Edge

Henry Loving is a “lifter”--someone who specializes in getting to someone and applying ruthless techniques to extract needed information for whoever hires him. Corte, the “shepherd”, tries to protect those targets. He had a run-in with Loving in the past, when Loving tortured and killed his partner—and he and everyone else believed Loving to now be dead.

Until Loving shows up, targeting a local hero cop. No one can figure out why Ryan Kessler is in Loving's crosshairs. Corte is determined to keep his people alive, to figure out what information Loving is after—and to finally GET Loving this time.

Kessler and his wife are taken by Corte, while their daughter is sent to a supposed safe location. Kessler's sister-in-law accompanies them, causing all kinds of trouble in her denial of how serious this situation is. Kessler himself causes issues—you can't expect ANY cop, let alone an actual HERO, to stand idly by and let himself be hunted!!

The tension builds as they keep moving to keep safe, but Loving seems to be one step ahead of them the entire time. The race to find out exactly who Loving is after, and why, keeps pace with the chase.

Another excellent Jeffery Deaver thriller!!

Bestselling American thriller writer Jeffery Deaver is most well-known for his psychological thriller series starring quadriplegic criminalist Lincoln Rhyme (such as THE BONE COLLECTOR, adapted into a film starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie), a spin-off series starring interrogation expert Kathryn Dance, and for taking up the Ian Fleming baton by penning a recent James Bond novel, CARTE BLANCHE, but he has also written some very good standalone thrillers over the years.

EDGE introduces Corte, a stoic, enigmatic and highly driven ‘shepherd’ assigned to protect those in the gravest danger – witnesses, whistleblowers, and other vulnerable people. A lover of strategic board games, Corte is often pitted against ‘hitters’ and ‘lifters’ – the former want to kill, the latter are even more dangerous: they want to extract information, by any means necessary. When Washington DC police detective Ryan Kessler is surprisingly targeted by notorious lifter Henry Loving – who will torture, threaten and kill family members, and more, to achieve his goals (anything to find the necessary ‘edge’ on the real target) – Kessler and his family are immediately put under the protection of a shadowy government agency, with Corte assigned to keep them alive.

Unfortunately, Corte knows just how brutal Loving can be – six years ago the lifter tortured and killed his mentor, after getting the information he needed. But there are many problems with this case, right from the start. Kessler has no idea why he’s been targeted. He works financial cases, not gangs or organised crime. Could the forged cheque of a Pentagon employee or an uncovered mini-Ponzi scheme really have spurred someone to set Henry Loving on his trail? The cop in Kessler resents the passive nature of his protection, but his instincts for action and involvement could put him in even more danger. As time ticks by, Loving learns more and more, and becomes even more dangerous. Corte needs to find the principal, Loving’s employer, while still protecting the Kesslers. But he has no idea why someone is after Kessler, making it very hard to get a lead on the ‘who’. He is also torn between his role as protector, and his desire to catch Loving. Could he use the Kesslers as bait – or will that put them in too much danger? What risks should he take, if any?

In essence, EDGE is a one-on-one battle between two great rivals; Corte and Loving. Each is playing a strategic game against the other, moving around the pieces on a real-life board to try to get an advantage and checkmate the other. Deaver keeps the tension high, and the twists come thick and fast. But they don’t seem forced or contrived, there solely for shock value or effect; rather, they are well-constructed and natural to the gripping storyline.

The trademark Deaver touches – a fast-paced, tense plotline filled with twists and reversals – are there, but are only part of what makes EDGE so enjoyable.

The story is largely told in first person perspective, through Corte’s eyes. The hero’s musings on game theory, strategy, and leverage thematically echo what is going on in the story, adding to the reader experience. I enjoyed learning more about game theory and strategy, in addition to the part it played in the story. Corte recognises that “people will do anything to anybody – if the edge is right”, a fundamental truth that applies to him too. What will he do to catch Loving? To protect his charges?

Corte is a very interesting character. He holds a lot in, revealing little of himself – to the reader or the people around him. But hints are dropped here and there, and over the course of the book we get a picture of a layered, fascinating man with ‘hidden depths’ (to use a cliché). Still waters run deep, to use another. Like Loving, Corte will use any means necessary to do his job – misleading people, manipulating them, and more. Revelations later in the book cast him in a new light. By the end, many readers will be disappointed that EDGE was touted as a standalone, and hopeful that Deaver may bring Corte back in future.

Deaver has excelled with EDGE, a truly terrific thriller packed with excitement, intriguing characters, and more. It’s the type of book where you really ‘feel’ the tension, and are fully engaged at all times. You’re not just reading as a semi-interested observer, you’re fully caught up in everything that is going on. In the cat-and-mouse game between Loving and Corte, in the dangers faced by the Kesslers, in the intrigue about the reason they’re being targeted. Deaver has set the bar pretty high with some of his previous books, but EDGE is still a stand-out. Unexpectedly, one of my very favourite reads of the year so far.

Jeffrey Deaver's Edge is a nonstop thriller that delivers all the way to the end. Corte is a "shepherd" tasked with protecting people, good or bad from professional hitmen and "lifters" which are people interested in extracting information from the victim. Corte works for a shadowy Federal agency that prefers to stay out of the lime light. Part bodyguard, part Sherlock Holmes, and part one man wrecking crew, Corte works to protect a family while trying to identify the employer of the lifter. With a dysfunctional family each having their own secrets and their reasons for inciting a lifter, along with a psychopathic, cool under pressure lifter, Corte has his hands full as he juggles an overeager prosecutor, a Congressional investigation into illegal wiretapping, a compromised FBI, and an even more shadowy government spy agency.

The pacing is excellent with nary a break in the action except for the brief pause for the whiplash after each dead end. Corte is surrounded by a loyal team of support characters and he even manages to play the role of teacher and mentor. Throughout, he remains a man of mystery about his past which Deaver reserves for the final plot twist as the finale. Although the characters are great for this tale, don't look for more adventures as their dimensionality is enough for one good story, but would likely wear thin for the next rodeo.

The federal protection officer Corte is well suited to his job as he seeks to keep his charges safe. As a fanatic player of ancient board games Corte plans and carries out his mission against "lifter" Henry Loving using every instinct and strategy implemented in these games. To challenge him, Loving is every bit as good, and so we have a series, one after another, of setups and stumbles as Corte moves the Kessler family around.

Deaver slyly has Corte think off and on -- very briefly -- of his wife and two sons without making it clear if they are alive or tragic losses in his inscrutable past. So far as we are given to know, he lives alone with his board game collection. Lots of character dissection here, too.

Edge introduces us to a Witness Protection Program driven by relentless action. In the first half of the book, Deaver works hard to set up the villain as near super-human. But most of the super stunts seem to rely on mistakes by the protagonist. A combination of overconfidence and attempts to make the protagonist seem supremely competent produce an inevitable overall impression of arrogance. "This is not the hero you were looking for."

The book includes numerous references to mathematical game theory. The technical name dropping shows some depth, but to avoid boring the recreational reader Edge gives little sophisticated detail in the explanations. This compounds an impression of arrogance. Contrast Michael Crichton's approach to technical details, which omit the name dropping and explain technical concepts in paraphrase.

In the second half, Deaver's skillful mastery of plot twists returns in fine form. Yet in too many places plot twists are accomplished by implausible surprises rather than depth of plot or character. Contrast Deaver's Bone Collector or Devil's Teardrop, which quickly establish a gripping premise and drive the reader to finish in one sitting. Conan Doyle was faulted for writing Sherlock Homes stories in which the key clue was something Holmes withheld from the reader until he announced the solution. This same problem afflicts Deaver's Edge.

Edge was fun to read and came to a satisfying conclusion, but Deaver has written many better books.

Jeffrey Deaver's THE EDGE is at times compelling, and then quite boring. But at the end, it comes together in an ultimately rewarding experience. Deaver takes the reader to Corte, an agent of a secretive government organization charged with keeping people safe. Corte is the shepherd assigned to guard Ryan Kessler, his wife, Joanne, sister-in-law Maree, and daughter Amanda. He's protecting them from the "lifter" Henry Loving, a man paid to find people and extract information from them. While Corte is keeping the Kesslers safe, he's also trying to discover who the primary is; who hired Henry Loving.

As the novel opens, Corte is trying to keep the Kesslers safe and Loving is trying to kill them. So, we get several scenes of cat and mouse, and action as Corte fights off Loving. With so much violence and mayhem going on, it seems improbable that all the main characters survive. I found myself skimming through the needless action to get to more story.

Thankfully, Deaver moves away from the action and more into the story. Who in Kessler's family is Loving targeting? Is it Ryan, the cop injured in the line of duty. Could it be his devoted wife, the active daughter, or the ditsy photographer sister-in-law.

My opinion of the novel definitely changed in the last half, for the better. This is a novel Deaver fans should check out as they eagerly await his next: the new James Bond novel.

This action packed, fast paced, heart-pounding brain-teaser pits two ruthless professionals against each other in a cat and mouse game. The suspense generated plays nifty tricks on your mind and every time someone new wanders across the page the atmosphere builds.

The storyline is narrated in the first person and has great plotting and a wonderful cast of characters. One of the main characters is a "shepherd" named Corte who is charged with protecting a principal named Ryan Kessler from a "lifter" named Henry Loving. (A shepherd is the person in charge of protecting another person (the principal) and the lifter is the person employed to interrogate and extract information from the principal by deadly force or using a family member or friends as leverage. It is challenging at first, there are a lot of acronyms and terms for us to get our heads around but once we get into the swing of things, we are adeptly provided with all the twists and counter-twists to keep us constantly on our toes, we never know what is coming next.

The task our hero, Corte, faces is not easy. We learn the Kessler family is a family with many problems and Ryan is no exception, he is cop with a drinking problem and a complex. Corte is faced by an ever-increasing number of distractions, complications in a deadly game as he and his opponent Henry Loving jostle for position from chapter to chapter.

This intellectual and psychological thriller gripped my attention from the very beginning and never let go. Corte, a board game aficionado and Loving a very capable nemesis each trying to outwit the other in a real-life game of chess using people as pawns proved to be intriguing, captivating and quite fulfilling from start to finish. It was my first experience reading this author and it will not be the last.

Just finished this stand alone thriller novel by Jeffery Deaver. I found it OUTSTANDING. Here are but a few reasons why, from a voracious reader who has read all of Deaver's work, and particularly love his short stories.

1) The story itself reminds me of how one peals one of those children's toys which is round, usually of crepe paper, wherein you find small "presents" as you unroll the long line of crepe paper! I've personally never read a book that contains so many plot changes - all critical to the "unravelling" of the story.

2) You find yourself liking the well rounded characters - each of which has both positive and negative character traits that surfact through the events within the story.

3) Usually in books of this type I get bored as there is what I call a linear plot line, and you can usually just skim the pages - skipping the "filler" spaces - to follow the plot line. In THIS book, however, Mr. Deaver provides us with fascinating information about game theory in these "filler" spaces. While of great interest in and of themselves, these facts also help to moce along the plot! Kept me actually reading EVERY page of this book!

4) One of the underlying themes that I got out of this book is just how interconnected we all are in this digital/Internet world, and just how important it is to be careful of what a person writes within this Internet world. NOTHING is seceret any more.

Just a few reasons why I strongly recommend that you pick up and devour this book from Jeffery Deaver!

We've read most of Deaver's booklist, so obviously usually enjoy his craft. The author is probably best known for his forensic detective Lincoln Rhyme series, but "Edge" is a standalone thriller. We've read hundreds of mystery/thrillers, yet this one manages to be somewhat different: the Kessler family, presumably cop and husband Ryan, is under attack from a villain (Henry Loving) who mainly wants to torture him for information important to some other "primary." Meanwhile, it's leading man Corte's job to protect all the principals. So in practice, this is sort of a "witness protection"-type story, with the twist that no one knows why the principals need protecting and what the next maneuvers of the bad guys might be. That the book frequently refers to the mathematical discipline of game theory, and couches the plot in chess-like terms, fits nicely with the "can our side outwit your side" theme of things. The attempt to gain "edge" (leverage) over first one character then another keeps us guessing until nearly the end as to the "why" -- and of course whether the clever villain will meet his match remains unresolved till the very end. We enjoyed the story immensely even though it dragged along a little here and there, but the "mystery wrapped in an enigma" approach to the plot was very entertaining, with a few personal twists here and there to spice things up. Well done!

Action-suspense master Deaver's latest nail-biter pits the narrator, Corte, a government protection expert, known as a "shepherd," against a ruthless "lifter," Henry Loving, whose job is to grab the target - a DC cop - and extract information from him by any means possible, meaning torture, as we've already seen in a grisly prologue.

What this information is and who wants it are two of the questions Corte is trying to answer as he shepherds the cop, Ryan Kessler, and his wife and sister-in-law from one not-quite-safe house to another, setting traps and dodging bullets as they go.

Deaver fans get the non-stop pace we expect as the characters unfold in increments, raising more questions with every quirk and revelation. Corte, whose passion is board games and game theory, prides himself on humorless ingenuity and - if it weren't for the lives at stake - would thoroughly enjoy pitting himself against a well-matched opponent like Loving.

The twists, reversals and double reversals keep the pace breakneck, while complicating the mix with various intelligence agencies and cops and, of course, the heavy hand of bureaucracy. Corte slowly reveals himself as not quite the automaton he tries to appear, and readers will hope to see more of him.

THE EDGE is classic Deaver fiction - fast paced, filled with quirky asides, and unrelenting plot twists. If you are willing to suspend disbelief and go with the narrative, you'll be entertained. The problem with numerous plot twists (the same flaw James Patterson and his legion of copycat writers suffer from) is that once the true culprit is revealed, going back over previous chapters, dialogue, and events can raise problematic questions. And leave the reader feeling duped, like the author wasn't honest. I won't spoil the ending here, but check it out for yourself and see why the person says and does certain things early in the book when they know they are the one.

Deaver takes advantage of the first-person narration to throw some interesting twists. The game subplot worked for me as the entire plot is cat and mouse gamesmanship, And ultimately, the narrator prevents the reader from having an "edge" on him as he reveals few personal details until the end of the story.

Also recommend GARDEN OF BEASTS and THE BLUE NOWHERE by Deaver.

I am generally a fan a Jeffery Deaver's thrillers, but hadn't read any of his newer novels. I saw Edge as a special offer in the Kindle store, and thought it was time to pick up his books again.
Unfortunately, I found this book extremely irritating. The constant twists and turns of the plot, some of them very easy to see coming, made the book terribly disjointed, and instead of finding the book hard to put down, I really struggled my way through it, and in fact gave up at around 65% , at which point I deleted it from my Kindle. I know that Mr. Deaver is capable of writing some terrific stories, but this isn't one of them, and I really couldn't recommend it.

The story starts out with a bang, slows down then builds up to a cat and mouse thriller. The protagonist, Agent Corte, must protect a cop and his family from an enigmatic and cunning lifter who murdered Corte's mentor and close friend several years earlier, got away and apparently perished in a fire. The question is did the powers to be make the right decision in assigning Corte, a loner and judicious individual, to guard this family who does not seem to want protection and wonders why they need guarding? Some of the characters are comprehensive, with a few being unconventional, cocky, and unpredictable. The plot has all the elements of divergence, dishonesty, murder, and mayhem, slowly leading up to a surprise ending.

Once Again, Jeffery Deaver has written a thrilling novel that doesn't disappoint! This book is rife with mystery, excitement and thrilling scenes. From page 1, you will be sucked in and won't want to put this book down. The story revolves around a mysterious government agency that protects people from being murdered or questioned, for one reason or another. The main character "Corte" is sent on assignment to protect a family from the lifter(a term for a man who gets information from his victims) Henry Loving. Loving is one of the most dangerous "lifters" as he will torture his victims to get information. Corte is particularly interested in Loving, because the man had killed his mentor. A strategic game enthusiast, Corte uses his mental muscle to try to outsmart his most dangerous opponent!

A thrilling roller coaster ride that will keep you guessing throughout! Highly recommended! Would love to see more that features Corte and his fellow officers, perhaps a new series for Mr. Deaver???

***Note to Authors: If you are going to write about the Washington, DC area Please Please Please talk to a native Washingtonian. Anybody can read a map, and do Google searches about the area. However, there is terminology that is unique to the area, and every book I've read that centers around our nation's capital, with exception of a few authors from here, get it wrong!! Please I BEG you...talk to one of us natives!!!

I'm a Jeffery Deaver follower but was really excited to read him doing something different (from his Lincoln Rhyme novels) in Edge. Deaver's strong suit is his twisting plots and he comes through on this one. Once I started I was hooked and couldn't put it down. Just when you think you've figured out the story line, he pulls it out from under you. But all the turns were strong and made sense. The only soft spot was how quickly Corte's researcher, Claire DuBoise, was able to get him answers. I can't imagine it can be that fast. It sort of reminded me of the woman in the office and on the computer in the Criminal Minds TV program. I also appreciated how Deaver kept the excitement and complexities but kept the body count low. There is some bad language but he's careful with violence and sex. I highly recommend this book.

Lifters, shepherds, primaries, and principals make up the character list in Deaver's latest thriller. Corte, a shepherd, works for a government agency responsible for protecting high-profile government witnesses (principals) against the lifters. Lifters, who have been hired by the primary, are willing to take whatever steps are necessary in order to get to the principals and extract the information they possess. They'll use physical torture if they can get to them directly, and if not, they'll kidnap and torture the principal's loved ones.

The Kessler family is Corte's latest responsibility and someone in that family has information that Henry Loving has been paid to extract. Corte has gone up against Loving before, and he knows how ruthless Loving can be and how ingenious his tactics may become.

Deaver, who is known for his roller-coaster-type plot twists upped the anti on himself with this one. For the first time he uses a first-person narrator to tell the story. That format doesn't usually lend well to surprise twists in the story, because the only perspective available to the reader is that of the narrator. Deaver accomplishes his goal masterfully. I have to admit that several times while reading the book, I could sense a plot twist coming, but that's due more to the fact that I've read most everything he's written and trying to anticipate and identify his twists has become almost a game I play while reading them. But never did I know exactly what was going to happen before it did.

Edge is a fun read for anyone who enjoys the genre. It was a refreshing departure from his Lincoln Rhyme and Katherine Dance books. There's something very satisfying for me in stand-alone books. I like the fact that they have a beginning, a middle, and a definitive end.

This non-Lincoln Rhymes thriller runs the reader through a maze, with Federal Agent Corte trying to protect a family from kidnapping, torture and death. One of them knows too much about something, and Corte has to outwit and outrun the hit man (aka “the lifter”) while trying to determine which family member holds the dangerous information. As ingenious as the story is, with a well-conceived cast of interesting characters, a cat-and-mouse tale should move more quickly, like Koontz’s The Husband.

While Jeffery Deaver's newest novel is uneven, it is unusually enigmatic, always coming up with the unexpected. The characters often seem wooden, but their adventures are anything but dull, taking the reader from one gripping situation to another. The plot involves a secret government agency that specializes in protecting victims until the pursuer is captured or neutralized.

Information is received that a D.C. detective has been targeted by a "lifter" (one who specializes in extracting information from victims by any method necessary). Protecting the cop and his family falls to Corte, the protégé of a man killed by the "lifter' seven years earlier on another job. While shepherding the family, Corte also has to find out what prompted the targeting of the detective. This leads to a deadly game as Corte and his opponent move back and forth to an endgame.

One can look at Corte as an exciting new character in Deaver's collection, or as a relatively boring protagonist who is extremely proficient at what he does in sort of robotic fashion. What keeps the story moving steadily is an unusual twist at each turn of events, not giving the reader any clue as to what is coming. Recommended.

Edge is the 12th stand-alone novel by Jeffrey Deaver. Set in Washington DC, this gripping tale starts with a prologue in which a lifter, Henry Loving, tortures and kills a government personal security officer, Abe Fallow, for information about locations of people in the witness protection scheme. Fast-forward six years, and Loving has targeted DC police detective, Ryan Kessler and his family; Fallow's protégé, Officer Corte is the one assigned to protect (shepherd) the family. Under Corte's care are Ryan, his daughter, Amanda, his wife, Joanne, and her sister, Maree. Matters are complicated by the fact that no-one can quite figure out what information Loving is intent on "lifting" from Kessler and for whom, but Corte has the able assistance of Claire duBois, his own protégé. He also has mostly useful help from FBI agents and interference from the Attorney General's department, as well as a Senate Enquiry into unwarranted wiretaps threatening. In this riveting novel, Deaver gives the reader a plot with plenty of twists, lots of tension, convincing characters and credible dialogue. He provides a wealth of interesting information about witness protection: the nicknames used, like hitter, lifter, clone, principal, primary and shepherd; the use of behaviour psychology, observation and communication; the resources used, like electronic devices, technical backup, accommodation, vehicles, weapons and surveillance equipment. Deaver also touches on game playing and tactical moves. Corte is perhaps a little too unemotional, but the plot ensures this is a page-turner.

Jeffery Deaver is a highly successful and prolific writer of mysteries. One of the pitfalls of being in this position professionally is the economic pressures from the mini-industry which build up around one. Success breeds the demand for even greater success culminating in the "one book per year" syndrome. In that environment, maintaining constant literary excellence is a real challenge. In the case of EDGE, Deaver has been unaffected by this problem. This is a terrific book!
Corte is a federal protector. He's an expert in foiling assassination attempts on people who must be kept alive for the good of the broader government. He's allied within the Strategic Protection Department with a key staff including master researcher Clair duBois. The protectee in this case is a family of four headed by Ray Kessler, a long time police officer. The assassin is a professional killer named Henry Loving who is an old nemesis of Corte's. It is unclear what knowledge the Kesslers posses which others want to snuff out. The Kessler family seems not to know as well. It's also unknown who has sanctioned their termination. Of course there is the expected bureaucrat with a private agenda gumming up the works. In this case he is Federal Prosecutor Jason Westfield.
The thrust of the story is Corte trying to keep the targets safe while being threatened by the diabolical skills of Loving. The contest between Corte and Loving is so bitter and intense that it strongly reminds of the war between Sherlock Holmes and Professor Molinari. Loving's cross hairs move from one Kessler family member to another as his attempts to murder accelerate. Corte counters each thrust of his protagonist only to be stymied by Loving. We have back and forth with always greater intensity and frequency. A resolution of the plot is delayed again and again by a new event.
The facts in the story are notable in many ways. The depth of knowledge of Corte and the resources available to him seem unlimited. The degree of intelligence available to Loving and the evil with which he applies it seems to have no end. The dynamics within the Keesler family are described by Deaver in realistic and entertaining detail. The pace of EDGE is frenetic: The time span for the entire adventure is only five days. Surprise follows surprise with the unexpected becoming expected. The story line has more twists and turns than a Chubby Checkers dance contest. But the tension level is such as to discourage putting it down. And there is always Jason Westerfield screwing things up for Corte. Even the epilog, titled "End Game", reveals a major shock!
Reviewing a really good book is difficult. Thus, this review was not easy but the chief reward was reading the novel itself.

Deaver is a master at plot, and this book contains many twists and turns that often surprised me, yet that I found believeable once they happened. I found the main plot's final twist and the resolution of narrator Corte's story a bit far-fetched, but I didn't mind because I enjoyed the ride. It took me a while to get into Corte's character and to have a real feel for the family he is protecting, so at first I wasn't sure I'd keep reading. But I am very glad I did, it is a gripping story and I really came to care about all the characters. I admit to loving Deaver's Dance novels the most, and while this book for me did not quite match those, it's well worth the read.

I noticed that several precognitive reviewers found themselves able to review the book after only reading it partially.

As in most of his books, the author introduces many twists and turns. Perhaps more than usual. It is confusing who is the target. Perhaps too much so, but I think the various aspects of the store hang together. I like Lincoln Rhyme. But this is not him. The story is engaging, perplexing, and intricate. I'm astounded at the people who write reviews without finishing the book. The last chapter is extremely touching. If you have not read to that point, lots of what goes before is not significant.

Deaver has created another fantastic character. He is not a quad, but he is a fascinating human being involved in trying to complete a very human undertaking.

I'm amazed at the hubris and disrespect of those who chose to evaluate Deaver's effort without reading the book in it's entirety! This is an excellent book.

The plot concerns protecting a family from a known adversary. Someone in the family has info the bad guys want. In many ways the adversary Loving, is actually better at this cat and mouse game then the good guy Corte. He (Loving) is usually one move ahead of Corte. They should turn Loving as he is better at this cat and mouse game then the good guy Corte. Every time their is an action scene, the bad guy gets the upper hand (of course not in the end). Seems like Deaver wrote the same story 4 times. Book is OK at best

One of the downfalls of best selling authors seems to be that editors are reluctant to tell them what they need to hear. For example, Tom Clancy's later works in which detail turned into drudgery. Or John Grisham's thinly disgused rehash of his Italian trip. Or Dean Koontz's lazy and bad endings.

Jeffery Deaver's book could have been cut by one third and would have been better for it. There a couple of problems with it. I think the major one is he overloads us with plot twists and turns. I suppose that was his method of keeping us in suspense, but because he constantly leads us down the wrong road it becomes wearisome.
At times, I felt cheated because information was deliberately withheld. We are led to believe that we are seeing everything that the main character, Corte, is doing only to find out that he did something behind our backs. As a consequence, we couldn't have possibly have figured out what was going to happen. I think a good mystery presents the clues to the reader and allowing him to potentially figure it out. In several instances, the clues are withheld.

I also had a problem with the constant unsatisfactory run-ins with the bad guy, Henry Loving. Somehow Corte just knows Loving is going to show up or is on the scene. Yet, he cannot manage to capture him. Again, I suppose this is an attempt to build suspense, but it again becomes overwhelming and I just wanted it over.

In addition, having two different characters tell part of the story from first person point of view just doesn't work. The sudden switch from one character to another is just confusing.

This is the first book of Deaver's I've read, so I probably should read another to get a better sample of his writing. I would hope this is not a good example.

This novel's main protagonist, know only as Corte works for a small government agency, that protects people who are under threat from being kidnapped. In this story, Corte, has to protect a policeman and his family, who for an unknown reason, are about to become the victims of a kidnap attempt.

I found it a fairly enjoyable story, with enough going on to keep me interested, and the plot has the usual Jeffery Deaver twists. Not as good as the Lincoln Rhyme series though.

Henry Loving is perhaps the best "lifter" there is as he can get anyone to provide him the information he requires. He is especially adept at torturing his targets, but what makes him the absolute top gun is his uncanny ability to find the lever that gives him the Edge, which makes everyone he aims at dance to his tune. No one pushes people buttons like he does.

Federal government Strategic Protection Department "shepherd" Agent Corte protects targets from lifters. An intercepted message names Loving as the lifter directed to extract information from DC metro detective Ryan Kessler. Corte is assigned to keep Ryan from harm and his family safe so they cannot be used as pawns. He is also trying to identify who hired Loving. Meanwhile the lifter works on finding the means to get what he needs from the cop.

Though over the top, readers will not care as the Corte-Loving grandmaster chess match is a superb cat and mouse thriller in which readers will keep changing their mind as to who the feline is and who the rodent is in this deadly cerebral contest. The story line is fast-paced and loaded with action as each keeps placing the other in check, but checkmate seems just out of reach. Jeffery Deaver is at his entertaining best with this High Noon confrontation between the two best gunslingers in the world.

Harriet Klausner

Police detective Ryan Kessler is targeted by Henry Loving, a man who tortures people to get information. The job of keeping Kessler safe falls to Corte, a federal protection officer. Corte has a score to settle with Henry Loving who killed his mentor six years ago. This is an extremely fast paced novel with twists and action in every chapter. The adrenaline keeps you on your toes until the final chapter. I highly recommend this novel.

Jeffery Deaver has dealt another blow to your mind. If you have read any of his other novels you know what I mean. The main character in this book is a bodyguard named Corte who plays a thrill-a-minute game of life and death with a hired gun by the name of Henry Loving. Going in you should park your assumptions at the door because Deaver is at his best in his never ending twists and turns of plot. Highly Recommended for anyone who enjoys a great thriller!

The Edge, Deaver's latest work is entertaining but pretty trite. Although it is a reasonably well-crafted mystery/suspense novel, the dialog is ordinary and the characters, particularly the chief protagonist, are wooden.

Perhaps, I am becoming bored by this genre since I have read literally hundreds of books considered part of the Mystery/Suspense genre. I was able to finish this one but it got to the point where I couldn't wait for the end so that hopefully I can pickup something better.

There are some writers who continue to improve, book by book, and others who hit their peak and become hackneyed. I feel that Jeffrey Deaver is among the latter group of authors. Mr. Deaver hit his peak a long time ago in his early Lincoln Rhyme novels.

That's a shame for all of us.

seemed kind of far fetched that this super protector is continually leaving the principals in the hands of others while he searches for Loving. I am looking forward to his new Bond book but was disappointed in this one.

I loved this book. It started out great and ended great and I loved it. I always like Jeffrey Deavers books (some more than others) but this one I thought was very suspenseful and I couldn't wait to get back to it when I had to quit reading for a time.

I have generally liked the Lincoln Rhyme stories, but this new genre is just dull. I could not believe how many people were suspected of being the "primary" in the story -- I expected Lincoln Rhyme to be there by the end. The story has moments but for the most part it was a tedious read that I regretted.

By far Deavers worst attempt at writing. Struggled through half the book and finally gave up. He rambles on and on and on, never seems to get where hes going.
Save you time and money, pick something else

As a fan of Deaver, I heartily recommend his latest offering. A new character - Corte - is in many ways more interesting than Lincoln Rhyme. He loves games and collects old and new board games, and the book is peppered with apt references to game theory and its applications to real life.

A gripping read, a page turner. I loved it.

If I had to make one complaint I would have to say that the rescue of the last innocent is somewhat predictable, but by the time I got there I was so enthralled it didn't matter.

Read it if you love a good who-dunnit.

The arch villain is readily apparent, or at least it was to me, as soon as the senator from Ohio is first introduced early in the book. He is variously described as an icon in the New Republican movement, responsible for building a coalition to get just enough votes to get a conservative Supreme Court nominee confirmed, and a fervent law-and-order advocate. I almost gave up and stopped reading at that point, but I continued on hoping against hope through the ridiculous plot twists that for just once it wouldn't be the evil Republican that was to blame. But alas it was not to be.