The Killer [Hardcover]

Tom Hinshelwood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 2010

The hunter has become the hunted

Victor is a freelancer, a professional, a killer---the best there is. He's ice cold, methodical, and deadly. He lives alone. He operates alone. No one knows his background, or even his name. For him, business is a straight transaction. He's given a job; he takes out the target; he gets paid.

He's in Paris to perform a standard kill and collect for an anonymous client. The contract is simple, routine, and Victor completes it with trademark efficiency only to find himself in the middle of an ambush and fighting for his life. Faced with powerful and determined enemies, and caught in the crossfire of an international conspiracy unfolding across four continents, Victor is forced to go on the run across a winter-ravaged Europe. Pursued by the authorities, hired assassins, and intelligence agencies from both sides of the Atlantic, he discovers that no place is safe for him anymore and there is no one he can trust.

But Victor is no easy target, and he's every bit as ruthless as those hunting him. He will find out who wants him dead and why, one corpse at a time.

Debut author Tom Hinshelwood has written a classic cat-and-mouse thriller for the twenty-first century that takes off from the very first page and never lets up. Filled with adrenaline-charged action worthy of the big screen, The Killer will have readers looking down the barrel of a gun at every turn.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

(Starred review) British scriptwriter Hinshelwood's superlative fiction debut takes familiar suspense elements—a hired killer, a CIA traitor, a gorgeous operative, Russian spies, and an espionage coup involving advanced weapon technology—and whips them into nonstop action that veers and twists from one ferocious gun battle, double cross, and betrayal to the next. In a Paris alley early one morning, hired assassin Victor performs a routine job, shooting 58-year-old Latvian national Andris Ozols, then relieving the body of a small flash drive. When Victor returns to his posh hotel on the Rue du Faubourg St. Honoré, he unexpectedly must fight a gang of other professional hit men. Further attempts on his life raise the question: who wants him dead and what's on the memory stick? The action shifts from Paris and various spots in Europe to CIA headquarters and the coast of Africa, the scene of a final cataclysmic clash. Thriller fans will be eager to see more from this bright new talent.

From Booklist

Hinshelwood's first novel—a classic hunter-becomes-the-hunted thriller—crackles like the early work of Robert Ludlum. Victor works as a paid assassin and never questions why he is asked to kill specific targets. After completing what appears to be a routine assignment—kill a man in Paris and retrieve a flash drive from the body—Victor returns to his hotel with the data in hand and finds a professional hit team waiting for him. Barely surviving the onslaught, he runs from city to city across wintry Europe, trying to determine who wants him dead and to find a way to read the encrypted data hidden on the drive. Such plots have been done to death in film and literature, but Hinshelwood brings an appealing and enigmatic main character into the mix, creating a refreshing and relentless story line that seems new. Fans of spy thrillers and books with heavy action will find this a worthwhile read. --Jeff Ayers

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; First Edition edition (April 13, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031255804X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312558048
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #746,973 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tom was born in Burton Upon Trent in Staffordshire, England, and now lives in London. He has worked in a range of jobs and now writes full time. THE KILLER is his first novel.

PLEASE BE AWARE: THE HUNTER is the UK version of THE KILLER. They are the same book, but Amazon sells both versions.

www.tomwoodbooks.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 'killer' book... bud-ump-tsch, April 13, 2010

By 

Snailmedia (Liverpool, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Killer (Hardcover)

I just read The Killer while on holiday (or rather on the flight there), and I have to admit to being surprised and delighted by the quality of the writing style and the material. The Killer is one of those books that you just plough through without putting down, full of dynamism and a good story arc, and without some of the cheesy detail about guns and equipment which stylise some of the authors peers. There is still enough detail for the layman to understand without nausea and to know that Hinshelwood knows his stuff without shoving it down your throat.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good engaging thriller or a book for reading by the pool (where I finished it) or on a flight. Totally immersive, fun, and fast paced. The chapters are just the right length for when you want to 'dip in' to the book quickly, and add to the pace of the action and the read.

A great first book, and a good romp across Europe with the excellent 'Victor'. I look forward to the next one.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars nonstop action, April 13, 2010

By 

Stealth Reviewer (Upper Marlboro, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Killer (Hardcover)

Hinshelwwod's Killer is just that, a cold, ruthless workman who's business is contract killing. If you're tired of thrillers where the characters sit around and yak, yak, yak to each other instead of getting on with business, this is the book for you. The author fires it up, slams down the pedal and doesn't let up till the end. Exhilarating. Exhausting. Terrific.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Killer Read!!, May 13, 2010

By 

John R. Linnell (New Gloucester, ME United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Killer (Hardcover)

I was put onto this book by a friend who had read the reviews although she had not read the book, as yet. The timing was perfect as I was looking for a book to read as my wife and I made our semi annual trek from our home in Tucson to our summer home in Maine by car. It is a five day, four night drive and a book that takes you by the lapels and brings you inside the cover is just what I need after all those miles before catching some shut eye.

The author did not disappoint which is a nice compliment for a first effort. The central figure of the book is Victor and Victor is most assuredly "a killer" in every sense of the word. He has been hired to intercept and kill a Russian turncoat who is selling the whereabouts of a sunken Russian submarine which is carrying some very sophistcated and highly desirable anti-ship missles which are more technically advanced than anything in the West. His employers are unknown, but they are willing to pay very well for the "flash drive" that the Russian is selling.

Completing the assignment was the easiest part of the effort for Victor, however as he returns to his Parisian hotel following obtaining the drive he finds that there is a team of killers at the hotel and they are looking for him.

Eight dead men left behind testify to Victor's accomplishments as a killer, but his problem is now, who were they, who were they working for and has he been double crossed?

From here on in the story gets very interesting and very complicated and if you want to find out how the matter plays out, I suggest you do yourself the favor of acquiring this book and settling in for a few nights of solid reading. You will be glad you did.