Crucible

Adrian Hell #1

by James P. Sumner

Der erste Adrian-Hell-Thriller

In der Gluthitze von Heavens Valley, einem Sündenpfuhl mitten in Nevada, fühlt sich der Auftragskiller Adrian Hell wie zu Hause. Zumal sein aktueller Job ziemlich simpel klingt und ihm Zeit für andere Vergnügungen lässt: Er soll einen Mann töten, der die örtliche Mafia bestohlen hat.
Doch es steckt viel mehr dahinter, und so gerät er ins Fadenkreuz eines weitaus gefährlicheren Gegners. Adrian wird bis an seine Grenzen getrieben, um einen Terrorangriff zu vereiteln, der einen weltweiten Konflikt auslösen könnte. Dabei droht ihm ausgerechnet sein ausgeprägter Killerinstinkt zum Verhängnis zu werden.

Knüppelharte Action, bei der sogar der Leser den Kopf einzieht und es gar nicht abwarten kann, zur nächsten Seite umzublättern.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Ebooks, Crime, Action, Mystery Thriller

Kindle Edition

First published February 8, 2014

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not even going to make it halfway through. I can't believe in this character. He's too corny to take seriously. And a hitman considered the best in the world who meets his clients in person? Maybe. Probably not.

The portrayal of Clara Fox was also a bit like the author thought up who his dream girl would be and just wrote that down. Having Josh refer to her as a prostitute when he sees her picture was a silly and disappointing detail. The picture the author paints is not of a professional bodyguard at all, but again, some vision he has of his own dream girl.

I'm all for a good action/thriller, but I need to find the characters likable and believable. This book can't provide that.

Life's too short.

[Michael Slavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tons of action.
Really good book, an assassin (the best in the world), goes to do a job in Nevada, but it gets very complicated. Instead of just a guy he needs to kill, the government, the mob, and a terrorist group all get involved.

What I liked:
-Mr. Hell, the assassin is as tough as they get.
-He is a smart ass.
-The plot had a lot going on.
-Some strong female characters
-An interesting plot

What I didn't like:
Nothing.

[Agnieszka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book as a freebie from Amazon and with a link for a free copy for the second one if you sign for the newsletter - which was a good idea. When I learned from the last newsletter a new book is coming soon, I thought it's really time to start reading.

The author promised fast paced action thriller but forgot to mention you need seatbelts to survive the ride. It's more than fast it's at tearing pace and more action you can imagine for a book. I think I found a new favourite author.
Though looking rationally the hero being an assassin is a bad guy and many of his actions are not really that great, still you cannot condemn him and you have just too much fun following his path of destruction within the worst week of his life, while bullets fly and you try to figure out who's the bad one and who's even worse :-)

[Dolores M. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This author tried to create a protagonist who is beyond macho, beyond badass. He is just an ass. The story line, just fair with many of his exploits simply unbelievable, but the writing, just bad. I forced myself to finish.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Reacher, Quinn, Carr (aka Stone) wanna be. Not close.

[Richard Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn you James Sumner, I can normally spread out reading my books over several days or weeks. Adrian Hell made me sit down and read about him I one day. I started reading at 5:30 in the morning and was done before lunch. This book kept me sitting down and reading until I finished the book.

[Tim Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one I picked up for free, but was less than half way through when I purchased what I think is the third novel in the series....I look forward to reading that one too. Clearly, an excellent job as this is the authors first novel. There were several typos, but for me these did not take from the story, though for others it might. I've not read too many stories in the first person, which while at first might seem limiting for this genre, it was interesting enough to carry me through. Read this in two stages, but the second half finished in one day, wanting to know what happens! Not as frustrating at 24 (which I got fed up with as a TV series due to something always needing to happen) and less over the top than some of James Patterson's books, this is an interesting read and I for one recommend it to others.

[Ted Tayler · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Don't search for finesse - it's 100% undiluted violence"

An all action thriller. A few moments of humour. If you like your hero to be indestructible and on a quest to lift the body count to ever higher levels with no lighter passages to lift the gloom, then this will be right up your street. After the first half of the book had numbed my senses I couldn't wait to get to the end; the repetitious violence just got boring. As for the characters, they were the inevitable cardboard cut-outs and Adrian Hell endured more punishment than any mortal could possibly take. This is more like the book to a 'shoot-em-up' computer game.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adrian Hell - assassin and a little bit smart alec. He will put a bullet in a person's head for a fee. His job takes him to the desert town of Heavens Valley. Not only was he to execute a man, he was to recover the deed to a piece of real estate the mob was attempting to purchase. When Adrian learns that the land in question is sitting on the only uranium mine in the USA, he knows he cannot let the mob have the land. He also knows that the terrorist organization also vying for the land cannot have it either. Caught in the middle of the mob and the terrorist group, Adrian turns loose his inner satan and creates a little hell for everyone involved.

[Dvdlcs · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed.

The character is supposed to be the best in the business (aren't they all) and in this case doesn't he know it, with a level of arrogance to match. Yet he makes mistake after mistake most of which come back to bite him later on in the book.

I read the first Adrian Hell book in 2017 and that was presumably OK (must admit, I don't remember the detail) as I came back for the next instalment in the series. Can't see me reading any more of these, unless I convince myself that this was an aberration and perhaps the next might be better.

I guess if you like the Mack Bolan books you'll probably like these.

[DG · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit I liked this book, although the story is really more like a teenage boy fantasy. And not being anywhere close to a teenager, I found it a bit shallow and hard to finish.

That said, the story does move along at a really good pace. There's not many dull moments. And the twists keep coming which helps keep you interested and turning pages. But the characters are simple and a bit two dimensional.

There's promise here. With some work and deepening of the characters and themes, it could be a really good book. But for now, I can't really give it more than a "meh" rating of 3 stars. Not bad, but I wouldn't recommend it to any of my friends, either.

[Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I pretty much agree with D's. I did like reading this book, although the story is really more like a teenage boy fantasy, but not being anywhere close to a teenager, I found it a bit shallow and the characters simple and a bit two dimensional.
I also downloaded Adrian Hell #2 onto my Kindle and I hope it is better. I'll let you know.

[Mary Manchester · Rating 1 out of 5]

Story content focused too much on how great the main character thinks he is.

The plot was weak and far fetched. I will not continue this series. This is just opinion I am not an editor

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

James P. Sumner and Gary Bennett pull of a great action thriller that will keep you guessing from start to finish. “True Conviction” is the first audiobook in the Adrian Hill series, and I had the pleasure of listening and reviewing the second audiobook (Hunter’s Games) prior to this one; audiobook number three was also just recently released. I can say that I enjoyed both books quite a bit. They are good olde fashion action tales in the likes of the movie Rambo along with a few others. At times I felt like I was sitting in a theatre watching this on the big screen. Yes, there are times the story is over the top, and in parts it blurs the line between fantasy and reality, but if you go in listening for entertainment and excitement, the story does not disappoint. Because I had listened to the two audiobooks out of order (which you can), I found learning some additional details about a few of the main characters even more interesting. In some ways, this audiobook reminded me of a twist on a James Bond story. We have the tech savvy assistant (James), and our main character is a killer for hire. If you like your stories with plenty of action, you can pick up this audiobook and enjoy it from the front cover to its end.

This audiobook, from a high-level, centers around betrayal and deception when one deals with criminals such as the mob, assassins, etc. However, our main character has a heart and is not afraid to allow his emotions to show when needed. I know it sounds like some form of bi-polar disorder, but he is kind to those he cares about and yet a ruthless killer then called upon. I can say that I found the writing style a bit less polished then the second audiobook, but that would make sense with this being the author’s premiere work. I look forward to listening to the third in the series which was recently released. Throw in some uranium, covert agencies and a female assassin to elevate the story even more.

I can say that the author appears to have an in-depth knowledge of technology and weapons, or he did quite a bit of research prior to writing this story. The writing is descriptive yet leaves room for the listener to also build upon. The main character has quite a few puzzles needing to be solved and he is not someone that is afraid to use others to achieve his ultimate goal. There was always a bit of time pressure as well hanging over the main character’s head before there would be a point of no return, I enjoyed that sense of tension. Even with the pressure and action, the author left some time for light humor and pop culture references. I have to say that the Kansas song “carry on wayward son” was stuck in my head for hours after finishing the audiobook.

The audiobook’s narration was well performed by Gary Bennett. I have always enjoyed his expressive reading and his ability to master the subject material given. His voice is pleasant to listen to for long periods of time, which I did for this series. His continued ability to voice many different characters, and a few with difficult accents, is always spot on. I thought all of this was done at a level that keeps me coming back to his narration work. The narration was read at a good pace and the overall flow was solid. There were no noticeable audio issues that I can recall, and with this narrator, I often can say that his works have been professional and of high quality.

For parents and younger audiences, like the second audiobook in the series, this one as well contains a fair amount of profanity, mature themes, and adult subject matter. I would not recommend it to younger listeners.

In summary, if you are one that seeks realism in all aspects of the stories you listen to, this story line plays both sides of the fence. There are places it is over the top, but again, if you go into it with this in mind you will find it entertaining. I still found the story to be enjoyable, the narration to be solid, and it was worth my time listening. I would recommend this audiobook and the second one in the series to people who like action and thriller genres.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read books before featuring government assassins as protagonists, such as Vince Flynn's Mitch Rap, but Sumner's True Conviction is a first-person story from a private contractor assassin - not someone I'd normally find sympathetic, but the author does a good job of giving Adrian Hell an ethical center and adversaries you (fictionally) agree Really Need Killing.

While in real life you hope to live in a society where the rule of law reigns, in fiction there's a bit more latitude for presenting scenarios like the Wild West where the law can't (or won't) reach and there's room for the charismatic outlaw who can fill in the justice gaps with a witty rejoinder and a quick draw. Many action heroes in the 80s and 90s were essentially the monsters under the bed that kept the bad guys up at night, and for good reason. Ahnuld, Bruuuce, and Sly had body counts that Freddy, Jason, and Michael couldn't touch.

So, back to Adrian Hell. Tragic backstory. Current gun for hire. Legendary reputation. Great name for a guy who pads his retirement account by sending people worse than him to the realm of Hades with nary a second thought. He relaxes by finding dive bars between gigs, putting songs on the jukebox guaranteed to piss off the regulars enough to prompt a (quick and brutal) bar fight.

After his most recent job and dive bar diversion, he's hired by a sleazy douche - whose muscle happened to be on the losing end of a dive bar jukebox battle the night before - to kill a dude and retrieve some documents, which leads to the big conflict of the book, involving governments, evil corporations, organized crime, international terrorism, and hot but angry assassins with exotic accents. Our protagonist, for all his skills and savvy, finds himself in over his head more than once, because if it's too easy there's no point. Rest assured, he gets the snot kicked out of him, and he faces multiple setbacks, forcing him to regroup and up his game repeatedly before the end.

All in all? Not bad. I enjoyed the story, and found the main characters interesting enough to consider future books in the series.

[Brian's Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Blast. A New Favorite Series.

I think one of my favorite parts about picking books based on narrators as much as authors is that I end up finding books that I love that remind me of other books. Gary Bennett is one of my favorite narrators, and I’ve been particularly enjoying another assassin story from him when this one popped into my radar. True Conviction, an Adrian Hell novel. The cover doesn’t give too much away and even the description/synopsis doesn’t either. But let me tell you… what a book this was.

I’m used to an author being able to pull the wool over my eyes. I go into most books like I do movies with my “movie or book goggles” on — meaning I just try and enjoy the book. I’m not looking for missing pieces or trying to figure out “who did it” within the first few pages. But, True Conviction may hold the record for the amount of times in a single book that I thought we were going left and we took a hard right. I just didn’t see anything in this book coming, and I’d bet I spent the entire end of the book with my jaw unhinged.

Adrian Hell is a likeable character. A sort of anti-hero and someone who is a pretty broken individual. His ability to stick to the “morals,” if you can say that for a hired killer. But, when he smells something funny, he has to stand up for the greater good instead of just getting in and out. That ends up biting him in the rear end in True Conviction – but what a story it was.

Overall, as you can tell, I enjoyed the heck out of this story. Bennett’s narration was PERFECT for this story. He was able to become Hell, seemingly without trying. And every scene where Adrian had to be emotional/vulnerable, I could feel it coming off of Bennett. And Sumner, I have been warned. You are on my list now. I can’t wait to see what other stories you come up with.

Perfect for those that like assassin stories with lots of twists and turns. Government cover-ups and secret organizations. And just over-the-top action (think Jason Bourne).

[Darryle B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

True Conviction falls right in line with my long line of suspense thrillers. The debut of top assassin Adrian Hell reminds me a lot of The Gray Man which is a good thing. The character and story development flows well for James Sumner's first novel featuring this character. I wasn't sure what to expect, but after reading True Conviction, I knew it was a solid series worth exploring among my line of other thrillers.

I liked the plot and how it took one direction and flipped it to add a few surprises over the course of the story. While Mr. Hell has no qualms about killing those who he's paid to eliminate, it is good that he does have a code and will change course and/or do the right thing when there is a bigger situation at play or more to the story than what he was initially told for his assignment.

This is what I look for in these kind of novels, especially when a character is introduced. Who are they, what drives them and how does the story fit in making this character interesting?

The only thing that is "missing" to me is what makes this character unique? There are a lot of great assassins and cop characters I enjoy reading about and the one thing I remember about each of them (like The Gray Man, Bosch, Reacher and Mitch Rapp for example) is that there's a backstory, history, lingering plot or something about them that stands out and is attributed to that character and their development.

Other than the name, I have not quite seen that for Adrian Hell yet, but I am hoping it will be the case of the course of the next two books. That is what will keep me engaged. For the debut book, I highly recommend this because it's a solid story and if this character is developed in the manner I look for, it should be a great series.

[Jerry Walch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my kind of read, fast paced nonstop action from the very first chapter. Adrian Hell is a man’s man, a tough, no holds barred, stand-up man. He’s my kind of man, the kind of man that I can truly identify with leading the kind of life that I would like to lead if I was forty years younger and had the skill sets I would need to be a professional assassin.
The plot has more twists and turns than rattlesnake making its way across the desert floor. The simple truth is that our hero, Adrian Hell reminds me a lot of Max Bolan in the early Terminator series of paperbacks. He’s a one man army that is unstoppable no matter what his enemies throw at him. Like the old slogan goes about a Timex watch, he takes one licking after another and keeps right on ticking,
Taking on all comers, from the local mafia don to a local militia set on causing mass destruction in the United States, he takes them all on against all odds. If you love a real hard boiled hero and a fast paced, no holds barred page turner, filled with blood and guts, then this book is a must read for you. The only thing left that I can say about True Conviction: Adrian Hell Book #, without spoiling the story for you is that I would have given it a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. I loved this book so much that I can’t wait to read Book #2 in the series. In closing I want to say that I hope that this series of books runs as long as the Executioner Series did and that there will be just as many shoot-off new series based on it in the future.

[Scott Vout · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another first time author for me. In 2025 I am trying to make 25% of the books i read be new to me authors.

This one sounded really good, but sadly for me it did not quite live up to my expectations. The start of this book was great, I thought I had a winner here. The main character was right up my ally, tough guy with a wonderfully sarcastic sense of humour. Good sidekick who is the tech guy. Lots of action and a solid storyline. I read the first third of this book in a few hours.

Then the grammar mistakes started showing up. I had a mobi version for my kindle. The sentences would have duplicated words in them spread out so the sentences did not make sense but I was able to reread them and read around the duplicated words so I could understand what I was reading. There were no typos just extra words. Almost like this was proofread with a spell checker but not by a real person. It became quite annoying and several times I almost just gave up on the book.

I did manage to get through it and the longer it went along the more, in my opinion, unbelievable it became. Now I have read enough of this style of book to know our hero is a superman but I did struggle with this one. Some of the stunts Adrian performed became too much for my believability meter to handle.

I see this book has a lot of high ratings and good reviews and I realize I am but one voice. But, for me, I struggle with it.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adrian Hell is a murderer. Or a hit man, anyway. He used to do it for the gub'mint; now he does it as a freelancer, and with a little bit of enjoyment, though he probably won't really admit it.

He comes to Heaven's Valley, north of Vegas, for a business "outing". Simple pop and grab some documents. It seems some guy committed to selling some land, took the money, but then backed out of the deal without even returning the money. This is especially bad form when dealing with a mob boss (or a "connected" business man).

Adrian is one of the best hit men around. But has he met his match in these endeavors? [Spoiler since there are a large number of books in the series, I imagine he gets out of it, but at what cost?]

Very thrilling book. Adrian is a relatable character, for a hit man, that is. Not something I aspire to, but his confidence, his ability to handle himself in most any situation, and his resilience are nice qualities. Pretty sure I'm not willing to go through what he has to accomplish all that. That's why I read fiction.

A very robust story, great descriptions and action, and the majority of the characters are stand out. I look forward to reading more Hell.

[Cha Do · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is comically bad. He goes from the mob to a defense contractor to a militia of domestic terrorists and then the "Secretary of Defense" (who he didn't even bother confirming was the actual goddamn Secretary), ALL within a 24 hour period from what I recall. This is beyond unrealistic.

He is also a narcissistic douche in a hilarious way but my goodness, he is also a moron. No backup weapons. No hidden weapons, no precautions, no surveillance, no reconnaissance. Just cock of the walk your way through doors. Sniping with a handgun. Yup. He doesn't want to compromise his element of surprise but he openly shoots at rooftop people in the middle of a neighborhood near the target house.

In less than 24 h0urs, someone built a possible nuclear bomb? I had to stop reading this nonsense. I definitely felt stupider after reading the batshit 3/4s of it that I did.

Oh yeah. Mansion murder spree. What?!?

[Neelabh Pratap Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's narrated in first person and breaks the fourth wall often, which will make you connect with the readers instantly with our action hero Adrian Hell. He's an ex-CIA and now an assassin for hire. The mob hires him to kill a man who has backed out from a land deal. Pretty simple. Until Hell finds the reason why the man backed out. The land is something way too important to sell to an underworld don. From there Adrian Hell gets embroiled in a deadly conspiracy that links with Russian militia outfit and US defence contractors. Only problem I have is that though fast paced, the author has unnecessarily dragged it to over 300 pages when he could've done it under 250 pages. Well, I know it's very difficult for any writer to chop off words from his manuscript. I'll go for the next in the series soon.

[Dave Orth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Damn I wasted $ buying this on Kindle

Sloppy plotting, infantile dialogue and beyond unbelievable action sequences.

Example 1: Adrian has a pistol in either hand, lines up shots on targets over 50 feet away and make both headshots

Oh and this is after suffering a concussion, a face wound from eyebrow to chin that “will leave a big scar”… and the wound never treated.

Example 2: From 300 feet away he makes two immediately successive tshots, one entice sniper from cover and the 2nd blows the guys head off

Example 3: bad guy shooting away at him with a Glock variant which suddenly falls on an “empty chamber. Adrian makes another unlikely twice and he’s now on his 2nd concussion.

So bad…I fished out of a sense of hilarity at how bad this book is

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good vs. Evil!

When I first picked up this book I thought it will pass some time. Never mind that by the second page I did not want to put the book down. A professionally trained killer going after the bad guys. Well goes after the bad guys for money but a killer with a streak of patriotism a mile wide. There are many twists and turns. Even though he is a gun for hire he knows good from evil and proves it!
A very excellent read.
A little side note...this is the first book in a series! Happy reading!!

[Sandra Hooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh dear! So hammy! To be fair the overall premise of the plot is good but you have to swallow a lot of bs. As for Cara saw straight through her from the get go especially as she kept getting caught or inside places where Adrian was having to fight his way through- come on!

Also for someone who had avoided relationships for years and always was on the look out for anomalies (OCD about it - his words) he was very naive and he fell pretty damn quick.

To me it was very similar to reading a comic it passed the time in a pleasant way but made no impact at all.

[Will Decker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really disappointed in this story. It starts off with such great potential, and I can really appreciate sarcasm in the face of danger. But this guy is just too stupid to be the best assassin in the world or even to have lived as long as he has. And I still haven't figured out why sometimes he simply kills someone, and the next one that's wronged him he lets live. Or even why his adversaries let him live... As an author you can only suspend belief so far and this story goes way over the line.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the the readers who like to have all their "i's" dotted and all their "t's" crossed probably might not like this book. There are a lot of holes in the plot that don't make sense. BUT if you want a book that moves very fast with a touch of humor thrown in then this author is for you!! I forgot that I read his book #2 a year or so ago. When I started reading this one things seemed familiar....DUH. It's not something you will ever remember but it is like going to a good action thriller movie on a Saturday afternoon and feeling like your money was well spent.

[Pat Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting action story

A one-man wrecking ball called Adrian Hell single-handedly, despite his numerous injuries, explosively detonates the evil plans of Russian maniacs against America. He is an assasain with his own moral code. His friend, Josh, from his military days is his constant brilliant partner - from a distance. I detested the constant blasphemy! The graphic descriptions of heads disolving in a pink mist as brains exploded is gruesome. Its a violent action story for those who enjoy a good story.

[Hal Pohlman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hmmmm !!!

One of the main reasons I read is to "solve the puzzle" that presents itself in the book !!

The ending of this book took me by surprise !! Like nothing I've read in over a year !! Congratulations, James P Sumner, that was one of the most cleverly designed surprises in my memory !! I'm going to seek out another book by you for my next "adventure" but just like the old saying goes "Fool me once......" !!! I promise to be ready and let's hope you don't disappoint !!! (Oh, the pressure)

Thanks Again, for the pleasant surprise !!!

[Roj · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting much from a free copy if a thriller with a lead character called Adrian Hell, but it delivered and more. Sure, the plot's crazier than a food fight in an asylum and escalates in unrealistic ways. Sure, the lead character seems invincible at times (or close to it). But it's written well and keeps you interested. Add nods to some damn fine music and automobiles, and you've got a pleasant read to keep you company on the commute.