Headhunters [Kindle Edition]

Charlie Cole (Author)

Book Description

Simon Parks is a headhunter by trade, finding the best talent in the industry. Simon's industry happens to be the international spy game. When tragedy rips his life apart he relocates to a new town and starts over, only to find that his old life has followed him home. Pursued by industrial spies, domestic terrorists, and his old boss, Simon must unravel a plot to steal secrets from the Department of Homeland Security and frame him for murder. Cut off from official channels and hounded by the police, Simon recruits his own rogue team of operatives to take down the conspirators.

Product Details

• File Size: 427 KB
• Print Length: 366 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B006CVIAJE
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #305,038 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Spies. Car chases. Explosions. Sex. Awesome. December 21, 2011

By Karen DeLabar

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you're looking for an excellent thriller to grace your Kindle, then this is the story for you.

Simon Parks is one of the best headhunters at Blackthorn, an antiterrorist cell operating outside the confines of the US government. But after losing his wife in a tragic car accident Simon relocates his family in hopes of leaving behind the spy game and focusing his attention on his two children. Only what Simon doesn't realize is that no matter how far away he runs he is forever tied to his past; a past that doesn't want to let him go.

From page one, Cole immerses his readers into a fast paced thriller where he orchestrates the twists and turns of a thriller suspense with fluid ease and expertise. Cole's tone and voice in the story is one of a seasoned writer and belies the fact that this is his debut novel. Cole's action sequences fly off the page with fast paced dialogue and the use of clever word choices that have your heart racing right along with Simon and his co-worker/love interest, Jessica.

Cole creates the perfect blend of action and suspense that I found myself reading faster so I would know what happened next. My "just one more page" turned into "just one more chapter" which ended up being "I'm finishing this book tonight." Cole's knowledge of weaponry, self-defense training and car chase maneuvers is abundant and nowhere did I feel the action lagged or worse, the impossible happened.

And while the action is where I felt Cole shined, it was his character of Simon Parks that held my interest throughout the story. Simon is the "everyman's hero", a man forced to protect his family at any means necessary, and he does it well. Cole created a complex, thoughtful and inspiring man within Simon.... His need to protect his family overshadows any dark dealings he needs to pursue in order to reach his goal. He has his faults, his misgivings and his opinions, but Simon, when it counts, does what needs to be done.

Not only does Cole tackle action and suspense with ease and expertise but he has incorporated a few sex scenes that could rival any popular romance novel out there. Being of the romance novel persuasion, I was pleasantly surprised with how well the scenes were not only written but placed in the story. They didn't seem forced or awkward, but added to the character development of both Jessica and Simon.

Headhunters should be on the top of your list if suspense/thriller is your genre. In fact, Headhunters should be on the top of your "to read" list if you just like reading a great story that holds your interest until the last page. Read more ›

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice Thriller March 30, 2012

By Cheryl B. Dale

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Nice thriller. Kept me reading.

The plot was one of the convoluted ones I like, but I couldn't bond with the hero. After being a negligent dad for several years, he finds his wife leaving him because of his demanding job. He chases after her, and she runs off the road and dies. He blames himself. With reason, I think. That predisposed me to dislike him right away.

But he quits his job, determined to make it up to his kids, and takes a new one in another town. From the convenient live-in babysitter--who moves with them!--to the hot coworker who succumbs, Simon seems to have everything going his way.

Until it turns out his old boss wanted him in the new job for nefarious purposes.

Not a bad read. Readers who like action and skulduggery will like it.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent thriller January 24, 2012

By Wendy Cartmell

Format:Kindle Edition

Simon Parks is a headhunter by trade, finding the best talent in the industry. Simon's industry happens to be the international spy game. When tragedy rips his life apart he relocates to a new town and starts over, only to find that his old life has followed him.

There is often a criticism made of authors, that the `voice' in their novel isn't strong enough. This is not the case with Charlie Cole! The voice of Simon Parks draws you into his story immediately and once you're hooked, right from the first page, you can't put the book down. A fast paced, realistic thriller and an awesome read. You really invest in the characters - even the bad ones - and Cole keeps you on the edge of your seat. Then he sets you up nicely for what I hope will be subsequent adventures of Simon Parks. I'll be sure to read them.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Action-packed thriller February 10, 2012

By Everett Powers

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

With at least thirty books waiting for me on my iPad, when starting something from a new author, the book has to quickly grab my attention and hold it. If it fails to hold my attention or I find that I couldn't care less about the characters, I move on. Life is too short to read bad fiction.

Head Hunters not only held my attention, I was eager to pick it up again when I had time to read. That may not sound like much to you, but it's a lot to me. I began and stopped reading at least ten books in 2011.

The action sequences, and there are plenty, were my favorite parts. They were well-written and it was easy to follow who was kicking whose butt. Characters' emotions were well expressed and felt natural, not forced. Characterizations were well written; nothing too over-the-top.

However, I feel Head Hunters would have been better if Cole had left it as a pure action book. I think it could have been a Jason Bourne-like thriller, although on a much smaller scale. Too much time was spent inside the main character's head, what he was feeling and why. I don't care for a lot of that and so skim through most of it. It's why I stopped reading Dean Koontz. Also, I didn't care for so much romance. Cole could have cut most of that out and added more action. Blow something else up, dammit!

There are two explicit sex scenes, so if you don't like to read such writing, you'll want to skip them. Frankly, I don't think that add to the book in any meaningful way.

To sum it up, I recommend Head Hunters to readers who like thrillers. It's a good read. If you like a lot of romance and sex in your thrillers, you'll be extra thrilled.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing, well-written suspense. January 26, 2012

By vagabondvic

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Characters well fleshed out and plot has sufficient twists and turn to keep the suspense level cranked up until the last chapter.
Not a fan of first person stories, Charlie Cole handles his hero's descriptive monologues and dialogues with skill and a subtly that allows even female readers to engaged with the action, often brutal and bloody. Whilst the few, well placed and relevant sex scenes are well written, I skim read them. Not because I am in anyway prudish but due to their being a distraction from the real action. I find less of often more explicit when it comes to conveying profound intimacy.
Overall, this is an excellent covert action thriller.

More About the Author

If Charlie Cole wasn't writing books, he would be robbing banks. Being an author works out best for everyone involved.

Charlie has worked as a professional headhunter for the past 15 years for Fortune 100 companies. His expertise is in gathering intelligence about competitors and then recruiting away their top talent. He was a licensed private investigator in the State of Wisconsin.

In 2008, Charlie wrote the first draft of "Headhunters". In 2010, he wrote "Damascus Road". Both books are available for Kindle and paperback. Coming in early 2013, Charlie Cole is releasing "Suicide Doors", his debut horror novel.

He is the only son of an only son. Grandson of a preacher man. Charlie is a longtime resident of Wisconsin. He's an avid reader, writer, and movie aficionado.