The Goodbye Man – Jeffrey Deaver

THE SECOND novel featuring Deaver's latest hero Colter Shaw it's an improvement on the first one, with more of the thrills and twists we expect from the creator of Lincoln Rhyme.

Shaw is a reward collector, a type of bounty hunter who earns a living from the rewards offered for finding missing people whether fugitives or innocent victims.

He's a tough, experienced man of action with a strong sense of right and wrong who often finds himself becoming deeply involved in finding the truth behind his cases.

Goodbye Man begins as he searches for two young men wanted for shooting church leaders – but his pursuit ends with the tragic death of one of the fugitives.

Looking into what went wrong, Capshaw finds The Foundation, an organisation that promises to transform people's lives but might well be a dangerous cult.

Shaw goes undercover at the Foundation's camp, discovering unsettling things about its leader Master Eli – but escape isn't a simple matter of getting over the fence and making a run for it.

Like its predecessor The Never Game, The Goodbye Man is a fast-moving story with a likeable lead character, but this time there's more depth and – as with all Deaver's better books – the story grows ever more gripping. Still not as good as his Rhyme books though.

David Knights