Fans of Harlan Coben know his stories are full of strange disappearances, dark secrets, and intense mysteries. His new series I Will Find You, coming to Netflix on June 18, is no exception — and now there’s a new cover for Coben’s bestselling 2023 novel of the same name, featuring the stars of the forthcoming adaptation.

Coben worked alongside showrunner and co-creator Robert Hull (Quantum Leap, Alcatraz) to translate the work into a tense eight-episode thriller series, starring Sam Worthington (Avatar, Lift), Britt Lower (Severance, Man Seeking Woman), and Milo Ventimiglia (This Is Us, Gilmore Girls). 

For Coben, this adaptation marked a change in his usual approach. “I came to Robbie Hull with this idea, and we brought it to Netflix as a possible TV show while I was writing the novel, which I’ve never done before,” the author tells Tudum. “Netflix jumped right on board. They’ve been a really wonderful partner. It’s my 13th series with them. They really give you the space and support to make something that people want to watch.”

The drama series stars Worthington as David Burroughs, a wrongfully convicted father serving a life sentence for murdering his son. But when he receives word that his son may actually be alive, David embarks on a truth-finding mission that leads him out of prison and into a world of deceit and despair. “When his sister-in-law, Rachel [Britt Lower], visits, she shows him a photograph, and in the background, deep behind everybody, they both spot a child they swear is David’s son — still alive. How can that be? That’s how I Will Find You opens, and we go from there,” says Coben. 

Collaborating with Coben on this twisty tale was “a dream come true” for Hull. The pair first met a few years ago when Hull was chasing another of Coben’s novel series. “I met him first and foremost as a fan,” Hull tells Tudum. “I’ve read every novel he’s ever written. It’s always a little nerve-racking to meet somebody you look up to and idolize a little bit because you’re afraid that they’ll let you down, but Harlan doesn’t let you down. As a writer, it’s a real gift to be able to take a story, go off the beaten path, explore different avenues, and always have this incredible road map of the novel to come back to when you get lost, which we often did.”

They may have wandered off the beaten path a little, but Hull and Coben were on the same page when it came to how they wanted the audience to experience the story. “Robbie and I shared a vision in how we wanted to tell I Will Find You so it would grip you — and not just grip you and move you, but really get emotional at the end,” says Coben. “This story starts in a very dark place, and so I wanted to figure out a way to tell a story that also had light, also had hope, and also had optimism.”

See the light and dark shades for yourself when I Will Find You premieres on June 18.