I probably say this about every Harlan Coben series I review here (11 and counting so far) that it's the best of all the adaptations of Harlan Coben novels I've had the pleasure to see (I haven't read any of them), but (a) it's true, and (b) I Will Find You, just up on Netflix, in its high-powered got-you-by-the-throat action and intricate moebius-strip complexity of the characters and their loyalties, is in a class of its own.
In fact, I don't recall ever seeing such a roster of characters with questionable loyalties to the man in prison for killing his son, except in some earlier Coben works, and those characters were far fewer in number. As you'll know from seeing the trailer (and there'll be no other spoilers in this review other than what's in the trailer), David Burroughs (the father) didn't do it. And when a current photo turns up in which his son Matthew is alive and well, I Will Find You is off and running. Everyone is suspect in one way or another for doing what really happened, just about every friend and relative and supporter has conflicting interests, and may or may not be part of why Burroughs landed in prison. Even the villains may or may not be responsible for what happened to Burroughs. The Boston police are riddled with bad guys -- nothing new about that -- and the FBI, with a father and daughter somehow working together, bring what we see in the excellent FBI series on CBS to a new level.
A story like this takes great acting, and I Will Find You has it. I haven't seen much if any of Avatar, but I did see him in Titan, and Sam Worthington as David Burroughs does a fine job. I have indeed seen and much enjoyed Britt Lower in Severance, and she's dynamite in this new series. Jonathan Tucker, whom I first saw in The Black Donnellys and then in Debris, brings his usual intensity as Adam, one of the complex cops. Milo Ventimiglia, whom I first saw in Heroes, and Madeleine Stowe, whom I first saw in 12 Monkeys (the movie), play crucial roles. Chi McBride, whom I first saw who knows how many years ago in I, Robot, and Logan Browning, whom I don't recall seeing before, were memorable as the father-and-daughter FBI team. And it's interesting, at least to me, that everyone other than Browning have major science fiction roles in their past. If there are any science fiction producers reading this, I'd recommend they cast Logan Browning for a major action role. She's equally adept at leaping tall buildings and sassy conversation.
Today is Father's Day, and I'm looking forward to seeing my family. I Will Find You was put up on Netflix just a few days ago. In addition to its other virtues, the series makes a good testament to a father's unbending devotion to his son.
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