South of Nowhere

South of Nowhere by Jeffery Deaver
5/6/25; 416 pages
Penguin Group
Colter Shaw #5 

South of Nowhere by Jeffery Deaver is a highly recommended thriller and the fifth novel in the Colter Shaw series. Colter makes a living as a reward hunter and tracker usually searching for missing persons or fugitives. This series was was adapted for CBS's TV show Tracker.

Colter Shaw is called in to help by his sister, Dorion, a disaster response specialist, after a levee collapses in Hinowah, a small town in Northern California. A vehicle with a family of four inside was swept into the water and Colter has the ability and skills to try and track where it went. Plenty of complications arise along the way. 

It seems the whole levee may be collapsing soon, which would wipe out the whole town. Then some nefarious player seems to be up to no good and attacks Colter while he is searching for the family. Further questions arise over what is really happening when Colter detects explosive residue near the site of the collapse, bringing into question whether it was really an accident. There is a minor storyline about someone named Margaret, who may be Colter's half sister and things happening to their mother, Mary Dove, a MD.

The pace moves fast while the pages will fly by and the twist keep coming in this well plotted thriller. The time that has passed is tracked as the narrative unfolds. There are several plot points and threads to follow while the truth is sought and uncovered. The novel starts out as a disaster novel and morphs into something else entirely. Personally, I felt like you needed to set some disbelief aside while reading, but this was easily done as the story immediately grabs your attention and keeps it without flagging.

Colter and Dorion, along with their brother Russell, grew up with a survivalist father, Ashton, and some of the many lessons he taught them are included along the way.  Since this is the fifth book in the series those new to the series may not have all the background information others have, although there is probably enough shared to keep you up to speed enough to enjoy the action. All the characters are fully realized individuals.

South of Nowhere is a great choice for those who enjoy thrillers. Thanks to the Penguin Group for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.