Harlan Coben's Lazarus Review: The Dead Don't Rest — And Neither Does the Past

Critic’s Rating: 3.75 / 5.0

3.75

If grief had a soundtrack, it would sound like the quiet hum inside Harlan Coben’s Lazarus. 

Sam Claflin anchors this haunting new Prime Video series as Joel “Laz” Lazarus — a forensic psychiatrist whose grip on reality begins to slip after the sudden death of his father, a revered doctor with a few too many secrets buried under his polished reputation. 

What starts as a family tragedy slowly turns into something much darker, and by the time you realize what’s really happening, it’s already too late to look away.

The setup feels simple enough: a son returns home to settle his father’s affairs, only to find the ghosts of his (and his father’s) past waiting for him. 

But “ghosts” in Coben’s world don’t always mean the dead — sometimes they’re the parts of ourselves we’ve spent a lifetime running from. 

Laz isn’t just mourning his dad; he’s drowning in old guilt, family trauma, and unanswered questions. Then, one sleepless night, the past starts talking back. Literally. 

Navigating the living and the dead is just as difficult as you’d imagine, and Claflin delivers the kind of performance that makes you lean forward and watch his face. 

You see every flicker of doubt, every flash of panic. He’s fragile and furious, tender and terrifying — often in the same breath. 

The camera loves him, but not in a flattering way. It studies him. And the deeper Laz spirals, the more it feels like we’re being pulled into a nightmare that might not even be his.

Stylistically, the series is drenched in atmosphere. The cinematography makes the English countryside feel like a living, breathing specter — damp, beautiful, and heavy with secrets. 

Every creak of an old house or shadow in the corner might be real… or might be Laz’s unraveling mind. 

The line between supernatural and psychological is razor-thin, and that’s where Lazarus lives.

It’s also a rare Harlan Coben adaptation that doesn’t rely on a puzzle-box plot. Sure, there are twists — plenty of them — but what sticks is the emotion. 

This isn’t about who was killed and by whom. 

It’s about how loss metastasizes when left untreated, about fathers and sons repeating each other’s mistakes, and about the patterns we inherit and the pain we pass along.

It’s a lot, but it’s not depressing and morose.

That’s due to the quick pacing that literally keeps you on the edge of your seat, waiting for the next shoe to drop. And in true streaming fashion, each episode ends in such a way that you won’t be leaving the couch.

And just when you think you’ve figured it out? 

The show tears open another layer, and the whole story shifts under your feet. 

That’s your cue to stop reading think pieces and start watching — before someone on social media ruins the ending.

And if you’re the type who wants to solve the mystery, might I suggest a notebook? Little details are anything but in this story.

Harlan Coben’s Lazarus isn’t just another murder mystery; it’s a slow descent into guilt, love, madness, and legacy — and it’ll stick with you long after the credits roll. 

Watch it now, while the ghosts are still whispering and the internet hasn’t started screaming.

All six episodes of Harlan Coben’s Lazarus will be available to stream on Prime Video beginning Wednesday, October 22.