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The Second Hostage

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What to expect

Two men. One gun. No escape.

A gripping Colter Shaw short story from the master of suspense, with a twist you won’t see coming.

A captive held at gun point.
In search of a missing woman in Kansas, unique investigator Colter Shaw finds himself in the middle of a violent kidnapping that sends shockwaves through the rural community.
 
An investigator running out of time.
Someone has taken a local man captive and barricaded themselves in a lake-side property. The phone line has been cut and Shaw is the only person with a chance of getting the innocent victim out alive.
 
A twist nobody saw coming.
But before long the case takes an unexpected turn, and Shaw begins to suspect that the simple kidnapping has a darker purpose – one that might end with murder…

Critics Review

  • Praise for The Never Game:

    ‘The Never Game is the very definition of a page-turner’ Ian Rankin

    ‘Terrific writing, vivid and raw, Deaver grips from the very first line and never lets up. He is, hands-down, one of the finest thriller writers of our time’ Peter James

    ‘Nailbiting’ Guardian

    ‘Deaver is a masterful storyteller and he’s on top form with The Never Game’ Daily Express

    ‘As always, Deaver gets you in his stealthy grip on page one, and then takes you on a wild and inventive ride …
    this time with new star character Colter Shaw. No one in the world does this kind of thing better than Deaver’ Lee Child

    ‘Masterful storytelling — The Never Game is Deaver’s most riveting, most twisty, most unputdownable novel yet’ Karin Slaughter

    ‘Lightning-fast and loaded with twists, The Never Game is a thrill a minute from one of the best. Don’t miss it’ Harlan Coben

    ‘Jeffery Deaver scores yet again with a fascinating new detective, Colter Shaw, and a plot as full of thrills and twists and turns as you would expect from him. With The Never Game you know you are in the hands of a master. But be warned—don’t start this too late in the evening because sleep would be an annoying interruption once you’ve started reading!’ Peter Robinson

    ‘A twisty “keep you up all night” page-turner of a book with a wonderfully human core. A fantastic read’ Kate Hamer, bestselling author of The Girl in the Red Coat

    ‘A superb thriller. Twisty, ingenious and totally gripping. Colter Shaw is a fascinating, complex new character. Excellent’ Will Dean

    ‘A fascinating new character in the methodical Colter Shaw. Nothing is predictable in the case, and like a curvy mountain road, the twists are intense’ Associated Press

    Praise for Jeffery Deaver:

    ‘If you want thrills, Deaver is your man’ Guardian

    ‘One of the most consistent writers of clever, entertaining and often thought-provoking thrillers in the world’ Simon Kernick

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