A Good Day to Die [Import] [Paperback]

Simon Kernick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 26, 2005

Dennis Milne is back! A dark, gritty, utterly page-turning novel set in London’s meanest of mean streets: the follow-up to the hugely acclaimed debut, The Business of Dying.

When Dennis Milne — now living under an assumed identity in the Philippines — hears that his old friend and colleague Malik has been gunned down in a restaurant, he decides to go back to the violent city he once called home, and bring the murderer to book.

Milne arrives in a pre-Christmas London that is cold and hostile. But he is no longer a policeman; no longer charged with keeping the peace and upholding the law.

Although his friends at the King’s Cross station do not know that Milne is back in town, it soon becomes clear that his arrival has been expected by men who are after his blood. Hungry for revenge and determined to uphold his own very rough brand of justice, Milne’s search for the person behind his friend’s death leaves a trail of death and destruction that is more wide-reaching than even he could have expected.


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kernick (The Crime Trade) blurs the line between the right and wrong sides of justice in his fourth novel, a tense tale about a British cop turned vigilante-for-hire. Det. Sgt. Dennis Milne fled London for the Philippines after murdering innocent men he mistook for scumbags. Three years later, after changing his name to Mick Kane, he earns a living in Sabang Bay offing bad guys for pay; his latest target is a familiar London snitch who's wanted back in England for killing Milne's friend, Det. Asif Malik. Hungry for further vengeance, Milne risks his freedom and returns to London to track down others connected to Malik's murder. Milne re-examines the case Malik was investigating, sets up a meeting with a crime boss and gets ambushed for his troubles. From then on, Milne barely stays a step ahead of death. Though uneven at times, this action-packed page-turner will earn Kernick new followers. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Fans of Kernick's stellar debut (The Business of Dying,2003) will hail the return of pragmatic disgraced copper Dennis Milne to the series after a two-book hiatus. With a new face and a new name (Mick Kane), Milne is now incognito in the Philippines as a hotelier, dive instructor, and reluctant hit man, who kills only those who deeply deserve it, such as a homicidal pedophile on holiday, or the slippery fellow killer-for-hire who did in his old partner, Asif Malik. Returning to London to hunt down those responsible for Malik's death, Milne eases onto the brutal streets and into his old ways with all the relish of tucking into a plate of chips, a pint of bitter, and a pub brawl. Milne's arrival has been anticipated, and the tension doesn't let up for a single page as he dodges a nasty array of potential captors and killers, teaming with a comely journalist to go after very big bottom-feeders. Kernick spins a nonstop mystery thriller, leavening the grimy noir with a renegade hero every bit as likable as Spenser and as tough as Hawk. A good book for a breakthrough and a sure bet for fans of gritty Brits and hard-boiled thrills from Ken Bruen to Ian Rankin to Michael Connelly. David Wright
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 449 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Press; Airport / Export Ed edition (July 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 059305413X
• ISBN-13: 978-0593054130
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,973,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine fourth to a tremendous series, May 25, 2008

By 

Jeff (Northern California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Good Day to Die: A Novel (Hardcover)

As I've said in other reviews, Simon Kernick is building a multi-volume tale of crime in contemporary London, albeit one with striking variations in plot from typical noir. In his first book, we met Dennis Milne, a CID with the Yard, who is a hit man on the side. He gets set up for a job in the beginning of the debut novel which turns out to be anything than what it was supposed to be, and disaster for Milne ensues.

This volume finds him a world away, but compelled to return to London to avenge two former close CID colleagues. The twists and turns he must take to achieve his goal, especially in a CCTV blanked London where he is a most wanted criminal indeed, make for a very satisfying read, and I doubt few readers see the end unfolding as it does.

Despite the fact that Milne has done some terrible things, he has a moral compass and he manages to find some of it in this book. Needless to say, the dialog and characters are well drawn, and the book comes to far too soon an end. However, every new book takes Kernick's characters forward (or brings them to their end) and so in some sense, the story never ends even thought the book does.

Highly recommended.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fine thriller, December 16, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Good Day to Die: A Novel (Hardcover)

In London Detective Sergeant Dennis Milne was known to straddle the legal line when it comes to the sleaze of the city. However, he crosses totally over when he kills a thug; however, besides taking justice in his own hands, the victim turns out to not have been involved with the crime that led Dennis to him. In other words he used excessive force to kill an innocent person. Knowing he would be convicted of the murder, Dennis flees his home country for Asia finally taking residence in the Philippines.

Three years later, Dennis Milne no longer exists; instead Mick Kane earns a living as a vigilante bounty hunter for hire in Sabang Bay. His targets are nasty killers who beat the system. His current assignment is personal as he seeks revenge by killing a Londoner whose actions back home led to the homicide of a friend from his copper days, Detective Asif Malik. To complete his mission means sneaking back into London and hunting down the others.

Milne is a fascinating anti-hero whose ethics propels him to risk his freedom and perhaps his life to avenge his friend while readers will wonder whether he is a champion or a brute. The story line is so action-packed, fans will read it in one sitting, but the adversaries remain somewhat caricatures. Still readers will devour Simon Kendrick's fine thriller in one good reading day.

Harriet Klausner