The task of course, is to present the twist before giving the facts that lead up to it and still make the surprise thrilling.

Deaver says: 'I began to wonder if it was possible for a thriller writer to pull off a backward-told story that was filled with the cliff-hangers, surprises and twists and turns that are, to me, the epitome of good crime fiction. In his foreword, Deaver explains that he became captivated with the idea of reverse chronology after listening to a radio discussion about Stephen Sondheim's musical 'Merrily We Roll Along', which uses the same idea. What's unusual about it? Well, the story is told in reverse - sounds weird, I know! The index begins with chapter thirty-six, the story working back through time over the last two days to the first chapter. Last week, I picked up from the library another novel with an intriguing premise: Jeffery Deaver's 'The October List'. As a novelist, I'm fascinated by examples of authors stretching the boundaries of what's possible with fiction. 4.A while back, I wrote a post about novels with unusual structures (you can read it here), examining books such as B S Johnson's 'The Unfortunates', which consists of twenty-seven chapters that can be read in any order. Some arouse suspicion from the start, but others are a complete surprise. As the story progresses (?) in reverse, the reader learns that none of the characters is quite who or what they seem.

The first (ie last) chapters are quite confusing, but if the reader persists, the reward is a cleverly put-together story that is filled with twists, turns and red herrings. In this unusually constructed thriller, Deaver begins with the final chapter and works back through the events of the previous days. But when the door opens, a shock awaits: the kidnapper, gun in hand, enters.

Her kidnapper is demanding a large sum of money, and something called The October List. She is hoping her new (and apparently wealthy) friend, Daniel Reardon and his expert team can save Sarah. Early on a September Sunday evening, Gabriela McKenzie waits nervously in a “safe” apartment with minder, Sam Easton, for news of the negotiation with her daughter’s kidnapper. The October List is a stand-alone novel by popular American author, Jeffery Deaver.

The October List by Jeffery Deaver