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jcristy's review against another edition
4.0
Fun read.
Minor spoiler: Can't feel too bad for Linn getting fired from his programming job considering he suggested putting a JPEG, a compressed image, into a RAR archive to save space. I'd forgive him for calling a frame of video a screenshot, but the doubts do add up.
Minor spoiler: Can't feel too bad for Linn getting fired from his programming job considering he suggested putting a JPEG, a compressed image, into a RAR archive to save space. I'd forgive him for calling a frame of video a screenshot, but the doubts do add up.
gailm's review against another edition
5.0
Great first book with a new character by Jeffery Deaver. As usual it's not who you think it is!!!
clak5686's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I enjoyed this first book in the series. Colter Shaw is an interesting character. His backstory unfolds but there is definitely more to learn about him. The mystery was very interesting. I enjoyed following Colter Shaw as he navigated finding out who was guilty. I will definitely read more books in the series. I would recommend this book.
beastreader's review against another edition
3.0
When I read the premise for this book I got very excited. I was really looking forward to reading this book due to the "gamer" elements. In fact, I was hoping that this book would be a mash up of Ready Player One meets Saw. A gamer book with some horror type elements but more mystery. Sadly, I did not experience this during my time reading this book.
Colter is a good leading man. This is a good thing as he will be the feature in this new series from author, Mr. Deaver. Part of the problem I had with this book is that there were a lot of characters thrown at me very quickly; I hardly had any time to familiarize myself with them.
Additionally, The Whispering Man was kind of a whisper. Maybe it was me but I felt like his presence was not as strong as it could have been. Yet, the pacing did make up some of the low points. This was a fast read.
Colter is a good leading man. This is a good thing as he will be the feature in this new series from author, Mr. Deaver. Part of the problem I had with this book is that there were a lot of characters thrown at me very quickly; I hardly had any time to familiarize myself with them.
Additionally, The Whispering Man was kind of a whisper. Maybe it was me but I felt like his presence was not as strong as it could have been. Yet, the pacing did make up some of the low points. This was a fast read.
sampolonsky's review against another edition
5.0
I picked this book up on a whim and it really surprised me. I loved the video game industry tie in and the story kept me guessing the whole time.
thecreatureoftheshadows's review against another edition
4.0
3.75/5
Jeffery Deaver is a brilliant author & the thing is if you’re someone who DNFs a book at 20% because it’s not “catchy”, you will truly miss the essence of his brilliance - he leaves clues in every chapter, dots to connect & it is truly a gratifying experience as you slowly start to grasp what the plot is actually about. That being said, the only downside to this particular book is the theme- being someone who’s entirely uninterested and ignorant when it comes to technology/gaming, it was hard for me to feel interested despite the very intriguing storyline. But what did catch my eye was Shaw’s past & that makes me want to read more of the series. Overall, I was satisfied with the book, it delivered what it promised- a great mystery, a well written book, no loose ends, an interesting protagonist, and a conclusion that compels you to pick up the next book in the series.
Jeffery Deaver is a brilliant author & the thing is if you’re someone who DNFs a book at 20% because it’s not “catchy”, you will truly miss the essence of his brilliance - he leaves clues in every chapter, dots to connect & it is truly a gratifying experience as you slowly start to grasp what the plot is actually about. That being said, the only downside to this particular book is the theme- being someone who’s entirely uninterested and ignorant when it comes to technology/gaming, it was hard for me to feel interested despite the very intriguing storyline. But what did catch my eye was Shaw’s past & that makes me want to read more of the series. Overall, I was satisfied with the book, it delivered what it promised- a great mystery, a well written book, no loose ends, an interesting protagonist, and a conclusion that compels you to pick up the next book in the series.
spestories's review against another edition
4.0
As usual, Jeffrey Deaver has woven and excellent story and created a real character. I suspect he formed Colter from cowboy clay as he seems to have a lot of traits linked to cowboys: a bit of a rogue, ready to go the hard way if necessary, ready to help the weak, lots of experience in harsh conditions. I will certainly read many more of this series.
yellowcurtains's review
I liked the premise of having a “tracker”/ survivalist as a protagonist, as I am into that sort of things but unfortunately the writing style made it boring. It had no flow to it, it felt more like reading a police report than a novel.
betty816's review against another edition
4.0
Liked this book, will def read another about same character. Got a little weak at the end, but otherwise fast enjoyable read
rachhenderson's review against another edition
4.0
Colter Shaw is a reward hunter. He monitors rewards offered to find people and then goes looking for them. In this book, there are three kidnappings that all seem related to video gaming.
Deaver uses what I consider two 'cheap' writing tactics. It's definitely what I call "exclamation mark writing" - every chapter ends on a cliff hanger, forcing the reader to read one more chapter to find out what happens next. He also uses my least favourite way of increasing suspense - not telling the reader something that the main character knows. In this instance, there's a lot of hints about Shaw trying to solve a 15 year old mystery, but we don't find out what the mystery is until two thirds through the book.
While recognising that this isn't high literature, I still found it fun and entertaining reading.
Deaver uses what I consider two 'cheap' writing tactics. It's definitely what I call "exclamation mark writing" - every chapter ends on a cliff hanger, forcing the reader to read one more chapter to find out what happens next. He also uses my least favourite way of increasing suspense - not telling the reader something that the main character knows. In this instance, there's a lot of hints about Shaw trying to solve a 15 year old mystery, but we don't find out what the mystery is until two thirds through the book.
While recognising that this isn't high literature, I still found it fun and entertaining reading.