If You Love Twisty Mysteries, You Need To Watch ‘Shelter’ On Prime

You know that feeling you get when you’re watching a twisty thriller and you’re filled with theories? Your mind is like one of those pinboards in a crime show, red yarn connecting the dots between motives and suspects and the clues no one else seems to have noticed. And the moment your theories come true, there’s the pride in being one of the few who figured it out. Or, even better, you end up with a twist so devious and sublime that you’re thrilled you never saw it coming. I’m always on the prowl for new twisty thrillers that can give me just that. With the amount of mysteries peppered throughout the first episode alone of Amazon Prime’s new series, Harlan Coben’s Shelter, there’s a chance you’ll experience both of those feelings.

As the name suggests, Harlan Coben’s Shelter is based on the YA coming-of-age suspense/thriller series of novels. It starts with teen Mickey Bolitar as he just moved to Los Angeles with his family. After a great day on the beach with his mother and father, a car accident injures his mom and kills his dad. 

Mickey’s now back in his dad’s hometown, a small and mildly spooky suburb in New Jersey. Staying with his aunt, he’s just trying to fit in at a new school while navigating grief and loss. Everything seems okay. He makes a few friends–also outcasts like him–and even meets a girl named Ashley. She’s new to the school, too.

But when Ashley goes missing the next day, and some weird activity is happening in the neighborhood’s spooky and ominous house, Mickey and his friends need to figure out what’s going on in this town. Even with just the first episode, you’re introduced to an array of mysterious threads. What’s with the adults in town? What happened decades ago, and how does it now connect to Mickey and the rest of the teenagers just trying to make it through another year of high school? What happened to Ashley?

Here’s a quick look at the cast (You might recognize some familiar faces).

The Teen Cast of Harlan Coben’s Shelter

It’s this unlikely trio of misfits that first sets off to solve the mystery of their friends’ disappearances as well as the increasing list of oddities that unfold as they keep digging. In the center is Mickey Bolitar, the new kid who moves to this small New Jersey town after a personal tragedy. He’s played by Jaden Michael from Colin in Black & White (2021).

Joining Mickey on his journey is Spoon, to the right, the friendly-yet-quirky welcoming committee who’s Mickey’s first introduction to the school. He’s played by Adrian Greensmith, who you might know from Metal Lords (2022). And the pair finally get joined by Ema, the school outcast who clearly has some secrets of her own. She’s played by Abby Corrigan from Castle Rock (2019) and Homeland (2012). 

If you’re in the mood to solve some mysteries alongside these teens, watch Harlan Coben’s Shelter now on Prime Video.