THE GOODBYE MAN by Jeffery Deaver
THE GOODBYE MAN is Jeffery Deaver’s second novel in a new series featuring “bounty hunter” Colter Shaw. Deaver has done this at other times with standalone novels and even another series of novels featuring Katherine Dance. Of course Deaver’s most popular series of novels is the one centered on Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs. That series is one of my all time favorites so any book not about Rhyme and Sachs starts out handicapped by my preferences.
Still this Colter Shaw story gets off to a quick start concerning him going after two young men who each have a reward surrounding them. As he gets further into his investigation he learns facts that lead him to enter a cult undercover. His experiences there make up the bulk of the book.
Wth Shaw, Deaver has created an interesting character and with the cult setting he has plotted a unique and suspenseful story. You certainly get enmeshed as a reader in finding out the who, what and why of the situation.
So why am I not screaming at you that you must read this book! One problem is I do not yet know Colter Shaw. Over the two books I am learning his background and his history. I know his father is dead, his older brother is missing and his mother and sister are still alive. Shaw is single and has had romantic entanglements in his past but whether he wants marriage and a family are unknowns. Shaw is like someone you meet and you think you could be friends with, but don’t know enough about them to make a final decision.
Then there is the fact Shaw is basically a loner. He has people who work for him and take care of scheduling and administrative duties but they are not players in any of the stories thus far. Most lead characters need a supporting cast and Shaw certainly does. It is through the supporting characters we could learn how Shaw interacts with people and how he forges relationships.
In THE GOODBYE MAN Shaw does meet people who are useful to him but they are not people who will linger in relationships with him. Shaw is basically a one man band and is more than capable of handling most situations by himself.
Jeffery Deaver is one of the best author of novels writing today. He has a shrewd, calculating mind that presents readers with unique experiences. You never have to worry he has a ghost writer churning out books for him. For those reasons I would read anything he places before us. Still reading THE GOODBYE MAN I miss Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs. And to take it farther I even miss Kathryn Dance.
THE GOODBYE MAN is published by G P Putnam’s Sons. It contains 416 pages and sells for $28.00.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com
