The Killer, Book 1
The Beginning (Start of Action)
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The Killer, Book 1
Buy Now for £11.99
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Narrated by:
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Nigel Peever
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By:
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Jack Elgos
About this listen
An action & adventure mystery thriller
The Killer is the first in a series of three fast-paced fiction thrillers.
A story of espionage, suspense, and terrorism, following Darren/Butch McCann, whose adventures begin amid the bombings and violence on the war-torn streets of 1970s Belfast.
His survival depends on his ability to fight, he learns quickly and fights well. The Provisional Irish Republican Army attempt to recruit him, but he refuses to take sides - until a family tragedy draw him into the ranks of IRA and their cause.
Military training follows and he's found to be an excellent sniper and freedom fighter, but it is one night, and one brutal interrogation, which earn him a reputation as "The Butcher of Belfast", pairing him with his infamous knife, The Killer.
Following a high-profile kill he's forced to flee Ireland and take refuge in Spain, where he becomes involved with an ETA paramilitary unit at their training camp deep in the Basque country. There, a thrilling and daring raid ensues, and strong alliances are formed with his new brethren.
The Provos, and an old friend, call him back to service. He performs his duty but, a moment of doubt convinces him that his home is now in the hills of Spain.
McCann knows he will always fight against the establishment. But, one British military intelligence agent has other ideas.
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This book was recommended to me by a friend. I was
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Listener received this title free
I don’t normally read, or listen to thrillers, but… Why not? We all need a little variety from time to time. A bit like a packet of something naughty to be binged on until – all gone.
‘The Killer’ did not disappoint. Though it tried to a couple of times. And nearly succeeded.
I read the reviews on Amazon before I started listening. All 103 of them. Some loved it, a few, possibly a little more thoughtful, hated it. On balance, the story was well received though.
I started listening. The story was less than five hours long. This appealed.
The first third or so engaged me in an emotional way. I remembered what it was to be caught up in a IRA bomb scare in London. I also remembered the devastation after an IRA spectacular. I could see the smoke rising from my house. And I remember hearing a bomb go off in another city. I also knew someone who was on a jury during a certain trial.
So yes, I remember how things were. From a British perspective, albeit a remote perspective which barely counts compared with those directly involved in the true terror of The Troubles.
That said, it wasn’t hard to imagine variations of the early scenes in The Killer taking place countless times over in those grim decades of shootings, bombings and tit-for-tat murders.
So I was engaged by the story behind the story. Definitely.
I also came to agree with one or two of the reviews which had found the story a little too spare, lacking in detail and development.
The middle third of the story had a couple of incidents which almost lost me. Yes, they were sensational, but they seemed to be too sensational, too implausible. I might easily have cashed in my chips at this point. But I was curious to see how things would go.
FINALLY SETTLING ON A CLAW HAMMER
I’m glad I stuck with it because the last third of the story became gripping, pitting the IRA anti-hero assassin against first a vengeful hammer-wielding enemy and then a clever intelligence officer. The physical violence, terror and tension won my acute attention. Would he, wouldn’t he? The contest and the stakes were at maximum intensity, with a twist of pure evil added to crank things up even further.
Nigel Peever’s voicing was especially strong in the last third of the story. I could see and feel the whole scene in those final chapters thanks to his narration. The characters were all distinctly established in my ear by this point and my imagination was fully fired up. The menace and terror were expertly conveyed. My earlier issues with the story were forgotten because of the intensity of the finale.
Yes, those reviewers who complained that the story ended with a blatant tease designed to get the listener or reader into the sequel had a point. But I feel that the drama in the finale was strong enough to stand alone, at least for this listener.
So, might I be tempted to go for the sequel? I’ll let you know.
'PUT THAT HAMMER DOWN!'
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Unpredictable thriller
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Listener received this title free
It’s always hard when the characters aren’t in the narrators native accent, but Nigel does a brilliant job as always!
I think now all the background and scene setting is out of the way, book 2 will be even better and maybe a little faster paced?
Either way, I’m looking forward to it!
This is my honest opinion of a free review copy.
“F*ck it, let’s take a look at that Jaguar”
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Gripping from start to finish
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