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Killer of Killers
He was the world’s greatest martial artist – a master of the world's deadliest art. Once revered, he became feared, and for that he blamed his homeland. America was no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave. It had become the land of murder and the home of corruption. But for a man like Trent Smith – it was the perfect hunting ground.
Biochemists have invented a drug that cures all disease and stops aging, but a New York industrialist has kept it secret for a specific purpose. He wants to form an exclusive fraternity of immortal supermen, all of whom are beholden to him. Only one thing puts a kink in his plan – the drug’s side effects, which include wild surges of increased sexuality and unpredictable flares of homicidal rage.
Trent Smith has trained in Japan for over twenty years and he has his own agenda. He vows to avenge the innocents slain by the ever-growing number of American celebrities who murder with impunity. But when a dying scientist gives him the only copy of the secret formula, he must decide if the miraculous benefit is worth the toll it takes on the prodigious people who use it and their credulous victims who don’t.
KILLER OF KILLERS is an action-packed martial arts thriller that pits one man's quest for justice against the wonders of medical science. But wonders for some are horrors for others in a secret society ruled by greed, malice, and a singular objective to attain eternal youth.
Biochemists have invented a drug that cures all disease and stops aging, but a New York industrialist has kept it secret for a specific purpose. He wants to form an exclusive fraternity of immortal supermen, all of whom are beholden to him. Only one thing puts a kink in his plan – the drug’s side effects, which include wild surges of increased sexuality and unpredictable flares of homicidal rage.
Trent Smith has trained in Japan for over twenty years and he has his own agenda. He vows to avenge the innocents slain by the ever-growing number of American celebrities who murder with impunity. But when a dying scientist gives him the only copy of the secret formula, he must decide if the miraculous benefit is worth the toll it takes on the prodigious people who use it and their credulous victims who don’t.
KILLER OF KILLERS is an action-packed martial arts thriller that pits one man's quest for justice against the wonders of medical science. But wonders for some are horrors for others in a secret society ruled by greed, malice, and a singular objective to attain eternal youth.
225 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2012
21 people want to read
About the author
Mark M. DeRobertis
5 books3 followersMark M. DeRobertis has written five novels: Killer of Killers, The Vase, Killer Eyes, Second Chance-a Football Story, and John Dunn-Heart of a Zulu.
Killer of Killers and Killer Eyes are available from Melange Books in print and digital formats. The Vase, Second Chance, and Heart of a Zulu are changing publishers soon.
Killer of Killers and Killer Eyes are available from Melange Books in print and digital formats. The Vase, Second Chance, and Heart of a Zulu are changing publishers soon.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 9, 2020
Overall a horrible book. Like what they said about bad fiction on Goodreads, "I wish there could be zero or minus stars". However, I would give it one single star for the entertaining, but badly written action. The rest of this book consisted of flat characters, easily disposable and objectified love interests, and numerous plot holes. The author doesn't know one thing about martial arts, and it showed through his description of the fight scenes.
April 13, 2015
Killer of Killers by Mark M. DeRobertis is a 1980's action movie in the written form. I think the best definition of the work is a precise and excellently layered treatment for a movie script. Killer of Killers would make a spectacular film, filled with intricate martial arts sequences and an actor/martial artist like Georges St. Pierre as main character Trent Smith. As a representation of the martial arts, Killer of Killers does well. As a fully realized, emotionally tugging and driven character piece it falls short. If you're looking for a book to connect to, to cherish and read over and over in hopes of realizing some antique and precious sentiment: This isn't it.
What Killer of Killers does well is fight. It's a man's book for a man's vision of the world around him. It's a show piece for the precision of true martial arts - not fighting but growing into one's best self. Perhaps this is where DeRobertis lost me. Trent Smith is an obsessive Everyman, who fights more against financial improvements and 'rich advantages' than he does against the murderers he's putting down. His constantly reminded call that he 'works for himself and no one else' is the clarion call of the American Proletariat Dream. Trent owns Trent, regardless of the power hungry men who lay claim to his greatest wants and dreams. He seems to fall in and out of a meagre, mediocre pheromone-based love with at least three different women through the course of the plot. A man's dream, perhaps? I don't feel it. The emotions and connection between Trent and the ladies doesn't translate. I don't buy a woman falling deeply in love with a man in a day, not even with super drugs involved. This is of course, an aside.
The struggles between megalomaniacal Manoukian and Soriah I do buy. The plot's focus on the human want for immortality and financial gain is solid. The ending drops off a precipice I staggered at, the final battle was anti-climactic and I got annoyed at how many times DeRobertis worked in the title into the prose. Once was fine. By the seventh time I pulled out my thesaurus and started making word-change notes. As a martial artist myself, I was kept interested by the vehement use of proper terms and choreographed fight sequences in the book. The action is solid. As a reader I expect more emotional availability especially in a book discussing a potential panacea for the entire human race, dipped in death and steeped in the supposed love of women who literally give Trent their lives. It goes back to what our culture considers masculine. Emotions are not the realm of the feminine, locked away in a woman's hope chest in a delightful slumber until the scant times it's viable to trot them out. It takes a secure, dignified and incredibly strong man to feel and let those feelings be expressed. Trent Smith is such a strong male character, I would have liked to see him be secure enough to open up a bit more and let those emotions be a bit dangerous. A personal preference this may be, but it's the holistic man which is remembered. Would Thor in Marvel's film saga be as powerful if he didn't feel devoutly? Would Captain America be so charismatic if he wasn't an Everyman from Brooklyn who grieves his lost life and friends? Would Ip Man have been overwhelmingly powerful if Donnie Yen hadn't been so emotionally and personally available through the movies? Jet Li in Fearless was an emotional torrent and it only made the martial arts displayed in the film intrinsic and real. To me, this is the difference between a four star and a five star review. Killer of Killers is a worthy read, but it's not perfect. It's stretching out for perfection, yet remains one jump kick off.
All being equal I recommend Killer of Killers to any martial artists that want to see action sequences written excellently. I also recommend Killer of Killers to any action-oriented Producer and Director who are looking for their next movie. Perhaps the inconsistencies in emotion, lady-oriented subplot and Trent's choices could be better addressed on the big screen.
What Killer of Killers does well is fight. It's a man's book for a man's vision of the world around him. It's a show piece for the precision of true martial arts - not fighting but growing into one's best self. Perhaps this is where DeRobertis lost me. Trent Smith is an obsessive Everyman, who fights more against financial improvements and 'rich advantages' than he does against the murderers he's putting down. His constantly reminded call that he 'works for himself and no one else' is the clarion call of the American Proletariat Dream. Trent owns Trent, regardless of the power hungry men who lay claim to his greatest wants and dreams. He seems to fall in and out of a meagre, mediocre pheromone-based love with at least three different women through the course of the plot. A man's dream, perhaps? I don't feel it. The emotions and connection between Trent and the ladies doesn't translate. I don't buy a woman falling deeply in love with a man in a day, not even with super drugs involved. This is of course, an aside.
The struggles between megalomaniacal Manoukian and Soriah I do buy. The plot's focus on the human want for immortality and financial gain is solid. The ending drops off a precipice I staggered at, the final battle was anti-climactic and I got annoyed at how many times DeRobertis worked in the title into the prose. Once was fine. By the seventh time I pulled out my thesaurus and started making word-change notes. As a martial artist myself, I was kept interested by the vehement use of proper terms and choreographed fight sequences in the book. The action is solid. As a reader I expect more emotional availability especially in a book discussing a potential panacea for the entire human race, dipped in death and steeped in the supposed love of women who literally give Trent their lives. It goes back to what our culture considers masculine. Emotions are not the realm of the feminine, locked away in a woman's hope chest in a delightful slumber until the scant times it's viable to trot them out. It takes a secure, dignified and incredibly strong man to feel and let those feelings be expressed. Trent Smith is such a strong male character, I would have liked to see him be secure enough to open up a bit more and let those emotions be a bit dangerous. A personal preference this may be, but it's the holistic man which is remembered. Would Thor in Marvel's film saga be as powerful if he didn't feel devoutly? Would Captain America be so charismatic if he wasn't an Everyman from Brooklyn who grieves his lost life and friends? Would Ip Man have been overwhelmingly powerful if Donnie Yen hadn't been so emotionally and personally available through the movies? Jet Li in Fearless was an emotional torrent and it only made the martial arts displayed in the film intrinsic and real. To me, this is the difference between a four star and a five star review. Killer of Killers is a worthy read, but it's not perfect. It's stretching out for perfection, yet remains one jump kick off.
All being equal I recommend Killer of Killers to any martial artists that want to see action sequences written excellently. I also recommend Killer of Killers to any action-oriented Producer and Director who are looking for their next movie. Perhaps the inconsistencies in emotion, lady-oriented subplot and Trent's choices could be better addressed on the big screen.
February 2, 2015
This is a suspense and action-packed read about Trent, a martial art master and a killer of killers and about the Eternity drug that could reverse aging but with murderous side effect and contains heroin, tetrodoxin and cerebrospinal fluid.
I love the thrill of action-packed scenes but this one is like a breath of fresh air for me. This was my first time for an action-packed martial arts read.
This read has those intense action scenes that didn't fail to give me that adrenaline rush of a book that I was hoping for and there were those unexpected heartbreaking scenes also.
You will be kept guessing who's really the bad guy and if there's really a good guy and will left you thinking about Trent's reasoning for his actions and if they were justifiable.
The weird movement of the roses in Susie and Samantha's hands had made me thinking maybe they were healing and were still alive since they were both using the drug. I want to know how or if Trent will be able to end the life of Manoukian. What will happen to Soriah and his lab now that his case is already with the FBI? What will Trent do with the disc that contains the Eternity database? These are some of the questions that were left unanswered and I don't know if there's a book two that will have the answers but I hope there will be.
This read reminded me of those martial art films I used to watch with my brother.
When Samantha told Trent she loves him, I just find that a bit fast? And there were some japanese words that i didn't understand because it wasn't explained in english and I had to translate it on google. Well other than that, I love this book. This is a recommended fast-paced read that will get your heart racing with Trent's deadly martial art skills.
January 31, 2015
I haven’t read a good suspense thriller in a while, so I was elated when Mark DeRobertis sent me a copy of his book Killer of Killers. I was not prepared for the action, martial arts, and jaw dropping moments at each turn of the page. Trent Smith is the martial arts expert trained in Japan and on the hunt for killers, who have taken the Eternity drug, that reverses the aging process, but the side effects are deadly. Trent just isn’t looking to turn these people in to police, he’s killing them off one by one.
When Trent meets cop Samantha and her brother, hunting the same men, things really get sticky and out of control. This read is action packed and leaves you breathless and definitely wanting more. I can’t gush and say too much, because I don’t want to give anything away, but I was beaming with Mark let me know there is a book 2 in the works! With all the cliff hangers you’re left with, it is definitely needed.
I loved the flow of the story, how no character played a small role and everyone was connected in the grand scheme of things. With a slight throwback to 70s martial arts films, and the mystery and style of a James Patterson who done it-Killer of Killers, will definitely have you wondering who’s a hero and who’s a villain. Bump this non-stop thriller to the top of your must read list of 2015!
When Trent meets cop Samantha and her brother, hunting the same men, things really get sticky and out of control. This read is action packed and leaves you breathless and definitely wanting more. I can’t gush and say too much, because I don’t want to give anything away, but I was beaming with Mark let me know there is a book 2 in the works! With all the cliff hangers you’re left with, it is definitely needed.
I loved the flow of the story, how no character played a small role and everyone was connected in the grand scheme of things. With a slight throwback to 70s martial arts films, and the mystery and style of a James Patterson who done it-Killer of Killers, will definitely have you wondering who’s a hero and who’s a villain. Bump this non-stop thriller to the top of your must read list of 2015!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews