The Goodbye Man-Jeffery Deaver

Book: The Goodbye Man
Authors: Jeffery Deaver
Publisher: HarperCollins India

Would you go undercover to save a life?

The Goodbye Man by Jeffery Deaver is a part of the Colter Shaw Series. Set against the backdrop of an idyllic community, we have a charismatic leader who has a cult that promises to transforms people’s lives. Completing an assignment in Washington State, investigator Colter Shaw witnesses a suicide that pricks his conscience. To unravel the truth, Shaw goes undercover in the Foundation and discovers a horrifying secret. To escape the clutches of the Foundation, there is only one way, and that one might just have to pay with their life. Can Shaw bring down the Foundation, and escape the compound alive?

The story of the book has been developed with good intentions. The plot moves steadily and the buildup to the climax is quite good. The overall idea of a cult that brainwashes people is not new but Jeffery takes it to a new level, and it presents a plausible narrative. The book starts on a good note and we meet our protagonist and understand his motivation in doing what he does, but then the pace drops significantly. The storytelling becomes longish in the sense that the details, while enriching the story, seem irrelevant at times. Another aspect that I didn’t like was that the scenes at the Foundation were quite mellow and did not do justice to the buildup that came up in the first half of the story. The language is simple and easy to comprehend. The climax is well executed, and does justice to the plot.

Coming to the character, Jeffery takes his time building up his characters, and that is evident in both, Colter as well as Master Eli. I loved the way Colter’s personal life surfaces in the story and blends into the plot of the book, specially during the discussions. Master Eli’s character is sketched in the manner of a true Cult Leader, with the mannerisms and details. The surprise characters who come up towards the end are interesting and add a new dimension to Jeffery’s storytelling.

Overall, a good book that scores a 4.3/5 for me.

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