Top positive review
4.0 out of 5 starsA Pleasure for Readers
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 22, 2023
Gimmick books are always a risky proposition for readers. If an author sets out to write a book based on a storytelling trick, especially if they inform readers in advance, there’s a chance that the successful gimmick may come at the cost of a good story. That’s why I was a little leery about reading Jeffery Deaver’s novelette, “The Pain Hunter.” Deaver is a master of the short-form mystery, but here, he’s set out to create a series of interlocking stories with shared characters. The flaws in this approach are clear in “The Pain Hunter,” but it’s still an entertaining read.
Deaver calls his collection “The Broken Doll.” It comprises four novelette-length works, which, when combined, would be a short novel. However, he hasn’t just chopped a novel into four parts. Instead, the individual stories interlock with references in “The Pain Hunter” to events that, I’m guessing, appear in the other books. If the author eventually releases the entire collection as a single novel, he will need considerable editing for the combined work to make sense. Based on a timetable the author provides for readers, “The Pain Hunter” takes place several weeks after some of the earlier books.
The main characters in “The Pain Hunter” are Offenbach, a brilliant but ruthless career criminal, and Dr. Collier, a physician whom Offenbach took hostage in the aftermath of a prison break. Offenbach is wounded and needs medical attention from Collier. But as Offenbach and his cronies flee in their escape vehicle, Collier realizes he may become Offenbach’s next victim when he’s outlived his usefulness. He must figure out a way to escape the clutches of three armed killers.
“The Pain Hunter” takes place over a single day after Collier has been taken hostage. While the bad guys are on the run with Collier in tow, a sheriff’s deputy tries to figure out where they’ve gone. He eventually pieces together their escape route through various video footage and then attempts to capture the bad guys single-handedly. As you might guess, things don’t go as planned. What follows, though, is a foreshadowing of the tricks the author has in store for readers.
Jeffery Deaver is a master of misdirection, and a lot of his craft is on display in “The Pain Hunter.” He never outright lies to readers, but he’s very selective in how and when he reveals information. I read the book a second time to see what sort of trickery went on and was impressed even more by his choice of language. But strip away all the misdirection, and readers are left with a pretty good suspense story of two smart men matching wits in cramped surroundings. The dialogue between Collier and Offenbach is interesting, and readers will learn quite a bit of medical terminology along the way. Against this backdrop, I felt that the subplot of the deputy was a needless intrusion. This may tie into a later book in the series, but in this story, it distracted more than it improved the book.
“The Pain Hunter” works well as a self-contained story. Readers should know that the author leaves several dangling plot threads. These may or may not be resolved in the other books in the collection that I haven’t read. Those who like everything tied up neatly will be disappointed. The author also includes somewhat vague references to earlier events that frustrated me a bit. I would rather the author let this story stand on its own than as part of a literary experiment. That version could have been a suspense gem. As is, “The Pain Hunter” is still much better than many suspense stories, but it’s not Deaver’s best.
