Forgotten by Jeffery Deaver

Today I’m sharing my thoughts on the Colter Shaw short story by Jeffery Deaver, Forgotten. I love this series and am kicking myself for having missed this short. I’ve caught up now though so I’m not kicking myself too hard. Here’s what it’s all about:

About the Book

A gripping ebook short story from international bestseller Jeffery Deaver, featuring unique investigator Colter Shaw.

A drug dealer shot dead
A body is found shot in the back of the head – hidden in a local quarry near the small, remote town of Hanson Valley, Ohio.

The case is closed
The police, the defense lawyer and the rest of the town think it’s an open-and-shut case: Jude Sterling’s a psycho. Of course he would kill a man. For Jude’s family, Private investigator Colter Shaw is their last hope.

But someone is hiding a secret
If Jude is innocent, that means the real murderer has walked free. And Shaw soon finds that not every resident of Hanson Valley wants this case reopened…

My Thoughts

The biggest challenge in reviewing a short story, for me at least, is making the review succinct, effective and ensuring that I do the book justice. And I really do want to do justice to this extra outing with Colter Shaw as I love the series and want others to read it. If you are looking for a taster of what Shaw is all about – what drives him and how he works his reward cases – then this is a brilliant way to dip into his world without making a full length novel sized commitment.

This time around Shaw accepts a reward assignment from a family who are trying to prove that their son is actually innocent of the murder he has been convicted of. Now, there are never any guarantees when it comes to this kind of investigation, after all a parent will always think the best of their child. But if you know anything about Colter Shaw, you know he already has an inkling that he may make a difference, even if he never makes any guarantees of that nature.

This is short and sweet, almost too short as I really wanted to read more, but packed with plenty of Shaw’s intelligent reasoning, relaxed but effective questioning and a clear trail of twisting and turning from some of the key players in this story. You get that edginess, that sense that trouble is lurking around the corner for Shaw, especially as the victim in this particular murder has some very dangerous associates, but it is never clear where that threat is coming from. Jeffery Deaver does a great job of sucking us in and keeping the pages turning as we quickly uncover the truth of the matter. It is packed with emotion, action and the intelligent thinking and reasoning that drew me to the character of Shaw in the first place and, at 58 pages, a very quick read. I loved it and it’s proved a great filler whilst waiting for the next full length novel, The Final Twist.

About the Author

Jeffery Deaver is an international number-one bestselling author. His novels have appeared on bestseller lists around the world. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into twenty-five languages. He has served two terms as president of Mystery Writers of America, and was recently named a Grand Master of MWA, whose ranks include Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, Mary Higgins Clark and Walter Mosely.

The author of forty-three novels, three collections of short stories and a nonfiction law book, and a lyricist of a country-western album, he’s received or been shortlisted for dozens of awards. His “The Bodies Left Behind” was named Novel of the Year by the International Thriller Writers association, and his Lincoln Rhyme thriller “The Broken Window” and a stand-alone, “Edge,” were also nominated for that prize. “The Garden of Beasts” won the Steel Dagger from the Crime Writers Association in England. He’s also been nominated for eight Edgar Awards by the MWA.

Deaver has been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention, the Strand Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the Raymond Chandler Lifetime Achievement Award in Italy.

His book “A Maiden’s Grave” was made into an HBO movie starring James Garner and Marlee Matlin, and his novel “The Bone Collector” was a feature release from Universal Pictures, starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. Lifetime aired an adaptation of his “The Devil’s Teardrop.” NBC television recently aired the nine-episode prime-time series, “Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector.”