The Goodbye Man by Jeffery Deaver

Colter Shaw book 2. HarperCollins, 2020. ISBN: 9780008382339.
(Age: Adult - Senior secondary) Recommended for fans of the author. The second in this series about hero Colter Shaw is sure to give fans of the thriller/adventure genre a satisfying read. After chasing two young men accused of hate crimes, Colter follows a series of clues that brings him to the Foundation, an organisation that apparently helps those who are bereaved and where the young men seem to have been heading. Colter has his doubts about the charismatic leader and whether it is in fact a cult and decides to investigate what is happening there.
Colter is an unusual hero; he chases criminals and investigates missing person cases as a reward seeker. He is enigmatic and has excellent connections and back-up when he wants help or background research done. His family background is one of being taught to survive in all types of conditions, and this training proves very valuable as he prowls around the grounds of the Foundation.
Deaver keeps up the suspense as Colter goes undercover into the Foundation, leaving readers on the edge of their seats wondering if he will be exposed and what will happen to him. There are many twists and some very unexpected surprises as he gradually unearths the secrets that are being hidden at the compound. At the same time Colter is trying to unravel the secret that his father had left many years before, this time getting closer to the meaning of the message that might have deadly consequences for him.
Although it could be read as a stand-alone, readers will understand and relate to the inscrutable Colter Shaw if they have read the first in the series, The Never Game, and the cliff-hanger ending of The Goodbye Man will ensure that readers pick up the next in the series, wanting to see where Colter's quest to uncover his father's secrets might lead him.
Pat Pledger