Edge

by Jeffrey Deaver

Paperback

Published September 28, 2011

Reviews

[Mrs Gail P Madeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henry Loving is a 'lifter', hired to extract information from his victims. He is very good at it. His next target is a Washington DC detective, whose family are immediately put under government protection. The man assigned to their case is Corte: uncompromising, relentlessly devoted to protecting those in his care and a brilliant strategist. He knows just how brutal the lifter can be - six years earlier, Loving killed someone close to him. As tension increases inside the family, the situation escalates into a deadly contest between the hunter and his prey. As the lifter closes in, Corte must decide whether to protect his charges or use them as bait in the name of personal revenge.

The main target keeps changing throughout, which keeps the reader ensconced to the end.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a regular boardgame player, I enjoyed Deaver's lead character in this one having a passion for boardgames. I enjoyed the game references and to an extent, the game theory he relied on to try to determine his opponent's next move.

The hero works for a government agency that specializes in protection details. In this instance, he is protecting them from a "lifter"-- which is the title for a person who kidnaps and compels\forces his target to give up information. The target appears to be a policeman specializing in banking fraud, etc. and it appears that one of his investigations has uncovered some sensitive information and someone wants to know how much he really knows.

There is plenty of action and the typical Deaver "twists" in the story. As much as I like games, I began to wonder if Deaver actually played any of the named games or if he just read a few articles on gaming theory and tried to incorporate it along with a list of game titles gleaned from the internet. None of his information is wrong-- it just seems a bit removed. And, at times, the hero's musing over possible moves by his opponent-- just gums up the story a bit.

To juice up the action and personalize it-- the hero is not exactly just protecting his charges, but actively seeking to take out the lifter, because the lifter killed his beloved mentor.

Still, just about the time the action/pacing slows, Deaver throws in a plot twist that needs further investigation-- so he manages to keep it moving.

Deaver writes good stuff, and this one is good... but in my opinion-- he's written much better.

[Eddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Edge” is a gripping thriller that takes readers on a wild ride of suspense and intrigue. The novel introduces us to Corte, a senior federal protection officer known as a “shepherd,” whose job is to protect citizens from dangerous threats. The story unfolds with Corte assigned to protect the Kessler family from Henry Loving, a ruthless “lifter” skilled in extracting information through torture and ends with a favorable finish for both Corte and The Kesslers

[Woody · Rating 5 out of 5]

A near-perfect nailbiter about a WitSec-style protection agent's game of cat-and-mouse with a professional kidnapper/torturer/killer where the biggest mystery is the identity of the target. Red herrings galore (and I actually fell for one, which is pretty rare) will keep you guessing. Add this to your must-read list!

[P.S. Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

When police detective Ryan Kessler becomes the inexplicable target of Henry Loving, a psychological mystery begins. Ryab and his family need protection from Loving. That's when Corte, a federal protection officer, steps in. I enjoyed this book. I do like Lincoln Rhymes's adventures better, but this is a suspense novel to grab.

[Chickenkied · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time reading a book that has a "large print edition". Can tell why the sweet little old ladies in the library love these books. Plenty of twists, some you can see coming from a mile away, some punch you right in the face.

[Thomas F. Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of twists and turns. A different premise than I've ever heard of. Good read.

[Wendi Buchanan]

Never finished. Wasn’t in the mood to push through the government dept to see it through to the end. A “man’s book” certainly.

[Tee Munk]

Good story line...didn't expect the ending

[Tisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoy Deaver novels. This was dragged on a little long.

[William Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read

[Francine Kessel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it even though it got a bit convoluted, sometimes hard to keep everyone straight, and maybe a tad too much about game strategy. Kept me coming back!

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Corte and Dubois are government agents tasked with protecting a family with many secrets, making the detail much harder than it should be. Mant twists and turns, very entertaining!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

The chase to locate the 'primary' by several secretive governmental agencies got very complicated. Officer Corte managed to get through the whole experience and back to his own 'normal.'

[Mike]

July 2018

[Linda]

I believe this is one of Jeffrey Dever’s standalone novels. It was very good and very interesting with lots of twists and turns. I think you’ll enjoy it.

[Kagan Goodliff · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the dullest books I’ve ever read and I’ve accidentally read it twice. I hate it when an author learns about a subject then builds a book around it. That’s what this felt like, a book built around game theory. It was so long and so boring and I was so relieved when it was over.

Plot for my memory - not required as I will never accidentally read this again