Bea Reviews The Goodbye Man by Jeffery Deaver

Series: Colter Shaw #2
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher:  G.P. Putnam's Sons
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: May 12th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble |
 Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
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Blurb from goodreads:

A thrilling new Colter Shaw adventure by the master of suspense, Jeffery Deaver.

In pursuit of two young men accused of terrible hate crimes, Colter Shaw stumbles upon a clue to another mystery. In an effort to save the life of a young woman--and possibly others--he travels to the wilderness of Washington State to investigate a mysterious organization. Is it a community that consoles the bereaved? Or a dangerous cult under the sway of a captivating leader? As he peels back the layers of truth, Shaw finds that some people will stop at nothing to keep their secrets hidden.

All the while, Shaw must unravel an equally deadly enigma: locating and deciphering a message hidden by his father years ago, just before his death--a message that will have life-and-death consequences.

My Thoughts:

The book started with a bang and pulled me right in. Like the first book, The Never Game, it starts in the middle of a tense and exciting scene. After playing out the scene, Deaver then backtracks and brings you up to date.

The book was fast-paced for about the first third to half of the story and then slows down for a bit once Colter has penetrated the possible cult. Then we get too much exposition, for my taste anyway, some introspection, and getting in touch with one's emotions. Then the pace picks up again, slows down again towards the end, and then one last bang Literally. I mostly liked it. That middle part was a little slow for me. It's kind of funny really that I didn't like the introverted part more since I'm such an introvert. Ah well. Also, I have some baggage where that particular setting is concerned so that may have affected things. In fact, Deaver did an excellent with is portrayal and managed to be fair in his depiction. Deaver pulls several twists during the story, most of which I really didn't see coming.

I do like Colter Shaw,  and his many, many talents, including his habit of quantifying actions and events as risk percentages. He is, by upbringing and by choice, an outdoorsman, with all the skills that entails. He doesn't like being confined, not even to a schedule. I also like the way he makes his living; it's unusual in books. No idea about real life. But the work suits him, and it's fascinating to see Colter work and try to follow or anticipate his thinking. I usually fail. :D He's smart, clever, and always several steps ahead. He's compassionate, which lands him in trouble a few times; he's kind, but not a soft touch; he's stubborn and persistent; and he prefers action to just sitting around.

"The Goodbye Man" was solid entertainment. It did have slow parts but it was overall exciting and engrossing. I'm looking forward to book three, assuming there will be one.

Friday Book Memes -  The Goodbye Man
My review of book 1, The Never Game
Friday 56 - The Never Game