Customer Reviews

Killer Instinct

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(44)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Killer Instinct, although not as fast paced a thriller as Paranoia or Company Man and to be honest not in the same masterpiece quality league as those novels nevertheless is still a great read.

In Killer Instinct, Jason Steadman lives a highly stressful corporate life in the fast paced area of sales in one of the world's major TV and other electronic appliance suppliers. Job security is a big issue, his boss treats him like a doormat as well as steals his ideas and there are rumours going around that the Tokyo owners will soon decide if they are to be shipped to Dallas, which his pregnant wife refuses to contemplate or closed down all together when merged with other acquisitions. Stressed out and driving while talking on his mobile phone he looses control and his badly damaged car needs to be towed. Having nothing in common with Kurk the tow truck driver on the long ride to the garage, who is a dishonourably discharged Iraq/Afghanistan serving special forces soldier, he comments on a baseball game call and soon discovers they share a passion for the game. Jason's company softball team is terrible so he invites the driver to come along and as they become better friends Jason helps the poor guy out and gets him a job in security in the company. Kurk tells him he never forgets a favour and soon every hurdle the Jason whinges about seems to miraculously turn around in his favour. Soon Jason's rivals suspect Jason is responsible and when he confronts Kurk he realises he can only have Kurk as either a loyal brutally helpful friend or a deadly enemy.

A must read and if you haven't already done so also check out Paranoia and Company Man as well.

Finder tends to write about ordinary folks in the workplace confronted with extraordinary situations. The result is a riveting story filled with intensity and suspense, abounding with colorful characters and a maze of corkscrew plot twists. Granted, the scene where a character finds a 6 ft. diamondback rattlesnake in his spouses bed is reminiscent of The Godfather (finding a severed horses head in your bed) but this can be forgiven because on the whole the tale is well written and enormously satisfying. This book is nearly impossible to put down. Finder's first book, Paranoia, was a spectacular, his second, The Company Man, somewhat of a disappointment....but with Killer Instinct he's back in top form. This book is a definite winner.

Once again, Joseph Finder has found intrigue and suspense in the most unlikely of settings: midlevel business. Jason Steadman is a sales associate, neither at the top or at the bottom of his department, a guy who loves to play softball on the company team and who is generally happy with the status quo -- until that is, his wife Kate hints that he should be more ambitious. Jason, though, is down on his luck. His rival Trevor, who tops him in both sales and softball skills, is sure to get the promotion that has just opened up. When Jason drives his Audi into a ditch because he was trying to do too much at once, he meets tow-truck driver, former minor league pitcher, ex-Special Forces Kurt. They take a liking to each other on the drive to the auto body shop, so it seems only natural when Jason offers to get Kurt a better job, one in security, at his company, Entronics. Kurt never forgets a favor, but when Jason's rivals for the promotion start dropping away for mysterious reasons, Jason starts getting nervous. Is Kurt sabotaging other people's work and lives to Jason can go straight to the top? Or is all that happens mere coincidence? What is more important: ethics or pleasing his beautiful wife? When the stakes turn deadly, Jason must decide how he can both keep his new job and get rid of Kurt. The only problem is, no one gets rid of Kurt.

Finder is a master at creating suspense in small, incremental moments that build toward the end. Killer Instinct is not the kind of novel that prompts the reader to read quickly just to see what happens but instead is enjoyable on every page. His characters are likeable and believable -- at least, as much as they can be in a thriller Even wife Kate comes across as a fully drawn: a woman complicated by her past and by the pressure her sister puts on her. It helps that Finder's competent prose does not distract from the plot. It is neither overblown nor mundane, sentences with just enough voice to evoke the stakes of the situation.

Joseph Finder's fans will not be disappointed with this latest effort. It makes for great vacation or late night reading.

This book did a good job at keeping me interested. At no point was I really bored. However, I did many times find myself rolling my eyes and even laughing at the dialog. The author clearly knows very little about military lifestyle.

I found myself getting very annoyed with the character Kurt, because his dialog was by far the most unrealistic. I dont think Kurt said one sentence in the book that didnt begin with "well in special forces...". The guy cant go to the bathroom or blow his nose with out somehow comparing it to the "Special Forces". And it makes no sense to me that Kurt has a job as an underpaid tow truck driver, yet throughout the book you find he has connections in EVERY corner of life. From people that have access to major corporate electronics companies, to cops that like him so much they will turn corrupt just to help him out. How he made all these connections? The book never tells. Highly unlikely.

I wont give any of the plot away, but the story as a whole is very unrealistic. And i thought Kurts transition from a proud friendly military veteran to an unstoppable maniac that kills everything and everyone in his path was rushed.

Jason Steadman is in his fourth year as a salesman for Entronics, a major electronics company. He was once salesman of the month but now is starting to feel burnt-out. He meets Kurt Semko, a former Navy Seal, when he accidentally drove his car off the road trying to do too many things at once. Jason invites him to drop by his company's slow-pitch game when he hears Kurt was once drafted by the majors. Jason also pushes to get Kurt hired at Entronics. His wife is pushing him to push for a long overdue promotion. Two others are up for the same promotion. Bad things or just coincidences start to happen to everyone else but Jason. As Jason succeeds on the job and gets noticed by his bosses; he tries to stop Kurt from helping him. Great characters and plot keep you riveted to the end.

I was somewhat surprised of the reviews written by a few detractors of this novel. I found the story to be very suspenseful, a real page turner.

Jason Steadman is a saleperson for a high tech company that is continually attempting to increase its niche in the electronics arena. Gordy, his scum bag boss, is constantly stealing Jason's ideas while thinking of ways to promote one of his highly aggressive peers. You see, Jason does not have the killer instinct. Jason's wife, who grew up somewhat of a spoiled rich kid, loves her husband but continully strives to illustrate to Jason just how much more he is capable of accomplishing in his career.

Along comes Kurt Sempko, a dishonorably charged Special Forces agent who works part time for a towing company. They meet when Jason flips his car while talking to his wife while driving home. Jason befriends Kurt and finds him a job as head of security for his firm.

Kurt utilizes his expertice in electronic gadgetry and espionage, that he learned while in the Special Forces, to help Jason climb the corportate ladder. Jason is fully aware of the underhanded means by which Kurt accomplishes his tasks and looks the other way at first. However, when people begin to get hurt, or worse, well, that's another story.

But, you see, breaking off a friendship with Kurt may not be the healthiest thing to do.

Read on, you'll be glad you did. 4.5 stars

This is the first of Finder's novels I've read, but it won't be the last. Jason Steadman is a reasonably talented salesman for a high-tech consumer electronics firm in Boston who has risen to mid-level management -- but probably won't be going any farther. He's too easygoing, relatively speaking, lacking the taste for blood that his superiors expect. Also, his wife, who comes from an ex-wealthy background (her father drank away the family fortune), seems to think she's entitled to the lifestyle she used to have. So how far will Jason go in breaking through the promotion ceiling? Then he gets in a one-car accident and becomes acquainted with the ex-Special Forces sergeant who's driving the tow truck. Kurt Semko was bounced out of the service with a Dishonorable Discharge, which is keeping him from being hired for a better job, but Steadman foolishly recommends him for a corporate security position. And Semko intends to return the favor by supporting Jason's career in every way possible, even when that means underhanded tactics and breaking the law. Worse, Semko makes it clear that while he can be a valuable friend, he can also be a dangerous enemy. Finder does a good job setting the scene -- although what he intends as satire of the sales "personality" is often much closer to the truth, in my experience -- and his characters are fully developed. This is another novel with the potential to be a good film.

To the sales staff at Entronics, an electronics company, having a killer instinct means going after the big sale, closing the deal, knocking the competition off the map and moving up the corporate ladder. It means ambition, drive and determination at all costs to most of them. Unfortunately, this kind of initiative is something that happy-go-lucky Jason Steadman doesn't appear to have. His wife has made every effort to inspire him to be all that he can be and to fight for his place among the company's executives. Jason's drive to succeed takes an unexpected turn one night when he drives his car into a ditch and meets former Special Forces officer, Kurt Semko.

Jason and Kurt become fast friends. In fact, Jason goes to bat for Kurt and helps him get a job at Entronics in Corporate Security and a place on the company's baseball team. Kurt's obvious gratitude over Jason's display of friendship earns him what appears to be a friend for life. As their friendship flourishes, so does Jason's career. Jason becomes more confident, beating out his competitors and his star is rising at Entronics, but his co-workers are starting to disappear. What he fears is happening could give him his worst enemy ever.

KILLER INSTINCT by Joseph Finder is a corporate thriller that will have readers on the edge of their seats. The action is fast-paced and spellbinding. The author does an excellent job of capturing his audience's attention and holding it with many twists and turns. The characters are appealing and as well developed as the plots. Finder delves into the minds of each, so that the reader gets a full understanding of what drives them. I was definitely enthralled by this thriller which kept me up well into the night. I will be looking for more by this author. If you want a good insider's look at how the corporate world can operate, you must pick up a copy of this book.

Reviewed by Brenda M. Lisbon

of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

Poor Jason Steadman, he's trapped in a district manager sales job, being shown up by two other managers, likely not to be picked for the next promotion, and he can't seem to close deals. Plus, the poor guy is saddled with an ambitious wife and he's losing his once trim figure. What's a guy to do?

Jason befriends Kurt Semik, a tow truck driver, a former Special Forces type, and persuades him to act as a ringer for the company softball team. They hit it off, and Jason helps Kurt obtain a security job in his firm. As gratitude, Kurt returns the favor by sabotaging the work of Jason's competitors, meaning Jason is suddenly on the fast track upwards. But Kurt has horns and a tail. Soon, Kurt's dirty tricks get out of hand, and Jason realizes he's got to get rid of him. But how? Jason benefited from some of those dirty tricks, and Kurt now runs security at Jason's firm. He overhears conversations, reads emails, can track Jason's whereabouts wherever he is. Kurt made Jason, and Kurt can expose him. Or what if he's a killer? There's already been one strange death at the firm. What if that was murder? Kurt's nobody to mess with. How would you like a six foot Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake in your pregnant wife's bedroom?

With KILLER INSTINCT Joesph Finder has once again proved he's the master of the business thriller. Thrillers just don't get much better than this.

A great story with great theme and moral value. A friend who went out of his way to help another friend.....but for a high price to pay. In the end, they tried to kill each other. Very suspenseful pace. Cold Eyes