Netflix viewers who tuned into Run Away, the eight-part mystery thriller starring Gavin & Stacey‘s Ruth Jones and Midsomer Murders‘ Annette Badland, are hooked after all eight episodes landed on the streamer on New Year’s Day.

The new series, which is based on Harlan Coben’s 2019 novel, follows a father called Simon, whose world turns upside down when his eldest daughter Paige (Ellie de Lange) runs away from home.

You know you’re in for a treat when a project comes from Harlan Coben, whose novels have inspired major on-screen hits like Netflix’s Fool Me Once and The Stranger, as well as Prime Video’s Lazarus.

Having seen the first two episodes ahead of launch, I can say that fans of twisty mystery thrillers with a clever sleuth will find plenty to enjoy. The show fits neatly into Netflix’s growing catalogue of Coben thrillers, which tend to favour twisty narratives and morally complex characters. Plus, with a cast including James Nesbitt, Ruth Jones, Minnie Driver and Alfred Enoch, how can you resist?

Keep reading to find out what fans are saying about the new series…

Tracy Ann Oberman© Ben Blackall/Netflix

What are viewers saying about Run Away?

The show has gone down a treat with viewers, who have hailed it as “excellent” and are bingeing multiple episodes in one go in true Harlan Coben style.

“Going on to episode 6, it’s brilliant!!” penned one viewer on Instagram, while another wrote: “We’re on episode two and we’re hooked.” A third added: “Watched three episodes so far… so gripping.”

James Nesbitt and Elle de Lange © Ben Blackall/Netflix

Run Away’s Rotten Tomatoes score

While it’s still early days, the show is currently sitting at an 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

In its four-star review, The Standard wrote: “James Nesbitt just about manages to hang onto our sympathies as Simon, and the sheer amount of camp melodrama we get delivered will go down nicely with a glass of Pepto-Bismol. Ahh… remember to keep those eyelids open.”

Meanwhile, Variety wrote: “Full of shocking twists and turns and gruesome violence, which are par for the course with all of Coben’s works, the show is an entertaining maze from its opening scene until the close.”

woman and man sitting in cafe© Ben Blackall/Netflix

What is Run Away about?

The series follows multiple interconnecting plotlines, but first centres on Simon, who was living a perfect life before his eldest daughter Paige ran away and everything fell apart.

The synopsis continues: “So now when he finds her, vulnerable and strung out on drugs in a city park, he finally has the chance to bring his little girl home. But it turns out she’s not alone, and an argument escalates into shocking violence.

woman and man lying on sofa© Ben Blackall/Netflix

“In the aftermath, Simon loses his daughter all over again, and his search to find her will take him into a dangerous underworld, revealing deep secrets that could tear his family apart forever.”

woman standing behind police tape© Ben Blackall/Netflix

What did the cast say about Run Away?

Speaking to press ahead of its release, James Nesbitt said: “To play this part, and the relentlessness of it, was a privilege, but also to then have the relationship that Simon has with Elena [Ruth Jones’s character] was very important. And it kind of came, I think, at a good time for both of us, not only in terms of finding the parts that you were playing, but also because you just need to have a bit of enjoyment in it.”

When asked what it was like to work with James, Ruth added: “I hadn’t worked with Jimmy before and I was a little trepidatious about it because I’ve always been a big admirer of his work and think he’s a brilliant actor and I felt slightly fraudulent.

“But instantly we just seemed to click and I think it’s a really lovely on-screen relationship because, spoiler alert, it’s not a romance, but I think that’s quite refreshing.”