Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Remote #2

Remote: The Five

Rate this book
The Five—the second book in the groundbreaking Remote series from New York Times and internationally bestselling author Eric Rickstad—is a masterful and ingenious work of suspense that will chill you to the bone.

How do you catch a killer who can see your every move?

The Tableau Killer, known as Q, has escaped custody. Trained since childhood by an enigmatic group called Stargazer, Q is a remote viewer, able to see what is distant, what is hidden, in real time, anywhere in the world. Including the two men who caught him the first time, FBI agent Lukas Stark and fellow remote viewer Gilles Garnier.

Q thirsts for revenge and will stop at nothing to expose the secret organization who made him the monster he is. Luring some of the other “original six” remote viewers to his cause, they kidnap a Stargazer researcher and his family, leaving a trail of grisly murders in their wake.

But how many must Q kill to be satiated?

As Stark, Garnier, and new agent Jayla King hunt Q across the country and try to rescue the hostages, they learn this case is beyond anything they or the FBI have ever seen … and Stargazer itself is far more dangerous than the killer the nefarious organization created.

Audio CD

First published July 8, 2025

17 people are currently reading
3527 people want to read

About the author

Eric Rickstad

14 books1,053 followers
Eric Rickstad is a New York Times and International bestselling novelist.

His latest novel, LILITH, will be published on March 19, 2024.

His previous novel, I AM NOT WHO YOU THINK I AM, was a New York Times Thriller of the Year.

He also wrote WHAT REMAINS OF HER, REAP, and The Canaan Crime Series — LIE IN WAIT, THE SILENT GIRLS, and THE NAMES OF DEAD GIRLS— which has sold more than a half million copies worldwide.

He lives in Vermont.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
12 (19%)
4 stars
24 (38%)
3 stars
24 (38%)
2 stars
3 (4%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
Profile Image for KDub.
273 reviews12 followers
July 5, 2025
Note: not a standalone book

3.25🌟 rounded down

After devouring Remote: The Six, I was very excited to dive into this sequel. Unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. It still had the same fast pace, but I just wasn't as captivated by this story. It could be because it focused less on Stark and Garnier this time. I find it confusing to have "The Six" referred to by just letters, especially when Garnier is also referred to as X. I wish they had real names, though I know what the letters signify and why they're important to the background story. Also, the huge revelations about Stark seemed to be just...glossed over? Perhaps I'll get more answers in the third book, which I will definitely read. I need some answers!

Recommended for anyone who enjoyed Remote: The Six.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC.
Profile Image for April.
626 reviews179 followers
July 6, 2025
I was looking forward to the continuation of this series and I am still very much invested. I didn’t enjoy this one as much as book 1, but it was still an overall enjoyable read as Stark & Garnier are still partnering up still trying to catch “Q.” They slowly begin to realize that they should not underestimate their enemies. I enjoyed the deep dive at the end that explained how deep this corruption goes, as extreme as altering human genetics.

Recommend for those that read book 1, and want to know how the series continues. This cannot be read as a standalone. Looking forward to book 3! Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Publication 🗓️ : 07.08.25

Professional Reader100 Book Reviews
Profile Image for Nikki Lee.
618 reviews557 followers
July 10, 2025
How do you catch a killer who can see your every move?

The Tableau Killer, known as Q, had escaped custody in book one. He was trained since childhood by an enigmatic group called Stargazer. Q is a remote viewer who can see people in real time, anywhere. He has been hunting FBI agent, Lukas Stark and fellow remote viewer, Gilles Garnier.

Q rounds up other remote viewers to seek revenge against the organization. How many more people have to die?

The three FBI agents really stood out in this one, joined by Jayla King. There is a reveal regarding agent Stark that I believe will move onto the third book. I can’t wait! This story is part crime, sci-fi, thriller and even a small horror element.

YOU MUST READ BOOK ONE FIRST. Period! You will have no idea what is going on if you don’t. Trust me. I enjoyed it and definitely recommend this series. I will always remain an @ericrickstadauthor fan!

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Profile Image for Andrew Smith.
1,257 reviews992 followers
July 4, 2025
I’d really enjoyed the first book in this series The Six, which surprised me with its mixed narrative: part crime fiction, part science fiction, and with a bit of horror in the mix, too. It’s not a mix I thought I’d enjoy, but the story was just so well told I was captured pretty much from the start. It had finished open-ended, so I was keen to gab the follow-up at the earliest opportunity.

I wasn’t sure how Rickstad would be able to maintain the level of reader engagement the first book achieved – the level of surprise, after all, would be much diminished. However, what he had also developed were really interesting characters in the form of FBI agent Lucas Stark and ‘remote viewer’ Gilles Garnier. Their own stories are a big part of the attraction here. This time around they’re joined by another FBI agent, Jayla King, who fitted in well.

Some elements here felt like a slight replaying of events covered in the first episode, but in all honesty, this was minimal. Once again, the tale ends with some significant mysteries unsolved, so there will most certainly be a follow-on book. That said, this story does actually stand up on it’s own, albeit you really do need to have read these books in order.

My thanks to Blackstone Publishing for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for myreadingescapism.
1,295 reviews16 followers
September 21, 2025
I didn’t overall enjoy the first one that much but still stupidly put the second one on hold, hoping it’d be different. It was okay.
Profile Image for Trina 🌻.
277 reviews49 followers
June 27, 2025
I was so excited to dive into Remote the Five after devouring Remote the Six- sooo good!!

Remote the Five picks up where Remote the Six left off. I was very engaged and patiently waiting for the ‘good stuff’. This book looks at the background and scary stuff people will do with scientific discoveries. It was interesting but not what I expected.

The ending just ended. Definitely a different feel than the first book and left me a bit disappointed.

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for this e-ARC.
Profile Image for Kat (Katlovesbooks) Dietrich.
1,537 reviews206 followers
July 5, 2025

3.5 stars

The Five by Eric Rickstadis the second in The Remote crime series starring FBI Agent Stark.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Blackstone Publishing, and the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.



Series Background:
(Contains Spoilers from Previous Books)
In the 1990's a government agency named Stargazer, used children for their special "program".  The children grew up together from a young age, and the agency developed their rather unique skills.   They became "remote viewers" and were used for surveillance from locations thousands of miles away a target.  There are only six left, identified by only a letter.  FBI Special Agent Lukas Stark has been hunting The Tableau Killer (Q), and is assisted by  Gilles Garnier (X), a remove viewer.


This is an interesting series, but I can't really say too much about the plot without giving everything away.  By book three, more will be revealed.  Good Lord, now I'm sounding like a cliff-hanger.

The books are part crime fiction, and part science fiction.  The combination works very well to tell an interesting story.   They cannot be read as stand-alones.  Read the first book before this one!

I still really like the characters.  Garnier, in particular.  Stark and King make a good team.  I'm not a real fan of Stark's wife.

The writing is good, suspense continuing to build throughout the story. Twists as well.

Anyway, I am definitely looking forward to the next in line.

  

For a more complete review of this book and others (including the reason I chose to read/review this book, my own synopsis, and author information), please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
Profile Image for Stacey (reading2escape).
365 reviews99 followers
August 14, 2025
Oof, I am so sad to give this one a low rating because I loved the previous book, Remote the Six! That one had more of a thriller plot intertwined with sci-fi aspects and this one read mostly as sci-fi to me. Parts were enjoyable but most of the time I wasn't sure what was going on.

I think if you are a sci-fi reader that you will enjoy this one.

Even though I didn't love this one, I plan to read the next book in the series since I loved the first one so much!

2.5 stars
Profile Image for Gatorman.
729 reviews96 followers
May 24, 2025
Pretty good second entry in the Remote series which continues the story of the letter-named members of the Stargazer secret group of remote-viewers. This entry doesn't really break new ground and is more of a filler story between 1 and 3, and the writing has become somewhat pedestrian and melodramatic, which has not been the norm for Rickstad. Still, the characters are likable, and the plot contains much promise if taken in the right direction. It's also short, which is fitting for a carry-over entry. 2.5 stars bumped to 3 for the likability factor. Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Amanda.
2,462 reviews104 followers
April 6, 2025
[I received a physical arc for an honest review]

After finishing my arc of book 1, I immediately went into book 2f, Remote The Five. I thought the first book left me excited and this one left me stomping my feet like a child because I do not want to have to wait for the next book. I NEED to know what happens next. This installment gives us answers and even more questions, reveals that will make you go "whhhhhaaaat" and leave you with theories rolling around in your head. That's all I'm going to say because #NoSpoilers !
Profile Image for Emerald Maple.
132 reviews20 followers
July 2, 2025
It is rare that I find books in a series cannot be read as a standalone but this is one of the books I would not recommend if you have not read the first one, Remote: The Six. The background on the Stargazer/Remote viewers, the history with Stark's father and Q's actions don't have enough context in this book for it to be a true standalone.

This one has less of Garnier (X) attempting to remote view and more about the viewers finding out about themselves, the program and their history. It gives context to Q's Tableau Killer murders in the first book and ties up a lot of loose threads while opening more for the next book. Some of it feels like filler that could have made the last book make more sense but likely needed context for the upcoming book. It also introduces King, another FBI agent which fills a hole I felt was in the original book of Stark working almost alone on a major case.

I had hoped that Stark would put his family first after all that happened but when he does, it seems to be at times that make no sense. Like a family have been kidnapped but he pops off for a couple of days with the family when he would normally be 24/7 on the case, but other times is doing very little as part of an active investigation and could be with him.

Like the last one, some mystery, sci-fi and horror mixed in, this one includes a lot more discussion of science and medical advancements. It also comes with a revelation about Stark that was just a casual mention of his thoughts. It is one that will turn everything in his life upside down so looking forward to that in the third book.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for the advance copy for review.
558 reviews10 followers
August 14, 2025
3.5 stars. I found this book more to my liking than the first book. It’s funny because there was almost no remote viewing in this one, but what I liked was we finally got some answers, even though I have no idea how Agent King found out about it all. I still have some unanswered questions (I have some theories…), so I’ll probably pick up the next book. I did appreciate that this one was a complete story and not a cliff-hanger.

I still had the same difficulty with figuring out who was speaking, even though this eARC was much better formatted than the last. I don’t think it really made a big difference; it was just confusing in the moment. There was also a paragraph where it wasn’t clear who was the scientist and who was the benefactor, unless of course, the author messed up who the scientist was later in the book. Also, the author was very enamored with this painting of a woman crawling in a field since 2 different characters mention it at two different houses. I just feel these books need more editing, and I hope they got them before they went into mass production.

The ending was dramatic and quick, and left me wondering if it wasn’t some sort of trick. The science is something I’ve heard of, so it wasn’t so complicated that I didn’t understand what was going on. It will be interesting to see how the series ends.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Andrea- The Shelf Life Books.
225 reviews14 followers
July 9, 2025
The first book in this series, The Six, combined elements of crime fiction, science fiction, and horror through a mixed narrative structure. The story was left open-ended, leading to anticipation for the sequel. In the follow-up, the author, Rickstad continues to develop characters such as FBI agent Lucas Stark and 'remote viewer' Gilles Garnier, adding another FBI agent, Jayla King, to the cast. While some aspects of the plot revisit themes from the initial book, these are limited. As with the first installment, this book concludes with unresolved mysteries, indicating that the series will continue. Although this story can be read independently, familiarity with previous books may enhance understanding.

I would highly recommend for those FBI procedural fans, or even just the thriller fans. I can’t wait to see what Eric Rickstad has in store for us next.

Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the advanced copy of Remote: The Five for my honest review as well as Eric Rickstad for another great story.
Profile Image for Sharon M.
2,794 reviews29 followers
July 8, 2025
Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the second in The Remote series by Eric Rickstad. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

FBI Agent Lukas Stark is now partnering with Agent Jayla King, both working with Gilles Garnier, a remote viewer who is able to see things that are distant and hidden. They are still on the search for Q, another remote viewer charged with killing families, who is on a mission to learn what the Stargazer program did to him and his 5 peers. The race is on once again.

You really need to read Remote: The Six before reading this one, but count me in for Remote: The Four! The first book in this series was non-stop tension; this one not as much but an intriguing look into the Stargazer program as Q discovers some important facts. I like these characters and feel for them and their families. This is part crime fiction and part sci-fi and I'm anxious for more!
Profile Image for Steph.
1,233 reviews54 followers
July 28, 2025
3⭐️
This starts immediately after the first book and while there are a few things that remind you what happened in book 1, you really need to read The Six first or you will be confused. I wasn’t thrilled to see some of the flashbacks from his dad/mom drama repeated line for line from the first book, and again still don’t understand how this subplot fits in with the overall story other than to fill up pages. This book also felt more sci-fi focused and less about the mystery. It got more technical and made me zone out a bit during those parts.

This is a short book and felt like it was missing something. The Six felt more purposeful where The Five the plot was lacking something. It has an even more abrupt ending, one that makes you almost feel like maybe a few chapters got cut off at the printer bc there just isn’t any closure. I’m curious how many books are planned for the series - this felt like it could have been merged with a future book to have a more complete plot and I hope the next one is a series conclusion that finally gives some answers.

There were some strange formatting choices in this series. Lots of unnecessary capitalization (especially of silly nicknames like The Man with White Hair) and towards the end the explanation had a lot of random italicized words. Minor things but they were distracting for me.

Despite some faults, I’m interested enough in the series to continue it because of the creative world and desire to see how it ends.

Instant Reaction - Creative but the plot here was not as exciting as the first book. Full thoughts to come
Profile Image for Merkie.
591 reviews2 followers
July 8, 2025
Remote: The Five wasn't quite as good as the first in the series Remote: The Six. This is a true sequel. You could not jump into this second book and really know what is going on. It is a continuation of the story in book 1 and there is far too much information you would be missing out on. That being said I didn't find the story in The Five as interesting as the first. I felt like in The Six there was an overall crime thriller element that kept the story flowing and interesting. There was a crime element here but it didn't feel like the focus of the story. There was a lot of science that could be hard to follow at times. Overall I think the story could be a little hard to follow. With names as letters and remote viewing there is a lot going on at the surface level.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Profile Image for KC.
2,618 reviews
May 11, 2025
3.75 stars.

FBI agent Lukas Stark and remote-viewer Gilles Garnier thought they were done with the Tableau Killer, but when they learned of his escape from custody, the pair team up with agent Jayla King. Unsure of what the next move is by the sadistic murderer, the three turn their attention to a kidnapping of a top researcher to the highly secretive and extremely unethical Stargazer program; the very organization that created remote-viewing. With its fast pace and thrilling narrative, this follow-up novel is perfect for fans of Blake Crouch and Michael Crichton.
Profile Image for Mary Angel.
206 reviews9 followers
July 7, 2025
Remote: The Five is the second book in Eric Rickstad's Remote series. I don't quite know how to describe it. Sci-fi thriller maybe? It continues the saga of the six remote viewers who have been sheltered and experimented on. Someone is kidnapping and murdering people, and FBI Agent Stark is in pursuit while trying to keep his own family safe. We learn more about the players, but there's still so much mystery about what is truly going on. I really look forward to the next in series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC.
Profile Image for Shannon Tee.
17 reviews
August 4, 2025
Definitely read Remote: The Six first. It gives a good background for what is going on here. I was excited to read the second book in this series and felt let down. I am going to continue if there is a third book but I hope it's better than this one.

At only 240 pages it felt really long. Agent Stark and Garnier (a consultant) get another investigator in Agent King and they need to decipher what is going on within the agency as their boss's retirement comes out of nowhere and then he is murdered.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.
2 reviews
August 29, 2025
This sequel grabbed me from the first page and never let go. The concept of “remote viewing” is both fascinating and terrifying, and Rickstad pushes it to chilling extremes with Q’s escape. The cat-and-mouse tension between Q, Stark, and Garnier kept me flipping pages late into the night. The murders are dark and unsettling, but they raise the stakes in a way that feels relentless. I also really liked the addition of Jayla Kin, she brings a fresh perspective to the team. If you enjoy smart, high-stakes thrillers with a touch of the uncanny, this one delivers.
418 reviews
May 11, 2025
Chilling. Excellent read, but disturbing in its implications.
This series needs to be read in order so that you will be able to follow the storyline and plot as well as to know who all the characters are and their roles.
I won this as well as Remote: The Six (the first book in the series) from the Goodreads giveaway contest.
I look forward to more from this series
Profile Image for Darcia Helle.
Author 30 books737 followers
August 10, 2025
REMOTE: THE FIVE continues the disturbing “what if” scenario presented in book one of this series. We learn more about the secret organization and our lead detective, all of which has me anticipating a wild ride in book three!

Definitely read REMOTE: THE SIX first.
Profile Image for Steve Mckinney.
73 reviews4 followers
April 14, 2025
FBI agents Stark and King are on the trail of an secret program to improve humans. the story telling and character development are outstanding in his books congrats on another winner.





Profile Image for Makayla Foster.
250 reviews1 follower
April 20, 2025
I won an advanced copy of this book from here and was excited after reading the first one. This one wasn’t as action packed as the other but provided more back story.
Profile Image for Kim.
772 reviews10 followers
September 25, 2025
This book was not as good as the first one, however, it was a great continuation of the story. I hope more is coming that will wrap it up better.
Profile Image for Sharon.
565 reviews
July 8, 2025
The is the second in the Remote series that provides us with the same intense subject matter and also includes more backstory of The Program. It is a story so twisted it can only be the work of Eric Rickstad & we’d expect nothing less from him.

If you like dark, spine tingling, mess with your mind suspense / thrillers that are filled with sinister, complex characters, intense narrative and disturbing scenes, then this is the book for you.

The cliffhanger at the end sets up the next book nicely. I am waiting patiently for its release.

Favorite Line: “The acceleration of technology, AI — all of it felt as though humankind were on the brink of self-destruction.”

Thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing & the author for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.