The Sequel

by Jeffery Deaver

Frederick Lowell enters a web of lies, deceit, and murder while trying to uncover a lost manuscript by a literary legend, in a long short story penned by one of the masters of the thriller genre.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Short Stories, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Ebooks

42 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

#1 international bestselling author of over thirty novels and three collections of short stories. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into 25 languages. His first novel featuring Lincoln Rhyme, The Bone Collector, was made into a major motion picture starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. He's received or been shortlisted for a number of awards around the world.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Needing a quick short story to end a day of reading, I turned to this Jeffrey Deaver piece, as it sounds quite intriguing. It did not let me down and had me rushing to finish it in a single sitting. Frederick Lowell has spent years managing the estate of one of America’s greatest authors. When Edward Goodwin penned his only novel, the country stood up and took notice, turning him into a hero overnight. Lowell receives a redacted letter indicating that there may be a sequel published before Goodwin’s death, the fallout could be monumental. It would not only quell the rumours of such a manuscript, but could help a new generation of American readers to fall in love with Goodwin again. Lowell follows some of the breadcrumbs left for him, discovering some interesting aspects of Goodwin’s life and writing style, all while the next generation of Goodwins await their royalty cheques. What Lowell discovers shocks not only him, but those around him, as it is a game of cat and mouse to locate and substantiate this apparent manuscript that could be invaluable. Deaver is full of wonderful ideas in this piece and he had me glad that I took the time. Recommended for those who enjoy a little dry wit in their short stories.

I admit that I have not read much Deaver in my life, but this piece has me wondering if I ought to change that soon. The story, while not out of this world, was compelling and had me hooked throughout. Frederick Lowell is a believable character and one whose ideals and curiosity trump his search for the almighty dollar. Others who pepper this short piece make enough of an impact to guide the story along and keep things light when they need not sink too deep in a quagmire of repetitive information. The story was well crafted and, truth be told, I could not help but supplant the Harper Lee connection within these pages. While I am not entirely sure if Deaver had a particular individual in mind for this piece, but Lee’s name kept surfacing, even if her life was anything but on par with that of Edward Goodwin. I’ll keep my eye out for more by Deaver and more generally the Mulholland Books collection, which is the collection that permitted this piece to flourish.
Kudos, Mr. Deaver, for a great effort. I may have to find more of your work and dive in, if it is anything like this short piece.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy listening to pass the time.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

An aging attorney managing the estate of a famous novelist, author of only 1 book, receives a clue that a sequel to the book exists. He becomes obsessed with finding out and backtracks through the author's last two years to try and find out if its true. For a separately published short novella, I thought this was very good - not as great as it could have been with a more expanded plot - but good overall.

[Lata · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lawyer who manages the estate of the 'one-book-wonder' novelist Ed Goodwin, sets out in search of the elusive sequel to his popular book. The mystery of whether the book even exists or not, and where to find it unfolds with multiple twists.

This seems to be inspired by the much publicized discovery of Harper Lee's sequel to 'Kill a Mocking Bird'. There is probably a take on why 'Go set a Watchman' should never have got published (what with most of the readers panning it).

This is very satisfying for such a short story. I love it when I don't have to read 400 pages to find out how the mystery was solved. Jeffrey Deaver has written quite a few short stories and I am halfway through them.

[Nancy Silk · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Great Mystery"

This short thriller is about a secret second novel perhaps existing which was written by America's most famous author years ago by Edward Goodwin. Frederick Lowell, estate manager, is on a trek to find it. I'm a big fan of Deaver's stories. They thrill me and often shock and surprise me.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know how he does it. Completely grabs you in just a few pages & keeps you right there .... to the quickly arrived end. In the meantime, two more potential plots are written in !
Awesome quick read

[Max Connelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of this novella is fantastic. Deaver's snappy effective prose manages to carry the story, and his sketches of the small bundle of characters and the story's various settings help us get acquainted with the stakes at hand and the complete set of suspects.

Then the second half of the novella happens, and my hopes for a magnificent finale deflate significantly. I'm still in love with the novella and Deaver's fantastic style. Deaver is a great writer (especially the Rhyme Lincoln novels, not the short stories), but in this novella, he's topped his game.

[Jennifer Szymczak · Rating 5 out of 5]

A more lighthearted story

More lighthearted and family friendly than his other works, but still a very good read. The story still contains the elements and pacing you expect from deaver

[Kally Sheng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful!

It’s a story totally different from the author’s other crime fictions.
I am much taken to this main character, the lawyer, Frederick Lowell, I can read the warmth and old-worldliness in him in the story.

[MARIA GOETZ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story quick read!!!

[Daniel Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok but not worth the time

I think at this point Mr Deaver is more concerned with fitting in as many plot twists as possible than he is telling a good story.

[RaChelle Holmberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Downloaded from my public library, this was an excellent story and kept my interest throughout. Highly recommended!

[Megan Diiorio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, enjoyable read.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little read that packs a twisty punch.

[Kristen N · Rating 4 out of 5]

SUPER QUICK read, as it’s only a novella/short story. But so satisfying. This is great.

[Roslynne Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining short story from the Mulholland Books and Strand Magazine e-shorts. Nice way to spend a half hour.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly good short story with a lot of twists and turns. Often, the sequel is not as good as the original.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable short work by one of my favourite authors!

[Cory Hawksbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was as good as I expected it to be. Although it is a novella, I believe the story worked better than if it had been added to a novel length backstory with unnecessary twists

[Joelette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This quick short story fulfilled my love of suspense works.

[Robert Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting little tale that I wish, had been longer. I really enjoyed the story and found it to be very engaging and the characters were well written.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4 - not bad. Lots of twists and turns but a bit on the boring side...