I love Colter Shaw. ​He is such a refreshing protagonist. Whilst he can outgun and out manoeuvre his foe using all the traditional weaponry and skills one might expect, that really is, for him, a last resort. The greatest weapons in Colter’s arsenal are logic and probability, and until he has determined the proportional risk or likelihood of any given situation, he doesn’t make a move. Sounds long winded? Not when Colter Shaw is in charge. It’s his specialism and he can assess a scenario faster than most of his foes could open up a switch blade. It makes for some very interesting, and very unique, moments of threat and jeopardy and also makes for one hell of an entertaining story.



That is absolutely true of Hunting Time, in what starts as a relatively simple investigation into industrial espionage turns into a cross country quest to save a scientist, Allison, and her daughter, Hannah, from what could well be a very deadly confrontation. The tension is high, the pace fast, and the thrill of the hunt, and for Allison staying always one step ahead of the hunter, ensure that the interest in the story never wavers for one second.



Jeffery Deaver has such a skill in setting up the perfect scenario, ensuring that we are armed with all of the salient facts and then leading Colter, and by extension, the reader on one heck of an adventure. There is absolutely no doubt about the threat levels in this book. The perspective is shared between Colter and his investigations, Allison and Hannah as they try to evade those who are searching for them, Allison’s ex-husband, the very man they are hiding from, and a couple of heavies whose only aim is to ensnare Allison and ensure that her fate is well and truly sealed. The switching POV keeps the action fresh and the sense of threat at an all time high, giving us, as readers, little time to relax before the next pulse-pounding scene.



It’s not all action and tension though. There are some poignant moments, some scenes where the softer, more emotional moments take over, driven by both familial love and, in some cases, pure physical attraction. These scenes were vital because I knew all to well that, sooner rather than later, I was going to be perched right back on the edge of my seat, wondering just what dangers Allison and Hannah, and to a certain extent, Colter would be facing next.

Be prepared to be surprised, and keep your eyes well and truly open. This wouldn’t be a Jeffery Deaver novel if there wasn’t more than the odd twist or two. He most definitely delivers in Hunting Time, making use of the obvious but also managing to blindside readers a touch. The clues are all there, although you may well miss them first time around. Some are more obvious than others, but the level of subterfuge, by both characters and author, are perfectly pitched and extremely effective in this book.



What I really do love about this series, aside from the irresistible Colter Shaw, and in fact any Jeffery Deaver novel I have read so far, is that the author does a superb job of serving up strong female characters. Not just Allison Parker, although she is a woman of great resilience and whose logic rivals even Colter’s, but also Sonja Nilsson. She is the head of security at Harmon Energy, and a perfect match for Colter in both skill and mindset. There is a real spark there and it’s fun to see the pair feeding off each other. But it is perhaps Hannah who surprises the most. As a teenager she is prone to the surliness and lapses in judgment you might expect, but they way she takes on board some of the simple lessons that Colter shares with her is impressive and really brought a smile to my face.



Another absolute belter of a story, packed with energy, tension, and all the thrills and suspense I have come to expect from this series. Brilliant characterisations, a very vivid depiction of a town in decline and that time-stealing sense of urgency that kept me completely glued to the page. What more could you ask for in a book? Definitely recommended.

Hunting Time Jeffrey Deaver

4 stars

I haven’t read a Jeffrey Deaver book for a long time but can remember what a good storyteller he was.

His newest book, Hunting Time, is the 4th in the series featuring Colter Shaw, but the first one that I have read. However this book is fine as a stand- alone although I would have liked to know more about his past history.

Colter Shaw is a man who earns his living by claiming reward money for finding missing people. He is hired to find Alison Parker and her 16 year old daughter Hannah. Alison is a brilliant engineer who goes on the run when her abusive ex-husband Jon Merritt is released early from prison and has sworn to find her and kill her. Jon is an ex-detective who had a brilliant career and although he has been imprisoned due to Alison’s testimony of his physical abuse he is released early due to his contacts in the police force.

Alison is an expert in covering her tracks but when Colter Shaw is hired he soon picks up her trail. It becomes a race against time as to who will find Alison first, Colter, her ex-husband or two thugs for hire who are also chasing her.

The action is fast and exciting with many twists involved, one of which was totally unexpected for me. Jeffrey Deaver is a master of this type of story and this book is as good as the others that I have read many years ago. I am hoping to have time to catch up on the previous Colter Shaw books to find out more about his background and will definitely look forward to the next book in the series.

Karen Deborah
Reviewer for Net galley

Hunting Time is as close to a perfect example of the Thriller/Adventure genre as one can get. This book gets its teeth into you from page one until the denouement and then on into the Epilogue and does not let go until you reach the Credits.

There are lots of words written by others about the plot and the scene setting and most everything else so all that I will say is read the book, I will be amazed if you do not find it to be "dope"!

I like Jeffrey Deaver's works but this one, not so much. The plot is based around the character of "reward hunter" Colt Shaw who has unique survivalist skills and is adapt at hunting down people. The book is well plotted, with a steady pace and plenty twists taking the reader in the wrong direction. I struggled to engage with the characterisation and found the book a bit long winded. Just an ok read for me but other readers might find it more interesting. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Hunting Time is the fourth book in the bestselling Colter Shaw series by Jeffery Deaver. I am a huge JD fan and have loved all of his series. This one is no exception and is full of his usual twists, tuns and shocking moments that we have come to love. While the last book felt like it rounded out the backstory of Colter and his family, this one instead focused on Shaw solving a case. This time a woman on the run from her newly released from prison ex-husband. I loved how JD tied everything together, just when you think you know what’s going on, another twist and another angle. This was a fast-paced thrill ride of a story. I am looking forward to seeing what comes next for Colter Shaw. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an arc of this book.

After reading a few chapters I realized that this was a book written for a series, however, this did not spoil my enjoyment of the book. Well written although a little slow (and slightly confusing) at the start it gradually drew you in with a big twist part way through the plot that I did not see coming.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the advance copy of this book.

All-action thriller to keep you guessing. Very good.

Colter Shaw is hired to track down a woman and her daughter fleeing an abusive husband, recently released from prison. The characters are interesting and often surprising and the plot moves along quickly. There are many surprises and revelations along the way, changing the perspective of events. There's a bit of a body count, plenty of menace and cliffhanger endings to chapters. It's entertaining and engaging and well worth a look if you enjoy modern American pulp fiction.

I throughly enjoyed my time reading Hearting Time. The book is the fourth in the Colter Shaw series and Mr Deaver has done a brilliant job with this book and series. I particularly applaud Mr Deaver for the way he continues to develop this series, You can read this as a stand-alone story but to fully appreciate the main character it best to read the books in order..

This book was full of well thought out action, scenes bring all of Mr Deaver substantial writing skills into play.. it keeps you in suspense right till the very surprising conclusion. It’s a great story and I’m sure you will enjoy it throughly.

I’m certainly looking forward to book five!

Thank you Harper Collins for allowing me to review Hunting Time, the fourth novel to feature reward man Colter Shaw like

If you've followed my reviews for a while, you probably know I love Jeffery Deaver's writing, imagination, and characters. "Hunting Time" offers everything I hope for when picking up one of his books, and I'm starting to feel a real affection for Colter Shaw now. The twist in this one though... ooh, blimey! Probably deserves slightly more than 5 stars for that alone!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

It's excitement all the way with Hunting Time by Jeffery Deaver. Basically a cat and mouse game but expect to be surprised as everything is not as it first seems. Colter Shaw, a reward seeker is taken on by a manufacturer of compact nuclear reactors to find who, within the company, is selling its secrets. His workload increases when the technical designer, reponsible for the cutting edge technology that makes these reactors unique, suddenly goes awol. I enjoyed the novel for its thrills and spills and for being duped.

Have you ever read a book where it leaves you breathless because you’ve had to race from page to page as the plot is just so good. This is one of those books. Jeffrey Deaver is a master of his craft. He leaves you wanting more once you’ve finished the book. However he does round the story off so you do come to a conclusion without leaving you hanging on the edge.

Colter Shaw has been employed by Marty Harmon owner of an uprising company. Somebody has stolen his product and Colter. is tasked with retrieving the item and finding the criminal. Everything goes to plan until a member of Marty’s staff goes missing with her daughter. Coulter is then asked to track her down to keep her safe.

Allison Parker has fled with her daughter Hannah. Her ex-husband Jon Merritt has just been released from prison two years early After brutally attacking her in a drink filled rage. Colter needs to outwit the detective and others that are tracking down the two women.

Action packed and a real rollercoaster of a read..
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an ARC.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins, HarperFiction for an advance copy of Hunting Time, the fourth novel to feature reward man Colter Shaw.

Allison Parker and her daughter, Hannah, are on the run from her ex-husband Jon Merritt, who has been recently released from prison and is threatening to kill her. He’s not the only one as two professional killers are also looking for her. Colter Shaw is hired by Allison’s boss, Marty Harmon, to find her and keep her safe.

Hunting Time is a novel of two halves. I found the first half a real struggle and put it down several times in favour of more engaging reads. It is slow and slips continually from one point of view to another. I also thought it was quite boring as all it consists of, after a clever start, is Allison and Hannah escaping everyone else’s attempts to catch them. It feels contrived to me. The second half, when I finally got there, is much more exciting and engaging. It’s tense with narrow escapes and plenty of action. The trademark twists come at the end where the author manages, once again, to upend all the reader’s assumptions.

It is interesting to see Colter Shaw in action without his father’s death and conspiracy theories hanging over him. He’s smart and resourceful, but perhaps more importantly, he’s not perfect and makes mistakes. Obviously this adds to the tension of the read but it also makes him human.

Hunting Time is a mixed bag, so I would recommend persevering with the slow start to get to the faster moving, more exciting parts. 3.5*

This is the fourth book in the Colter Shaw series by author Jeffery Deaver.

Colter Shaw has been hired by Marty Harmon to find and protect Allison Parker and her teenage daughter Hannah who are on the run. Colter Shaw is somewhat of an expert when it comes to hunting down missing persons but appears to have his hands full trying to locate Allison. Allison is being stalked by her ex-husband, Jon Merritt who has recently been released from prison and is desperate to track her down. Jon Merritt is a former police detective and handily skilled to find his ex wife. There appears to be plenty of people hunting down Allison with two hitmen also trying to find her, two men who have an history of murder and making people disappear.

This fast paced novel can be read as a standalone. The novel is well plotted and is a very entertaining read.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Another fantastic Colter Shaw adventure. Full of intrigue and suspense. Hunting Time is an edge of your seat romp, loved every second of it. A fantastic cast of characters and a few unexpected moments that really twisted the narrative!! Without question worth reading and one of my favourite adventures of the Colter Shaw series.

This is book 4 in the Colter Shaw series and although I’ve read this author before I hadn’t read any of this series and this read well as a stand-alone. Shaw finds himself in Ferrington in the America Midwest in this fast paced full of thrills read. Brilliantly written with a twisty plotline, the author leading you down a road only to find it’s another clever red herring.

Briefly, Shaw, who describes himself as a Reward Seeker and Hired to Find investigator, is hired by a corporate CEO to recover a stolen revolutionary industrial component. Having discovered the thief he is then hired by the same person to locate Allison Parker, his Engineer and her daughter Hannah who have gone missing following the release from prison of her violent ex husband Jon. Despite his skills Shaw is led a merry dance by Allison.

This was such an exciting read with dangers lurking in every corner. Very cleverly written and the relationship between Shaw and teenager Hannah is just brilliant. I was engrossed by the book and watch out for a shocking reveal that came out of the blue near the end. So good I’m off to check out the earlier books.

Thank you HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
I was absolutely thrilled to get this as Jeffrey is one all time favourite author.
I have read the other Colter Shaw books and was expecting great things from this one.
I found the plot a little slow and the book at times didn't hold my attention.
However, towards the end, with about 20% to go, it was completely different and I was much happier.
Definitely worth a read, but not the best book by Jeffrey - hence the 3 stars - can't do 3.5!

What can I say? I loved this! Well paced, really well drawn characters and quite a twist along the way. I'm a big fan of Jeffrey Deaver and with every Shaw book I'm becoming a bigger fan. Highly recommend.

Colter Shaw, Jeffery Deaver’s latest and the most exciting protagonist after Lincoln Rhyme, is back on his fourth adventure in Hunting Time, and I am grateful to HarperCollins UK / HarperFiction for the opportunity to read and review its Advance Copy through NetGalley.

Ferrington used to be a thriving industrial town until a few decades ago before deteriorating into a polluted shadow of itself and Jon Merritt’s story is not much different. Only, Jon’s decline from being a decorated police officer, a loving husband and a doting father to an angry alcoholic has been a lot faster. When he goes too far one night and hurts his wife, Allison Parker, grievously, she presses charges to get him imprisoned and terminates all contact with him. But Jon is released after serving only a year of his sentence and his first task as a free man is to procure a gun, and the next is to find where his ex-wife and Hannah, his fifteen-year-old daughter, live.

Allison, a brilliant engineer working for an up-and-coming manufacturer of revolutionary nuclear products in the otherwise gone-to-seed town, is shocked by the news of Jon’s early release and, barely minutes before Jon could catch her, runs away with Hannah who isn’t thrilled to go along on what she feels to be her mom’s paranoid trip. Having missed Allison narrowly, Jon employs both his own considerable detective prowess and his shady connections from the law-enforcement days to track down his quarry. Also wishing to find Allison is Martin Harmon, the owner of Harmon Energy Products that employs her, but with the benign intent of keeping her and Hannah safe until Jon is captured and sent back to prison. Luckily for Harmon, Colter Shaw, the professional reward seeker who can find even those who do not want to be found, is already in Ferrington on another job for the company and is willing to take up the new assignment.

The ensuing chase that pits Jon’s cunning against Shaw’s resourcefulness towards finding Allison and her uncooperative daughter—made deadlier by the couple of nasty, creepy characters hired by Jon—throws up several surprises, making it hard for anybody to trust anybody, and builds up towards an explosive climax.

Deaver has honed Colter Shaw’s character to perfection with the previous books and, knowing Shaw’s skills, the reader is in for plenty of entertainment. Brought up by survivalist parents and shaped by an unconventional life, Shaw is tough, smart and cool under pressure, and is the best ally one could hope for. The new characters—Allison, Jon and the pair of assassins—too are rendered splendidly in Deaver’s precise, crisp prose and are interesting to watch in action. Sonja Nilsson, the head of Harmon Energy security who is as mysterious as she is attractive, looks like a perfect fit for Shaw, but I had also liked Shaw’s pairing with Victoria Lesston in the previous two books and am eager to see what Deaver has in store for the trio. Somewhat disappointing in Hunting Time is the absence of Shaw’s family and Victoria whose company I had come to enjoy a lot.

As expected, Hunting Time has an absorbing plot with nonstop action and unpredictable twists all along that make it almost impossible to put down once started. Deaver’s writing is compelling, with vivid descriptions of places, people and events, and delightful nuggets of information about various things including the art of survival. The ending of Hunting Time promises yet another exhilarating mission for Shaw and I can’t wait to devour it!

This is a tense and exciting addition to Jeffery Deaver's crime thriller series featuring the reward hunter, Colt Shaw, raised by his late survivalist professor father, Ashton, with his family, mother, Mary Dove, sister Dorian and brother Russell. He travels the country in his Winnebago home, with his unique specialist skills and approach, which includes assigning probabilities to any possibilities which serves him well. Here, he finds himself in the midwest at a once prosperous industrial town, Ferrington, with its toxic river, hired by Marty Harmon, CEO of Welbourne and Sons to retrieve stolen valuable miniature portable nuclear technology. When the irreplaceable senior nuclear engineer, 42 year Allison Parker, goes on the run from her abusive husband, a decorated former FPD detective, Jon Merritt, released early from prison after being convicted of assault and battery with a deadly weapon, Harmon asks Shaw to find and protect her.

Shaw works with the company's Chief of Security, Sonja Nilsson, a woman with her own secrets. He has difficulties in getting the overburdened police, wanting to protect one of their own, into taking the threat that Merritt poses seriously. This might be understandable as Merritt is described as a charming homicidal sociopath, who will not be stopped until he has killed Allison and his 16 year old daughter, Hannah. Merritt has a history of rages, and has drink and opoid addictions. Shaw races against time to locate Allison and Hannah, with matters exacerbated when it emerges that there are 2 ruthless and menacing hitmen hunting for them too. This is a story where Shaw's survivalist skills learnt from his father are key as he tries to ensure that Allison and Hannah stay alive in the wilderness they find themselves trapped in.

Deaver is an expert when it comes to building nail biting tension and suspense in his fast paced action thrillers, and this is no exception. As might be expected from him, there is plenty of misdirection and twists and turns, and a wide and disparate set of characters, ranging from the truly villainous to the wonderful and good. A highlight for me was to see the close relationship between Shaw and Hannah develop, with Hannah committed and serious about learning as much as she can about survivalism from him. I think fans of Deaver, and of this series in particular, will enjoy this terrific addition, it is a fun, entertaining, and a gripping thriller that I recommend to those who love the crime and mystery genre. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Colter Shaw has an unusual source of income: he works for rewards, which means that he’s often combing the country searching for missing people. He’ll travel wherever in America this takes him, using a motor home with a motorcycle attached to the back of it. He’s a resourceful chap too, the son of a survivalist who taught him a multitude of skills. Yes, Colter knows an awful lot of things that come in very handy in his line of work. But in this, his fourth adventure, he takes on a slightly different task, he’s hired to prevent the theft of a revolutionary piece of equipment, a component of a small, transportable nuclear reactor – a devise that could potentially resolve many of Africa’s chronic energy needs.

But Colter’s focus is re-set when the company’s chief designer, Allison Parker, subsequently goes missing - on the run from her violent husband who has just been released from jail and is threatening to kill her. The company is based in a Midwest Rust Belt town that’s seen better days. The river running through the town is badly polluted and frankly this place seems like just the sort of dump anyone would run away from! But her knowledge and skills are considered irreplaceable and the owner of the company is therefore willing to spend whatever it takes to find her and keep her safe. So, as her husband and a couple of trigger happy thugs go on the chase Colter is searching too, desperately hoping that he’ll get to her first. But hang on a minute… this is a Jeffery Deaver novel, so everything won’t be quite as you expect it to be.

It’s an enjoyable romp which does throw in the expected quota of surprises. Though to be honest we’ve been here so often with Deaver that these elements no longer really surprise, it’s more a case of waiting to see which elements of the story are, in fact, an elaborate conjuring trick. I enjoyed it and Colter and co were good company for the few days it took me to work through it, but it wasn’t a book I was desperate to return to whenever I’d temporarily set it aside. It’s a three star offering for me.