Ready to Kill

Nathan McBride #4

by Andrew Peterson

Bestselling author Andrew Peterson is back with a heart-stopping fourth installment of his wildly popular Nathan McBride series.

When a mysterious note referencing a top-secret US operation is tossed over the wall of the embassy in Nicaragua, Nathan McBride and his old pal Harv are called out of retirement by CIA Director Rebecca Cantrell and sent to Central America. Cantrell wants the situation resolved quickly and knows that Nathan is the man to do it; after all, he has a history with the place. The jungle he and Harv are about to land in is the same one that Nathan barely escaped with his life decades before, an ordeal that left him physically and psychologically scarred. To make it out alive a second time, Nathan will have to face down his own demons and square off with a ruthless killer who learned from the best, Nathan himself.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Action, Mystery, Audiobook, Suspense, Espionage

348 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 29, 2014

About the author

Andrew Peterson is the internationally bestselling author of the Nathan McBride series. Born and raised in San Diego, California, he attended La Jolla High School before enrolling at the University of Oklahoma, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Architecture.

An excellent marksman, he holds the classification of Master in the NRA’s High Power Rifle ranking system. His familiarity with weapons and dedication to research has resulted in many speaking engagements ranging from craft workshops to ATF canine demonstrations.

Andrew began writing fiction in 1990 and sold a short story, Mr. Haggarty’s Stop, to San Diego Writers Monthly in October, 1992. After attending his first writer’s conference in 2005, where he met Ridley Pearson, he became serious about writing the Nathan McBride stories.

FIRST TO KILL (FTK) is Andrew’s debut thriller which features Nathan McBride, the brutally effective, trained Marine scout sniper and former CIA operations officer. FTK was originally published in 2008 by Dorchester Publishing as a mass market paperback. Early in January 2011, Andrew signed with Thomas and Mercer. Then in 2012, FTK was re-released in trade paperback, eBook, and audiobook editions. FTK has been translated into six languages.

Andrew had the privilege of attending Operation Thriller II, a 2011 USO tour to Afghanistan where he personally thanked our troops for their service. He traveled with fellow authors Sandra Brown, Kathy Reichs, Clive Cussler and Mark Bowden. He considers the USO tour one of the highlights of his life. To date, Andrew has donated over 3,000 books to our troops serving overseas and to our wounded warriors recovering in Naval and Army hospitals worldwide.

When he’s not writing the popular Nathan McBride series, Andrew enjoys scuba diving, target shooting, flying helicopters, hiking and camping, and an occasional (and questionable) round of golf. Andrew and his wife, Carla, live in Monterey County, California with their two Giant Schnauzers.

Reviews

[Linda Lou McCall · Rating 1 out of 5]

"VERY DISAPPOINTING....."
Narrated by Dick Hill for Audible.com

What did you like best about Ready to Kill? What did you like least?
Liked Best: Not much.....except, maybe, the ANTICIPATION of waiting for this next installment to be released. After that, it seems like how I imagine a 35 year-old virgin bride must feel on her wedding night right after a long awaited event which turned out really, really bad! Like "Really? That's it? I gave up my great independent life for THAT?!", gesturing to the large lump in the bed snoring loudly next to her!

Liked Least: (1) The really hokey Latino accents; (2). Harve talking as if he's struggling to keep his dentures in; (3) The female characters sounding like they sucked helium, and (4) Nathan, Harve, and Estefan always being sarcastic, drawling out nonsensical answers to each other at inappropriate times. How are you in the middle of a COVERT special ops assignment but you keep talking back and forth to your boy with sarcasm, "asides", and other gossipy chitter-chatter like a pair of old women?

Oh, and the really long useless dialogue passages where nothing of substance is being discussed. It was almost as if Peterson had no real plot so he filled up almost 12 hours with rambling sentences that added nothing to the story. There were times when I wanted to scream "Puh-Leeez shut up, you two, and go kill somebody! ANYBODY!"

Would you be willing to try another book from Andrew Peterson? Why or why not?
Hmmmm.....NO! I immediately loved the first book in this series and went right to second one. Number 2 wasn't as good but it was a 4-star effort. However, the third book, "Option To Kill" made absolutely no sense at all! A ex-CIA operative-assassin-sniper running around with a 12 year-old girl in tow while he indiscriminately shoots up a crowded shopping mall, then he takes her out in the middle of nowhere as his "wing man", teaching her how to guard HIS "6"? Where was Child Protective Services while this child witnessed murders in the company of a grown male she doesn't even know? All of this on the one weekend that Harve, a married FATHER, was unavailable! Like Nathan couldn't have waited 48 hours for his partner to assist him a dangerous assignment! Really, Andrew Peterson?

Did Dick Hill do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?
Dick Hill is one of my favorite narrators. However, I think he was as disappointed in this story as I was. He didn't even try to make any of the characters have a distinct personality of his own. It's obvious that he is able to do Latino or Spanish accents but, here, he just muddled the effort, as if he was bored with this production and didn't care how he sounded.

Do you think Ready to Kill needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
"Ready To Kill" needs an DO OVER! How can you follow up something that wasn't even a book in the first place? This is a series about snipers! Assassins! Expert killers! Yet neither of them fired a bullet until the book was more than 1/2 over! The story was so lame and the ending so laughable that where can this series go? Call the next book "About To Kill Andrew Peterson" if I waste another dollar!

Any additional comments?
Andrew Peterson is insulting book consumers by publishing books and asking us to pay HIM for them. He seems to have lost the "mojo" that he had in the first Nathan McBride effort. He started off really great. Nathan and Harvey were likable, believable characters in "First To Kill". Then by Book 2, the story started slipping but, still, "Forced a To Kill" was pretty good. However, in "Option To Kill", the story line just fell apart, as if Peterson "had left the building" like Elvis Presley! This newest work is saying to us "Elvis has not only left the building but instead of coming back for a promised encore, he's sending in an impersonator!" So, all of you "Gullible Audible" customers, just pony up that $17.46 + tax so Andrew Peterson can get rich! COPY THIS, ASSASSIN ACTUAL: NEGATORY!!!

[Tom Tischler · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a mysterious note is tossed over the wall of the Nicaraguan embassy Nathan
McBride and his pal Harv are called out of retirement by CIA Director Rebecca Cantrell to
investigate. Nathan is the man to do this because he has a history with the place. He and
Harv are about to land in the same jungle that he barely escaped from with his life
decades before. This has left Nathan physically and psychologically scarred and to make
it out a second time he is going to face down his own demons and square off with a
ruthless killer who learned from the best - Nathan himself. This is book 4 in the Nathan
McBride series and it's a pretty good story. I gave it a 4

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

A note referencing a secret US operation appears in Nicaragua, and there is only one man suited to the task of making this information compromise disappear. His name is Nathan McBride, ex-Marine Corps sniper and newly retired CIA operations officer. McBride is about to be called out of retirement, and, with the aid of his longtime companion Harv, he must journey to the jungles of Central America on a mission to stop a dangerous enemy. Unfortunately, McBride knows this destination all too well—he nearly did not escape it decades ago, and the experience has left him physically and emotionally scarred. In order to be successful in his mission, he must first overcome these personal obstacles. And he also has to survive a showdown with the most effective killer in the region...the one McBride trained himself. Survival necessitates being Ready to Kill. The fourth installment of the Nathan McBride thriller series, Ready to Kill, is Andrew Peterson's latest contribution to the action-packed world of military-style thriller fiction. His oft-described “wildly popular series” follows the life and career of Nathan McBride as he effectively navigates the trickiest and deadliest of scenarios. If you are a thriller fiction fanatic (then you probably already knew this book was out and had it pre-ordered awhile ago), do not miss Andrew Peteron's Ready to Kill, out now and available from major bookstores everywhere. For those of you who appreciate thriller style fiction but have yet to read Peterson's best-selling work, it would behoove you to start from the beginning of the series, but Ready to Kill will make an excellent addition to your collection. For more details, check this out: http://www.andrewpeterson.com/

[Judy A. Kuhl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good as usual with lots of action

I enjoy all the Nathan McBride books. This one was a bit wordy, but I really enjoyed it. It is nice to get to see some of the background that makes the team of Nathan and Harv work.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

McBride faces a more of his past in this novel. Snipers he was tasked with training years ago. One of them has gone rogue and is supporting the cartels. He and Harv are sent to deal with this problem. It's a compelling story that's not exactly a mystery, but it's nowhere near predictable. An enjoyable read overall.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Nathan McBride novels are written from the soldier’s perspective, with the kind of detail that keeps you in the action. “Ready to Kill” has a lots of sniper psychology in the content of the story. The book is well-written, action packed with lots of suspense.
The CIA Director, Rebecca Cantrell, request Nathan and Harv go on a covert mission to Nicaragua. No mission will test Nathan like this one. Nathan is asked to return to the area he was tortured and almost died. He has spent years fight the demons of that ordeal. This assignment will test Nathan further and harder than ever before. Nathan and Harv have to hunt down and stop a sniper turned killer. This is a man that Harv and Nathan had trained when they had previously been in Nicaragua. The author provided as background a review of the history of gold mining in Nicaragua. I always enjoy it when the author tosses in some real history or information into a fictional story. I read this as an audio book downloaded from Audible. Dick Hill has been the narrator of the entire series. He is great at narrating this type of book.

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m sorry to say that I’m a little disappointed in this, the 4th Nathan McBride book.

CIA sniper McBride and his spotter, Harvey, return to Nicaragua (which, in itself, is a reach). During this covert insertion, the author certain explains how an individual can learn what others might deem to be "superhuman" e.g. military black ops snipers techniques. The only problem is that it takes the first ½ of the book to get going. Peterson then details the cat & mouse strategy of snipers which I found more tedious than interesting.

All-in-all, I still enjoy the McBride character. He seems “real” and I appreciate his ethical military character. Also, the book’s last section somewhat redeems the story. The showdown in the dark is very good.

As they say, “…not his best…”.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the weakest book in the series. The plot is thin and many of the firefight sequences seem dragged out. This story would have worked better as a shorter novella.

The narration is on par with the previous books in the series. No complaints there, but this was the first audio book that I sped up the playback on to move through some of the sequences to save time.

While there is a decent reveal at the end of the book and a cute ending, the story just takes too long to get there.

If you are a fan of this series, then go ahead and read it, just don't expect this to be on par with the previous books.

[Richard]

1 dimensional

I hate to do this as I really love the author and this series, but this one missed the mark. the story was way to one dimensional and descriptive. I love love the Nathan McBride character and his sidekick Harv, but this story just was strung out for way to long. with all of this being said I patiently await the next installment in the series. I will alwAys be an Andrew Peterson fan. let's hope book number 5 is a bit more pleasant. thank you Andrew for continuing to turn out quality writing.

[Jolene Louden · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to find another book by this author.

I will definitely recommend this book to my friends who enjoy Tom Clancy and others with action and intrigue. A book for a lot of readers.

[Evanne Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only one more Nathan McBride left. I'm going to miss him.

[Mike Nemeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

In "Ready to Kill," former Marine sniper Nathan McBride returns to Nicaragua at the behest of a request that takes him back to his time spent as a covert CIA operative in the country supporting the Contras. He suffered three weeks of torture when he was captured. Author Andrew Peterson further explores the origins of his main character in the series by describing what he was doing in the Central American nation in the first place. He and Harvey Fontana trained local soldiers and in this novel he must deal with some of the fallout from that activity. He has the tacit support of the CIA, but on the ground he and Fontana are on their own. Peterson talks about economics, poverty and third world politics in his fourth McBride novel. He describes a town at the mercy of a drug lord looking to make a buck in mining. Unregulated mineral extraction takes a real toll on the health of the workers and creates the conflict that brings McBride back into the undeveloped nation. McBride discovers that his former student may be the reason for a series of assassinations in a small village everybody else appears to have forgotten. And he and Fontana blame themselves. This particular book really took me inside the little village and along its trails and banks of its dammed river. I could really see the ore and the equipment used to grind the material and understand the dangers of the refining process. And as usual, I powered through the book.

[Dan McConkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a big fan of the Nathan McBride series and have enjoyed his previous three novels but I was never pulled into this book the way I have been with the others. It was a decent story but there wasn't nearly as much action as Peterson's previous books. I felt like there was too much discussion about the possibility or process or challenges of gold mining in smaller countries. There were several points that, while listening to this book, I checked to see if someone had moved my place back and I was relistening to the same lecture on the mining dangers for smaller, unregulated mines. Nope, the same discussion again.

I was also a bit annoyed by the repetitive discussion about not wanting to kill anyone. I get that Nathan and Harv are good people and don't want to kill others but there were probably 15 different occasions where they verbalized that to each other.

I guess overall I was a little disappointed in the book but still looking forward to finishing the series.

[Sue Morcumb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story written well and lots of twists and turns to make it sitting on the edge of your chair reading, you did not know what was going to happen next, nothing was predictable it was always a surprise when it happened. Real-Life Teamwork with the guys on the ground and the story was excellent. Would recommend reading at Book 1 and work your way through the books as it gives you a real sense of the storyline and how the teamwork it is usually a two-man team but this time an old friend comes in very handy. The Author gives you a real sense of being in the middle of the action, and this is what makes these books an absolute pleasure to read. Exciting and pulse-racing stories which are believable. Recommend to anyone who wants a very good read without any swearing or sex and just well-written story which has you hooked from page one.

[James Wirrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is by far the weakest entry in the McBride series so far (I am reading them in order), but I still enjoyed it. This story seems like Petersen took what would be just a part of his other novels and turned it into a full length book. This means that there is a fair amount of things being dragged out too long, including an excessively long piece explaining about gold mining in Nicaraugua and some of the action sequences having way too much detail. There is one scene that supposedly happened under half an hour in actual time, that took me an hour and a half to listen too (read this via audiobook). Despite this, I do find Petersen to be an easy read and I like Nathan’s and Harv’s characters from the earlier books.

[Charris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harvey is back in the picture and that helped immensely. Nathan and Harvey are in Nicaragua to help a former Kilo member (group that Nathan and Harvey trained 14 years ago), code name Viper, find out who murdered his father. The description of the town became a bit mundane, but the action never stopped. Lots of gold to be had there but the miners didn't profit and many of them were sick or dying from mercury poisoning. Antonia was not my favorite character. Her desire to escape the mining town is understandable but she became a snitch on her neighbors. Raven (code name) revealed some interesting information at the end.

[Frank Mikes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that Ready to Kill is where the author fully committed to these books as a series. It has several differences from the previous books in the series, most strikingly in that it changes point of view characters several times. In the previous books, Nathan was pretty much the exclusive pov character but the difference in this book is pronounced and the pov shifts fairly regularly to others.

This adds to the book and there are several more subtle literary devices used which show that the author is growing into his writing, and, that there are definitely going to be more books to come.

I think that readers of the series will enjoy this book.

[Joseph Conaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Endurance, loyalty between friends, and great action.

As usual for me and the Nathan McBride series, a hard hitting plot, fast paced, easy to get into, and the recognition of characters from previous books I have read. The thrills just keep coming, and of course the goodies win in the end but suffer along the way. McBride has his inner demons, sometimes unable to control these but his thoughts about Holly eases problems. Who is Holly? You will just have to read this great series of books.

[Catherine Mihm · Rating 5 out of 5]

lights out

Nathan & Harvey head to the jungle to aid a friend of Echo. They don't know until they arrive that Viper, someone Harvey trained is the friend. They soon learn that they have to hunt and neutralize Raven, someone Nate trained to be a sniper. Neutralizing Raven is not something they want to do, but feel honor bound to do. The mission maybe Nathan's last if Raven gets the upper hand.

[Anita Savage · Rating 5 out of 5]

AWESOME

This series just seems to get better with each new book. I don't know how Mr. Peterson does it but I hope to read many more books in this series and others. His knowledge of guns and other weapons shows up every time. He manages to pull you into the story and doesn't let go until the end. By then you are looking forward to the next book and more late nights of reading.

[Barbara Bingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never a dull moment!

It's a combat between a teacher and a student in combat tactical knowledge and execution of it to beat each other to survive in Nicaraguan mountain mining village. After several murders including a Pastor - Nate & Harve are called in. The last battle between the teacher and the student, who was taught by this teacher, was heart pounding action! Loved it! Now to the #5.

[Jeff Benham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harv is back and they do not waste any time. Nicaragua is the place to be and CIA Director Cantrell wants them there. All they are supposed to do is meet an unknown contact and recon the situation. The contact turns out to be someone they are quite familiar with because they trained him. There is good evidence that another sniper they trained is honing his skills by killing people in a small mining town. Harv and McBride aren't the type to recon and go home. Good thing for the reader.

[yvette aldridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book

Nathan gets better and better. Although this book had pretty much a single location throughout, I wasn't sure about it but it was as edge of the seat as previous books. The only criticism i can think of is that there was not as much banter between Nate and Harv as in previous books of series.

But it was a great story and the characters all worked well together. Thanks again Andrew

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A man that Harv trained has asked for help in Nicaragua. He went with Harv to save Nathan so they both feel like they need to go help now. This is a man who has just had his father killed in Santavilla by a sniper that looks like one Nathan trained. The story centers around the small town and the effort it takes to help these people. Can Nathan overcome his past in this area and what happened? They push themselves to the limit to help. Great story.

[Ron King · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring

I found it difficult to finish this book. However having bought it I was loath not to finish it. Boring? Why ? A number of the various scenarios were drawn out and I wondered when they would end. In parts, particularly towards the end, I found the book disjointed as it seemed the author had had enough and wished to bring the book to an end. I will not be following Andrew Peterson in the future.

[Gayle England-Triplett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspense!!!!!

This story is so well writen!!! I was able to keep all the characters straight, and I followed everything well. These two retired special ops guys were called back into service to complete a very special mission in Nicaragua where one of them had nearly met death by torture a few years ago, You simply MUST read this book if you like this genre!!!!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
I'm a senior female. LOVED this book!!!!

[Eric T. Bergeson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Killing the killers

I read the book to fill the need for an easy read. It certainly was that. What I didn't like was the lack of mystery. At no time did I not have a fairly good idea of what lay ahead. Raven had to lose because Nathan has another book to traipse thru.
It did hold my attention, I wasn't bored.

[Jason Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

You won't put it down

Like the previous Nathan McBride books, Ready To Kill is a non stop thrill ride. Nathan and Harv partner with one of their kilo students to go on the hunt for a sniper in Nicaragua. As Nathan revisits his land of torment, he encounters many more twists and turns. An excellent read.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cannot finish...taking too long to get anywhere and just boring. I kind of liked the first 3 books but this one just not grabbing me...hard to believe a teenager is as stealthy as a trained operative...and this book is just not getting there...I'm 50% in and nothing to get excited about...I quit. Too much precious time needed to read better stuf. This one not for me.

[bonnie kirchner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ready to Kill

I love this series. I said the same thing after the last book. But this is a really exciting series. It keeps you in suspense up till the very end . I highly recommend this series.