Best-Selling Author Harlan Coben Says 'Don't Let Go' Is Rooted In Local Urban Legend

NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – Best-selling thriller writer Harlan Coben has released his 30th novel, "Don't Let Go."

He recently stopped by our studios for the WCBS Author Talks podcast.

Coben, who grew up in New Jersey, told Pat Farnack the book is rooted in local urban legend he first heard as a kid.

"I grew up in Livingston, New Jersey. And behind an elementary school in the woods there were these barbed wire fences with razor wires and signs saying, 'No Trespassing.' And when I was a kid, the rumor was it was a secret military base," he recalls. "Well it turns out that's true. It was a Nike missile base with nuclear capabilities. There was about 12 or 13 of them in New Jersey that were supposed to protect New York and Philly. They were built in the '50s; they lasted until the early '70s. And years later, I found out it was true. And it always kind of stuck in my head. And I thought that would be a cool place to sort of start a book."

Coben is not only keeping busy writing novels. He's also the creator of the Netflix series, "Harlan Coben's The Five."

"It's a 10-episode crime drama. You will be hopefully gripped from the very first scene. There's five kids playing in the woods – four older, one younger – and they send the younger brother home. They say, 'Just get out of here, the teenagers are trying to play.' We see him walk down a path, and then poof, he's gone," he says. "Twenty years pass. No one knows what happened to him. The other four have all grown up. And they find DNA at a murder scene that shows that the kid is still alive."

He says the binge-worthy show will be followed up with another Netflix series next year, called "Safe," featuring "Dexter" star Michael C. Hall.

Find the full WCBS Author Talks interview above. It's also featured in this week's podcast, which is available on iTunes and Radio.com.