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thecatsmother's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The Killing Kind is the first book in a series about Michael Hendricks, a former special ops assassin who only targets other hit men. I was halfway through book two (Red Right Hand) when the references to events from this one convinced me to download the audiobook, which we listened to in the car. It meant I was already spoiled for the outcome of this, which diluted the impact, but we both still enjoyed it. Unfortunately there is no sign of a third book so I guess this didn’t do well enough to persuade the author to keep writing.
Michael Hendricks lives in the shadows - after being declared dead following an explosion in Afghanistan, only his best friend Lester knows the truth. Together they provide a service where people can have a hit man eliminated - for ten times the bounty on their heads. When The Council, a nefarious criminal organisation, tire of having their hit men eliminated, they hire uber-sociopath Alexander Engelmann to track Hendricks down - and the hunter becomes the hunted…
While there’s nothing groundbreaking here, I liked the premise, the hero and the way it was written. The tension mounts towards some epic action sequences straight out of a Hollywood movie. We get both Hendricks’ and Engelmann’s perspectives - one killing to atone for his past, the other as his calling. There’s also Charlie, an FBI agent determined to catch her “ghost”. While there is violence including torture, and a fairly high body count, it’s not gratuitous.
Obviously I already knew how this would end, but not the details, but with this sort of book the outcome is never really in doubt. The audiobook narrator wasn’t my favourite, he reads competently but I didn’t particularly like his accent.
Recommended to fans of full-on action fiction - and here’s hoping the author does have some more adventures planned for Hendricks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, and Torture
cwsawyer's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
muninn972's review
3.0
I was browsing the new book shelf at the library and stumbled across this one. Read the jacket and thought it sounded good. I enjoyed this book. I do have to say that I was drawing some similarities to Dexter "killer only killing other killers" but the writing flowed and it kept me interested. The ending was left opening making me think that there will be more.
guiltyfeat's review
4.0
Perfectly serviceable read that could only have been improved if I’d been lying at the beach as I whizzed through it. Clinically cinematic, if a little preposterous with well laid out set pieces and not too much gibbons in between. If the book was a little over-populated at least the long list of characters has been thoroughly cut down by the end. Fun enough to read in one go.
snowcrash's review
2.0
I picked up this book as it says it is about assassins, with our main character one that hunts other assassins. Sounds interesting, so I picked it up from the library.
It isn't very good. Every character has one dimension, each only exhibiting an outsize personality trait or ability. Part of the back story is nearly the same as a kids story about a kitten. Pampered rich girl, scruffy boy, her parents dislike the ruffian, they elope, etc. Ugh.
Nothing makes sense, in that it wouldn't happen in the real world. Origin story of our main character isn't all that plausible. He is supposed to have a gift for all forms of killing. But never practices. He's a ghost that no one can remember. His partner is a super hacker, "...there is no system he couldn't hack into." Plus who goes to a billionaire with details of the price on their head, $20k, and says they'll take out the hitman for $200k. Eh?
This book didn't work for me. It didn't feel serious or dark or even funny. It is flat in its portrayal & its prose. I'll continue to look for other books in the vein of Tom Wood's Victor or Barry Eisler's John Rain.
It isn't very good. Every character has one dimension, each only exhibiting an outsize personality trait or ability. Part of the back story is nearly the same as a kids story about a kitten. Pampered rich girl, scruffy boy, her parents dislike the ruffian, they elope, etc. Ugh.
Nothing makes sense, in that it wouldn't happen in the real world. Origin story of our main character isn't all that plausible. He is supposed to have a gift for all forms of killing. But never practices. He's a ghost that no one can remember. His partner is a super hacker, "...there is no system he couldn't hack into." Plus who goes to a billionaire with details of the price on their head, $20k, and says they'll take out the hitman for $200k. Eh?
This book didn't work for me. It didn't feel serious or dark or even funny. It is flat in its portrayal & its prose. I'll continue to look for other books in the vein of Tom Wood's Victor or Barry Eisler's John Rain.
clambook's review
1.0
Awful. Charactare are cartoons, writing a feast of cliches, plot infested with logical improbabilities. If I wanted read a comic book, I'd get one with pictures. DNF.
eleellis's review
3.0
This is an enjoyable, time occupying novel. The main plot is Quarry-like in that the main character learns of the assassinations of less than worthy people and then extorts money from them to prevent the assassination (this is revealed early on, so I do not consider it a "spoiler").
Other plot lines in the novel have been told before by other writers with similar characters.
Still, the novel is enjoyable escapism.
Other plot lines in the novel have been told before by other writers with similar characters.
Still, the novel is enjoyable escapism.
bilinski68's review
2.0
This book was OK. I expected a lot more but it came up short. I think Chris Holm has a good start just needs a little more development.
mathewsnyder's review
3.0
This hitman novel is a solid the thriller with well paced chapters. Holm's action scenes flow well, and he grounds everything in a practical detail that brings real clarity to the action. The primary characters of the novel work well for the situation, but need more depth and nuance to justify their larger than life calamities. Then at other times, lesser characters come to life only to disappear with insufficient resolution (the casino ventriloquist, for example). The book takes a dark twist with a mostly convincing psychopath villain, and Holm builds a little sympathy for the FBI characters trailing the hero hit man. But it's too little too late for the book's otherwise well paced structure. The ending is momentous, too much so. The hitman earns his explosive climax, but it's hard to justify his choice. All told, The Killing Kind is an entertaining read with a hard edge that needs some honing.