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Hunting Season
From the author of the acclaimed thriller Sweepers, an explosive return to the world of the top secret intelligence operatives whose job it is to "kill the killers" - and this time it's personal.
When three college students hiking in the Appalachians mysteriously vanish, the FBI is called in to investigate. Finding no immediate leads and no indications of a criminal act, the authorities at the Bureau put the case on the back burner. But the father of one of the missing - Edwin Kriess - isn't willing to just let it drop. Kriess is a retired FBI agent, who was also a former member of an elite CIA task force expertly trained in the art of hunting down and retrieving rogue agents. His career burned down after a mission to uncover a Chinese espionage plot resulted in a blood-bath involving civilians. Kriess was quietly sacrificed to extinguish the scandal, and has since lived in semi-exile down in southwestern Virginia. Now he's back in action - if very unofficially - and will do anything in his power to find his daughter. Relying on the specialized tactics and lethal maneuvers from his man-hunting past as an Agency "sweeper," he mounts his own search and investigation. Crossing paths with the Bureau and other government agencies, Kriess becomes targeted for retrieval by one of his own kind. As he tracks through a deadly maze of political scandal, personal revenge, and high-level corruption, Kriess discovers that it's hunting season-on himself, his family, and, ultimately, the United States government.
Hunting Season is P T. Deutermann in top form. It is a brilliantly plotted novel that moves from rolling hills to the marble corridors of Washington, D.C., as it tracks the progress of a man on a mission-and the secret he alone knows.
When three college students hiking in the Appalachians mysteriously vanish, the FBI is called in to investigate. Finding no immediate leads and no indications of a criminal act, the authorities at the Bureau put the case on the back burner. But the father of one of the missing - Edwin Kriess - isn't willing to just let it drop. Kriess is a retired FBI agent, who was also a former member of an elite CIA task force expertly trained in the art of hunting down and retrieving rogue agents. His career burned down after a mission to uncover a Chinese espionage plot resulted in a blood-bath involving civilians. Kriess was quietly sacrificed to extinguish the scandal, and has since lived in semi-exile down in southwestern Virginia. Now he's back in action - if very unofficially - and will do anything in his power to find his daughter. Relying on the specialized tactics and lethal maneuvers from his man-hunting past as an Agency "sweeper," he mounts his own search and investigation. Crossing paths with the Bureau and other government agencies, Kriess becomes targeted for retrieval by one of his own kind. As he tracks through a deadly maze of political scandal, personal revenge, and high-level corruption, Kriess discovers that it's hunting season-on himself, his family, and, ultimately, the United States government.
Hunting Season is P T. Deutermann in top form. It is a brilliantly plotted novel that moves from rolling hills to the marble corridors of Washington, D.C., as it tracks the progress of a man on a mission-and the secret he alone knows.
402 pages, Hardcover
First published February 20, 2001
116 people are currently reading
272 people want to read
About the author
P.T. Deutermann
41 books300 followersP. T. Deutermann is a retired Navy captain and has served in the joint Chiefs of Staff as an arms control specialist. He is the author of eighteen novels, and lives in North Carolina. His World War II adventure novel Pacific Glory won the W. Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction, administered by the American Library Association; his other World War II novels are Ghosts of Bungo Suido and Sentinels of Fire. His most recent novel is Cold Frame, a contemporary thriller set in Washington, D.C.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
April 19, 2014
Audiobook, read by Dick Hill. Over 17 hours of listening. The death of his son during the Waco, Texas disaster is the catalyst for an anti-government fanatic to take revenge. There is a completely unrelated parallel plot involving a former CIA operative and China. Thus is the thrust of the story of Hunting Season. An alphabet soup of government agencies, i.e., FBI, CIA, ATF, etc., are all represented. There must be bad guys to create a fictional story and it seems any arm of the United States government is an easy target. Some tense moments, enjoyable.
Dick Hill is fun to listen to, but it is, on occasion, a bit taxing to hear his representation of the female voice.
Dick Hill is fun to listen to, but it is, on occasion, a bit taxing to hear his representation of the female voice.
December 30, 2013
Great book. Love the character of Mr. Kreiss.
May 17, 2023
Hunting Season by P.T. Deutermann
My most enjoyable take on this is that don’t mess with retired guys. Ed Kreiss is a retired FBI agent who just wants to be left alone. But someone kidnaps his daughter. Unbeknownst to the kidnappers, Lynn his daughter, is a chip off the old block. Multiple, intertwined plots lead to a complex and arresting plot.
Deutermann lets his protagonist have some foibles and yet bounces back. Persistence and resilience are shown for the daunting and successful attributes they are.
Naïve eyes are opened and deals are made. The author or the protagonist has a very dim view of ivory tower bureaucrats and government in general.
An exciting read and I highly recommend.
My most enjoyable take on this is that don’t mess with retired guys. Ed Kreiss is a retired FBI agent who just wants to be left alone. But someone kidnaps his daughter. Unbeknownst to the kidnappers, Lynn his daughter, is a chip off the old block. Multiple, intertwined plots lead to a complex and arresting plot.
Deutermann lets his protagonist have some foibles and yet bounces back. Persistence and resilience are shown for the daunting and successful attributes they are.
Naïve eyes are opened and deals are made. The author or the protagonist has a very dim view of ivory tower bureaucrats and government in general.
An exciting read and I highly recommend.
March 21, 2015
Good book. Didn't much like the ending.
November 25, 2025
Par for the course for PT Deutermann's books: well fleshed out and interesting characters with a plot that's too complicated. Spoilers ahead.
Edwin Kreiss is a former FBI "cleaner", a bit of a superman, he was tasked with assassinating federal agents who had gone rogue or otherwise needed to be killed. He was forced off the force when he discovered payoffs from China to some very high up people in order to quash investigations into Chinese spying at some labs. He is furthermore sworn to secrecy with the threat to kill his daughter's life if he revealed it.
Meanwhile a grandfather and grandson (the McGarands) duo are planning a gas bomb to blow up ATF headquarters to avenge the Waco killings. Kreiss is brought into the story when his daughter (Lynn) accidentally stumbles on to the McGarand's operation and is imprisoned by them.
The story then has a few parallel lines: the local FBI office tries to find Lynn, the CIA and FBI try to capture Kreiss as they know that if Lynn was dead they would no longer have a hold on him, and the McGarand's storyline.
Not bad but I felt that the story would have been more thrilling if we hadn't seen the McGarand's POV, seeing the story from everyone's POV dampens the excitement of discovering plot from the protagonist's POV. Too bad these are all stand alone books because the author does a good job of building up the characters.
Edwin Kreiss is a former FBI "cleaner", a bit of a superman, he was tasked with assassinating federal agents who had gone rogue or otherwise needed to be killed. He was forced off the force when he discovered payoffs from China to some very high up people in order to quash investigations into Chinese spying at some labs. He is furthermore sworn to secrecy with the threat to kill his daughter's life if he revealed it.
Meanwhile a grandfather and grandson (the McGarands) duo are planning a gas bomb to blow up ATF headquarters to avenge the Waco killings. Kreiss is brought into the story when his daughter (Lynn) accidentally stumbles on to the McGarand's operation and is imprisoned by them.
The story then has a few parallel lines: the local FBI office tries to find Lynn, the CIA and FBI try to capture Kreiss as they know that if Lynn was dead they would no longer have a hold on him, and the McGarand's storyline.
Not bad but I felt that the story would have been more thrilling if we hadn't seen the McGarand's POV, seeing the story from everyone's POV dampens the excitement of discovering plot from the protagonist's POV. Too bad these are all stand alone books because the author does a good job of building up the characters.
August 30, 2019
It was just okay. Suspenseful in some parts, definitely a thriller since it revolves around an ex-FBI/undercover operative named Edward Kreiss, whose daughter disappears, so he takes it upon himself to find her. In the process, high-ups in the government want him out of the picture because of something he uncovered when he was actively working that would disrupt some powerful people, and now that he's making waves, he needs to disappear for good. His daughter is super tough and survives a traumatic few weeks, and a female FBI agent helps him, even though she gets herself into lots of trouble. I had trouble following the agencies involved and their motivation for a seemingly personal vendetta. The NSA, the CIA, the FBI, and probably some others, all got involved because of Edward Kreiss' abilities and the possible existence of a bomb-making terrorist group. Meh.
March 11, 2018
While P.T. Deutermann is an award-winning author of WWII fiction, he is underrated in the area of political thriller...like "The Firefly," "Hunting Season" is an exceptional political thriller...3 Va. Tech students going missing while camping, triggering a father, a retired FBI agent, to join in the hunt...this, in turn, sets into motion a multiple agency conspiracy to contain his efforts...like layers of an onion, his investigation begins to reveal these issues...always satisfied by Deutermann's work!
January 25, 2022
Forget computers. Deutermann dotes on heavy-duty, old-fashioned technology. His books have the smell of motor oil and the gritty feel of rusty metal. This one is at its best in the scenes set in an abandoned arsenal full of big machines. When the action moves to Washington, DC, the book becomes less interesting.
August 1, 2018
I love this book and haven't read it in years. The book is action packed and takes you on a wild ride. I don't want to spoil the book, but I wish I had some of the gadgets Kreiss has in the book. I'm definitely keeping this one to re-read in the future!
April 5, 2020
I have read this book at least four times. I have also listened to the audio version twice. I sincerely wish you would write another story involving Lynn, Janet and Edwin. Great book. I also loved the car dancer series. You have wonderful stories.
July 1, 2021
Another good story by P.T. It would make a good action movie as well. Although it is fiction how sad to see that our government is as corrupt today as this book portrays. Could be a non-fiction story with just names changed to protect innocent.
June 11, 2022
Really enjoyed this book about a young girl being taken and her fathers search for her , also the trouble he encounters from various government agencies. Quite a good thriller and well worth a read, so go out and BUY this book.
June 5, 2023
Took me a while to get thru. Story line was supposed to be a thriller, but at one point, it felt like they were just stretching it out. And I'm laughing because it's like why would you go back there - we all know what will happen next. A little unrealistic maybe. Idk... not my favorite read.
December 4, 2018
ATF, FBI, FCI; an alphabetic of governmental offices thriller!
June 29, 2019
A nice assortment of give and take with a bomb terrorist, various government agencies, and an FBI agent.
May 28, 2022
Really good action packed thriller.
November 3, 2023
Se me hizo eterno y nunca empatice con ningun personaje
March 19, 2024
A really good story but I did find some of the detailed descriptions of some of the scenes difficult to understand clearly. Still, I rate the book 4 Stars.
July 4, 2024
The FBI and the CIA are involved here in quite a combination of events. It takes place in western Virginia along some roadways I've travelled myself. If this story doesn't shock you into attention, nothing will. A young girl disappears. A father begins a long search after the FBI tosses in the towel. Mysterious occurrences in an old Army weapons facility. The CIA lurking around every corner and a young FBI agent learning to develop situational awareness keeps the story rolling along. This one should be read before taking on Sweepers another one of Deutermann's novels dealing with a similar subject. I very much enjoyed this as well as ten other of his novels. I also recommend Train Man and Scorpion in the Sea for anyone interested in what terrorists can easily do the US. It only took 19 terrorists to kill several thousand people on 9/11, 23 years ago.
January 23, 2016
Three young college students take a hike into a old munitions plant in the Virginia mountains and the two boys run afoul of leg traps placed along a stream, the third a girl tries to get them free but a sudden storm and flash flood sweeps them away and she is pulled free by big bearded man. When they are declared missing the local FBI takes an interest, but with few clues and no results the case goes back burner. It turns out that the girl is the daughter of an ex FBI agent who has been forced into retirement by the brass under some unusual and not to be spoken of circumstances. He is living in a cabin near Blacksburg where is daughter was going to school. He decides to do his own investigation using his experience as a special operative for both the FBI and the CIA even though he has been forbidden to by the terms of his retirement. Add into this mix an FBI forensic specialist who has been sent to the local office after upsetting the brass by refusing to go along and exposing some malfeasance in the FBI labs. She gets involved in the search for the missing students and gets in contact with the retired agent. Now throw in some back country mountain people, a chemist and onetime employee of the munitions plant who is out for revenge against the government and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and with his grandson is cooking up a surprise in the old plant. This is one of those stay up to late to keep reading kind of books.
April 30, 2014
I really really liked this book. I actually picked it up on a whim at my library's Valentines Day "Blind Date with a Book" promotion. They had a number of books wrapped with paper and simple subjects like romance, suspense, etc., the idea being that you pick-up a book without knowing the author or plot. I'm so glad I picked this one up! I'm not usually into the government conspiracy/suspense type books, but I was instantly gripped by this one. Sadly, I moved in the process of reading this one, so I did have to put it on hold, but once I picked it back up I couldn't put it down.
I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of mystery. You pretty much knew the who, what, when, and where of all the "bad-guy" scenarios, so the rest of it was just extreme suspense about how everything would turn out.
I'm already planning on reading another Deutermann book (Darkside) that was previewed at the back of this one. Would definitely recommend!
I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of mystery. You pretty much knew the who, what, when, and where of all the "bad-guy" scenarios, so the rest of it was just extreme suspense about how everything would turn out.
I'm already planning on reading another Deutermann book (Darkside) that was previewed at the back of this one. Would definitely recommend!
November 18, 2012
Enjoyable thriller about the dark side of federal agencies -- CIA, FBI, Justice, AFT. Forceably retired covert operative's daughter disappears. He sets out to find her. Individuals in power at CIA and FBI would fear him because he knows where the dirt is hidden. Former chief chemical engineer for a private company that made weapons for the army decides to take revenge against the feds for his son's death during the Waco disaster. FBI Special Agent Carter, working in the field as penance after refusing to read the forensic evidence in the way the prosecutors wanted, finds herself in over her head. Her boss goes back and forth from good guy to bureacrat on a day-to-day basis. Lots of action with James Bond-like tools of the trade being put into use. Good and bad folks get blown away.
November 27, 2016
At the beginning of the book I didn't realise the 3 kids were actually of college age as they sounded much younger to me.
The storyline was interesting but had a few too many coincidences and near misses. Once I was a few chapters in I did want to keep reading despite the annoying naive somewhat incompetent female FBI agent character. She was written that way and referred to by other characters that way but I felt she didn't need to be quite so oblivious sometimes to still make the story work.
The bureaucracy and political manoeuvring within assorted agencies was believable and it was a good chase plot. Overall I used this book as a spacer between more intense and emotional books.
The storyline was interesting but had a few too many coincidences and near misses. Once I was a few chapters in I did want to keep reading despite the annoying naive somewhat incompetent female FBI agent character. She was written that way and referred to by other characters that way but I felt she didn't need to be quite so oblivious sometimes to still make the story work.
The bureaucracy and political manoeuvring within assorted agencies was believable and it was a good chase plot. Overall I used this book as a spacer between more intense and emotional books.
August 14, 2012
wow -- I really love P. T. Deutermann's books, and this one was a roller coaster ride!.
Edwin Kraiss is a retired FBI sweeper and is still alive because he has some secret information about the government. His Daughter goes missing and he goes looking for her. Janet Carter a inexperienced FBI agent is on the case and tries to keep him from seachering on his own. But she does not know his background.
There is a bomb, out of control Militia, mountain men, scary caves, this book never stops .
If you want non stop action this is the book for you.
Edwin Kraiss is a retired FBI sweeper and is still alive because he has some secret information about the government. His Daughter goes missing and he goes looking for her. Janet Carter a inexperienced FBI agent is on the case and tries to keep him from seachering on his own. But she does not know his background.
There is a bomb, out of control Militia, mountain men, scary caves, this book never stops .
If you want non stop action this is the book for you.
May 12, 2015
A retired FBI agent is willing to do anything to find her daughter mysteriously disappeared along with two college university students.Three mysteriously disappear in the Apalaches Mountains. Soon the FBI, finding no clues of any kind, decides to file the case. But one of the parents, Edwin Kreiss, will not give up so easily. Kreiss is a retired FBI agent, and He is part of an elite team of specially trained CIA to hunt men. His career ended when a mission ends up in a massacre of civilians.
July 9, 2011
Deutermann's books are almost formulamatic but the beauty is in the details he provides of clandestine operations and clever plans people develop to make a fast buck or exact revenge. In this one an ex FBI agent's daughter goes missing and he decides to find her himself because the authorities aren't moving fast enough. He's sort of a loose cannon but smart enough to get away with a lot.
December 5, 2014
Hunting Season by P.T. Deutermann is a surprisingly well developed thriller. This may be because the audio version is about twice as long as most thrillers to which I listen. Unfortunately, Deutermann uses most of this extra time developing plot rather than his characters. If the real FBI has as many incompetents as Deutermann puts into his story, the USA is in real trouble.
November 21, 2007
Terribly enjoyable, full of super entertaining action sequences and pithy criticisms of the FBI. In general, Deutermann does a great job of analyzing, then ripping to shreds whatever institutions are portrayed in his books. Check out Darkside and you'll see what I mean.
November 30, 2009
A terrific suspense filled thriller. P.T. Deutermann has a very vivid imagination for creating a fictional based Novel surrounded by 'real' past events. His characters are molded perfectly into every scene. I first listened to it on audio, after which I had to go out and buy it. Great stuff.
January 2, 2011
A good, but not a great thriller... Pete has written far more interesting books, but considering that I have been to every one of the locations that he uses in the course of the story, including the Army Arsenal in SW Virginia, I could follow the story line very easily.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews