid (Minnie Driver), and their three children, Paige (Ellie de Lange), Sam (Adrian Greensmith) and Anya (Ellie Henry). Simon works with his sister-in-law, Yvonne (Ingrid Oliver), in a wealth management firm.

The Greenes are a close-knit family until Paige goes to university, where she falls in with the highly undesirable Aaron (Thomas Flynn), gets into drugs and runs away. Desperately searching for Paige, Simon sees her busking at a park and gets into an altercation with Aaron, which turns Simon into a viral sensation for being the suited man beating up a poor person.

A still from ‘Run Away’
| Photo Credit:
Netflix

When the police in the form of handsome DS Isaac Fagbenle (Alfred Enoch) and DC Ruby Todd (Amy Gledhill) come calling and Aaron ends up dead with his throat cut, Simon, or worse, Paige, seem the obvious suspects.

In another part of town, there are two personable young people, Ash (Jon Pointing) and Dee Dee (Maeve Courtier-Lilley) killing people from a list. There is also a cop-turned-private-investigator, Elena Ravenscroft (Ruth Jones) searching for a missing boy who might have communicated with Paige and who may also be connected to Ash and Dee Dee’s victims. Elena has her secrets too as she stalks a café owner.

There is genetics, a smarmy professor, (Sam Swainsbury), a date rape, revenge, adoptions, secret families, and of course a cult ruled by a charismatic fraud. Revelations come thick and fast with everyone hiding secrets — from the investigators to the victims and perpetrators (if there was a family dog, it would have been hiding a secret too!). The cast, including Nesbitt and Driver, look as though they had a blast making the mini-series and carry us along a happy tide of bizarre revelations.  

After all the end-of-year festivities, Run Away is just what the doctor ordered to ride out the hangover or face the New Year — lies, mystery, murder, and beautiful, well-dressed people in wonderful homes.   

Run Away is currently streaming on Netflix