‘Women deserve better stories’: Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben discuss their thrilling novel

Two titans of storytelling – actress Reese Witherspoon and author Harlan Coben – discuss joining forces to write their gripping thriller Gone Before Goodbye.

As part of our 2025 London Literature Festival, Witherspoon and Coben joined us to celebrate the publication of their first joint endeavour. In this conversation with Pandora Sykes the pair begin by explaining how Witherspoon’s commitment and creativity managed to coerce an author who famously doesn’t do collaborations, into collaborating.

You’ll also hear how Witherspoon’s initial character idea was brought to life by the pair, with the actress able to offer Coben fresh perspective on writing female characters. Characters like Gone Before Goodbye’s protagonist Maggie McCabe, an indomitable woman on a harrowing search for the truth that could expose a conspiracy woven throughout the exclusive world of the global ultra-elite. 

The pair also touch on the pressures that come from bringing individual successes into a partnership, being driven by insecurity, the benefits of reading, book clubs as a means to be subversive and the unexpected challenges that arise from being too specific about cheeses. 

Reese Witherspoon is an award-winning actress, producer and founder. In 2016, she established the media brand Hello Sunshine, which puts women at the centre of every story across all platforms. Hello Sunshine is also home to ‘Reese’s Book Club’, a community propelled by meaningful connections with stories, authors and fellow members.

Harlan Coben is a number one New York Times bestselling author and one of the world’s leading storytellers. His suspense novels, including Fool Me Once and Missing You are published in 46 languages and have been number one bestsellers in more than a dozen countries, with 90 million books in print worldwide.