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Blackjack
Vampires are all too real, he thinks it’s a joke. But soon he learns that he is not the most dangerous brand of hunter out there... Vincent is recruited by a secret society, known simply as The Guild, and is rushed off to England. Soon after landing their convoy is attacked and William, Vincent’s recruiter, is taken hostage. Forced to find allies in some of the most unlikely of places, Vincent and his fellow hunters, aren’t stopping until William is returned. Fangs, fur, and bullets are going to fly while Vincent fights to find his place in the world of the paranormal.
366 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 27, 2013
6 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Kristopher Norris
3 books31 followersKristopher Norris currently lives outside Omaha, NE with his beautiful daughter. When asked where he's from, "Everywhere." Kristopher was a military brat and spent a great deal of time living in Europe, Germany and England. He considers himself lucky to have grown up seeing and experiencing things that others save for years to do. His hope is to one day to show his daughter the amazing places he knew growing up.
Kristopher has been and avid reader and story teller since he was a child. He's been hooked on vampire stories since seeing "Lost Boys" back in the 80s...though, he'll tell you his vampire tastes have improved over the years. Vampires have always been a focus of his writing; however, he has not limited himself to that genre. Paranormal fiction, high fantasy, thrillers, horror, they all have a place in his reading and writing.
"When I finish (reading) a book and I miss the characters like I'd miss a friend, that's when the story is great to me."
Some of His favorite authors include: Jim Butcher, Laurell K. Hamilton, Patricia Briggs, and Terry Goodkind.
For years he has been working part time as a ghost writer but felt it was time to put his own stories out there for the world.
Check out his first novel Blackjack; The Chronicles of Vincent Black, Vampire Assassin! Available on kindle and trade-back platforms form Amazon
Kristopher has been and avid reader and story teller since he was a child. He's been hooked on vampire stories since seeing "Lost Boys" back in the 80s...though, he'll tell you his vampire tastes have improved over the years. Vampires have always been a focus of his writing; however, he has not limited himself to that genre. Paranormal fiction, high fantasy, thrillers, horror, they all have a place in his reading and writing.
"When I finish (reading) a book and I miss the characters like I'd miss a friend, that's when the story is great to me."
Some of His favorite authors include: Jim Butcher, Laurell K. Hamilton, Patricia Briggs, and Terry Goodkind.
For years he has been working part time as a ghost writer but felt it was time to put his own stories out there for the world.
Check out his first novel Blackjack; The Chronicles of Vincent Black, Vampire Assassin! Available on kindle and trade-back platforms form Amazon
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 14, 2013
I really enjoyed Mr. Norris' writing style. Honestly, if it weren't for the numerous and therefore extremely annoying editing errors, I would have loved to give this book 4.5 stars. Outside of the editing issues, it was a fast paced story with believable characters. It did slow in the middle and I considered not finishing it but the storyline was compelling enough to keep me going. And, I was glad that I did not set it aside.
The story had the requisite twists and turns to keep you guessing. He did a very good job with his main character and setting the scene. I was a bit disappointed in some of his other characters. They seemed flat and two dimensional but there was definitely potential in them to be engagingly great. Overall, it was an entertaining read. I hope to see more of Mr. Norris' Vampire lore in the future.
Jenn Brink
author of The Jessica Hart Series
www.JennBrink.com
The story had the requisite twists and turns to keep you guessing. He did a very good job with his main character and setting the scene. I was a bit disappointed in some of his other characters. They seemed flat and two dimensional but there was definitely potential in them to be engagingly great. Overall, it was an entertaining read. I hope to see more of Mr. Norris' Vampire lore in the future.
Jenn Brink
author of The Jessica Hart Series
www.JennBrink.com
August 19, 2013
Blackjack is the first installment in The Chronicles of Vincent Black, Vampire Assassin and is the debut novel by Kristopher Norris and well, the title tells you basically everything you could want to know. It follows the story of Vincent Black who is ripped from his life of mundane normality to hunt and kill Vampires in a supernatural world he didn’t even know existed. Okay, maybe his life wasn’t that normal before hand, he was a professional Hitman who spent most of his time rolling round Las Vegas. Sounds like a pretty cool life right?
Well, not for Vincent. The author’s portrayal of Vincent shows a man who has become disillusioned with life, almost unsure how he ended up as a friendless monster who killed without discrimination or any kind of feeling whatsoever. Friendless until he is headhunted by a guild of Vampire hunters, that is.
Let’s get something clear right here. If you’re expecting sparkly vampires or lots of teen angst and drooling over immortal beings who really do care about that human girl who is naturally just lunch to them then you’re looking in the wrong place. These vampires are cold and calculating beings who will only forge a relationship that isn’t food based with humans when it benefits themselves.
The story is narrated to you from the perspective of the protagonist, Vincent Black, who falls into a plot of betrayal and supernatural, discovering that he himself has strange supernatural abilities. Well, it wouldn’t be much of a story if the main character wasn’t special, right? The novel is filled with character development, killing toothy pale guys and a side plot of romance between Vincent and his new found companion. At times, the speech can feel ever so slightly forced and I found myself thinking ‘People don’t talk like that.’ but that is one of only two complaints I have about this story.
It’s a well-crafted piece of writing that is set against the backdrop of a secret world that you begin to get a feel for as if it were the one you live in yourself. Kristopher allows you to feel like you know his characters and his universe, and that is always a sign of a good author. When he plays with his character’s lives carelessly, you find yourself invested in their survival. He takes you inside the mind of Vincent Black as he comes to terms with his new abilities and new supernatural world with people he actually considers to be his friends.
You’re still wondering what my other complaint is aren’t you? Well I can’t tell you, because that would ruin the book for you. It’s the complaint of a man who got hit by a twist that he didn’t see coming and felt like Jeff Lacey had landed a left hook. Worse yet, the twist isn’t even considered important! It’s merely given to you with no care for how invested you might be! One line of dialogue hits you straight between the eyes and crushes your poor little innocent soul!
That right there is a testament to the quality of the story, quite possibly the best one I can give. The story drags you in and whisks you away on a rollercoaster of a story that is filled with new found friends, betrayal and adventure through a underground world that has been painstakingly created by the author. It will immerse you in this world and you will be hanging on Vincent’s every word, even if they are jilted ever so slightly from time to time and then it will punch you straight in the ‘feels’.
I have never been one for modern settings in my novels, I’m the guy who thinks everything is better with swords and shields but Kristopher has drawn me, involuntarily, into his urban fantasy and left me craving more at the end. There is much more to come from Vincent in the stories to come and, unless the Author wants to receive that smack I mentioned, hopefully some much awaited answers to questions that keep me wondering.
Well, not for Vincent. The author’s portrayal of Vincent shows a man who has become disillusioned with life, almost unsure how he ended up as a friendless monster who killed without discrimination or any kind of feeling whatsoever. Friendless until he is headhunted by a guild of Vampire hunters, that is.
Let’s get something clear right here. If you’re expecting sparkly vampires or lots of teen angst and drooling over immortal beings who really do care about that human girl who is naturally just lunch to them then you’re looking in the wrong place. These vampires are cold and calculating beings who will only forge a relationship that isn’t food based with humans when it benefits themselves.
The story is narrated to you from the perspective of the protagonist, Vincent Black, who falls into a plot of betrayal and supernatural, discovering that he himself has strange supernatural abilities. Well, it wouldn’t be much of a story if the main character wasn’t special, right? The novel is filled with character development, killing toothy pale guys and a side plot of romance between Vincent and his new found companion. At times, the speech can feel ever so slightly forced and I found myself thinking ‘People don’t talk like that.’ but that is one of only two complaints I have about this story.
It’s a well-crafted piece of writing that is set against the backdrop of a secret world that you begin to get a feel for as if it were the one you live in yourself. Kristopher allows you to feel like you know his characters and his universe, and that is always a sign of a good author. When he plays with his character’s lives carelessly, you find yourself invested in their survival. He takes you inside the mind of Vincent Black as he comes to terms with his new abilities and new supernatural world with people he actually considers to be his friends.
You’re still wondering what my other complaint is aren’t you? Well I can’t tell you, because that would ruin the book for you. It’s the complaint of a man who got hit by a twist that he didn’t see coming and felt like Jeff Lacey had landed a left hook. Worse yet, the twist isn’t even considered important! It’s merely given to you with no care for how invested you might be! One line of dialogue hits you straight between the eyes and crushes your poor little innocent soul!
That right there is a testament to the quality of the story, quite possibly the best one I can give. The story drags you in and whisks you away on a rollercoaster of a story that is filled with new found friends, betrayal and adventure through a underground world that has been painstakingly created by the author. It will immerse you in this world and you will be hanging on Vincent’s every word, even if they are jilted ever so slightly from time to time and then it will punch you straight in the ‘feels’.
I have never been one for modern settings in my novels, I’m the guy who thinks everything is better with swords and shields but Kristopher has drawn me, involuntarily, into his urban fantasy and left me craving more at the end. There is much more to come from Vincent in the stories to come and, unless the Author wants to receive that smack I mentioned, hopefully some much awaited answers to questions that keep me wondering.
August 26, 2013
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Right out of the gate I have to say that the title is a bit misleading, but I can't say how without dropping too many clues about the story and its resolution (at least this book's resolution - who knows what will happen in future installments). Don't judge this story by its title alone, as you would be doing both it and yourself an injustice.
The story opens with our not so lovable protagonist Vincent Black sitting in a casino in Vegas, at a blackjack table of all places. And his is winning, lots. It is here that he is first approached by William, a member of The Guild. Though of course he has no idea who or what the Guild is, yet.
The next time Vincent meets William is in his own house, when he wakes to finds William calmly sitting in a chair in his bedroom. Between the bullets he sends flying toward William and the story William tells him, Vincent's life has just changed radically, though again he has yet to understand just how deep this change is going to be.
He flies to England with William, Terry, and Carmen. Both Terry and Carmen are hitters like himself, though they call themselves hunters since they only hunt vampires, not humans. All of which Vincent thins is total BS until he meets his first vampire.
Within a week of being in England, where the Guild is busily trying to recruit him to their cause, Vincent and his new 'friends' are attacked by four vampires. The strangest part of the attack isn't that Vincent takes out some of the vamps without freezing, and thereby saving their drivers life, but that he knew the vampires were attacking before they actually did, and he knew exactly how many of them there were, again before the fight began. Though he saved the driver from the vampire that had pulled him through the windshield, no one even saw William get abducted.
Shortly after regrouping at estate Vincent puts two and two together and realizes that Carmen is William's daughter. This causes him to feel badly for her, something he is not experienced with. Always a loner, coming from some sort of very messed up background, Vincent is struggling with the feelings of friendship is having for both Terry and Carmen. For Carmen the feelings are running deeper than friendship, and it is a two-way street that is making them both happy and uncomfortable at the same time.
From here the story takes an unexpected turn, and new allies and alliances are formed as everyone begins to prepare for what looks to be an all-out war between several groups. Vincent and team must decide which side they will back, and once they do things really start to move, including the work that Vincent does with his new allies. It seems that Vincent is either a witch, necromancer, or something similar, as he has several powers similar to vampires, and he has bucket-loads of raw power. He is even strong enough to hold the stare of a three thousand year old Master vampire without coming under his sway.
This is a fascinating look at the world of vampires and humans, and all of their similarities and differences. It gets a bit challenging at times as the story is told solely from Vincent's POV, and sometimes he is just thinking to himself, but other times he is specifically talking to the reader, and there aren't many cues to let the reader know when he is switching between his 'voices.' Otherwise it is an enjoyable read (a few typos, but that happens to pretty much everyone), with a nice blend of scene-setting, action, and character development. I'll be watching for the sequel!
Right out of the gate I have to say that the title is a bit misleading, but I can't say how without dropping too many clues about the story and its resolution (at least this book's resolution - who knows what will happen in future installments). Don't judge this story by its title alone, as you would be doing both it and yourself an injustice.
The story opens with our not so lovable protagonist Vincent Black sitting in a casino in Vegas, at a blackjack table of all places. And his is winning, lots. It is here that he is first approached by William, a member of The Guild. Though of course he has no idea who or what the Guild is, yet.
The next time Vincent meets William is in his own house, when he wakes to finds William calmly sitting in a chair in his bedroom. Between the bullets he sends flying toward William and the story William tells him, Vincent's life has just changed radically, though again he has yet to understand just how deep this change is going to be.
He flies to England with William, Terry, and Carmen. Both Terry and Carmen are hitters like himself, though they call themselves hunters since they only hunt vampires, not humans. All of which Vincent thins is total BS until he meets his first vampire.
Within a week of being in England, where the Guild is busily trying to recruit him to their cause, Vincent and his new 'friends' are attacked by four vampires. The strangest part of the attack isn't that Vincent takes out some of the vamps without freezing, and thereby saving their drivers life, but that he knew the vampires were attacking before they actually did, and he knew exactly how many of them there were, again before the fight began. Though he saved the driver from the vampire that had pulled him through the windshield, no one even saw William get abducted.
Shortly after regrouping at estate Vincent puts two and two together and realizes that Carmen is William's daughter. This causes him to feel badly for her, something he is not experienced with. Always a loner, coming from some sort of very messed up background, Vincent is struggling with the feelings of friendship is having for both Terry and Carmen. For Carmen the feelings are running deeper than friendship, and it is a two-way street that is making them both happy and uncomfortable at the same time.
From here the story takes an unexpected turn, and new allies and alliances are formed as everyone begins to prepare for what looks to be an all-out war between several groups. Vincent and team must decide which side they will back, and once they do things really start to move, including the work that Vincent does with his new allies. It seems that Vincent is either a witch, necromancer, or something similar, as he has several powers similar to vampires, and he has bucket-loads of raw power. He is even strong enough to hold the stare of a three thousand year old Master vampire without coming under his sway.
This is a fascinating look at the world of vampires and humans, and all of their similarities and differences. It gets a bit challenging at times as the story is told solely from Vincent's POV, and sometimes he is just thinking to himself, but other times he is specifically talking to the reader, and there aren't many cues to let the reader know when he is switching between his 'voices.' Otherwise it is an enjoyable read (a few typos, but that happens to pretty much everyone), with a nice blend of scene-setting, action, and character development. I'll be watching for the sequel!
September 3, 2013
I got this book from the author, free of cost, in exchange of an honest review from my side!
Firstly I would like to thank Kristopher Norris, author of Blackjack, for giving me this wonderful opportunity of reading and reviewing this book.
I truly enjoyed this book a lot and it's totally unique and fresh and the male point of view was a fresh splash after reading tons of female voiced books.
The world building is awesome and the characters have been flourished fully leaving no scope of complaint. The story is very well-written and fast-paced as well, all the characters were just fab but I loved Vincent the most.
I would like to see a sequel of this story as well and hope that it comes out soon when the first book is fresh in my mind and heart as it is a truly enjoyable read.
The suspense is really eerie and it drive me nuts in anticipation and at the end I got totally surprised and was caught off guard as I lead my prediction and guessing onto a totally different part. The power-packed action really spiced up the story and made it more and more interesting.
I'm not in favor of giving away spoilers as it truly spoils ones read and isn't the blurb enough catching and interesting? I got totally mesmerized by the book cover and the blurb and let me tell you that the whole story didn't disappoint me even a bit.
If you wanna have a interesting, unique, fresh and kick-ass read for your off-time then it is definitely the 'IT' book for you so go and grab your copy and enjoy the roller-coaster ride!
Firstly I would like to thank Kristopher Norris, author of Blackjack, for giving me this wonderful opportunity of reading and reviewing this book.
I truly enjoyed this book a lot and it's totally unique and fresh and the male point of view was a fresh splash after reading tons of female voiced books.
The world building is awesome and the characters have been flourished fully leaving no scope of complaint. The story is very well-written and fast-paced as well, all the characters were just fab but I loved Vincent the most.
I would like to see a sequel of this story as well and hope that it comes out soon when the first book is fresh in my mind and heart as it is a truly enjoyable read.
The suspense is really eerie and it drive me nuts in anticipation and at the end I got totally surprised and was caught off guard as I lead my prediction and guessing onto a totally different part. The power-packed action really spiced up the story and made it more and more interesting.
I'm not in favor of giving away spoilers as it truly spoils ones read and isn't the blurb enough catching and interesting? I got totally mesmerized by the book cover and the blurb and let me tell you that the whole story didn't disappoint me even a bit.
If you wanna have a interesting, unique, fresh and kick-ass read for your off-time then it is definitely the 'IT' book for you so go and grab your copy and enjoy the roller-coaster ride!
August 29, 2013
I received this book thru the author for an honest review. I loved this book! This story starts with Vincent Black in Vegas playing blackjack, winning too! Vincent is playing with an older woman when William joins the table and right from the start, starts annoying Vincent. From this point on there are twists and action. I think the characters are well written even tho this book has Vincent speaking thru his point of view. {which I enjoyed it was very different from most other books} I don't want to ruin this story for others who haven't read it, but of you haven't read it and you want a great unique story read this book! Thank you again for letting me read and review your awesome book can't wait to read more from you! I hope there will be a sequel soon... *my only issue with reading this story was... I had a PDF copy and it had two pages for every page. So when you turned the page you then had to zoom in and focus on the right page which became annoying. (but that is just the way the book was formatted as a PDF I know it happens and you would know until you try to open it on a ereader.nook or kindle}
September 17, 2013
Blackjack is a fast paced, entertaining, and deliciously enjoyable novel. From the first page I was completely enamored with it. Between the wonderful storyline, the vividly detailed world, and the unforgettable characters - I couldn’t put it down! The main character, Vincent, is especially captivating. His wonderful sarcasm and sense of humor had me all too eager to follow him on his journey.
The author, Kristopher Norris, is a truly amazing storyteller. His characters are easy to relate to, and even easier to fall in love with. I cannot wait for his next installment in this series. For not only am I eager to find out what happens with our dear Vincent but also with the other wonderful characters as well!
I highly recommend Blackjack to everyone and feel this author is definitely someone to keep an eye out for!!
The author, Kristopher Norris, is a truly amazing storyteller. His characters are easy to relate to, and even easier to fall in love with. I cannot wait for his next installment in this series. For not only am I eager to find out what happens with our dear Vincent but also with the other wonderful characters as well!
I highly recommend Blackjack to everyone and feel this author is definitely someone to keep an eye out for!!
September 1, 2013
I absolutely love this book. The story kept me wanting to read until I was finished. It had me hooked from the start. The story itself was an awesome one. I love the characters. Vincent is such a in-your-face guy that you can't help but love him. His personality is great. Carmen is also a great character. Ok, so I love all the characters. I definitely want to read more in this series. It needs editing, but the story was too good for me to care. An awesome add for your tbr list. Recommended!!
November 24, 2013
Really enjoyed the story. Norris writes engagingly. I can't give it more than three stars because of the high frequency of grammatical errors. Nevertheless, I think it says something that despite those frequent errors, I enjoyed and finished the book. Professional, affordable proofing could turn this into a 5-star book: http://williambryanmiller.com/?page_i...
August 7, 2024
It was alright, but full of the standard male-centered urban fantasy experience.
June 25, 2014
I believe I downloaded this when it was free. Good thing. I made it to the 62% mark and had enough.
There is an interesting plot to this work. The main character, Black Jack, is a hired assassin. He doesn’t care who the target is as long as he gets paid. A chance meeting with a British bloke named, William Piper turns his know world upside down. Mr. Piper wants to enlist Jack into his world of vampire hunting. Unknown to Jack, he has a hidden history Mr. Piper is going to awaken. That’s a pretty good premise.
Pros 1) The action scenes were exciting and well thought out.
The cons.
1) Formatting, grammar, sentence structure, repetitive words/sayings and spelling. It’s all over the place.
2) Character development. Poor. The main characters Jack and his soon to be accomplice, Carmen Piper act more like love sick teenagers then trained killers. At the beginning I enjoyed Jack’s sarcasm and humor, but as the story progressed it became boring and obnoxious. No depth what so ever.
This is a real shame as the story could be so captivating. I saw where some reviewers defended the work, as the author is an Indie and doesn’t have the funds for a professional editor which could cost in excess of a thousand dollars. Fine. Then seek out folks who will go through this for a minimal fee or free. Or even better yet, go back and re-read the work and clean it up. The only one your hurting is yourself.
Mr. Norris, I will gladly give this work a second chance when I know a revised version is available.
2.5 stars
There is an interesting plot to this work. The main character, Black Jack, is a hired assassin. He doesn’t care who the target is as long as he gets paid. A chance meeting with a British bloke named, William Piper turns his know world upside down. Mr. Piper wants to enlist Jack into his world of vampire hunting. Unknown to Jack, he has a hidden history Mr. Piper is going to awaken. That’s a pretty good premise.
Pros 1) The action scenes were exciting and well thought out.
The cons.
1) Formatting, grammar, sentence structure, repetitive words/sayings and spelling. It’s all over the place.
2) Character development. Poor. The main characters Jack and his soon to be accomplice, Carmen Piper act more like love sick teenagers then trained killers. At the beginning I enjoyed Jack’s sarcasm and humor, but as the story progressed it became boring and obnoxious. No depth what so ever.
This is a real shame as the story could be so captivating. I saw where some reviewers defended the work, as the author is an Indie and doesn’t have the funds for a professional editor which could cost in excess of a thousand dollars. Fine. Then seek out folks who will go through this for a minimal fee or free. Or even better yet, go back and re-read the work and clean it up. The only one your hurting is yourself.
Mr. Norris, I will gladly give this work a second chance when I know a revised version is available.
2.5 stars
March 6, 2015
Black Jack
Wow what a kick ass book. I mean it starts out with Mr. Black being a hit man and it just keeps going. This Author takes you to unexpected places with his characters from the beginning to the very end. His attention to detail is amazing. This is not your blood in the bag vampire story and that I truly do love.
Mr. Black is the main charter in this story and he is not the everyday hit man all of a sudden he is something else. And he gets into a heck of a mess will he make it out alive or will he and all his friends die? Will he get the girl in the end or still be alone? Grab it and read it. Author I shall stalk you forever for this read. Great work you have left me starving for more.
Wow what a kick ass book. I mean it starts out with Mr. Black being a hit man and it just keeps going. This Author takes you to unexpected places with his characters from the beginning to the very end. His attention to detail is amazing. This is not your blood in the bag vampire story and that I truly do love.
Mr. Black is the main charter in this story and he is not the everyday hit man all of a sudden he is something else. And he gets into a heck of a mess will he make it out alive or will he and all his friends die? Will he get the girl in the end or still be alone? Grab it and read it. Author I shall stalk you forever for this read. Great work you have left me starving for more.
October 31, 2013
I took everyone's advice and had a professional edit done on Blackjack! I'm excited to be formatting and will have a re-release at the beginning of November.
The new edition will also include a chapter from the next book!...also it'll be listed for free on Amazon for a limited time. :)
Thank you all for your feedback and support!
The new edition will also include a chapter from the next book!...also it'll be listed for free on Amazon for a limited time. :)
Thank you all for your feedback and support!
May 2, 2015
Mr. Norris gives the reader an intriguing plot and some good action scenes. While the storyline moved along, the characters would benefit with more depth. The book could also use an editor. Overall the idea of a hit man contracted to hunt vampires has great potential.
Will read more by this author.
Will read more by this author.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews