People Die: A Novel [Hardcover]

Kevin Wignall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 26, 2002

JJ is a model employee. He does his work quietly and competently, and he keeps his nose clean. But JJ's job is murder for hire, and when the kind of company he works for undergoes restructuring, people don't get fired -- they get fired upon. So for the first time in his life, JJ is not just a predator; he's the prey, and he doesn't even know why. All he knows is that the people close to him are being killed, former allies are turning against him, and the only person offering help is the best friend of one of his victims.

It's one of the golden rules -- never become involved with a target's friends or family, with the people who loved him. But JJ's running out of options, and, despite himself, he's drawn by the lure of passing through that door, from his side of death to theirs.

Much more than a straightforward hitman caper, People Die is a rare debut, combining tongue-in-cheek sensibility with heart-in-mouth suspense to provide killer entertainment.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A freelance hit man with MI6 and the CIA on his client roster lands on a hit list himself, without a clue as to why, in Wignall's smashing debut. JJ Hoffman has a lucrative life as a top assassin with a golden rep on both sides of the pond. His routine is disrupted when he finds his Paris handler in a sex-death frame-up, then discovers that his contact number has been disconnected. Cut loose and now a target, he races to his girlfriend's Geneva apartment too late to save her. American Ed Holden, who's also a target, says he has info that may save them both and arranges a meeting in Vermont through London-based CIA agent Tom Furst, the only one they both trust. When JJ learns the meeting is at a Vermont bed and breakfast run by Susan Bostridge, the wife of a rogue U.S. agent he shot two years ago, he balks, but soon finds that he has no other option. Arriving in Vermont days before Ed, he meets Susan and becomes attached to her and her two kids, who seem to forgive him for killing their dad. Things get stranger when Holden arrives and spills his plan to derail their pursuer, who is revealed to be a former client attempting to cover up an action gone wrong. Crisp, lean prose with assault rifle impact zips the reader across international borders and delineates quirky, engaging characters. The plot is worthy of the best British spymasters, making Wignall an author to watch.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

JJ is a freelance hitman for a CIA-like organization. He is meticulously professional, except for one uncharacteristic slip. Hired to kill an art dealer named Bostridge, he unexpectedly finds the purported family man in bed with a girl, and, surprising himself, lets her go after she has retrieved a small package from under the bed. Two years later, this assignment comes back to haunt him. JJ's contact with the company has been brutally murdered, and then they get JJ's girlfriend. It appears that a faction within the organization is trying to kill him. Key information about his assassins leads him to a New England bed-and-breakfast run by Bostridge's widow and an agent who has a plan to put JJ in the clear--if he's willing to engage in a face-to-face meeting with a Russian mobster. Wignall's first novel boasts crisp writing, a tense atmosphere, and, most surprisingly, a likable if ruthless hitman. In fact, Wignall's only misstep comes in the final chapter, when he tries to reconcile JJ's professional and personal lives. An impressive debut. Joanne Wilkinson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1St Edition edition (March 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743212673
• ISBN-13: 978-0743212670
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,708,850 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

KJ Wignall was born in Belgium to English parents (his father was a soldier, stationed there at the time). His early childhood was spent as an army child, which he loved. He learned to drive a tank when he was seven, went to school in a German castle for a couple of years and lived in lots of different places. He lives in England now but still travels a lot. "Blood" is his first book for young adults.

Find out more at www.kjwignall.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Exciting, Intelligent Spy Thriller - Very Well Written!, December 12, 2004

By 

Jana L. Perskie "ceruleana" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: People Die (Paperback)

I recently read Kevin Wignall's "For The Dogs: A Novel," and was so impressed that I picked up his first book, "People Die." Although not as good as the last effort, "People Die" is certainly worth 4 Stars and makes for an exciting and unusual read. It is an extremely well-written, fast-paced, edgy, spy thriller, with a bit of satire thrown in.

William "JJ" Hoffman is the epitome of a professional. He's more-or-less a consultant in that the work he does is free-lance. And he has earned a reputation for himself as one of the best in his field - the business of assassination. His top clients include the CIA and M-16. He quietly and competently does the job, with no mess or complications. He is discreet and keeps his nose clean. As a matter of fact, some of his colleagues have actually said that if they had to be targeted for death, they would prefer JJ to make the hit.

His last job, in Moscow, was the execution of an American businessman - a supposedly devoted family man found in bed with a teenager who appeared to be a prostitute. JJ was mesmerized by the beautiful and exotic young girl and allowed her to escape. Her image, her presence, will remain with him throughout the novel. When she left the hotel room, she carried a package with her. Fast-forward two years. JJ is in Paris to contact his primary handler. He finds the man dead in his home library, brutally murdered. As Hoffman professionally scans the murder scene, he gets a sense that this is not just an isolated killing. Something is terribly wrong. It turns out that JJ has every reason to be paranoid. Apparently his network is being downsized - drastically. And he is a prime target. He has no idea who to trust, especially after a very close and trusted friend tries to kill him. Wignall leads the reader through a maze of twists and turns, where nothing is as it seems. And then the author seamlessly ties everything together in a breathtaking conclusion.

The character of "JJ" is extremely well developed. He is not just a man of action, as are many primary characters in suspense thrillers. There are periods where he becomes extremely introspective, especially when everyone he used to trust is dead or trying to kill him. He wonders how he ever became an assassin and if it is too late to lead a more balanced life. He has become marginalized - disconnected from his family and old friends. He finds himself isolated - totally alone. This darker, more melancholy theme gives the novel more depth than the traditional genre book.

I discovered a terrific writer when I read "For The Dogs." He doesn't disappoint with his 1st book either. I can't wait for his third. Kevin Wignall is an author whose work I highly recommend.
JANA

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars already a classic, January 18, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: People Die (Paperback)

This is a great book. It's a thriller about a hitman on the run - basic stuff, but handled by Wignall with a master's touch. JJ is one of the most memorable leading characters I've seen for a long time and his thoughtful observation of the death he delivers so cold-bloodedly lifts this well above the level of most cosies and crime capers. I can see how some people have doubts about the end (I happen to think the author hits it perfectly) but even if you would have preferred a different ending, this will at least leave you thinking and live on in your mind. How many books can you say that about?
There's bound to be a movie, given how visual this is and how strong the central character is, so read it now, before Hollywood gets to it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A surprisingly good first novel., July 30, 2008

By 

H. S. Wedekind "Mr. Weekend" (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: People Die (Paperback)

I had stumbled on British author Kevin Wignall quite by accident. While browsing the "Mystery" section of the bookstore, not having anyone in particular in mind, the title FOR THE DOGS grabbed me. (That and the fact that I'm partial to British writers.) Thumbing through it, I read a few pages and became interested. I bought the book, took it home, and read it in one afternoon. I liked Wignall's way with words and his dispassionate protagonist, a hitman named Lucas. Discovering that this was Wignall's second novel, after reading reviews of FTD here on amazon.com, I ordered PEOPLE DIE. I'm glad I did. This is a first-rate noir thriller and better than FOR THE DOGS, in my opinion. JJ is a likable hitman, who, for some unknown reason, finds out that he is marked for death...but by whom? The CIA? MI6? Russian Mafya? I won't give the ending away, though it was not the high point in the book, and sort of anticlimactic; hence, the 4 star rating...again, my opinion. On the whole, I enjoyed it more than Wignall's second book.