Colter Shaw (Tracker)

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Created by Jeffrey Deaver

In The Never Game (2019), horror/thriller/mystery writer Jeffrey Deaver launched a new series featuring oddball loner COLTER SHAW, the extremely competent son of a tight-knit survivalist family in remote California, which has left him with, as they say, a “very particular set of skills.”

Colter’s not exactly a detective, though–he’s more of a tracker, specializing in traveling the country (he’s got a bad case of wanderlust) in his old school Winnebago to help police solve crimes and private citizens locate missing persons.

If it pays enough.

He calls himself a “reward seeker.”

Colter might be a weirdo (he’s forever rattling off the odds to himself–or others–on whatever he’s planning to do), but his compelling background (he has, of course, a troubled past), and plots with more tangles than a pillowcase of Slinkys — like, some whack job collecting people to act out scenes from a video game — ought to be enough to satisfy most readers.

And if that’s not enough, CBS has turned it into a TV series that made its air-brushed debut after the 2004 Super Bowl, starring This is Us alumni Justin Hartley starring as Colter. The Winnebago is now an Airstream trailer though, towed by the hunky Colter’s over-sized pick-up. The show’s affable enough, but affably bland and vaguely quirky detectives with “issues” aren’t exactly rare on television these days.

So what do I know? The show, according to People Magazine, is Amazon Prime’s “top-rated” series, and was soon renewed for a second season. Then again, they go on to say that “The weekly cases are dependably involving and Hartley is stolid, handsome and earnestly concerned. Still, you may from time to time wish the show had an undercurrent of noir mystery and despair, especially given Colter’s dark backstory. A little soul-sickness might deepen Hartley’s performance.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Deaver, of course, is the international bestselling author of a slew novels and short stories, best known for his Lincoln Rhyme books, about a forensic consultant for the police. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into 25 languages. He’s received or been shortlisted for a number of awards around the world, including Novel of the Year by the International Thriller Writers and the Steel Dagger from the Crime Writers’ Association in the United Kingdom. In 2014, he was the recipient of three lifetime achievement awards., which means he’ll outlive us all.

NOVELS

SHORT STORIES

  • “The Second Hostage” (March 2020, digital) | Kindle it!
  • “Forgotten” (March 2021, digital) | Kindle it!
  • “The Deadline Clock” (September 2022, digital) | Kindle it!

TELEVISION

  • TRACKER
    (2024-25, CBS)
    Premiere: February 11, 2024
    13 60-minute episodes
    Based on characters created by Jeffrey Deaver
    Developed for television by Ben H. Winter
    Writers: Ben H. Winters, Amanda Mortlock, Tegan Shohet, Valerie Chu, Steve Harper, David
    Radcliff, Jenny Raftery, Michael Cooney
    Directors: Ken OlinStarring Justin Hartley as COLTER SHAW
    Also starring Robin Weigert,  Abby McEnany, Eric Graise, Fiona Rene
    Guest stars: Wendy Crewson, Anja Savcic, Lee Tergesen, Donald Heng, Richard Harmon, Prestyn Bates, Stefanie von Pfetten, Gia Sandhu , Matthew Nelson-Mahood, Ryan Robbins, Alison Araya, Bradley Stryker, Link Baker, Kit Koon, William MacDonald, Mark Cheong, Mattia Castrillo, Eric Breker, Paniz Zade, Shaun Omaid, Jeremy Jones, Chris Casson,  Thomas Strumpski, Ashley Roxburgh

    • SEASON ONE
    • “Klamath Falls” (February 11, 2024)
    • “Missoula” (February 18, 2024)
    • “Springland” (February 25, 2024)
    • “Mt. Shasta” (March 3, 2024)
    • “St. Louis” (March 17, 2024)
    • “Lexington” (March 24, 2024)
    • “Chicago” (March 31, 2024)
    • “Camden” (April 14, 2024)
    • “Aurora” (April 21, 2024)
    • “Into the Wild” (April 28, 2024)
    • “Beyond the Campus Walls” (May 5, 2024)
    • “Off the Books (May 12, 2024)
    • “The Storm (May 19, 2024)
    • SEASON TWO
    • “Out of the Past” (October 13, 2024)
    • “Ontological Shock” (October 20, 2024)
    • “Bloodlines” (October 27, 2024)
    • “Noble Rot” (November 3, 2024)
    • “Preternaturalt” (November 10, 2024)
    • “Trust Fall” (November 17, 2024)
    • “Man’s Best Friend” (November 24, 2024)
    • “The Night Movers” (December 1, 2024)
    • “The Disciple” (February 16, 2025)
    • “Nightingale” (February 23, 2025)
    • “Shades of Gray” (March 2, 2025)
    • “Monster” (March 9, 2025)
Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.

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