Suspense

It was a very intensely written story, that was hard for me to get through. Just my non-interest in cult books. I finished it because it is a good book. ( )

Check out my review of this book on Mystery and Suspense Magazine, a web daily dedicated to books that thrill, at
https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/review-the-goodbye-man/

The Goodbye Man is the second novel in the series featuring Colter Shaw - a professional reward seeker who tracks down missing persons, escapees from law, and anyone else who needs tracking down, for money, though he doesn’t seem to need it much. Brought up by a survivalist father, he is extremely resourceful and is well versed in the arts of survival in the toughest of conditions. This book starts with Shaw picking up the job of finding a couple of young men alleged of defacing a church and shooting at its employees. He tracks down his quarry within few hours and, when the job is almost over, witnesses an incident that makes him suspicious about an organization seemingly helping people overcome the psychological effects of bereavement, terminal illness and other life problems. He then takes up the unpaid job of investigating the organization and enters its campus under a false identity, and unearths some chilling facts about the organization which turns out to be an extremely dangerous cult. Apart from these professional and public-interest projects, Shaw also has a personal mission, of finding out the truth about his father’s death, which stays unfinished by the end of this book, waiting for another.

Jeffery Deaver is one of the best in the thriller game and The Goodbye Man is another testimony to his skill – intact after all these years. He has created, after Lincoln Rhyme, another unusual and intriguing character in Colter Shaw, and it is tremendous fun seeing him in action. I also found the character of Victoria quite interesting and would like to see more of her in the future novels. Deaver has succeeded in delivering yet another page-turner with crisp plotting, entertaining twists and a brisk narrative.

The only thing I didn’t like about this novel is the ending that holds a hook for the next one in the series – it’s unfair, in my opinion. Other than that, The Goodbye Man is a top-notch read for Deaver’s fans as well as thriller aficionados in general. Reading its predecessor, The Never Game, before getting to this one will make the experience better, I feel. I jumped into this directly and felt a bit disoriented with respect to Shaw’s backstory initially. I would rate this unputdownable thriller 4.5 stars out of 5.

My heartfelt thanks to the author, the publisher (HarperCollins), and netgalley.com for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased review. ( )

An excellent follow-up to the first book. I enjoyed the first so much and wondered where would Deaver take Colter Shaw in the second. Wonderful to see him find a potential love! ( )

Jeffery Weaver is one of my favourite authors, guaranteed clever entertaining exciting books, and this is no exception. Astoundingly this is the first book of his i have read for a while, and the second to feature Colter Shaw, a clever cool laidback 'Jack Reacher' type, and though there are references to the previous story works perfectly as a standalone book. Well written and researched with some unexpected for me at least surprises.
Totally recommended. ( )