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confessions_of_a_bookaholic's review
3.0
Colter Shaw is a 'reward seeker' - someone who makes money from collecting rewards for finding missing persons and helping police with investigations. His latest case is that of a young woman missing in the Silicon Valley. Whilst Shaw is able to save the first young woman, a second victims soon disappears and points to a madman bringing a videogame to life. Shaw is caught up in a cat and mouse game, trailing the kidnapper across the Silicon Valley, with someone hot on his tail.
I started this series having recently read a Colter Shaw short story in a Deaver collection. I really enjoyed that one, but found myself struggling a little with this one.
I think the thing I struggled most with was that the story jumped around in time, which made it hard to follow. I'm not sure if that might have been different had I been reading a print version rather than an audio version, but either way it meant I found it hard keeping up with the storyline.
I do think this one provides some good background information on Shaw and his history, although there are still some gaps to fill.
The exploration of the gaming industry and Deaver's predictions of where that could go in the future was interesting. It's not an area I know much about, so it was good to learn more about how it all works. There has been a lot of novels written over the years where the villains bring movies or books to life, so why not a video game?
Shaw as a character caught my attention. He has clearly had an unusual upbringing, giving him a unique set of skills. With it he has developed a strong set of morals, which make him someone easy to root for. It seems that he is relatively financially comfortable, so I have a feeling there could be more to his back story that we are yet to learn.
Despite finding this one a little hard to follow I'm definitely invested in Shaw as a character, and looking forward to the next book.
I started this series having recently read a Colter Shaw short story in a Deaver collection. I really enjoyed that one, but found myself struggling a little with this one.
I think the thing I struggled most with was that the story jumped around in time, which made it hard to follow. I'm not sure if that might have been different had I been reading a print version rather than an audio version, but either way it meant I found it hard keeping up with the storyline.
I do think this one provides some good background information on Shaw and his history, although there are still some gaps to fill.
The exploration of the gaming industry and Deaver's predictions of where that could go in the future was interesting. It's not an area I know much about, so it was good to learn more about how it all works. There has been a lot of novels written over the years where the villains bring movies or books to life, so why not a video game?
Shaw as a character caught my attention. He has clearly had an unusual upbringing, giving him a unique set of skills. With it he has developed a strong set of morals, which make him someone easy to root for. It seems that he is relatively financially comfortable, so I have a feeling there could be more to his back story that we are yet to learn.
Despite finding this one a little hard to follow I'm definitely invested in Shaw as a character, and looking forward to the next book.
steve_f's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
anniebgood's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
retrana2011's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
stephanie6504's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
hayboys_girl's review
4.0
Just as twisty as I expect from a Deaver story, loved the character of Colter Shaw.
amberinpieces's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Cursing, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
knit_and_purl's review
3.0
Enjoyable. Bit long, but I'll check out the upcoming TV show and try another in the series. Justin Hartley seems like a good fit for Colter.