Edge

In this stand-alone book, Corte is a game enthusiast and applies game theory to his real-life job: being a Sheppard—or protector—of people targeted by hitmen. He calls them his principals. His job is to keep them safe while hunting for the primary—the person or persons that hired the hitmen. In this case, Corte is dealing with a hitman or lifter, named Henry Loving, a particularly ruthless and cruel character who has no problem torturing people, even children, for information. The plot reads like a ping-pong game. First, they're safe—then they're not. A trusted ally suddenly isn't. The principals themselves are innocent, then surprise— Corte discovers maybe, they aren't. The story is like a fast-paced chess game with lots of show more action and surprises. Then, just when I thought it was a draw, Jeffery Deaver turns over that last card and trumps everything with a little surprise at the end. Good read! show less

Readers hoping to catch up with Lincoln Rhyme or Kathryn Dance might be temporarily disappointed in Jeffery Deaver’s latest novel, but not for long. “Edge” is a standalone thriller starring government super-bodyguard Corte, a man tasked with protecting those that no one else can.

Corte’s newest assignment is to safeguard Washington D.C. police detective Ryan Kessler who has inexplicably been targeted by an utterly ruthless “lifter” – an expert at extracting information by any means necessary including kidnapping and torturing a target’s family members.

But what makes this case so very personal for Corte is the identity of the lifter, Henry Loving, the man responsible for the torture and murder of his mentor six years show more previously and who was believed to be dead. Not only must Corte protect Ryan Kessler and his family, but he is now determined to stop a man who will stop at nothing.

As Corte and his colleagues race to discover both what Kessler knows that could be worth killing over and who is behind it all, they must also be wary of the fact that Loving is an expert at manipulating people everywhere into doing exactly what he wants. And they must do it all in the next few days.

A back and forth cat and mouse game ensues with both Corte and Loving alternately chasing and being chased as they try to anticipate the other’s moves and ultimately outwit their opponent. With the deadline fast approaching, Corte is torn between keeping the Kesslers safe and using them to draw out the killer he so desperately wants caught.

Set over a few days, “Edge” is a fast paced, exciting read filled with the twists and turns that Deaver is so well known for. A savvy reader might try to see if they can anticipate just where he is setting up for a quick turnabout in the plot, but like any great magician, Deaver dexterously misdirects his audience, and his tricks are spellbinding. For a hard to put down, completely compelling read, pick up “Edge,” but remember that in Deaver’s world, almost nothing is ever as it seems. show less

I first started reading this some time ago but gave up at the end of the first chapter. Why? Not because I didn't enjoy it but because I thought I'd somehow got a faulty audiobook. The chapter finished not only mid sentence but mid word. I returned the audiobook as faulty.

It was only after returning to it recently and finding the same issue on a fresh copy then borrowing the ebook from my local library that I discovered the author had deliberately ended the first chapter this was. A novel idea but one that caused me to get a refund and almost lost him a sale. Surely I can't be the only one. It works better in text than in audio.

Mostly I enjoyed the book. The story was engaging and there was plenty of action. I also enjoy board games show more myself but the endless repetition of board game references grew to be tiresome long before the halfway mark (though at least he didn't keep reading aloud from a long list of clues on a whiteboard like in the Lincoln Rhyme books...borrrring).

The bad guy, while super clever at outmanouvering the cops, is a one trick pony with apparently a single method of torture to gain info, one which is mentioned quite a number of times so there's no shock value when it finally happens.

I'd have liked a sequel to this as I'm sure there's plenty more that Corte could do but after 10 years I can't see that happening.

I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could but can't quite bring myself to give 4. show less

Jeffrey Deaver is best known for his insufferable creation Lincoln Rhymes, the quadriplegic criminologist and polymath whose brilliance is matched only by his bitching and bolshiness.

If forensics and the minutiae of life as a quadriplegic crime buster bore you, you might be tempted to avoid Deaver’s books – but this would be a massive mistake, as I discovered when I eventually got around to reading edge.

‘Thriller’ is one of the most overused, not to mention misused descriptions of all time: for example, the Lincoln Rhyme books are described as ‘ticking-clock psychological thrillers. I think not! Take it from me however, Edge really is completely and utterly thrilling.

Unusually for a Deaver hero, protection officer Corte has show more full use of all his limbs and is both an intellectual and a man of action – as opposed to those who hang over microscopes hunting down forensic clues in a laboratory.

Henry Loving, who is notorious for his ability to extract any information from anyone by any means possible, is after police detective Ryan Kessler, and Corte has been assigned to protect him and his family, escorting him to a ‘safe house’ and keeping them secure while trying to apprehend Loving and discover who hired him, and why…

Corte manages to keep the Kessler’s safe, but only just because whatever move he makes, Loving is either right behind him or several steps ahead.

Clichéd although this sounds, Deaver ha created a story where nothing is as it seems, where ruthlessness meets relentlessness, and where the only thing you can be sure of is that this book will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. show less

A brilliant standalone thriller from one of the world's best thriller writers. Edge was first published in 2010.

Corte is a protection officer employed by one of the many American alphabet agencies. Six years prior he had been forced to hear his mentor being tortured by Henry Laing before killing him. He has been informed the Laing is once again on the hunt.

The US attorney general has a witness he wants secured and protecting, a man called Ryan Kessler. There would be a difference with this protection detail as Kessler was a DC detective who at first did not believe he needed protection for himself or his family. That was until Laing forced one of his neighbours to shoot up his house.

So begins a game of cat and mouse and at first Corte show more is able to gain the upper hand and saves the family. As Corte and his team move Kessler and his family, Laing seems to be one step ahead. Even the sting to capture Laing goes wrong and Corte realises that he needs to find whoever hired Laing.

Nothing about the case makes any sense to Corte and every lead seems to end up in a dead end. Then at the most inopportune moment a US senator takes an interest in Corte and may want to investigate him over possible illegal wiretaps. Corte is aware that this might cost his protectee or his team their lives.

An interesting story and highly enjoyable. show less

I know this is an older Deaver title, but I pulled it off my adult TBR pile which I’ve started chipping away at since staying home for COVID.
Loved this one because I didn’t guess who it was until it was revealed and I loved all the references to games and game theory.
This book has lots of twists and keeps the reader engaged the entire time.
Corte, a shepherd, aka an FBI agent who keeps people protected, has to keep his principals safe from Henry Loving, a lifter, who has been hired to extract or lift information from one of his principals. To complicate matters, Loving was responsible for the death of Cortes mentor many years previously and Corte would like nothing more than to take Loving out of the game for good.

I was slow to warm up to the main character in Edge. I’m a big fan of the Lincoln Rhyme series, so my expectations were high. But as the story progressed, Deaver took me on a roller-coater ride of tension and red herrings. An entertaining read.