Just One Look is the latest Harlan Coben mystery streaming on Netflix. This one is a six parter set in Poland. It stars Maria Debska as Greta, a woman who sees an old photograph of her husband and starts a hunt into past secrets.
Just One Look is typical Coben. As fans of his mysteries know, he’s reliable in the genre. His stories are full of intertwined plotlines, twists and surprises, lots of suspense, and compelling events to keep you reading or pushing play.
The story jumps back and forth between the present and events of 15 years ago when a fire after a concert killed several people. Greta was at that concert but doesn’t remember the time before or after it. She is scarred from the fire.
Greta and her husband Jacek (Cezary Lukaszewicz) have two kids and a strong marriage. She’s an artist and photographer, still shooting with film. When she retrieves her latest batch of printed photos, there’s an odd one in the stack. It shows her husband as part of the band that was performing the night of the fire. When Greta asks Jacek about it, he leaves the house and doesn’t come back.
Greta puts Jacek’s photo on social media asking if anyone knows where he is. That attracts a lot of wrong attention.
A prosecutor (Miroslaw Zbrojewicz) shows up on her doorstep asking questions about the fire. His daughter was in the band and died that night. The questions with no answers start piling up.
In the past when watching Coben mysteries about people with children, I’ve often asked, “Who’s watching the kids?” That detail is finally part of the story. Greta’s friend Kamila (Marta Malikowska) does a lot of kid watching. Kamila has her own subplot around her neighbor and the killer.
Yes, there’s a killer dispatched when the questions about the fire start surfacing. He’s Macher (Mirosław Haniszewski) and he’s after several people at once.
When Jacek has been missing long enough, Greta goes to the police. Det. Dalewski (Mirosław Kropielnick) gets the case. He’s a decent cop and has a woman deputy helping him. He’s not very interested in Greta’s story at first, but when it gets exciting he gets to work.
For some reason, Greta had a gangster protecting her (Andrzej Zieliński). He sent her flowers on the anniversary of the fire and dispatched his men to keep her and her children safe.
A couple of other characters are significant. Jimmy (Cezary Lukaszewicz) was in the band and may or may not have written the hit song “Just One Look.” Sandra (Monika Krzywkowska), Jacek’s lawyer, turned out to be someone important to Jacek in other ways.
Overall, this was an engaging and suspenseful series. It’s convoluted and complex. It’s worth a watch by mystery lovers.
You can see the trailer on YouTube. If you watch the series, I’d love to hear your thoughts. The comments are open.
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Hi, I am Alicia from Argentina. On December 30, 2004 there was a fire in Buenos Aires at a Club named Cromañon where a very popular band was playing. There were 198 people dead, and the owner and other persons in prison because of the safety of the place.
Just One Look remembered me this tragedy. There is a series named Cromañon on Prime Video if you like to watch it.
Alicia Julia Bianchi
Thanks for sharing that information
All’s fine until the plot set up by the author asking Mirosław Haniszewski) the kidnapper/assasin decides to go too far on his assignment. He has a strong penchant for physical violence.
Why did the special services blond woman use her phone in the garage basement of all places instead of going to the ‘bathroom’ to call for help?
It possibly could of saved her from ending up in a painful death.
Also I found Det. Dalewski (Mirosław Kropielnick) the chief police investigator too lax in his attitude and handling of this affair. He never used back up apart from a junior active police agent. Leaving the victim’s wife to take protective action. Why did a one car officer attend the property without calling it in before entering the hostage premises of the assasinated owner claiming that he lived there.
And the officer must of known once his gun was drawn following up the assasin gun too close to the killers back would result in turning the tables in favour of the killer.
Also in the epilogue of the episode the question was put by the prosecutor to Greta, who took the photo?
did she pretend all along not to know the past event?
You did watch carefully! Wish I had an answer for your questions.