Killer Instinct (Hardcover)

by Joseph Finder (Author) "I'd never fired a gun before..." (more)
Key Phrases: Dick Hardy, Special Forces, Trevor Allard (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. At the start of this masterful business thriller from bestseller Finder (Paranoia; Company Man), Jason Steadman, successful salesman at Entronics, an electronics company that's right up there with Sony and Panasonic, drives into a ditch near his office outside Boston while talking to his wife on his cellphone. Jason befriends the tow-truck driver who comes to his rescue, Kurt Semko, an ex–Special Forces soldier, and recommends him for a position at Entronics. In gratitude, Kurt begins performing fiendish little jobs for Jason that boost his sales and fortunes with the company. But Kurt eventually goes overboard, and people begin to die. The likable Jason finds himself trapped in a battle with a scary, seemingly unbeatable foe that builds to a rousing and satisfying climax. The villains may verge on the cartoonish, but readers who enjoy movies where you have to fight the urge to shout "Stop! Don't open that door!" will love this one.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine
Both Paranoia (2003) and Company Man (2005) captured the power plays implicit in the business world and put Joseph Finder at the top of the corporate thriller game. Killer Instinct doesn't disappoint. Finder, who convincingly portrays how salesmen close the deal in a cutthroat environment, focuses on character development: Steadman's wife, for example, is no Lady Macbeth but an empathetic character. Although the plot never suffers, a few reviewers called it more predictable and less intricately conceived than those of Finder's other books. Despite this criticism, Killer Instinct shows that "political thrillers and spy novels are tame compared to what goes on in the cubicles and offices" (South Florida Sun-Sentinel).

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1 edition (May 16, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312347472
• ISBN-13: 978-0312347475
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (123 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #189,688 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Instincts to Pick Up Finder Novels Are Always Spot On!, June 13, 2006

By	James N Simpson (Gold Coast, QLD Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Godfather Redux, June 3, 2006

By	Bookworm (St. George Utah) - See all my reviews

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, exciting thriller that keeps you at the edge of your seat , June 3, 2006

By	N. Larrabee (Tarrytown, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.