Kill the Hunter

by Bryan Smith

All families have secrets, but some secrets are bigger, darker, and bloodier than others.

Zach and Chelsea grew up in idyllic suburbia. Then one day their father vanished without explanation, ripping their world apart. A year later, a dangerous man shows up looking for him, a man who claims to hunt monsters and things that go bump in the night.

Soon the siblings are swept up in a whirlwind of violence and chaos, locked in a desperate attempt to elude the police as well as the mysterious organization of monster hunters. In the process of fighting to stay free and alive, they unearth all the secret things kept hidden from them their entire lives.

Scary, shocking things.

And nothing will ever be the same again.

Genres: Horror

178 pages, Paperback

Published September 17, 2023

About the author

Bryan Smith is the Splatterpunk Award-winning author of more than forty horror and crime books, including 68 Kill, the cult classic Depraved and its sequels, as well as The Killing Kind, Slowly We Rot, The Freakshow, and many more. Bestselling horror author Brian Keene called Slowly We Rot, "The best zombie novel I've ever read."

68 Kill was adapted into a motion picture directed by Trent Haaga and starring Matthew Gray Gubler of the long-running CBS series Criminal Minds. 68 Kill won the Midnighters Award at the SXSW film festival in 2017 and was released to wide acclaim, including positive reviews in The New York Times and Bloody Disgusting.

Bryan also co-scripted an original Harley Quinn story for the House of Horrors anthology from DC Comics. He has worked with renowned horror publishers in both the mass market and small press spheres, including Leisure Books, Samhain Publishing, Grindhouse Press, Death’s Head Press, and more. His works are available wherever books are sold, with select titles also available in German and Italian.

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF at 54%. I don't think this was a bad story. In fact, the concept is really fun and original. But it was very hard to stick with. The story started right off as we meet siblings Zach and Chelsea, who are being held at gunpoint until their courageous and undead mother, Noreen, swoops in to temporarily save the day. So the action literally begins with the first few sentences, which was where my issue began. Everything sort of hit it's peak extremely early, and tried to coast off of it for the remainder of the book. And it seemed to focus mostly on the nonstop action and introduction of various creatures, but fell short on the character development. They all felt put in place as a means to push the plot forward, but that was all. Not much depth, which really took me away from fully engaging with the story. If this was possibly reworked to have a bit of an introduction and some spots where we got to organically see the characters play out, it would have made this a much better experience. Not a bad effort, but far from my favorite Bryan Smith work.

[Zachary Ashford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read a Bryan Smith book I haven't thoroughly enjoyed.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a massive fan of Bryan's work but my love for him has been dwindling. Over the last few years, there have been more misses than hits. This book really didn't feel like it was written by him. One dimensional characters, a pretty weak journey, no real imagination in the kills and plot points, and a poor, abrupt ending. Lots left unexplained. Honestly doesn't feel like a Smith book, even compared to his weaker ones.

[Charlene (Char)🍁☕️📚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a brother and sister Zach and Chelsea whom by all accounts live a a pretty normal average life. Then one day their father vanishes with no note or a goodbye. Along with their mom they move on picking up the pieces of their life. Then one day all of that changes. The normal life they thought they lived is no longer the case. Now begins a game of survival and a horrible game of cat and mouse. Sadly no one is safe. Family secrets are revealed and there are more twists in turns in this book. Hopefully you’ll be able to keep up.

This book is very entertaining but the ending has me punching the air. Plus I’m also kicking the air. Nonetheless a great read. Three words to describe this book:

Addictive, Creepy, and full of Gore.

Also, there is a Spotify playlist for this book! You can find this on the authors bio page. Thank me later.

This was a great buddy/ group read with the Three Smith-a-Teers. Looking forward to more books with my adopted Smith Family🖤.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[Danny Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bryan Smith is an author whose work often feels like an insane series of horror movies with plenty of graphic kills, disturbing imagery, and a sense of hopelessness and that's why I find his stories to be a lot of fun. Despite a misfire with his debut novel 'House of Blood', I've rated the other novels I've read by him pretty highly. So obviously I couldn't wait to read more from him. Kill The Hunter is his vampire novel and I'm excited to get into it!

Zach and Chelsea Murphy are about to head out on a long road trip to escape a series of brutal and disgusting vampire hunters who are searching for his father. Where is their father and is he really a vampire? The only person they can trust is their mother, but as violence and chaos ensues around her, she finds herself slowly succumbing to her deadly urges. Everyone from the police, ex-friends the media, and the hunters are on the lookout for the family. As their enemies come closer, Zach and Chelsea realize their lives will never be the same again.

Bryan Smith has written a terrific and fun vampire novel that is intense, frightening, and gory all in equal measure while also having a cool road trip element to it. Chelsea and Zach are likable siblings who love each other and your heart aches for their situation, their mother's situation is equally as interesting as theirs is, as she slowly reverts to her vampiric ways. I will say though despite maybe a scene or two, this novel didn't feel like extreme horror to me, especially when you compare it to the author's other works. But it's still very gruesome at times and creepy. There are a couple of particularly unsettling and atmospheric chapters towards the end, where the two siblings are inside a cabin that seems to be haunted.

Overall: Despite not being as insane or brutal as some of his other works, this was a really fun and intense read with a satisfying ending. I liked how the villains in this one were the vampire hunters, rather than the vampires themselves, but that isn't to say they don't do a few despicable things themselves. 9/10

[Jeremy Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bryan Smith is easily one of my favorite authors! His terrifying writing style is packed full of action, mystery, and gore. It's just a good time no matter what the premise is!

In this case, this was not something I would have expected from Bryan Smith, but I loved this nonetheless! Vampires and the monster hunters of the world are converging on one family and not everyone is going to make it out alive!

Check this out asap!

[Clayton Gallaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredibly fun I love whenever Bryan does vampires it was a bit different then some of his offerings. But it was well worth it, and it was a fast paced rollercoaster that I could not put down.

[Angela Occhino · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️