This is a crime book with a difference; it’s written backwards. Or at least, the chapters are arranged in reverse time order, with the “end” of the story first. The structure is a little like the film “Memento” in that you see each instalment without knowing what came before it.
There is no plot device like a damaged memory to explain this; the author just decided to do it as a challenge and a curiosity. He was quite right; this book was the most outright fun that I have read for quite a while.
Without giving too much away, the action takes place in New York. A man is drawn into helping a woman as she is pursued for the “October List” itself, something her employer apparently possessed that some very, very bad people will do anything to get their hands on. If she goes to the police, or they catch her, something horrible will happen to someone she loves. There is only limited time to evade her various pursuers and find what they want…
I almost said this is a book for writers, but this isn’t necessary to enjoy it. If you are a writer yourself, though, you may enjoy it even more.
The key is to reveal new information which changes your perception of what you already know. The author is very clever about this, and often outright cheeky. One fundamental of humour is when your brain changes tack suddenly onto something unexpected, and I often found myself laughing out loud when this happened. It can be a small thing, or seem almost like cheating, but I still enjoyed it with the author. It was like someone telling what you know perfectly well is going to be a joke, but it’s a good one and delivered well.
You know what the “final scene” is from the very start, of course. It’s a cliffhanger and the suspense only increases as you wonder how on Earth it can be resolved. Which it is. Brilliantly.
I am told there is severe nastiness in some of Deaver’s other books, but in this one it is only hinted or kept at a distance. So I would heartily recommend this book, and thank you to Caroline who recommended it to me!
Hive link: https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Jeffery-Deaver/The-October-List/15962207
Paladin of Idleness 