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K.A.R.M.A.
They won't be victims anymore.
In Seattle, an aging mutual-funds salesman falls prey to the lure of a young boy's flesh;
In New York, a 10-year-old plunges an ice pick into the heart of a street hustler to prove his love for a girl he met on the Internet;
In Chicago, a young girl waits in the rain outside a seedy downtown bar for a man she's never met to stagger home;
In Vancouver, a teenager waits patiently on a deserted rooftop for a signal that one of North America's most notorious murderers is about to walk free.
Tom Hackett, a Seattle-based freelance photojournalist, is always looking for the perfect front-page splash, but when he stumbles into the bloody path of the mysterious group known as K.A.R.M.A., he quickly discovers that its thirst for revenge is unquenchable -- and it won't let anyone get in its way.
In Seattle, an aging mutual-funds salesman falls prey to the lure of a young boy's flesh;
In New York, a 10-year-old plunges an ice pick into the heart of a street hustler to prove his love for a girl he met on the Internet;
In Chicago, a young girl waits in the rain outside a seedy downtown bar for a man she's never met to stagger home;
In Vancouver, a teenager waits patiently on a deserted rooftop for a signal that one of North America's most notorious murderers is about to walk free.
Tom Hackett, a Seattle-based freelance photojournalist, is always looking for the perfect front-page splash, but when he stumbles into the bloody path of the mysterious group known as K.A.R.M.A., he quickly discovers that its thirst for revenge is unquenchable -- and it won't let anyone get in its way.
238 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 28, 2011
557 people are currently reading
660 people want to read
About the author
Grant McKenzie
16 books75 followersBorn in Scotland, living in Canada and writing fast-paced fiction, Grant likes to wear a kilt and toque with his six-guns. Often compared to Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay, Grant has twelve internationally published thrillers to his name that have earned him an avalanche of positive reviews and loyal readership around the globe. His latest novel, The Seven Truths of Hannah Baxter, was shortlisted for the 2023 International Thriller Writers award. He also has a secret identity as mystery writer M.C. Grant (Oops, there goes that secret) who pens the Dixie Flynn mysteries set in San Francisco. This series was shortlisted for the prestigious Shamus award. As a journalist, Grant has won numerous awards across Canada and the U.S., including one in 2012 from the Association of Alternative Newsmedia — the same organization that Dixie’s fictitious San Francisco NOW belongs to. He resides in Victoria, B.C., where he works with people experiencing homelessness and poverty.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
June 27, 2013
The scenes were vivid, the action smooth and fast paced and most important, the characters were believable. These are all parts of why this book is great, but more impressive was the story - a different twist on revenge. Criminal sexual abuse is a horrid crime - but the thought that children endure such atrocities makes most cringe. Grant McKenzie brought this topic to life, with characters that felt real, and were easy to empathize with in their plight. I recommend this book to everyone. It was eye opening, action packed, and worth your time spent. 5 Thumbs up Grant. #eBook
January 17, 2015
"So there's a group of teenage vigilante hitmen running around getting their orders off the Internet?"
Yep, that's about the size of it, and they want freelance crime photographer Tom Hackett to do something for them. It's not an offer one can refuse. From that wild premise, Grant McKenzie takes off on a fast-moving thrill ride through a dark world peopled with damaged characters. I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended.
Yep, that's about the size of it, and they want freelance crime photographer Tom Hackett to do something for them. It's not an offer one can refuse. From that wild premise, Grant McKenzie takes off on a fast-moving thrill ride through a dark world peopled with damaged characters. I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended.
March 16, 2013
any crime perpetuated against innocent children is despicable and unacceptable. what does one make of it then when these same children take the law into their hands and decide it is payback time?
author Grant McKenzie's novel explores this premise. he made it sound so believable that i was hooked from the opening scene to the chilling conclusion. flawed characters with dark secrets and each harboring their own agenda make this novel a gripping read.
the graphic scenes are well written but they are not for the faint of heart so be forewarned.
overall, this high-octane, heart-pounding thriller kept me reading again well past my bedtime. McKenzie is definitely an author to watch out for!
author Grant McKenzie's novel explores this premise. he made it sound so believable that i was hooked from the opening scene to the chilling conclusion. flawed characters with dark secrets and each harboring their own agenda make this novel a gripping read.
the graphic scenes are well written but they are not for the faint of heart so be forewarned.
overall, this high-octane, heart-pounding thriller kept me reading again well past my bedtime. McKenzie is definitely an author to watch out for!
October 15, 2011
I am a big Grant McKenzie fan - his first two books I LOVED so I was excited to get this for a good price for the Kindle.
First off - it's not an easy read (in fact, none of his books have been!) - the subject matter is pretty uncomfortable, but I'm a great believer that if you don't feel ANYTHING when reading a book then the author hasn't done their job very well. McKenzie's characters are often pretty unlikeable, yet we root for them, and whilst this book felt different to Switch and No Cry For Help, this is again the case. Hackett isn't someone I particularly want to spend time with - he's a paparazzi (although I'm sure not all of them are awful!) - yet I want him to come out on top (I don't know if it says more about me though - I tend to gravitate towards morally ambiguous fictional characters!) This is a fast paced, edge of your seat tale that had me hurrying through to find out what happens..............and now, I want a follow up!
If you get the chance, download this book (and maybe get hold of a copy of Switch and No Cry For Help)- it's a shame that McKenzie is one of many authors struggling to get published.
First off - it's not an easy read (in fact, none of his books have been!) - the subject matter is pretty uncomfortable, but I'm a great believer that if you don't feel ANYTHING when reading a book then the author hasn't done their job very well. McKenzie's characters are often pretty unlikeable, yet we root for them, and whilst this book felt different to Switch and No Cry For Help, this is again the case. Hackett isn't someone I particularly want to spend time with - he's a paparazzi (although I'm sure not all of them are awful!) - yet I want him to come out on top (I don't know if it says more about me though - I tend to gravitate towards morally ambiguous fictional characters!) This is a fast paced, edge of your seat tale that had me hurrying through to find out what happens..............and now, I want a follow up!
If you get the chance, download this book (and maybe get hold of a copy of Switch and No Cry For Help)- it's a shame that McKenzie is one of many authors struggling to get published.
February 5, 2025
Another brilliant book from Grant McKenzie who has quickly established himself as one of the best thriller writers in the business.
KARMA (Kids Against Rape, Murder, Abuse) is a group of kids taking violent, bloody revenge against their abusers - all coordinated through secret online chatrooms by the mysterious Cypher.
Hackett - a freelance photographer - gets lucky and captures photographs of the first murder scene but that only drags him, his friends and family in to KARMA's web.
The plot fizzes along, the characters are well drawn and interesting. I certainly hope we get to see more of Hackett, Fats and Chandra!
KARMA (Kids Against Rape, Murder, Abuse) is a group of kids taking violent, bloody revenge against their abusers - all coordinated through secret online chatrooms by the mysterious Cypher.
Hackett - a freelance photographer - gets lucky and captures photographs of the first murder scene but that only drags him, his friends and family in to KARMA's web.
The plot fizzes along, the characters are well drawn and interesting. I certainly hope we get to see more of Hackett, Fats and Chandra!
May 19, 2012
Grant McKenzie deserves better than he gets here in the UK. He is on par with Coben and Barclay and I love what he does. His novels are unique,they are fresh not repetitious like some authors. K.A.R.M.A was a great story, I loved it and to find empathy for what was happening is rare in such novels. I would recommend it o anyone who lieks the above mentioned authors, I am looking forward to more from Grant.
May 31, 2013
Another winner from Mckenzie. The story is about kids taking revenge, but it is an adult thriller. Sex, incest, violence and... Sex. The story zooms along at a lightning pace, before I knew it, I had 50 pages to go and wanted more. Somebody suggested that Tom, Chandra and Fats should return. Not a bad idea, I'd go for it.
June 24, 2012
Absolutely fantastic book. Very uncomfortable subject matter but extremely fast moving. Sucks you in within 3 lines. More of these please Grant.
June 12, 2012
This is my first time reading a book by Grant McKenzie. I gave it a shot because it has a Stephen Leather endorsement and Stephen Leather was spot on right. I found this to be a heart-pounding, mind-blowing story from page one right through to the end. I am very happy to have found this author and look forward to reading more stories by him. Don't miss out - this is a real winner if you like fast-paced excitement.
May 4, 2013
I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. I found the story to be very engaging and fast paced. I was hooked from page one and finished the book in a day. Overall, it was a great thriller and I will definitely be looking into other stories by this author.
October 9, 2020
I enjoyed this one a lot more than another of his I have BUT I had to score it only 4 and not 5* because of a fatal error I ALWAYS knock authors down a star for-misspelling or misplacing a character's name.....one character was Eric in this case and then he suddenly wrote him as Erik......so that ballsed up the perfect score for him.
So disappointing as the story was really good and I zipped through it. Totally keeps you gripped as Hackett tries figuring out just what and who these kids from KARMA are. I liked Tom and his girlfriend as well but the standout character for me was his pal Fats. I adored him. I hope he maybe revisits the same set of characters as it was left open where he could if he so chooses to.
There were a few very funny lines in it that made me chuckle. I did spot one reviewer mentioning that he goes on about boobs all the time and so that's perhaps why I noticed it more but said reviewer was correct......it does get a bit much. And at one point Chandra gets a visit from the police guys at work yet we never hear more about that. It's just never referred to again. I'm not sure if he stopped writing for a rest and forgot he'd left them there in her office or what but it was most peculiar.
Sadly there were other dumb mistakes like missed fullstops as well and some shocking spelling mistakes, which really let him down. Kitch not kitsch, writing Donna Summers (!!!!!!) not Summer, woman's not women's, errand not errant and bare not bear !! Another horror was writing on-suite as opposed to en-suite....not a way I've ever seen it written before.
So, the mistakes sorely let it down as it was definitely a 5* story. What a pity he didn't get a better proofreader on the job.
So disappointing as the story was really good and I zipped through it. Totally keeps you gripped as Hackett tries figuring out just what and who these kids from KARMA are. I liked Tom and his girlfriend as well but the standout character for me was his pal Fats. I adored him. I hope he maybe revisits the same set of characters as it was left open where he could if he so chooses to.
There were a few very funny lines in it that made me chuckle. I did spot one reviewer mentioning that he goes on about boobs all the time and so that's perhaps why I noticed it more but said reviewer was correct......it does get a bit much. And at one point Chandra gets a visit from the police guys at work yet we never hear more about that. It's just never referred to again. I'm not sure if he stopped writing for a rest and forgot he'd left them there in her office or what but it was most peculiar.
Sadly there were other dumb mistakes like missed fullstops as well and some shocking spelling mistakes, which really let him down. Kitch not kitsch, writing Donna Summers (!!!!!!) not Summer, woman's not women's, errand not errant and bare not bear !! Another horror was writing on-suite as opposed to en-suite....not a way I've ever seen it written before.
So, the mistakes sorely let it down as it was definitely a 5* story. What a pity he didn't get a better proofreader on the job.
July 25, 2013
Fast read once I sat down to read it. I have strong feelings about this subject and found this book to be disgustingly accurate and I mean that as a sincere compliment to the author. My heart broke for the children and their struggles and their bloody justice was what those perverts deserved. I think everyone should read this, maybe by not ignoring the reality of this subject we can save future victims. Also, I agree completely with the justice these kids doled out. The perverts totally deserved it and each kill made me rejoice, sorry, no sympathy for child molesters from me!!
June 9, 2013
Although hard to read in some parts ... This book brings the sore subject of abused children to the forefront. However; these kids are mad as hell and aren't taking it anymore. They form a mysterious online society named K.A.R.M.A whose sole purpose is to eradicate all on earth who have hurt them. It's a great read and very fast paced.
January 15, 2020
Grant McKenzie, the go to guy for entertaining fast paced mindless suspense thrillers. This is my third read by the author, so far so fun. This one, grabbed as a freebie, without reading the description, I initially thought might have been YA, but it isn’t. It just has a lot of juvenile characters. Some in age, some in maturity levels. In fact, took me a while to get used to the idea that the main protagonist, a photo journalist who stumbles across a conspiracy involving a group that avenges child abuse, isn’t a teen. Apparently, just young and immature. But smart and ballsy enough to follow through on the leads, especially once involving a smoking hot (like they tend to be in these kinds of books) radio personality of a girlfriend and an agoraphobic and deaf (someone’s got to represent the different and quirky) computer whiz of a best friend. The conspiracy turns out to be pretty strategically developed and far reaching and for the main character it hits entirely too close. Then again it also involves kids, so there’s a lot that can and does go wrong. Vengeance might sound appealing, but striking out in anger can have devastating results for all the parties involved. Plus vengeance doesn’t always equal justice, so there’s that. The narrative zooms by, zoom zoom, if it were a car, it’d be a Mazda. Dialogue driven structure with short sentences and taught suspense throughout, including a nice surprise twist in the end. The graphic depictions and mentions of child abuse might put off some readers, the juvenile flippancy of the tone might put off some more, but for the rest…it’s a pretty fun ride. A very quick one too. Not the best of the three I’ve read so far by the author, but entertaining in its own way.
December 1, 2025
That was different.
I had no idea exactly what this book entailed. It was actually quite good. Dare I say I kind of liked the fact of abusers of children being bumped off? Yes. It beats the alternative of slow moving justice , lawyers with loopholes and cruel pedophiles constantly let out of jail to hurt more kids. Well written and played out with unexpected twists. Really good story.
I had no idea exactly what this book entailed. It was actually quite good. Dare I say I kind of liked the fact of abusers of children being bumped off? Yes. It beats the alternative of slow moving justice , lawyers with loopholes and cruel pedophiles constantly let out of jail to hurt more kids. Well written and played out with unexpected twists. Really good story.
June 11, 2016
Interesting premise, graphic execution. Tom Hackett is a photographer with dubious morals who gets the scoop when a businessman is murdered in a park toilet, not realising it's his uncle. Paedophiles in different cities are being murdered by kids coordinating through the Internet, but when the ringleader starts going after the families, and the police don't take them seriously, Hackett takes action with his friends. There are graphic descriptions of child abuse so this is not for the faint of heart.
December 29, 2021
Wow, what a ride
Fast paced does not begin to describe this book. There are so many things that are happening here with many surprise twists. I will definitely read more from this author.
Fast paced does not begin to describe this book. There are so many things that are happening here with many surprise twists. I will definitely read more from this author.
April 23, 2020
A compelling read. Gruesome details and esoteric treatment of an abhorrent subject. Skates too close to outright porn. A highly neurotic narrative
Cannot avoid the clinical impression that the author must have had a personal experience with abuse as a youngster and unresolved issues as a result. The vehemence and graphic descriptions go way beyond sheer fiction. A valiant effort of sublimating pent up and unresolved sexual drives and probably experiences. There is too much rampant rage.
Mr McKenzie might well do with some sessions with a psychiatrist but not on a couch!
On the other hand this cathartic novel may give him some resolution.
None of this detracts from a gripping narrative.
Cannot avoid the clinical impression that the author must have had a personal experience with abuse as a youngster and unresolved issues as a result. The vehemence and graphic descriptions go way beyond sheer fiction. A valiant effort of sublimating pent up and unresolved sexual drives and probably experiences. There is too much rampant rage.
Mr McKenzie might well do with some sessions with a psychiatrist but not on a couch!
On the other hand this cathartic novel may give him some resolution.
None of this detracts from a gripping narrative.
August 7, 2018
Revenge story.
For anyone who likes a good revenge novel, this is the one for you. For the opening paragraph, you're hooked. The story is told through many eyes, but mostly our hero is Hackman, who is an adrenaline junkie who wants a good career. As a photographer, he gets first look at a lot of crime scenes and K.A.R.M.A. thinks that will work for them. Lots of quick action, (lots of blood, actually) and lots of surprises makes this a book I want to read again.
For anyone who likes a good revenge novel, this is the one for you. For the opening paragraph, you're hooked. The story is told through many eyes, but mostly our hero is Hackman, who is an adrenaline junkie who wants a good career. As a photographer, he gets first look at a lot of crime scenes and K.A.R.M.A. thinks that will work for them. Lots of quick action, (lots of blood, actually) and lots of surprises makes this a book I want to read again.
January 23, 2020
Kids!
Who would have them, we fondly say. Not realising that these clever little creatures are learning more than we did, with all the might of technology behind them. It would make you seriously reconsider crossing a kid. Though in my book, adults who abuse kids deserve all they get.
Who would have them, we fondly say. Not realising that these clever little creatures are learning more than we did, with all the might of technology behind them. It would make you seriously reconsider crossing a kid. Though in my book, adults who abuse kids deserve all they get.
January 31, 2020
I like the way Grant McKenzie writes and have enjoyed his previous books. Unfortunately this one didn't do it for me. The subject matter is very dark and tackles a difficult subject. I read for enjoyment and found this novel somewhat depressing. However, if you like the darker side of fiction, you may still enjoy this book.
January 17, 2020
Stunning
A cops brother is brutally murdered in a public toilet by a young boy, elsewhere a drug addict is killed by a young girl.
All that ties them is the words K.A.RM.A. Left at the murder scenes
A cops brother is brutally murdered in a public toilet by a young boy, elsewhere a drug addict is killed by a young girl.
All that ties them is the words K.A.RM.A. Left at the murder scenes
January 24, 2020
Disturbing in perfect McKenzie style. He is amazing!
Children are targets for the most demented. Now it’s time for them to strike back. An underground group is doing just that. If you’re sick and twisted, you may be their next target. Karma is a bitch, after all.
Children are targets for the most demented. Now it’s time for them to strike back. An underground group is doing just that. If you’re sick and twisted, you may be their next target. Karma is a bitch, after all.
February 21, 2020
Interesting concept
From the first page to the last you can't put this book down. Well written with believable characters and intriguing plots that keeps you guessing until the end. Would recommend this for anyone who loves a great book.
From the first page to the last you can't put this book down. Well written with believable characters and intriguing plots that keeps you guessing until the end. Would recommend this for anyone who loves a great book.
March 17, 2020
Families you are there for them
Quite an encounter with the everyday side of our lives. Family members are encapsulated in their own worlds. We are just a small amount of that life!
Quite an encounter with the everyday side of our lives. Family members are encapsulated in their own worlds. We are just a small amount of that life!
April 6, 2020
K.A.R.M.A- Face It!
If you are thinking that the title of the novel is related to the literal meaning of KARMA, then you better read the novel to know.
Smooth flow of the story makes this novel an interesting read.
If you are thinking that the title of the novel is related to the literal meaning of KARMA, then you better read the novel to know.
Smooth flow of the story makes this novel an interesting read.
April 7, 2020
Given the write-up I was skeptical about enjoying the book as anything to do with molestation is unsavory and hits a bit too close to home. K.A.R.M.A. turned out to be a good read however and I quite enjoyed it.
April 21, 2020
Interesting drama
It's a sad drama but it's story line is true to a lot of people.
It should be read by a lot of adults to try and see what kids to they that are abused,raped,and mistreated.
It's a sad drama but it's story line is true to a lot of people.
It should be read by a lot of adults to try and see what kids to they that are abused,raped,and mistreated.
March 22, 2019
Quite unusual and worth reading. As with all his books, the story gets to you.
January 15, 2020
Very dissatisfied should have been rated xxx. Slut novel.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews