In SOUTH OF NOWHERE, written by Jeffery Deaver, three drivers are heading through a rainstorm and encounter a levee road. One driver and his family are sucked into the overflowing river. Also, tracker Colter Shaw is visiting his mother and receives a text requesting his immediate help. How are these two incidents connected? I read on to find out.

Initially, I am a bit confused in this novel. It is the first book I am reading in the Colter Shaw thriller series, so I imagine experiencing the previous books would have been helpful. There seem to be a lot of people to keep track of. I find I am annoyed by the acronyms. The plot gets exciting during the last quarter of the book, but not enough changes to make me reassess my opinion. Thank you, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy of SOUTH OF NOWHERE.

Mixed review for me. Always love Jeffery Deaver books and his usual tense thrillers. This story didn’t take off like his other books, even ones in this series. A slow start and a slower build with lots of characters and a bit of action. May be best for folks who enjoy more complex character sets and growing plots.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I usually really enjoy Jeffrey Deaver books. I especially like the Lincoln Rhyme novels. The Colter Shaw books are good, but South of Nowhere had to many things going on and too many characters to keep track of.

Fast paced with an interesting and very timely setting, South of Nowhere, featuring tracker Coulter Shaw tells the story of the sudden collapse of a levee in the small Northern California town of Hinowah. The road along the levee has caved in and a vehicle containing a family is missing. Can Shaw et al find the vehicle in time to save the trapped family inside? Will the raging river below what’s left of the levee flood the town?

While the clock is ticking clues are unearthed and the nature of the collapse becomes questionable. Who will be harmed by the impending flooding this disaster will bring? Who would benefit? Has the levee been eroded by the water below or are more sinister forces at work? Is there any intervention that can prevent a full collapse? At a time when flood disasters are an all to common occurrence, the author has created a very real life scenario. I hung onto every page while Mr Deaver revealed layer upon layer of a story that has real life implications.

Five stars for a well written thriller that will have your heart pounding right up until the ending which I didn’t see coming. Publication date is May 6, 2025. Mark it as a must read. Many thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin Random House fir an ARC in exchange for my review.

A thriller with scenarios I just couldn't figure out! I love the energy of the book, and the outside the box thinking that goes into Colter and his sister racing to save the town,. As always, the series delivers captivating stories that keep me reading into the night.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was an OK book for me. It had suspense, betrayal, and Coulters family was a big part of the story. It just didn’t grab me like other books by this author. I finished it but hope his next book is better. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

I have read all the Colter Shaw books and was VERY excited to see another book in the series! As I waited to read the book, I wondered who Colter would be tracking in this story. Once I started reading this latest book, though, I realized the formula of this story is different from his others. South of Nowhere focuses on a levee that is failing and on saving a town in the river's path. Instead of tracking for a reward, Colter is working with his sister and various authorities to avert the disaster and solve the mystery of the damaged levee. While different from the usual Colter Shaw tracking thrillers, the storyline is engaging with twists, turns, and misdirections. South of Nowhere also contains the Shaw family's unique "never" lessons that really elevate the series. There is a setup for another book at the end of this one, so I'm already looking forward to reading Colter's next adventure! Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and Jeffery Deaver for providing a digital review copy of this book.

Fans of Jeffery Deaver’s Colter Shaw series will welcome the fifth installment of the series, South of Nowhere. Colter Shaw’s sister, Dorion, who is a disaster relief expert working in a small Northern California town of Hinowah where the levee has been breached and a family of four is missing, asks her brother for help in locating them. While at the site, there is a problem, and it is thought that the whole levee will be destroyed and the town will be decimated. However, while Shaw investigates, he finds some evidence that there is foul play involved, and he must stop it. There are other subplots that add to the story.

As usual, Deaver tells a story that keeps readers on the edge; his popularity is earned because of his writing style and skillful abilities. He has a way of building suspense while keeping his readers on the edge. He has a knack for developing his characters, and making them seem real. Colter Shaw is a unique protagonist, who is likeable; the supporting characters are believable and also well developed, to make the story flow.

All told, Deaver is a master, and this novel is interesting and easy to read. It will keep the interest of most readers. The award seeking aspect is a different take on a main character, and the survivalist skills are interesting. Once again, Deaver has done an excellent job in this novel.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

La parte del dique y los rescates fue bastante entretenida, y estuve completamente pegada al libro, deseando saber si lograrían rescatar a la familia del auto y si conseguirían evacuar a todo el pueblo antes de que fuera demasiado tarde. Sin embargo, después de eso, sentí que ocurrieron muchas cosas sin importancia, que se alargaban hasta volverse aburridas.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book, I tried so hard, but I could barely get through it. This did not read as a Colter Shaw book, but more about what his sister Dori was doing but putting the focus on Colter. Where is the high stakes reward seeker we fell in love with?

Deaver brings back Colton Shaw for another heart pounding and roller coaster rescue. This time his sister Dorion joins him. You can’t miss reading any of the Colton Shaw books & the Tracker TV show is phenomenal. Thanks for the ARC.

“South of Nowhere” by Jeffery Deaver is book 5 of the Colter Shaw series. This series which has now been converted to TV always deals with a realistic societal topic with a high adrenaline rush. In this book a failing levee endangers a small town in California. Colter becomes involved because his sister who is a disaster relief specialist texts him for help as a family of 4 was swept away when levee collapsed. There is little time for this family to survive in their car and the possibility of total flooding of the town is pointing to some sinister circumstances. There are many new characters and personal family dramas in this novel, enough to make it a fun adventure and interesting addition to the series.

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another Colter Shaw with appearances by the whole family. An interesting use of his talents with an impending levee break and much more to the story (as usual). Tough to figure this one out (for me and Colter!).

This was a fantastic addition to the Colter Shaw world! I loved seeing more Shaw family dynamics, and the twists and turns of the story were dramatically perfect, as always. The plot was intense but fascinating, especially to someone like me who is the granddaughter of a civil engineer and has heard a thing or two about levees and dams. I took away one star because of how hard it is to relate to the characters. Even the side characters seemed like a “caricature” of real people – too perfect or too evil or too unique.

Overall a great book and totally recommend!

I thought that this thriller was really good albeit a bit far fetched. Sometimes you need a book that will let you escape and this was it for me!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

One of my favorite shows is Tracker. Since finding out that it’s based off a series, I’ve been reading the series. I was so excited to receive a ARC for book 5. This book blew me away. No matter what was happening it was chefs kiss. The twists and turns about a small town in California being flooded and the story within. I also loved how it sets up for book 6 which the premise sounds so good.

This eARC came from Netgalley.com and I am providing an unbiased review.

This is basically the fifth book in the Colter Shaw series, that was adapted to television as "Tracker". Our MC Colter Shaw is back, and in this part of the tale, he is called in to working with his sister at the site of a levee failure, to help locate a family that was washed off the levee. As time runs out on being able to save this family, things start happening to make the Shaws question a possible evil intent - that the levee was sabotaged and someone wants to destroy the town and surrounding areas.

In the previous books, and yes, even the television show, I have come to like Colter Shaw, as I have Lincoln Rhyme, from other novels by Deaver. There is usually a very realistic spin on events that are occurring in his stories, and is generally quite a nice read. However, I felt a bit lost with this one. The storyline stayed consistent, and realistic, but it just felt too ... fake, I guess, to me. The level of political power, etc, that Shaw over-stepped in solving the issues was just a bit too much for my belief.

Coulter Shaw teams up with his sister Dorian in an effort to save a small town from disaster when a levee breaks, threatening to flood the whole town. But Coulter soon feels something more sinister is going on and doesn’t know who to trust. Is anyone really who they say they are??

Another adventure full of innuendos and red herrings that are signature Jeffery Deaver trademarks.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

While not the Colter Shaw story I was expecting, it was a great read and one that expanded the series a bit by focusing on his sister Dorian. When Colter is hire to find a family lost in a flood after a levee collapses, Dorian, a disaster relief specialist is called in.

The mystery of why the levee collapsed and the forces behind it make for a great read.

Highly recommend.

Despite this book being set within the timespan of a few days, it's jam-packed with action. A failing levee endangers the residents of Hinowah, California, a mission Colter becomes involved in after receiving a text from his sister, Dorion. But the levee isn't the only urgent situation at hand; there's a missing family who don't have long left to live, not to mention a delicate family matter in the form of letters left behind by Colter's father, Ashton, which seem to point at an increasingly urgent matter.

We get a whole new cast of characters with this book, a personal favorite being third-grade teacher turned traffic cop Debi Starr. It's nice to have more family involvement as well, with Dorion present throughout (the scene where she is formally introduced cracked me up), and Mary Dove features in a fantastic scene. There's misdirection and uncertainty about who can be trusted, with the final reveal proving to be the most shocking of all.

I can't wait for the next book, which promises a formidable mission for Colter given the setup at the end of South of Nowhere. Meanwhile, it might be time for me to finally check out the television adaptation?