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The Never Game

(Colter Shaw #1)

Jeffery Deaver (Goodreads Author)

3.93 · Rating details · 9,519 ratings · 1,128 reviews

Escape or die trying…

No.1 international bestseller Jeffery Deaver returns with a stunning new thriller – the first in an exciting series featuring enigmatic investigator Colter Shaw.

The killer is changing the rules. One murder at a time . . .

You wake up all alone, in the middle of a forest, miles from anywhere.

Beside you lie five objects – a lighter, grease, pictur

...more

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Kindle Edition

Published May 16th 2019 by HarperCollins (first published May 14th 2019)

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Average rating 3.93 ·

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· 9,519 ratings · 1,128 reviews

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May 04, 2019 Paromjit rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, netgalley, crime-fiction, thriller

Jeffery Deaver introduced us to his new protagonist, Colter Shaw, in his short story Captivated, which certainly piqued my interest in this, his new series. This is the full blown first book and it proves to be a gripping and highly suspenseful read. We learn more about Shaw's background growing up in remote California, with his well educated and academic survivalist father, Ashton, his mother, Mary Dove, and his siblings, reclusive elder brother, Russell, and his younger sister, Dorion. Home wa Jeffery Deaver introduced us to his new protagonist, Colter Shaw, in his short story Captivated, which certainly piqued my interest in this, his new series. This is the full blown first book and it proves to be a gripping and highly suspenseful read. We learn more about Shaw's background growing up in remote California, with his well educated and academic survivalist father, Ashton, his mother, Mary Dove, and his siblings, reclusive elder brother, Russell, and his younger sister, Dorion. Home was The Compound, where all the children were home schooled with none of the trappings of modern life and technology, which meant no TV or phones, but there was an extraordinarily well equipped library. Colter is knowledgeable about guns and the environment, acquiring the skills to become a gifted forensic tracker. Raised by his father on a number of rules and philosophy, and a particular lifestyle, Shaw is a man of few words, largely a loner, physically and emotionally resilient, but with a defining sense of wanderlust that drives his inability to settle or commit to a long term personal relationship.

There is some mystery about aspects of Shaw's life, such as the financial resources he has at his disposal. What he has settled into is a remarkably successful career in finding missing people. He is guided to potential missing people and rewards offered for locating them by his friends, Teddy and Velma in Florida, who are keeping an eye on his home there. Shaw has a number of background players who support his investigations. He ends up making his way in his Winnebago to Silicon Valley, California, where a distraught father, Frank Mulliner, is offering a reward he cannot afford to anyone who can find his missing 19 year old daughter, Sophie. The police have shown little interest in the case, so Shaw looks into her odd disappearance. Using his extensive experience and research, Shaw allocates percentages into the possible options of what could have happened that are major drivers into the decisions he makes. He has a strong interest in maps, and he maps the areas that his investigations take him to. Shaw finds himself in the unfamiliar world of gaming and murder, whilst the acquisition of stole papers take him back into his personal history and what happened to his father.

Deaver is a complete pro when it comes to writing a riveting thriller with his new protagonist, Colter Shaw, an unusual character with a unique personal history that has shaped the man he is today, a man who needs to live at the edge, who needs to take risks to feel alive. There are twists galore in the book, just when you think you know where it is all going, it moves into an entirely different direction. What really proved a highlight for me was the detailed insights and observations of the US gaming industry, both the game makers and those who live to game, people whose lives are entirely consumed by their primal need to meet the challenges that competitive gaming companies provide. The premise made in the book about where the gaming industry could end up does not feel that far fetched, given our contemporary world of fake news, dirty politics and political machinations. All in all, this was a fantastic read and I have no doubt Colter Shaw and this new series will prove to be popular with crime fiction and thriller fans. Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC. ...more

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Sep 24, 2019 Kaceey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: overdrive

All right everyone! It’s time to play a little game known as The Whispering Man.
The rules:
You are taken away and isolated. You will be given five objects. It’s up to you how you use them to free yourself before time runs out. OK, are you ready to play?

I’ve been reading Jeffrey Deaver's books for years. I love his Lincoln Rhyme series. So after seeing he was releasing a brand new series I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it! And I wasn’t disappointed!

Meet the new lead character, Colter Shaw.
Rai ...more

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Jun 06, 2019 Diane S ☔ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: lor-2019

I remember the first time I read this author. It was the Bone Collector featuring Lincoln Rymes, a parapeligic and Amelia Saks, who was his legs and eyes, in their crime solving Enterprise. It was brilliant, such unusual characters, but so likable. What really blew me away were his many twists and turns. I couldn't follow them, never could figure out where he was going. And I tried.

This is a new series, and another interesting person with an unusual background fostering unusual skills. Colton Sh ...more

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May 05, 2019 Anovelqueen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: d

Jeffery Deaver has done it again!

I have been a fan of Deaver for many years especially of his Rhyme & Sachs series. So I was really interested to read this new series featuring a character by the name of Colter Shaw.

Colter Shaw is a restless and mysterious man who collects rewards from finding missing people or helping to solve crimes. He is not a private investigator, nor a detective, but he strictly holds to the fact that he collects rewards. (By the way, this was an actually ingenious idea fo ...more

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Sep 07, 2019 Tim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Jeffery Deaver is an excellent writer with his newly developed character, Colter Shaw, a reward tracker. Colter has more good qualities than not and I look forward to his next venture. 7 of 10 stars

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Mar 12, 2020 Nenia ✨️ Socially Awkward Trash Panda ✨️ Campbell rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller, life-s-too-fucking-short

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DNF @ 14%

I bought this when it was on sale for $1.99 because the idea of a mystery in Silicon Valley (just a stone's throw away across the Bay) focusing on video games was really, really appealing to me, a California gamer with a love for mystery novels. Plus, I was obsessed with the Lincoln Rhyme mysteries when I was in my early twenties. The fast-paced whodunnit style with serial killers and jaded gumshoe kept me thumbing pages like no ...more

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May 14, 2019 Andrew Smith rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

I've been a huge fan of Deaver’s work over the years, I like that he develops slightly off-the-wall baddies and as a result his stories are often quite quirky. There are always plenty of twists too, enough to prevent me from guessing the ending at any rate (OK, that's actually not too hard as I virtually never work out an ending). Most recently, his Lincoln Rhyme series has held me captive, but I've avoided the last couple of books as I was beginning to tire of the format. So I was delighted to I've been a huge fan of Deaver’s work over the years, I like that he develops slightly off-the-wall baddies and as a result his stories are often quite quirky. There are always plenty of twists too, enough to prevent me from guessing the ending at any rate (OK, that's actually not too hard as I virtually never work out an ending). Most recently, his Lincoln Rhyme series has held me captive, but I've avoided the last couple of books as I was beginning to tire of the format. So I was delighted to see that with this book he’s introduced a new hunter of unsubs, a fresh solver of crimes. Colter Shaw looks for opportunities to earn rewards offered for missing persons and the like. He's not a registered PI but he operates along similar lines and uses a small back-up team to help him track down such opportunities and to provide additional information as his investigations progress.

A student has gone missing in Silicon Valley and her father is offering up a $10,000 reward – right up Colter’s street. And as he gets into the detail of what he suspects is a kidnapping he notices that developments seem to be tracking events featured in a video game. Soon Colter finds himself embroiled in intrigue involving the multi-billion dollar gaming industry… and now a second case has raised its head.

I quickly grew to enjoy spending time with Deaver’s new front man: he’s clever (of course), has a dry wit and an interesting background, involving a troubled brother and a survivalist father who thought him many of the skills he now deploys. Towards the end of this book the author sets the scene for book two - I'm hooked already, line me up for the second instalment. I'm not quite wowed enough to award this one five stars – a slow section in the middle of the book being the culprit - but it's an easy four star offering and I have a feeling that I’ll be tuning in to tales featuring Colter Shaw for some time to come.

My sincere thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Apr 18, 2019 Gary rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is the first book in the Colter Shaw series by author Jeffery Deaver. I am a an avid reader of this authors novels and love the Lincoln Rhyme series so was keen to read this new one. I enjoyed the new character investigator Colter Shaw, who I am sure will develop in time to another excellent addition to Jeffery Deaver's repertoire. But tbh I struggled getting into the plot in this book, I am not into video games etc and couldn't really connect with the story-line. Colter Shaw however shows ...more

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Apr 08, 2019 Miriam Smith (A Mother’s Musings) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: lovereading, kept-book, net-galley, ebook

"The Never Game" is the first in a brand new investigative series written by renowned thriller writer Jeffrey Deaver and featuring a fabulous new character 'Colter Shaw'. Shaw is an itinerant 'reward-seeker', someone who finds missing people in return for the reward money and makes a refreshing change to the run of the mill, private investigator/bounty hunter stories that normally relate in the hunt for missing persons. Shaw is an exceedingly well developed character and Deaver's precise attenti ...more

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May 04, 2019 J.D. Barker rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Grabbing you from the first page, Jeffery Deaver crafts a devilish plot that unfolds with breakneck speed. An excellent start to a new series, Colter Shaw has comfortably nestled onto the bench with Lincoln Rhyme and Kathryn Dance - one of our best literary puppet-masters at the end of all their strings.

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May 16, 2019 Lou rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The Never Game introduces Mr Deaver's exciting new series featuring the wonderfully mysterious Colter Shaw, and once again he has penned an intense, absorbing an enthralling page-turner highlighting that he is indeed still ahead of the game. The premise very much reminded me of the horror film Saw and is equally as disturbing with a killer that certainly wouldn't be out of place in the movie. Dark, disturbing and very troublesome, Deaver crafts a fast-paced runaway train of a novel with thrills ...more

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Mar 29, 2019 Monnie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

What could possibly be better than finding an exciting new series? When it's written by a favorite author, that's what! Such is the case here for sure - and for sure I'm already chomping at the bit for the next installment.

The new character is a complex guy named Colter Shaw, who grew up as a son of exceptionally well-educated parents who ditched mainstream life for a survivalist existence. They taught their children well; their father, from off an ever-deepening end, and their mother from a mor What could possibly be better than finding an exciting new series? When it's written by a favorite author, that's what! Such is the case here for sure - and for sure I'm already chomping at the bit for the next installment.

The new character is a complex guy named Colter Shaw, who grew up as a son of exceptionally well-educated parents who ditched mainstream life for a survivalist existence. They taught their children well; their father, from off an ever-deepening end, and their mother from a more practical (and loving) perspective as she struggled to rein in her husband's paranoia. Long since, Colt moved back to reality (even going to college and law school) and now makes a living primarily by earning reward money offered for locating missing loved ones. He's not a bounty hunter; he picks his jobs only after carefully researching both the reward offerers and the victims. On every case, one of his strengths - long ago instilled by his now-deceased father - is assessing probabilities (whether or not he'll be successful, which suspect is more likely to be the perpetrator, etc.) Adding to the overall strength of the book is that interspersed throughout are recollections from Colt's growing-up years - some good, some not so much - all of which give readers intriguing insights into what motivates him.

The story opens as Colt is in over his head - literally; he's trying to save a very pregnant woman who's been locked into a boat that's sinking in frigid water. We get a glimpse or two of what might happen before the scene shifts to two days earlier, when someone tries to toss a Molotov cocktail into Colt's RV. Shortly thereafter, he learns of a $10,000 reward from a Silicon Valley father who's desperate to find his missing daughter. Colt drives his RV to a park there, rents a car, visits the father and agrees to take on the case. During the investigation, he encounters a professional computer game tester named Maddie, who drags him to a huge convention and introduces him to a world he didn't even know existed - a world filled with characters who love killing, both virtually and, quite possibly, in real life.

Although I'm working on some kind of electronic gadget a big part of every day, whether it be my desktop or Kindle or smartphone - I've never had more than a passing interest in playing animated games. As such, a good bit of the plentiful and complex information on that topic that's in here pretty much sailed over my head. On the other hand, I learned quite a few things - all of which added to the story and made it even more interesting. I can't say more without giving away too much, but the ending brings everything together (including the woman on the sinking ship) as well as leaves the door wide open to the next chapter in Colt's life.

For me, that can't come soon enough, so please get busy, Mr. Deaver. While I wait, I'll thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review the first of what I'm confident will be a great series.
...more

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May 03, 2019 Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2019

As a big fan of the Lincoln Rhyme series by Jefferey Deaver was I curious to see how THE NEVER GAME, the first book in Deaver's new series, would turn out. Would this book appeal to just as much as the Lincoln Rhyme books did? In this book, are we introduced to Colter Shaw, an expert at tracking people down, thanks to his upbringing with a father who uprooted the whole family to live off the grid. Now, he's been contacted by a man in Silicon Valley whose daughter has gone missing. It soon turns ...more

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Feb 26, 2019 Chris Pavone rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Jeffrey Deaver is a one of our most exciting storytellers, and THE NEVER GAME pulls off the remarkable feat of intertwining devilish plot with unforgettable characters, fascinating disquisitions with propulsive action, every element conspiring to make it almost impossible to not turn the page. I absolutely loved it.

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May 26, 2019 Kay rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, fiction, mystery, dnf

I started reading this book over a week ago, but couldn't get into it so I switched to audio and that didn't work either. Something about the plot or format that doesn't keep me interested. I don't mind gaming stories or Colter Shaw. DNF chapter 30, 40%. ...more

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Feb 17, 2020 Yigal Zur rated it really liked it · review of another edition

starting reading i was quite disappointed. i found it messy, too many details which seemed only to bulk the pages. i did not know where the plot is heading and hoped the writer knows. so i turned to goodreads to see reviews and i must say thank you guys. as crossing the first 160 pages i found really nice thriller, fresh and great writing and enjoyed it till the end. still, i do think a bit of tough editing could lift the book. too much game and gaming details. it is a nice start to a new charac ...more

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Oct 12, 2020 RM(Alwaysdaddygirl) Griffin (alwaysdaddyprincess) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

2 stars. I had to push to finish. I only finish because I push myself. I am trying to read good and bad books.

Maybe a review down the road.

🇺🇸

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May 30, 2019 Richard rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: video-games, arc, thriller

8/10

I haven’t read a Deaver for some time but I’m fond of his Lincoln Ryhme series and some of his standalone books have been excellent so when I saw this on offer I snatched at it. As predicted, it was a fun read with plenty of intrigue, twists and turns.

This series introduces a new character of Colter Shaw, a reward hunter but with scruples who picks and chooses which case to go after based on the people involved. In this one he gets dragged into a mystery in Silicon Valley where a number of ...more

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Feb 11, 2020 Natalie M rated it really liked it · review of another edition

An intriguing new series by Deaver and one I will be looking forward to following.

I found Colter Shaw (protagonist) an excellent character. Unique in approach as a ‘reward-hunter’ who uses his tracking and survival skills to solve mysteries. The plot is thought-provoking and made me wonder just how powerful and manipulative the gaming world could be. Quick-paced, interesting and contemporary.

Technology, crime, politics, power, and great storytelling.

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Jan 21, 2019 Liz Barnsley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Excellent start to a new series for Mr Deaver. Review to follow nearer publication.

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Jun 30, 2019 Bruce Hatton rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: us-crime

In this novel, Jeffery Deaver introduces us to his latest protagonist, Colter Shaw. For a living, Colter locates and, if necessary, rescues missing people. In a way, he comes across as somewhere between Tim Weaver’s David Raker and Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X,. In the opening chapters we get a glimpse into Colter’s largely happy yet unusual childhood in the wilderness of east California and his father Ashton’s various “commandments”, which usually began with the word “never”; rules which Colter sti ...more

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Jun 16, 2019 Barb in Maryland rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller-goodies

Well my eyes really got a workout with this one!
This was a real page turner---couldn't read it fast enough, had to know how it ended.
On the other hand, I did keep rolling my eyes--a lot!!

I'll give Deaver at least one more chance to turn Colter Shaw into a real person; right now he is all action-hero cardboard figure. An interesting one, to be sure, but two dimensional nonetheless. ...more

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May 10, 2020 Denise rated it really liked it · review of another edition

"A shrine to the chivalrous who protect the weak."

Colter Shaw is a survivalist and a rewardist -- he assists in locating the missing -- and travels around the country in his RV to track them and collect the money when he succeeds. Those missing could include the kidnapped, fugitives, suspects or just about anyone of interest to the paying party. In this particular case, Shaw is first asked by her father to find Sophie Mulliner, a 19-year-old student who has vanished in Silcon Valley. But it does ...more

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May 08, 2019 Elaine Tomasso rated it really liked it

I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for an advance copy of The Never Game, the first novel to feature Colter Shaw, a man who finds missing people for the reward money.

Shaw is in the Bay Area for a private project when he is alerted to the disappearance of 19 year old Sophie Mulliner. The police don’t appear interested so her father is offering a reward. Shaw gets more than a straightforward missing persons case when he starts investigating.

I enjoyed The Never Game I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for an advance copy of The Never Game, the first novel to feature Colter Shaw, a man who finds missing people for the reward money.

Shaw is in the Bay Area for a private project when he is alerted to the disappearance of 19 year old Sophie Mulliner. The police don’t appear interested so her father is offering a reward. Shaw gets more than a straightforward missing persons case when he starts investigating.

I enjoyed The Never Game which is an exciting read with plenty of twists and turns, in fact vintage Deaver. The novel has two plot lines, the main one being the hunt for Sophie’s kidnapper and his motive and the secondary one the private project he is undertaking. This project has roots deep in Shaw’s past and is gradually expanded on over the course of the novel but not to its full extent and as the novel ends in a cliffhanger for this plot it is fair to assume that it will run throughout the series. I’m not sure what to think about this. I like the way Mr Deaver reveals just enough at key points to whet the appetite without annoying the reader with too much secrecy but I’m not the biggest fan of running plots into several novels as I’ve always forgotten the detail by the time the next one arrives.

I really enjoyed the hunt for Sophie’s kidnapper which is exciting and action packed. It held my attention from start to finish with all the developments and twists. Obviously as it’s a thriller realism isn’t high on the priority list but a clever perpetrator and a smart hunter in the form of Shaw more than make up for this lack. It should be noted that the novel is set in the Silicon Valley gaming community which I thought might be a turn off but in fact is very interesting, not the actual gaming which seems rather pointless to me but the politics and motivations involved are fascinating and scary (that part I had no difficulty in believing).

Colter Shaw is an interesting proposition. The son of survivalists he was home schooled and has some unusual skills like tracking and duh! survival. There is, however, much more to him than a man who earns his living from reward money. What that is is not specified in the novel but adds to his air of mystery. He seems a smart, honourable man so I was delighted to make his acquaintance.

The Never Game is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending. ...more

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Sep 13, 2020 Deb rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Intriguing

This is the first book by this author I've read. From the first page it peaked my curiosity. This author knows how to create a character that just keeps you captivated. I felt the emotions of each character as I was reading. The person behind the crimes was very unexpected. As for the ending, that is yet to come. Gamers, clues, a killer and plenty of action. On to the next book in the series. Yes it's that good. ...more

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May 07, 2020 Lee rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, netgalleyreaders2020, set-in-america, horror-thriller, series, american-authors

Mmm… I think the biggest problem I had with this book is that it was written by Jeffery Deaver, an author who I have never read before but is insanely popular and well respected. The blurb even quotes that he’s a ‘genius when it comes to manipulation and deception’. Mmm… I think that’s a bit of a stretch, to be honest.

The Never Game introduces us to Colter Shaw who is a reward seeker. That is, he earns a living by finding missing persons and collecting the reward posted by the family of those mi Mmm… I think the biggest problem I had with this book is that it was written by Jeffery Deaver, an author who I have never read before but is insanely popular and well respected. The blurb even quotes that he’s a ‘genius when it comes to manipulation and deception’. Mmm… I think that’s a bit of a stretch, to be honest.

The Never Game introduces us to Colter Shaw who is a reward seeker. That is, he earns a living by finding missing persons and collecting the reward posted by the family of those missing. Arriving in the Silicon Valley area of California, he takes on the case of a young woman who has gone missing and is, it's assumed, kidnapped. Whilst investigating, he comes to the conclusion that the kidnapper could be copying the crimes of a popular video game called The Whispering Man. The young woman’s kidnap has similarities between level one of the game and, considering The Whispering Man has ten levels, Shaw will need to discover the kidnapper’s identity before there is more kidnappings and, perhaps, killings.

As a character I quite liked Shaw. His past is covered extensively in the book. Part native American, he and his family lived off the grid for most of his life and we get lots of scenes featuring his father's advice and extreme survival training. As a consequence, adult Shaw is quite handy in a tight situation but is also a little antisocial at times. And, for this crime plot, quite clueless when it comes to the tech world of gaming.

Shaw has a large posse of supporting characters helping him out but none of them really excited me. They were all a little two-dimensional. Shaw's potential girlfriend is one of the worst. She's like a cardboard cutout, with a sad backstory and some sexualised male fantasy assertiveness. Ugh. She and Colter also have zero chemistry. I don't want to spoil too much by mentioning the other supporting characters but, let me just say, Deaver probably had a list of character cliches he ticked off as he created them. Blah. Seriously, I don’t think characterisation is one of Deaver’s strong points.

Nor is descriptive prose. I kept comparing this to the last action/thriller I read, Silver by Chris Hammer, and found Deaver wanting. Whereas Hammer brings his book’s setting and landscape to life, Deaver’s scenes which really should have been spectacular (such as those in national parks etc) were a bit ho-hum.

Although, in his defence, I suppose Deaver did shine when it came to giving the setting a truly American feel. We knew we were there just from the amount of people with guns and who hunted as a hobby, for starters! The most intriguing scenes were definitely those talking about the unexpected poverty of Silicon Valley and the real estate issues, and workers commuting for work etc. I would have liked more of these insights to the hidden American way of life.

So, then there is the action. Yeah, I guess the action/mystery part moved along at a nice pace but I wouldn’t say I was ever gasping at a cliffhanger or turning pages hastily to find out what would happen next. The mystery plot content was okay. My son is a mad gamer, so I found that aspect of the plot readable, at least. However, when I gave my son some tidbit that the book mentioned, he knew everything I quoted so I’m not sure any serious gamers would be overly impressed with the references.

The cynic in me noted that Deaver ended the book with enough questions to know this was never going to be a standalone book and it was definitely always staged to be a series. I suppose when your name is so well known, you don’t have to pitch your series ideas but, all in all, despite my whining, Shaw himself has enough going for him to ensure Deaver will probably be able to carry it off for a while.

I’ll probably rate this one a 3 out of 5 at the most though.

...more

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May 04, 2019 Bea rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2019, review-consideration, kindle, action-mystery-thriller, ebook

3.5 - 4 stars.

"The Never Game" enthralled me and wouldn't let me go easily. Now, it didn't grab me from page one despite starting with a tense and exciting scene. I had too many questions about what was happening to get into it. Then in the next chapter Deaver jumps back two days in time and soon I was hooked.

The chapter set up, by design, echoes levels in a video game. The story revolves around video games and though I don't play, many of my friends and acquaintances do. I enjoyed learning more 3.5 - 4 stars.

"The Never Game" enthralled me and wouldn't let me go easily. Now, it didn't grab me from page one despite starting with a tense and exciting scene. I had too many questions about what was happening to get into it. Then in the next chapter Deaver jumps back two days in time and soon I was hooked.

The chapter set up, by design, echoes levels in a video game. The story revolves around video games and though I don't play, many of my friends and acquaintances do. I enjoyed learning more about them and Deaver's use of them as part of the plot. Neither my lack of knowledge nor lack of interest in video games slowed down the story for me. The story was gripping and fast-paced. Do video games cause violence? Deaver doesn't answer that, doesn't try, but he does make you think about cause and effect, and human behavior.

Deaver intertwines philosophy, humor, romance, suspense, mystery, and action with characters, even throwaway ones, who are richly drawn, and a mystery that was plausible and fascinating. At times Colter's deductions were reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes; Colter is observant, and both logical and intuitive. Colter's father, not unlike Gibbs on "NCIS", had a number of rules, and also a philosophy, that he passed onto his son. Shaw is reticent, self sufficient, competent, cautious, and somewhat restless. He's also on a mission to determine what happened to his father many years ago.

Actually, there are two separate plots. The primary one is the kidnappings and their possible connection to a video game. That one is complex and suspenseful, and full of twists and surprises. Several times I was sure I knew what would happen but Deaver continually surprised me. He neatly sidestepped cliches or inverted them.

The secondary plot has to do with Colter's family and his slightly unusual background. That same background led to his current occupation as a reward seeker. When there is a reward offered - missing person, lost dog, etc - he takes the job and if he's successful, he gets the reward. It's an unusual job, similar to a bounty hunter except a crime isn't necessarily involved. He's good at it, an excellent tracker, and makes a decent living. He even has a crew he relies on - a PI, a computer person, even a business manager. Colter is serious about his work and equally serious about finding out the truth concerning his father's death. This plot line wasn't wrapped but seems like it will be an ongoing story arc in the series.

"The Never Game" was a gripping and highly suspenseful read, and a great start to a new series. I'm looking forward to the next book. ...more

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Jul 08, 2019 Kirsty ❤️ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

After reading the first few chapters of this I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy this and ended the book being excited for Book 2. It was a slow burner for me but once it got going I really enjoyed it. There are plenty of twists and turns and I liked how the books flipped between the now, a few days ago, 15 years ago and Shaw's childhood. I would've liked it to be labelled better as sometimes I wondered what was going on especially in the beginning but that's a niggle.

I like Shaw as a charact ...more

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Apr 10, 2019 OutlawPoet rated it really liked it · review of another edition

So, this is the start in a new series from Deaver and we’ve moved away from Lincoln Rhyme for a bit.

The Never Game is successful – particularly when it comes to the world of gaming – but isn’t quite as exciting as the Rhyme series.

Deaver does give us a character with a fascinating way of making a living. I can’t really call it a job – our main character basically collects rewards whenever there’s one offered in conjunction with a crime. He’s not a private investigator, but when he hears about an ...more

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Sep 13, 2019 Kathy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is a great new series featuring a man who works to find missing people for reward. Money is not the true focus, but it gives him opportunity to utilize his tracking skills developed throughout his childhood spent on his family's compound where survival was the daily theme.We are treated to glimpses into his past amidst the current action.
Silicon Valley is the main locale for the action in this first book and it provides plenty of interesting video game detail.
The pace is fast and furious an ...more

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About Jeffery Deaver

Jeffery Deaver

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#1 international bestselling author of over thirty novels and three collections of short stories. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into 25 languages. His first novel featuring Lincoln Rhyme, The Bone Collector, was made into a major motion picture starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. He's received or been shortlisted for a number of awards around the world. ...more