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Amos Carver #4
Dead Man Walking
DEAD CITY
Amos Carver is out camping when he's forced to kill two men.
To be fair, they shot at him first. But they missed and Carver didn't. It turns out these men were tracking down a drug addict who stole something valuable from them. A briefcase full of money and drugs.
Just before he dies, the drug addict tells Carver that he left the briefcase just over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. He left it with a woman named Sally.
Carver decides his camping trip is over and ventures into San Francisco. He plays tourist and looks for Sally and the briefcase. But while he's out, his Dodge Ramcharger is broken into. Looted. All his money and guns are taken.
Most importantly, his phone is taken. The encrypted messaging app on it is the only way he can contact Paola. The woman he saved in Morganville. If he doesn't get his phone back, he'll lose contact with her forever.
He soon discovers that retrieving his belongings won't be all that simple. The local kingpin runs all the crime in San Francisco. That kingpin might also be connected to the shadowy organization that ran the Farm in Oregon.
None of that matters to Carver. He'll do whatever it takes to get back that phone. And if anyone gets in his way, they'll find out real fast that it's a bad idea. Because people who get in Carver's way don't live long.
They're just dead men walking.
Amos Carver is out camping when he's forced to kill two men.
To be fair, they shot at him first. But they missed and Carver didn't. It turns out these men were tracking down a drug addict who stole something valuable from them. A briefcase full of money and drugs.
Just before he dies, the drug addict tells Carver that he left the briefcase just over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. He left it with a woman named Sally.
Carver decides his camping trip is over and ventures into San Francisco. He plays tourist and looks for Sally and the briefcase. But while he's out, his Dodge Ramcharger is broken into. Looted. All his money and guns are taken.
Most importantly, his phone is taken. The encrypted messaging app on it is the only way he can contact Paola. The woman he saved in Morganville. If he doesn't get his phone back, he'll lose contact with her forever.
He soon discovers that retrieving his belongings won't be all that simple. The local kingpin runs all the crime in San Francisco. That kingpin might also be connected to the shadowy organization that ran the Farm in Oregon.
None of that matters to Carver. He'll do whatever it takes to get back that phone. And if anyone gets in his way, they'll find out real fast that it's a bad idea. Because people who get in Carver's way don't live long.
They're just dead men walking.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 9, 2024
About the author
John Corwin
89 books574 followersJohn Corwin is the bestselling author of the Overworld Chronicles.
He enjoys long walks on the beach and is a firm believer in puppies and kittens.
After years of getting into trouble thanks to his overactive imagination, John abandoned his male modeling career to write books.
He resides in Atlanta.
He enjoys long walks on the beach and is a firm believer in puppies and kittens.
After years of getting into trouble thanks to his overactive imagination, John abandoned his male modeling career to write books.
He resides in Atlanta.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 25, 2024
What happened to the real Carver??
Carver went from a fierce Special Operator in book 1 to a loser, who needs make deals with criminals to get his stolen stuff back and even with his hand on his gun and 3 adversaries a few feet away across an office and otherwise distracted, he can’t draw it and shoot them?? He lets one guy stand up and walk across the office to break the neck of one of Carvers helpers. Then Carver feels the need to fight that guy hand to hand while the other 2 bad guys watch, and when Carver wins the fight, he’s surprised the other bad guy that was seated now has a gun pointed at his head?? This book was so stupid and poorly written I’m pissed I wasted time reading it.
Carver went from a fierce Special Operator in book 1 to a loser, who needs make deals with criminals to get his stolen stuff back and even with his hand on his gun and 3 adversaries a few feet away across an office and otherwise distracted, he can’t draw it and shoot them?? He lets one guy stand up and walk across the office to break the neck of one of Carvers helpers. Then Carver feels the need to fight that guy hand to hand while the other 2 bad guys watch, and when Carver wins the fight, he’s surprised the other bad guy that was seated now has a gun pointed at his head?? This book was so stupid and poorly written I’m pissed I wasted time reading it.
January 12, 2024
I’ve read and enjoyed John Corwin’s books for many years. Over the years, John Corwin has dabbled in different genres and I’ve read them all, with my favorites being his urban fantasy series.
Militaristic thrillers have never been my favorite, but I gave this series a try and have been surprised by how much I’ve enjoyed it. Amos Carver is a hard nosed loaner who doesn’t have many friends, but as the series develops it is clear he has some soft spots. In this book, the plot thickens and Carver begins to understand that people who want him out of the way aren’t going to leave him alone no matter what he does to stay low and avoid the radar. The book is action packed with never a dull moment. There are lots of twist as Carver tries to unravel the mysteries of who is after him in a world where everyone seems to be a double agent or have ulterior motives.
I look forward to seeing where this series goes and if Carver can build some meaningful relationships when there is almost no one he can trust.
Militaristic thrillers have never been my favorite, but I gave this series a try and have been surprised by how much I’ve enjoyed it. Amos Carver is a hard nosed loaner who doesn’t have many friends, but as the series develops it is clear he has some soft spots. In this book, the plot thickens and Carver begins to understand that people who want him out of the way aren’t going to leave him alone no matter what he does to stay low and avoid the radar. The book is action packed with never a dull moment. There are lots of twist as Carver tries to unravel the mysteries of who is after him in a world where everyone seems to be a double agent or have ulterior motives.
I look forward to seeing where this series goes and if Carver can build some meaningful relationships when there is almost no one he can trust.
July 21, 2025
We find Carver camping in the California woods when he gets involved in an altercation between two enforcers & a druggie. After "dispatching" the enforcers and overhearing that the druggie took a valuable suitcase, Carver hears his last words were that the briefcase can be found at Tenderloin and given to Sally.
Deciding to follow up, he heads south, parks his newly acquired RAM truck and tries to find Sally. Upon returning, he finds the truck has been broken into, his money & phone stolen. He needs that phone- if he doesn't get it back his ties to his money & a few friends is gone and he only has a few days to do it before the phone erases itself.
This leads to a connected crime lord, involved with the same people he fought at the FARM in the last book. It becomes complicated, he's forced to work for the crime lord in order to retrieve his phone and has to dodge both him and the shadow organization that's hunting him.
Deciding to follow up, he heads south, parks his newly acquired RAM truck and tries to find Sally. Upon returning, he finds the truck has been broken into, his money & phone stolen. He needs that phone- if he doesn't get it back his ties to his money & a few friends is gone and he only has a few days to do it before the phone erases itself.
This leads to a connected crime lord, involved with the same people he fought at the FARM in the last book. It becomes complicated, he's forced to work for the crime lord in order to retrieve his phone and has to dodge both him and the shadow organization that's hunting him.
January 18, 2024
I know it sounds trite to say this series keeps getting better, but it's true. Here, Carver's camping trip is spoiled when he comes across some men trying to force a drug addict to give up the location of something valuable. Bullets fly, and Carver ends up looking for the item himself. On the trail, in San Francisco, his belongings are stolen. Desperate to get his cell phone back, his only contact with a prior girlfriend, Carver gets involved with one of the city's crime bosses, Noah. Noah has an agenda of his own. He is being forced to work for a powerful group called Enigma. Noah wants the same item that Carver is looking for, hoping he can use it to break Enigma's hold on him.
Noah makes a terrific, complicated villain, supporting characters in the story are not what they seem to be and the homeless drug addicts and their camp add an unusual and compelling setting for the story. Throw in the side story of Carver's friend, Leon Fry, racing against time while trying to stay under cover to get to Carver with information he believes that Carver desperately needs to know, and it all adds up to a complex, yet easy to follow and thrilling story of greed, despair, and fanaticism set against people who just want to live and keep their loved ones safe without constantly looking over their shoulders for threats. This book can be read by itself, but you'll be depriving yourself of the three very good stories leading up to this one if you don't start with the first book of the Amos Carver series and read them in order. Bonus that they're on KU.
Noah makes a terrific, complicated villain, supporting characters in the story are not what they seem to be and the homeless drug addicts and their camp add an unusual and compelling setting for the story. Throw in the side story of Carver's friend, Leon Fry, racing against time while trying to stay under cover to get to Carver with information he believes that Carver desperately needs to know, and it all adds up to a complex, yet easy to follow and thrilling story of greed, despair, and fanaticism set against people who just want to live and keep their loved ones safe without constantly looking over their shoulders for threats. This book can be read by itself, but you'll be depriving yourself of the three very good stories leading up to this one if you don't start with the first book of the Amos Carver series and read them in order. Bonus that they're on KU.
October 20, 2025
Remember when Amos Carver was that unapologetic ruffian who could take charge of any situation? That guy took a back seat in Dead Man Walking. Instead, we’re left with a version who spends most of the book reacting to the villain’s every move.
The final confrontation, in particular, left a lot to be desired, lacking the payoff I’d have expected.
The typos and inconsistencies were distracting, making the book feel unpolished and not to be taken seriously.
I’m questioning why I’m still investing in this series. If someone picked up this book without reading the earlier ones, I can’t imagine they’d bother sticking around.
Oh, yeah. Carver still can't keep it in his pants! It’s no longer appealing, just an overused cliché...
The final confrontation, in particular, left a lot to be desired, lacking the payoff I’d have expected.
The typos and inconsistencies were distracting, making the book feel unpolished and not to be taken seriously.
I’m questioning why I’m still investing in this series. If someone picked up this book without reading the earlier ones, I can’t imagine they’d bother sticking around.
Oh, yeah. Carver still can't keep it in his pants! It’s no longer appealing, just an overused cliché...
September 2, 2025
Carver heads to San Francisco to do some camping and ends up killing 2 bad guys who were after a druggie that had information concerning an important suitcase. Before he died the druggie gave Carver information as to where the suitcase might be. Carver drives into town, parks and goes looking. His car is ransacked and pretty much everything was stolen. Noah is the king of San Fran. at least as far as the drug trade anyway. He needs that suitcase and Amos needs his phone as it is his only connection to Paola and Leon. Enter Enigma. The same money that controlled the Farm controls Enigma and they want Carver. Excellent read!
April 11, 2024
Consequences
It all started like usual…a carjacking crew took something important to Carver and he took steps to get it back. Turns out this ring of thieves worked for the King of crime in San Francisco who is a Moriarty-like sociopath who’s intoxicated with his own brilliance and is chafing under the command of Enigma, a hydra cabal bent on creating chaos to gain more governmental power. They didn’t reckon on Carver. Leon Fry makes an appearance too. The way he jacked a vehicle was priceless!
It all started like usual…a carjacking crew took something important to Carver and he took steps to get it back. Turns out this ring of thieves worked for the King of crime in San Francisco who is a Moriarty-like sociopath who’s intoxicated with his own brilliance and is chafing under the command of Enigma, a hydra cabal bent on creating chaos to gain more governmental power. They didn’t reckon on Carver. Leon Fry makes an appearance too. The way he jacked a vehicle was priceless!
January 19, 2024
Too many hidden clues
On balance I like the series and this story. I don't care when the author has the lead figures something out while keeping he in the dark, but when Carved sees or finds clues alone the way that are nor shred with the reader its annoying. I'm okay with it occasionally happening, but there's probably a dozen times it happens in this book. I get that For win wants to do the big reveal at the end, but readers like to be included, at least I do.
On balance I like the series and this story. I don't care when the author has the lead figures something out while keeping he in the dark, but when Carved sees or finds clues alone the way that are nor shred with the reader its annoying. I'm okay with it occasionally happening, but there's probably a dozen times it happens in this book. I get that For win wants to do the big reveal at the end, but readers like to be included, at least I do.
December 11, 2024
great book
Just when you think Carver is going to get the peace he yearns for BAM! He’s right back in the thick of things. Another well crafted story and completely plausible the way the US is going. Another win for the good guys though.
Just when you think Carver is going to get the peace he yearns for BAM! He’s right back in the thick of things. Another well crafted story and completely plausible the way the US is going. Another win for the good guys though.
April 27, 2025
Seems not too far from reality!
Carver has his hands full and has few people he can trust. The hunt is on for a special briefcase, whereabouts and contents unknown. The is led to a crime lord in the city, which opens up an even bigger can of worms!
Carver has his hands full and has few people he can trust. The hunt is on for a special briefcase, whereabouts and contents unknown. The is led to a crime lord in the city, which opens up an even bigger can of worms!
December 9, 2025
My heart be still
This is the third book By John Corwin I have devoured. Action from start to finish. Love his smart character who can kick some serious maximus gluteus and not break a sweat.
This is the third book By John Corwin I have devoured. Action from start to finish. Love his smart character who can kick some serious maximus gluteus and not break a sweat.
February 26, 2026
i don’t have words to do britney’s story justice, but i do have a bit to say. what an insightful, shocking, heavy yet inspiring read.
you really have to go into this with no one else’s opinion in your head and that’s what i did.
you really have to go into this with no one else’s opinion in your head and that’s what i did.
February 11, 2024
good read
May 6, 2024
dead man walking
I have read the entire series. They were good enough to keep you wanting to read the next in series.
I have read the entire series. They were good enough to keep you wanting to read the next in series.
June 4, 2024
Dead Man Walking
Another exciting read. Enjoyed
it greatly. It had many twist and turns and the saga continues. Will read the next book soon.
Another exciting read. Enjoyed
it greatly. It had many twist and turns and the saga continues. Will read the next book soon.
February 24, 2025
good
A very good book again from John Corwin , it has a lot of twists but not much action in this one, still worth a read though
A very good book again from John Corwin , it has a lot of twists but not much action in this one, still worth a read though
May 2, 2025
Dead Man Walking
Another outstanding job by the authors. This so fits in with what has been happening in this country. Getting Book 5 soon.
Another outstanding job by the authors. This so fits in with what has been happening in this country. Getting Book 5 soon.
September 3, 2025
Another excellent Amos Carver story!
January 28, 2026
Dead Man Walking
Another well written story that keeps the reader involved in the action and wondering what comes next. John did a good job!!
Another well written story that keeps the reader involved in the action and wondering what comes next. John did a good job!!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews