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rembrandt1881's review
3.0
This second Colter Shaw novel is a step down from the first. It moves away from some of the techniques and idiosyncrasies of the main character from the first novel a bit. For me, part of the allure of these silly pulp novels is how the writers lean in to these little traits and to see it get pared back let me down. The story does tend to meander at the end, not wrapping up with the quickness it needs, especially when there is another thread that connects the series that Deaver then wants to dedicate some chapters to. The villain plan at the end was also a let down for me, it seemed like such a small and tossed away idea that wasn't worthy of the work to get there. It was almost as if everyone involved in this got a little bit tired at the end. I will be checking in to see how the series ends though so it didn't turn me off that much.
billt's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
dougbiv4's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
klk's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
moserk's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
hummel99's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
clak5686's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I really enjoyed this book. It has a great mystery and a wonderful protagonist. Colter Shaw is a very interesting character. He is a "rewardist" who makes his living collecting rewards. One great characteristic is that he truly cares about the situation and people involved. I would highly recommend this book. I do believe that it is best enjoyed if read in series order.
mega_randomer's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
mugsandmanuscripts's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.75
I read this because I liked the first in the series and wanted to hear more about Colter Shaw, but I felt like this one was a little unwieldy. The twists and turns were good, but I felt like the book got a bit stuck in the cult that was the object of Shaw's investigation. I think the novel would have been better with fewer pages spent on the speeches of the cult leader and the "therapy" involved in the cult. I also just didn't find the cult leader as believable (as a character) or his espoused belief system as believable as those of other similar novels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship