Harlan Coben is the man. If you haven't read any of his books, then you are missing out on some fine, funny, and absolutely clever writing that will take your world and turn it upside down. Oh, and it's violent, too. Having read the book version of Tell No One, I eagerly awaited its turn as a movie, albeit one produced, acted and delivered by our French colleagues. It's sad that it took some non-English speakers to make this happen (where's the love, America?) but the film shines even with the English dubbing I had to use to compensate for my monolanguistic (is that a word?) ears.

Alex (Francois Cluzet) and Margo (Marie-Josee Croze) are the picture of marital perfection as the movie opens, having been childhood friends and early sweethearts. Unfortunately, Margo is soon ripped from Alex's grasp and he's left alone, wounded and (by some) accused of her murder. Eight years later, Margo mysteriously seems to reappear, thanks to an equally mysterious email, and Alex's love cannot be held back. Undiminished by time, Alex's love proves to be more than the evil forces can bear. This is a true love tale for the mystery lovers and suspense seekers out there.

The villains, and there are plenty, range from the absolutely diabolical to the well-meaning self-servers, and it's hard to tell from the get-go who is who. One woman makes a star turn as a seriously sick individual: I don't know what the movie ought to be rated, but the dread she (and a couple of others) evokes is off the charts. There isn't a ton of violence, but the collision of the "normal" life of Alex with the people who would do him harm is as jarring as a car crash (or Crash). No one, not Alex, not his family, and not his friends are left untouched by the end of his investigation into Margot's death... and that's the beauty of this love.

Marriage, love, whatever you'll call it, gets star treatment here. Gone is any misconception of fleeting fancy or easygoing divorce or separation: Alex's heart still burns with full flame for Margot after eight years of longing. It's a testimony to the plot, the actors, and to love itself. And it's refreshing. If we only had more plots where married people still loved each other instead of round-robin sexual relationships, our silver screens would look dramatically different. Like Disney's motif that starts with an orphaned child who becomes a star, the slick thriller or suspense film seems to demand a hardened traveler who finally falls for the person who comes to their aid while on the mission. That doesn't happen here: alive or dead, Alex's heart belongs to Margo.

And in the end, Tell No One takes a part of my heart. There aren't many movies that have so entranced me while in a language not my own (Pan's Labyrinth is the only other that comes to mind) the way that this one did, and that may be due to my love for the tales of Coben. But this flick will tear at your heart, it will entertain and in the end, it will grab you and demand that you cheer for the hero that Alex is, an everyman hero for eternal love and truth in the inner heart.