Vengeance (Paperback)

by A. J. Scudiere (Author)
Key Phrases: leather underwear, practice dummy, Christmas Killers, Robert Graff, Maggie Leftson (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Nine years ago, Claymore Beller tried to do the right thing. It was the last thing he did. In retaliation for his efforts, his mafia bosses laid waste to his family. Only the youngest–Cynthia–came up fighting.

Three years ago, Lee Maxwell made the same error. His wife and daughter paid for his mistake. In a haze of booze and regret, Lee disappeared.

Now, Owen Dunham is following the trail of the ‘Grudge Ninja’–only all his evidence is false and the profilers can’t get their heads around anything except the obvious fact that the Ninja is extracting a deadly revenge for an old wrong.

As the Ninja gets bolder and far more dangerous, Owen is forced to recognize that he hasn’t always made the right decisions–he’s spent far too much time trying to be right. Even as he questions whether bringing in the ninja is the right thing to do, the voice in the back of his head is telling him that it will make his career...


From the author of "Resonance". --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 395 pages
• Publisher: Griffyn Ink; 1st edition (October 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979951011
• ISBN-13: 978-0979951015
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,469,234 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an exhilarating serial killer thriller , December 6, 2008

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The retirement plan of the Kurev mob family is death; either naturally or by hitmen. No one just leaves alive. Cynthia Beller and Lee Maxwell understand that first hand as her father Claymore and Lee, accountants at the same firm working the blood money of the Kurev mob, tried to quit at different times. Nine years ago Claymore and his family except for his daughter Cynthia were murdered; three years ago, Lee survived the hit, but his wife and daughter were killed. Each of the survivors vowed separately vengeance.

They meet for the first time as Cynthia having just finished a kill is about to leave when Lee enters the abode to assassinate the same thug. They encounter one another twice more before agreeing they have the same list and strategic BHAG. They agree to team up to destroy the Kurev family by dividing up the kills. Meanwhile though sympathetic to their cause and respecting them as he loves his wife and daughter that he might seek vengeance too if they were harmed, FBI agent Owen Dunham struggles with capturing the Grudge Ninja vigilante serial killer preying on the mob.

This is an exhilarating serial killer thriller that hooks the audience because the key three players seem vulnerably human with remorse, regret, and resoluteness. The vivid story line is action-packed especially with the scenes of the kills. However, A.J. Scudiere's tense thriller belongs to the Grudge Killer(s) and the cop reluctantly trying to bring them to the legal justice system even as he believes their vigilante justice is just.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A dark thriller..., November 8, 2008

By	BookReviewsByDebra "Book Reviews By Debra" (Hawesville, KY USA) - See all my reviews

A.J. Scudiere
ISBN: 0979951011
Griffyn Ink, 2008
Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for ReviewYourbook.com, 11/08
5 Stars
A dark thriller...
The Mafia murdered Claymore Beller and his family. Only Cynthia survived, and now she wants Vengeance. Owen Dunham is hot on the trail of the Grudge Ninja. Sometimes, doing the right thing is the wrong thing. Rarely, do you see such a strong female lead. Martial Arts enthusiast will really enjoy Vengeance. This plot would make a great movie. Vengeance is a dark thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Art of Revenge, November 6, 2008

By	Melissa B. Levine "Independent Book Reviewer" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Author A. J. Scudiere's second novel, Vengeance, is the adventure story of two victims of a powerful mafia family. As in the author's first book, Resonance, Scudiere places fully developed characters into detailed action scenes that create intensity and intrigue.

Cynthia Beller and Lee Maxwell had their families wiped out by the infamous Kurev family. Both Cynthia's father and Lee were accountants with a firm that operated as a front business for the Kurevs. When each man attempted to end his affiliation with the mafia owned company, their families were targeted. Cynthia and Lee choose revenge as a means of coping with their respective losses. The two meet when Lee comes across Cynthia as she is writing her signature note for the police after killing a target Lee had planned to take out himself.

Another chance encounter at a victim's home leads to Lee confronting Cynthia about each staying out of the other's way. When working from a list of potential victims leads them to the same target, again, the pair decides to work together to accomplish their shared goal: to exterminate the top guns of the Kurev family.

While Cynthia and Lee are dividing their kills, FBI agent Owen Dunham grows increasingly frustrated with the serial killer he initially names the Grudge Killer. Dunham's attempts at capturing one killer and then a second are described against the background of his personal life, which includes a wife and a daughter he loves but rarely sees.

Scudiere skillfully offers readers vivid and highly descriptive images of the revenge murders. The author also does a wonderful job of humanizing these serial killers who are actually traumatized victims themselves and putting the vulnerabilities of a seasoned law enforcement agent on display. The images in this book are so dynamic, reading each scene is like watching an action flick in slow motion.

Vengeance is an attention-grabbing story that lovers of action-driven novels will fall hard for. I highly recommend it.