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Hunted
‘Lean prose, fast paced action, stout-black humour and a killer soundtrack combine in Maltman’s best thriller yet. Well worth hunting you’ll not be disappointed.’ Brian McGilloway, author of The Last Crossing
1999.
Michael Walker - former IRA soldier, turned MI5 informer - is living in hiding in rural America.
A robbery at Walker’s home leads to his rare copy of the Irish Declaration of Independence being sold online. This proves to be the first link in the chain leading to his location being revealed.
Walker’s life is plunged into peril, as an IRA hit squad - led by Marty Sullivan - is dispatched to eliminate him. Sullivan, a former comrade, is out for blood.
Against the political backdrop of a struggling peace process back home, Walker goes on the run across the state of Pennsylvania and forges unlikely allegiances to survive.
Walker seeks help from his former British handlers, but he should have known that any assistance must come at a price.
Walker will not just remain a victim. He must fight back.
The hunted must become the hunter.
Recommended for fans of Lee Child, Robert Crais and Robert B. Parker.
Simon Maltman is the author of several crime thrillers, including Killer Casting and The Wolf Is At Your Door. He lives in Northern Ireland.
Praise for Simon
‘Hunted is the perfect thriller to introduce Simon Maltman’s answer to Reacher, forged in the fires of Northern Ireland’s most hellish era.’ Gerard Brennan
‘Hunted feels like everything he has written before has led to the creation of this unmissable signature series.’ James Murphy, Author of ‘The Terror’ series
‘A One Man Crime-Wave’ The Sunday World
‘Maltman executes a pitch-perfect crime thriller.’ Bristol Noir
‘A terrifically gritty thriller.’ Jo Spain
1999.
Michael Walker - former IRA soldier, turned MI5 informer - is living in hiding in rural America.
A robbery at Walker’s home leads to his rare copy of the Irish Declaration of Independence being sold online. This proves to be the first link in the chain leading to his location being revealed.
Walker’s life is plunged into peril, as an IRA hit squad - led by Marty Sullivan - is dispatched to eliminate him. Sullivan, a former comrade, is out for blood.
Against the political backdrop of a struggling peace process back home, Walker goes on the run across the state of Pennsylvania and forges unlikely allegiances to survive.
Walker seeks help from his former British handlers, but he should have known that any assistance must come at a price.
Walker will not just remain a victim. He must fight back.
The hunted must become the hunter.
Recommended for fans of Lee Child, Robert Crais and Robert B. Parker.
Simon Maltman is the author of several crime thrillers, including Killer Casting and The Wolf Is At Your Door. He lives in Northern Ireland.
Praise for Simon
‘Hunted is the perfect thriller to introduce Simon Maltman’s answer to Reacher, forged in the fires of Northern Ireland’s most hellish era.’ Gerard Brennan
‘Hunted feels like everything he has written before has led to the creation of this unmissable signature series.’ James Murphy, Author of ‘The Terror’ series
‘A One Man Crime-Wave’ The Sunday World
‘Maltman executes a pitch-perfect crime thriller.’ Bristol Noir
‘A terrifically gritty thriller.’ Jo Spain
257 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 22, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 23, 2024
First time reading this author, and this great new character Michael Walker.
A fast paced, not stop action thriller, with great strong characters, powerful plot, added with humour, tension.
The year is 1999.
Michael Walker - former IRA soldier, turned MI5 informer - is living in hiding in rural America.
A robbery at Walker’s home leads to his rare copy of the Irish Declaration of Independence being sold online. This proves to be the first link in the chain leading to his location being revealed.
Walker’s life is plunged into peril, as an IRA hit squad - led by Marty Sullivan - is dispatched to eliminate him. Sullivan, a former comrade, is out for blood.
Against the political backdrop of a struggling peace process back home, Walker goes on the run across the state of Pennsylvania and forges unlikely allegiances to survive.
Walker seeks help from his former British handlers, but he should have known that any assistance must come at a price.
Walker will not just remain a victim. He must fight back.
The hunted must become the hunter.
Well good enough to order number 2 in the series, and started already !
Clear four stars.
A fast paced, not stop action thriller, with great strong characters, powerful plot, added with humour, tension.
The year is 1999.
Michael Walker - former IRA soldier, turned MI5 informer - is living in hiding in rural America.
A robbery at Walker’s home leads to his rare copy of the Irish Declaration of Independence being sold online. This proves to be the first link in the chain leading to his location being revealed.
Walker’s life is plunged into peril, as an IRA hit squad - led by Marty Sullivan - is dispatched to eliminate him. Sullivan, a former comrade, is out for blood.
Against the political backdrop of a struggling peace process back home, Walker goes on the run across the state of Pennsylvania and forges unlikely allegiances to survive.
Walker seeks help from his former British handlers, but he should have known that any assistance must come at a price.
Walker will not just remain a victim. He must fight back.
The hunted must become the hunter.
Well good enough to order number 2 in the series, and started already !
Clear four stars.
May 21, 2024
Gripping and great character building, violent funny and serious.
May 4, 2024
I really liked the storyline of this book. Being a big fan of Michael this felt. Like one big action flim. Certainly the authors best book to date.
February 23, 2024
It’s 1999, and the relocation of Michael Walker, a former IRA soldier forced to become an informer for the British, is like a witness protection program arrangement with the aim of keeping him hidden safely from his former IRA associates who consider him a traitor to the cause and want him dead. Living a quiet life in hiding in the United States, Walker is facing the ghosts of his painful past when an unexpected catalyst sets him on a collision course with an underground network of vengeful IRA operatives who discovers his location.
The catalyst is a burglary of Walker’s house. He arrives home one evening to discover intruders, two local black men, burgling his home. Walker drives them away, but only after they make off with, among other property, a large sum of money the near destitute Walker can’t spare along with his prized possession, a rare copy of the of the revolutionary Irish Republic Declaration of Independence. He goes to work tracking down the burglars, only to learn a fence in a nearby town has already listed the document for sale on the internet and the rarity of the document exposes Walker’s location to an IRA hit squad.
After recovering his document, Walker continues pursuing the two men who broke into his home, intent on getting his money back. After finding them, he forces one of them, a young man named Brandon, to help him recover the money now in the possession of a black gang leader that the Brandon and his partner worked for. The confrontation with the gangster where Walker gets his money back puts him and Brandon in harm’s way and in the interest of self-preservation, they stay together and soon a friendship develops.
While they try to stay a step ahead of the irate gangsters, Michael and Brandon run headlong into an IRA kill team and Brandon gets sucked into Walker’s troubles from his past. The bond between them strengthens as circumstances force them to fight together for their survival.
Hunted will satisfy seasoned crime and thriller reader, with its standard “on the run” archetypal type political thriller plot and keeping readers guessing until the last chapter with a few unexpected twists offered along the way. What is initially a one-off run in with the first IRA hit squad soon leads to another and then another, maintaining the pacing and tension at a high level throughout with plenty of action to keep the reader turning the pages.
Maltman does an excellent job seeding the story with cultural landmarks from 1999 to give the story a realistic feel. He offers us many notable secondary characters to keep the story interesting—in particular, Walker’s sidekick Brandon and a female FBI agent, Amy Landish, who is also a significant presence in the story.
Largely dialogue-driven with a tight plot, Maltman has done well in capitalizing on the novel’s anchor to the Troubles and in capturing the isolated rural setting with its sense of foreboding. The conclusion, in particular, will satisfy readers.
Hunted is recommended for crime, thriller, and mystery readers. A big thanks to the author and the publisher for making available a review copy of the book for consideration of my honest review.
The catalyst is a burglary of Walker’s house. He arrives home one evening to discover intruders, two local black men, burgling his home. Walker drives them away, but only after they make off with, among other property, a large sum of money the near destitute Walker can’t spare along with his prized possession, a rare copy of the of the revolutionary Irish Republic Declaration of Independence. He goes to work tracking down the burglars, only to learn a fence in a nearby town has already listed the document for sale on the internet and the rarity of the document exposes Walker’s location to an IRA hit squad.
After recovering his document, Walker continues pursuing the two men who broke into his home, intent on getting his money back. After finding them, he forces one of them, a young man named Brandon, to help him recover the money now in the possession of a black gang leader that the Brandon and his partner worked for. The confrontation with the gangster where Walker gets his money back puts him and Brandon in harm’s way and in the interest of self-preservation, they stay together and soon a friendship develops.
While they try to stay a step ahead of the irate gangsters, Michael and Brandon run headlong into an IRA kill team and Brandon gets sucked into Walker’s troubles from his past. The bond between them strengthens as circumstances force them to fight together for their survival.
Hunted will satisfy seasoned crime and thriller reader, with its standard “on the run” archetypal type political thriller plot and keeping readers guessing until the last chapter with a few unexpected twists offered along the way. What is initially a one-off run in with the first IRA hit squad soon leads to another and then another, maintaining the pacing and tension at a high level throughout with plenty of action to keep the reader turning the pages.
Maltman does an excellent job seeding the story with cultural landmarks from 1999 to give the story a realistic feel. He offers us many notable secondary characters to keep the story interesting—in particular, Walker’s sidekick Brandon and a female FBI agent, Amy Landish, who is also a significant presence in the story.
Largely dialogue-driven with a tight plot, Maltman has done well in capitalizing on the novel’s anchor to the Troubles and in capturing the isolated rural setting with its sense of foreboding. The conclusion, in particular, will satisfy readers.
Hunted is recommended for crime, thriller, and mystery readers. A big thanks to the author and the publisher for making available a review copy of the book for consideration of my honest review.
January 13, 2024
I came across Simon quite randomly last year on Instagram and gave his newest release at the time Killer Casting a read. After being impressed I had to get a copy when Hunted was announced!
Michael Walker is a former IRA man.. he left that life behind after struggling with the aftermath of his actions.. the death and destruction brought to innocents during a very turbulent time for many.
He’s been off the radar for sometime but when a relic from his past is stolen it’s only a matter of time that until someone notices it, it’s link to him and comes looking!
Walker does what he does best and tracks down those who stole his property.. but things just get more complicated and he finds himself become close to Brandon, a young man caught up in everything..
Just when you think thinks might work out we find out it’s too late.. things are about to get so much worse.
When it’s clear shit is hitting the fan it’s time for Walker to contact his old handlers.. the issue is they don’t seems to really care.. or do they have other plans for him?
Soon an FBI agent is sent to aid Walker, Amy. She’s smart and a decent shot when needed but they quickly find themselves in deep trouble.. it’s like Walker is a magnet..
The bodies keep piling up and the only way out is to cut off the head of the snake… there’s a bit of a twist thrown in when Walker figures out just how he’s been played but he’s no choice.. it has to end now.
I really enjoyed the plot, and loved Walker..he’s tough that’s bloody clear from the outset but he also has a conscious.. he doesn’t claim to be anything other that what he is..what you see is what you get. He won’t apologise.. he did what he did.. but that doesn’t mean he will stand by while more innocents die.
The flow of the book was flawless! It’s paced so well it’s super easy to enjoy and demolish but that wasn’t the only thing that hooks you in..typically since I read a lot.. you can sometimes tell when an author has shoved in some detail to bulk a section of the story out..or bits that just doesn’t feel right or flow.. that’s not something Simon has issues with.. the development is seamless… the characters and their connections, everything just works and it had me hooked, like sitting in a movie theatre for 3 hours..
I tend to read while I commute to work.. I can’t tell you how much I just wanted to stay on the bus and head back the other way just to keep reading ha.
I do hope there’s more to come as I just feel it can only strengthen the character and it will be epic!
Michael Walker is a former IRA man.. he left that life behind after struggling with the aftermath of his actions.. the death and destruction brought to innocents during a very turbulent time for many.
He’s been off the radar for sometime but when a relic from his past is stolen it’s only a matter of time that until someone notices it, it’s link to him and comes looking!
Walker does what he does best and tracks down those who stole his property.. but things just get more complicated and he finds himself become close to Brandon, a young man caught up in everything..
Just when you think thinks might work out we find out it’s too late.. things are about to get so much worse.
When it’s clear shit is hitting the fan it’s time for Walker to contact his old handlers.. the issue is they don’t seems to really care.. or do they have other plans for him?
Soon an FBI agent is sent to aid Walker, Amy. She’s smart and a decent shot when needed but they quickly find themselves in deep trouble.. it’s like Walker is a magnet..
The bodies keep piling up and the only way out is to cut off the head of the snake… there’s a bit of a twist thrown in when Walker figures out just how he’s been played but he’s no choice.. it has to end now.
I really enjoyed the plot, and loved Walker..he’s tough that’s bloody clear from the outset but he also has a conscious.. he doesn’t claim to be anything other that what he is..what you see is what you get. He won’t apologise.. he did what he did.. but that doesn’t mean he will stand by while more innocents die.
The flow of the book was flawless! It’s paced so well it’s super easy to enjoy and demolish but that wasn’t the only thing that hooks you in..typically since I read a lot.. you can sometimes tell when an author has shoved in some detail to bulk a section of the story out..or bits that just doesn’t feel right or flow.. that’s not something Simon has issues with.. the development is seamless… the characters and their connections, everything just works and it had me hooked, like sitting in a movie theatre for 3 hours..
I tend to read while I commute to work.. I can’t tell you how much I just wanted to stay on the bus and head back the other way just to keep reading ha.
I do hope there’s more to come as I just feel it can only strengthen the character and it will be epic!
June 29, 2025
From the outset it was gripping, violent, funny and spoke on some of the serious realities of Northern Irelands complex history.
Love that the author and Michael are fellow glen men.
Loved his use of Irish historical quotes from many different sources and his Norn Irish Belfast slang.
I plan to read some more of Simon's books...
Love that the author and Michael are fellow glen men.
Loved his use of Irish historical quotes from many different sources and his Norn Irish Belfast slang.
I plan to read some more of Simon's books...
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews