"Happenstance disrupts the picturesque youth of Mitch Graves. What follows is a terrifying perverse trek through hell and back to exact revenge. This is Natural Born Killers meets Splatterpunk-Cody J. Thompson is here to stay." -Aquino Loayza, author of Deep
When 14-year-old Mitch Graves, bored with festivities at a Memorial Day block party in 2006, decides to ride his BMX to a set of train tracks near his home, he discovers something that would tattoo the fear of God into any ordinary child's memory-a wayward drifter hiding in the shadows of an abandoned railcar in the midst of taking another man's life. Where most kids would be terrified beyond belief, Mitch finds himself intrigued. Taking the young boy under his wing, the drifter unlocks something horrifying deep within Mitch that he never knew existed. Together, they unleash their own brand of terror onto unsuspecting townsfolk.
That is, until tragedy befalls the Graves family, leaving Mitch as the only hope to save his baby sister, Myrna.
16 years later, Mitch and Myrna Graves embark on a road trip of a lifetime, with their sights set on an exacting revenge on the person who tried to take everything from them all those years ago...to find him and kill him.
Filled with revenge, murder, twists and turns, Find Him and Kill Him mixes horrifying elements into a sick, twisted coming-of-age tale. A road-trip novel dripping with suspense, tragedy, familial bonding and of course, lots of blood.
This is the second book of Cody Thompsons that I have read and like Bone Saw Serenade, I couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed the plot of 14 year old Mitch discovering he’s a bit of an actual psychopath. His curiosity for death and killing was twisted and his methods and their execution were brutal. Only to wind up on a job that I definitely didn’t see coming.
My only beef was some of the other things going on in this story (or, really, lack thereof). No police ever got on his tail? No close calls to being caught? I’d loved to have learned how Mitch manages to keep under the radar and do his work without getting caught.
Overall I can’t wait to continue reading Cody’s books, thanks for the ARC copy!!
In the Acknowledgements at the end of Find Him & Kill Him, author Cody J. Thompson thanks a number of people by name, and also his readers for making his dream to write this book come true.
If his dream is measured by the quality of his work product, then it was a bad one. A very bad one.
In the book, Mitch Graves, age 14, lives in what sounds like somewhere in the southwest US. At his high school he is routinely bullied by a gang of older and larger boys. This familiar story of a bullied kid seeking retribution has been told many times before, and compared to this book, many times better.
To end his torment, Mitch could have taken self-defense classes and become the new Karate Kid. Or like the bullied kid in the My Bodyguard film he could have ‘hired’ a formidably larger classmate to protect him.
But in this book Mitch, though outwardly a normal kid, is inherently a psychopath, and resorts to murdering his bullies by learning from a drifter in the desert near his home how to stab and dismember them. Evidently unlike the teenage victim in Stephen King’s Carrie, he did not have telekinesis in his toolbox of weapons. He just had a knife and a burning desire to use it, which he gleefully does in gruesome detail.
In what was supposed to be a surprise that any reader could see coming as far as the horizon, the drifter murders Mitch’s parents for financial gain by stabbing them to death. Mitch cannot save them from the drifter’s rampage, but manages to save himself and his baby sister Myrna. The drifter disappeared after ransacking their house, stealing cash, jewelry and their car.
In the book’s next chapter it’s abruptly sixteen years later. Mitch is now age 30 and Myrna, 16. Mitch still enjoys killing and is making a lot of money as a professional hit man for a Mafia crime family. Myrna is an unruly, unpopular, uncouth and unsavory teenager in trouble for stealing a very expensive necklace that belonged to the parents of a classmate whose party she crashed. Together she and Mitch embark on a road trip to find and kill the drifter who murdered their parents.
As a reader who recognizes bad writing when he sees it, I will warn you that Cody J. Thompson is a bad writer. He is even worse as a storyteller. I ask rhetorically, in what perverse universe could such a story of murder, mayhem, murder and more murder be considered entertaining, educational or otherwise valuable? And that’s even before reaching the final chapters filled with so many absurdities and incongruities, it would require a much longer review and more patience than I can muster to document them.
A final note to the author or his overpaid editor: Following a quotation, you never initial cap the next word unless it’s a proper noun, a mistake you repeat at least 400 times. It’s incorrect, it’s ignorant, it’s distracting and it’s annoying. But it’s also revealing, because it shows that you are clueless as a writer, which is evident to everyone who knows anything about writing and who wasted their time reading your trash.
After reading and loving “This One’s Gonna Hurt” by Thompson last year, I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to read his latest novel. This is a suspenseful and very gruesome story about a boy who grows up to be a sadistically obsessed hitman who stops short of nothing to exact his revenge! I enjoyed both timelines of the story but was mostly hooked by its opening chapters of when Mitch is a 14 year old boy learning about the many ways of murder. 16 years later is when we meet his younger sister Myrna whose a misunderstood outcast and only gets along with her brother Mitch. They’re constantly joking around and being sarcastic with one another which is enjoyable for the most part but I’ll admit, Mitch was getting a little annoying after a while and became more unlikable as the story progressed- which is probably done on purpose but I also wasn’t surprised when a certain twist happened. While a little predictable, I still enjoyed reading how it all played out.
Overall, it’s a solid story that kept me entertained throughout. If you’re looking for a coming-of-age Horror that successfully blends action, drama and crime thriller while containing lots of violence and gore, I recommend picking up a copy when it releases on 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟑𝐫𝐝, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒. Bonus points if you’re a fan of My Chemical Romance as this is chock full of fun references!
Find Him & Kill Him resonates with patient urgency. A well-plotted story where every detail matters that nonetheless drags the reader by the wrist and spirits them toward a surprising, yet inevitable conclusion. Every shocking twist is earned and the characters spring to life in your heart and mind. The strongest offering yet from an author who promises to stick around a while.
Okayyyyyy this book had me in a death grip and never let go until the very end. Cody J. Thompson deserves all the fckn stars because this book was absolutely balls to the wall!! The story was well-paced, the characters were well-developed and the plot was AMAZING👏
A brief synopsis: 14 year old Mitch is just being a typical kid and riding his bike to his personal hide-out/hang-out on the train tracks. This is where he keeps his beloved nudie magazine stash hidden in an old abandoned train car😏🚂 One night he happens to be here at the wrong time and witnesses a drifter killing someone. Although, he is terrified, he is also curious and wants to know what it’s like to kill someone. The drifter teaches this young man how to kill and how to do it without getting caught 😱 However, Mitch’s family soon faces a devastating tragedy where he is only able to save his baby sister, Myrna. 16 years later….Mitch and Myrna take a long overdue road trip to seek vengeance for the loss of their family all those years ago…hunting the man responsible and taking him down once and for all.
Well…is your curiosity peaked?! How the hell could it not be?
This book had me in SHAMBLES. Twist here, twist there, twists EVERYWHERE! Find Him & Kill Him is the perfect coming-of-age horror novel oozing with blood and suspense.
I highly recommend this!
Thank you, Cody, for this ARC. Find Him & Kill Him will be available on May 23rd, 2024.
This was a really fun and fast paced read! This book is pretty far fetched straight from the off, but that’s fine within the horror/thriller genre. I feel like it’s even expected sometimes. It enables you to be thrown into situations that wouldn’t likely occur, and in this book that certainly became the catalyst which made it so much fun! A fairly quick ride, but the right length for the tale I’d say. The momentum kept up throughout, the perfect amount and mix of excitement and anticipation. Likeable characters, even when one is supposed to be annoying and moody, they still had that likeable quality to them that makes you want to see them succeed. My first read from this author. To be honest, I’d never even heard of them which is rare as I’m fairly active in the horror book community. I just stumbled across this book in a Bookbub email and I’m so glad I did. I’ll be checking out more of their work.
4.5 rounded up to 5 Find Him and Kill Him gets off to a very dark start as Mitch meets a drifter in the abandoned rail car, and this meeting unleashes a disturbing desire in Mitch. Together, the two of them embark on a bloody tirade in Mitch's neighbourhood. The story then moves 16 years later, and Mitch and his sister, Myrna, are on a summer road trip, with a plan to seek revenge on whoever murdered their parents. I was a bit worried with the darkness of the first section. I really enjoyed the fun, slasher vibe of This One's Gonna Hurt, but with the time shift, we get some of that fun, slasher vibe back with the sassy character of Myrna. The road trip has Natural Born Killer vibes, and there are some unique plot twists. Overall, this is another fantastic slasher from Cody J. Thompson. I will definitely recommend it to my horror-loving friends.
Quick, fun horror/thriller. Found it for cheap on bookbubs last week and was drawn by the pretty cover and the "splatterpunk" mention in the blurb. It's not really splatter but does have plenty of the red stuff in there. Weirdly not have the urge to go out some My Chemical Romance on, so thanks for that Mr Thompson. Well recommended and will be adding some more of the authors books to the TBR list.
The book kept me engaged and I read it in one sitting. Better ending than I expected and easy to follow. I like a book that doesn’t have 20 different characters one has to memorize when only three or four are necessary. I would definitely recommend this book! It doesn’t waste half the book with “adult” scenes that I found authors tend to rely on to sell books. This one just kept your attention and your imagination throughout. Great job!!!
Finding someone who is willing to murder another human being shouldn't be too hard, right? With the proper motivation getting the job accomplished is a piece of cake.
This is a campy, fun to read, coming of age horror/revenge horror/unhinged MCs about Mitch the bitch, who is actually a psychopath. The pacing was great, and I loved the ending to this.
Find Him & Kill Him is more than just a coming-of-age tale; it’s a riveting exploration of Mitch Graves’ journey into darkness under the guidance of an unlikely mentor. Thompson’s skillful narrative weaves together nostalgia and realism seamlessly transporting readers between past and present, each scene dripping with revenge- driven intensity. The story’s magnetic pull kept me hooked from start to finish, offering a refreshing take on familiar themes. With tension steadily mounting, the novel delivers a climax that leaves no room for disappointment, only breathless anticipation. Haunting and multi-layered, this book is one that stays with you long after you’ve turned the final page. Thompson’s talent shines brightly here, making him an author worth watching closely.
“Find Him and Kill Him,” by Cody J Thompson is a twisted coming of age story, dripping with sweet revenge, and saturated in bodily fluids. In this darkly humorous and unapologetically gritty adventure, we learn that adolescence and vengeance are in fact a killer combination. This bloody road-trip across the West is a tumultuous journey to say the least, and perfect for readers on the lookout for a short, sharp and gruesome read. Thank you to Cody for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review, “Find Him and Kill Him,” is unleashed upon the world on May 23rd 2024.
when 14 year old mitch happens across a murder in progress, his curiosity sparks a deep intrigue within him and he convinces the killer to educate him on the intricacies of butchering people; this goes fairly well until it abruptly goes very, very badly, and sixteen years later mitch and his little sister set off on a quest for bloody revenge. this was fun, wonderfully violent, completely unhinged, and oddly believable despite the premise being outlandish. definitely the most my chemical romance references of any book i've ever read - their music inspired the story, which is rad as hell. recommend, 4/5.
This is a fast-paced horror/thriller that’s as wild as it is entertaining. The premise is definitely far-fetched, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it. The story follows Mitch, a 14-year-old boy who witnesses a brutal murder—and instead of being traumatised, he finds himself intrigued, even drawn to the killer and befriends him.
The plot goes to some pretty extreme places, but if you’re in the mood for something gritty, gory, and a little unhinged, this is a quick, fun read.
A short but captivating novel, the Graves,a brother, and a sister duo go on a road trip to find the man who murdered their parents 14 years ago. It is filled with gory descriptions and hilarious banter. This book was a fast and easy read. I might be biased since my Chemical Romance was mentioned a couple of times, but I enjoyed the novel overall. Find Him & Kill Him clicked all the right boxes; gory, funny, horror, and entertaining. Towards the end of the book, I had no idea what was about to happen, but overall, it was a very satisfying ending. Totally recommend.
I went into this completely blind because I’ve read other books by Cody J. Thompson and enjoyed them, so I knew the chances were high that I would also enjoy this one. Well, it’s my favorite one yet.
At first it started off feeling like a coming of age horror book, but it took a sharp turn for the worse - in a good way if you like murder mayhem like I do. If revenge stories, slashers and crazy plot twists, and MCR references (😍) are your thing, I think this one’s for you. Many thanks to the author for my advanced eARC. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗶𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗛𝗶𝗺 is available today and also on KindleUnlimited!
Thank you Cody for the free download of the audiobook! I really liked the narrator, even tho I was a lil thrown by the British accent. But it worked for me. Such a unique and different story. Well done! I am a forever fan!
This was my first book from Cody. I'm a fan. The plot unfurled smoothly, the characters were solid and interesting, and the opening section of the book with the vagrant was perfect. Some nice brutality in here, along with an interesting plot twist. A fun, twisted read. Check it out.
Good for a quick read but it was a bit too gory and far fetched for my actual list. Mitch was literally getting away with murder all his life and no-one was onto him till he gave himself up to Myrna. I was actually rooting for her as I could see what was going to happen.
This book had me gripped from day 1. I was invested in the characters, the twists in the arc were superb the violence was pitch perfect and the ending was *chefs kiss*.
Move aside nudie mags! In Find Him and Kill Him by Cody J. Thompson, this young man has a new obsession — a darker obsession — murder. Get wrapped up in the unease of how normalized killing becomes for this teen and what journey it sets him on for the rest of his life…
Not quite a full-blown horror comedy, but very close. This book was such a hit for me! I had a blast following these characters and seeing their lighthearted banter with one another. But more than a few times, I had to pause and remember that people were dying here. The author had me so deep in the same mindset as these characters that I kept thinking this was normal.
Horror fans, if you enjoy everyday life types of tales combined perfectly with brutal slashers that have many twists and turns, you gotta check this one out!
Be warned though, you’re not going to want to put this one down!