In this twisty thriller from the New York Times bestselling master of suspense, reward-seeker Colter Shaw infiltrates a sinister cult after learning that the only way to get somebody out . . . is to go in.In the wilderness of Washington State, expert tracker Colter Shaw has located two young men accused of a terrible hate crime. But when his pursuit takes a shocking and tragic turn, Shaw becomes … tragic turn, Shaw becomes desperate to discover what went so horribly wrong and if he is to blame.
Shaw’s search for answers leads him to a shadowy organization that bills itself as a grief support group. But is it truly it a community that consoles the bereaved? Or a dangerous cult with a growing body count?
Undercover, Shaw joins the mysterious group, risking everything despite the fact that no reward is on offer. He soon finds that some people will stop at nothing to keep their secrets hidden . . . and to make sure that he or those close to him say “goodbye” forever.
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Reward-seeker Colter Shaw has discovered two men accused of a despicable hate crime … his pursuit come to a conclusion that leaves him wondering if he is to blame for what happened.
He finds himself involved with a cult representing itself as a grief support group. But is it truly it a community that consoles the bereaved? Or a dangerous cult with a growing body count?
Some people will do whatever it takes to keep their deep dark secrets from seeing the light of day. Colter is going undercover … if he finds what he seeks, will the price be too high?
Although not one of the author’s bests, it is full of twists and turns that kept me reading. There are multiple plots with multiple characters that I found to be confusing at times. Suspense begins on the very first page and maintains a high level throughout. Characters are deftly drawn. Although second in this series, it is easily read as a stand alone. However, I do recommend reading in order.
Many thanks to the author / PENGUIN GROUP Putnam /G.P. Putnam’s Sons / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
I enjoyed this book. Although I don’t care to read about cults, the bibliography looked like the author had done deep research. In one or two places I found the events unrealistic, but on the whole, it was a good read.
I love books that are a follow up book. Always try to read them all.
Deaver is always a great read. Keeps you in suspense and wanting to read till book is finished
The scariest thing about this book is how plausible it is. Very well written suspense novel.
I could not get into this book it was weird. 100 pages and I was Done!
The job description of Colter Shaw is rather absurd for non-Americans. Untrained random citizens that can make a living by getting big pay-offs from fulfilling jobs that the police can’t be bothered or don’t have the resources for searching for runaways or wanted criminals. Not that he seems to need those rewards for in this book he’s very generous in giving away, his earnings. So, he is a professional reward seeker and no detective or lawyer. It is, of course, an excellent premise for a series. As you can imagine that he encounters all sorts of situations.
Here he is chasing 2 men who allegedly vandalised a church and shot the preacher and janitor. Later it turns out to be a little different. But 1 of the men commits suicide by jumping off a cliff at the moment that Shaw apprehends him. So Shaw has a lot of questions and discovers that the dead man recently visited a retreat. He goes undercover to find out more and discovers a cult with some truly evil intentions and practices. On his first day, he witnesses a man being severely beaten and subsequently threatened and later another one murdered followed by the killer’s suicide.
Shaw’s real goal is to find a secret that his deceased father discovered and hid somewhere. But some evil corporation, led by an unscrupulous woman is after that same secret. Not much is said about this matter at the start of this story, but I think that the previous book in this series would have solved this ignorance. At the end of the book though, a lot more about this subject is revealed and you can get by without reading the first book.
Colter Shaw is a decent human being with a very unusual upbringing by a father who trained him and his siblings from an early age in survival techniques. He’s an experienced tracker and hunter. Now he uses his skills to reunite families with their lost loved ones or to get serious criminals behind bars. He’s not an invincible super-hero though and doesn’t like getting into close combat. Such a character with flaws is more realistic. His closest competitor is Dalton Crowe, who’s almost the antitheses of Shaw. Not that Shaw is very likeable at first, he’s the kind of person that has to grow on you, and in that aspect, he’s similar to Lincoln Rhyme.
I admit that I was a bit hesitant to start this book because I loved Deaver’s Rhyme series and I doubted if this new series could be as good. Well, I didn’t need to worry. Although they’re distinctively different in characters and style, this new series is just as good. The only thing I regret is that I missed the first book in the series.
The story grips you from the start and becomes ever more suspenseful with a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. It is told in short crisp chapters that mirror the fast pace of the story. It definitely was an exciting read from a great storyteller.
The author seems to have done extensive research on cults and sects to be able to create such a chilling cult and the people in it. The motivations of both leaders and followers are clearly voiced as well as their practices and the techniques to lure them in and keep them docile. Maybe he did his homework a bit too good; if you’re an evil person, this can be a blueprint to start your own cult.
My biggest criticism is that all the women in the story end up needing to be saved, even an experienced soldier who saved Colter a couple of times prior to that.
I thank Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the free ARC they provided me with and this is my honest, unbiased review.
Good read
Jeffery Deaver never fails to grab my attention! I loved the Goodbye Man. It was a perfect mix of nature and technology. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
A gripping, thriller, The Goodbye Man is the second book in the Colter Shaw series. Twists and turns Shaw is a bounty hunter of sorts who specialises in finding missing persons. This one had me on the edge of my seat unable to put it down until the very end.
Just so-so
Listened to the audio book. Thought it was kind of slow in the beginning. Got better towards the end. Looks like there will be another one.
Why Would Someone So Willingly Kill Himself
A 200 pound rock rolls onto the mountain road right in front of Colter Shaw. Split second decision sends Colter crashing into a granite outcropping hidden by tall grass. As he tries to get out of the rental car, he is being shot at! The story timeline shifts to six hours earlier. Colter is in Gig Harbor, Washington State, to find two youths who were wanted hate crimes. There was a $50,000 and a $900 rewards for information leading to their arrest and conviction. Colter’s competitor is already on the track of the two. After he shakes his competitor, he finds the two in a heavy forested area to the east of Tahoma. They appear to be waiting to be picked up. He calls the local police who arrive but is suspicious of them when they arrive. He sends them the long way around. Goes to where he last saw the two. When Colter approaches, the older one runs and jumps off the cliff to his death. After moving the younger one away, he watches a van pull up from further east. He notices the apparent leader look over the cliff and shows no emotion and chastised one woman that did show emotion. Talking with the younger one, he learns that the older one wanted to take him to a place he recently visited and helped him through the many troubles he was experiencing. The novel proceeds from here.
Colter enrolls in a three-week course at the Osiris Foundation to find out why someone would go so willingly to his death. He finds many obstacles in his way. The author weaved a very good story that captured my interest and compelled me to continue reading.
Most of this novel is spent with Colter in isolation with the rest of the world with the only interactions with other people at the Foundation as he tries to maintain his cover story in perilous conditions, identify and makes friends who may help him in his quest without exposing his real self, and how he applies his father’s survivalist rules so that he has options if things go south. The reader also will see how Colter interacts with his mother and much of that relationship is revealed. Also, some of the people, upon who Colter relies, appear and more about their background and relationship is provided.
Mostly there are only inferences to intimate relationships, one of which was with an underage girl, and some to all were not be consensual. There is some adult language, but not excessive in my opinion. One issue that I had with this novel was that most of it took place in a cult environment. Many of the participants and employees exhibited mindless adoration. I’ve never understood this type of behavior, and this aspect hindered my enjoyment in reading the novel. This is personal and, hopefully, will not bother you while reading it. The other aspect was that the ending is what I call a “Who Shot JR” ending. It was a lead into the next novel in the series. I will say that the author wove this storyline quite well and seamlessly into this novel’s storyline. Otherwise, the novel is well written, engaging and easy to read. On the upside, this novel can be read without having read the first novel without missing anything.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this novel. The cult nature and “Who Shot JR” ending did not allow me to enjoy this novel as fully as I would have wanted. I rate this novel with four stars. If my issues are not important to you, then I would recommend reading this second novel.
I have received a free e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from Penguin Group, G.P. Putnam’s Sons with an expectation for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank Penguin Group, G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.