The Never Game

By: Jeffery Deaver

Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith

Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's Summary

A New York Times Book Review Top 10 Crime Novel of the Year

From the best-selling and award-winning master of suspense, the first novel in a thrilling new series, introducing Colter Shaw.

"You have been abandoned."

A young woman has gone missing in Silicon Valley, and her father has hired Colter Shaw to find her. The son of a survivalist family, Shaw is an expert tracker. Now, he makes a living as a "reward seeker", traveling the country to help police solve crimes and private citizens locate missing persons. But what seems a simple investigation quickly thrusts him into the dark heart of America's tech hub and the cutthroat billion-dollar video-gaming industry. 

"Escape if you can."

When another victim is kidnapped, the clues point to one video game with a troubled past - The Whispering Man. In that game, the player has to survive after being abandoned in an inhospitable setting with five random objects. Is a madman bringing the game to life?

"Or die with dignity."

Shaw finds himself caught in a cat and mouse game, risking his own life to save the victims even as he pursues the kidnapper across both Silicon Valley and the dark net. Encountering eccentric game designers, trigger-happy gamers, and ruthless tech titans, he soon learns he isn't the only one on the hunt: Someone is on his trail and closing fast.

The Never Game proves once more why "Deaver is a genius when it comes to manipulation and deception" (Associated Press).

©2019 Jeffery Deaver (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

"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)

“With a twisty plot, riveting characters, and relentless suspense, The Never Game fires on every single cylinder. Readers will delight in this compelling new character from one of the finest suspense writers in the field. I always look forward to the new Deaver, but this one tops them all.” (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)

Excellent New Series...

The publisher's summary calls Jeffrey Deaver a "genius when it comes to manipulation and deception". They've got my vote! This new series proves that Deaver still has it.
I would suggest listening to the short story CAPTIVATED prior to listening to this book. It's basically an introduction to Colter Shaw and gives a preview into this new character but it's not a necessity.
Coulter is a man who grew up with his two siblings, raised by his mother and survivalist father on a secluded compound. He received an excellent home schooled education from his mother and his father trained his children even better on how to survive with little or nothing. How to build a lean-to that would protect from a blizzard or what roots and berries are edible and which are poisonous.
What do you do with this kind of training in civilization ? You become a tracker of people. Not in the mountains but on the concrete jungle.
And so this story begins when a young woman is kidnapped. The person who took her is a video gamer bringing a treacherous game to life.
Kaleo Griffith does an outstanding job narrating.
This book has my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.
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Thank You.

coulter

narrator takes some getting used to but matches the main character once you get into the book. good overall, will likely want to hear more

Track down this title, it’s great!

If you like the idea of tracking people physically, much like the Native Americans of old, this is a great read.

Narrator is excellent.

Hate books that start in the middle

I detest authors who start in the middle of the plot and then do a flashback to the plot beginning. It's confusing right from the start and I rarely enjoy the book. It's a bad literary technique

good to meet Colter Shaw

Colter Shaw's background growing up on the family compound has given him unique skills and values, all handy for his pursuit of rewards.
the story is credible and interesting.
a good listen.
very well narrated.

Laxmax

Hard story to follow. A long listen and had to rewind a few times to remember the story line.

Bummer

Only Jeffery Deaver book I've ever disliked. I had a hard time taking the main character seriously and the narrator's voice grated on my nerves, especially when he was voicing the female parts. Very disappointed.

bad all around

if you're going to talk about something you know nothing about, like gaming and the gaming industry, do your research, and after that, let someone who actually knows the subject matter tell you if you sound like you know what you're talking about. This obviously didn't happen here.
Also, there's a character in book who sometimes smokes "marijuana" (thank God he didn't call it reefer) who is referred to as a "drug addict"... In California no less...
The voice acting is over the top, and the female voices are super cringy... all other characters other than the MC sound out of breath and over acted.

Better Idea then execution.

The premise for the story is interesting. The idea of a non traditional bounty hunter feels fresh. The main character however was boring and a little naive. The flow of the mystery would often come to a halt for banal backstory.

dissapointing

This is the first work of this author I've read. Oh yes, and the last. It could have been good. The main character and the story are unrealized potential. It feels like an outline of a story. That's okay though, because at the end of each real action scene the protagonist will explain to his readers what happened and why. Well, maybe not okay if falling into a tale is what a reader wants.