What do you think?
Rate this book
The Destroyer #46
Next of Kin
On the plush island of St. Maarten, Remo and Chiun encounter the mysterious and dangerous Dutchman--a man set on destroying the two men who possess the secret of the Korean martial art of Sinanju
183 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1981
20 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Warren Murphy
294 books124 followersWarren Murphy was an American author, most famous as the co-creator of The Destroyer series, the basis for the film Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. He worked as a reporter and editor and after service during the Korean War, he drifted into politics.
Murphy also wrote the screenplay for Lethal Weapon 2. He is the author of the Trace and Digger series. With Molly Cochran, he completed two books of a planned trilogy revolving around the character The Grandmaster, The Grandmaster (1984) and High Priest (1989). Murphy also shares writing credits with Cochran on The Forever King and several novels under the name Dev Stryker. The first Grandmaster book earned Murphy and Cochran a 1985 Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original, and Murphy's Pigs Get Fat took the same honor the following year.
His solo novels include Jericho Day, The Red Moon, The Ceiling of Hell, The Sure Thing and Honor Among Thieves. Over his career, Murphy sold over 60 million books.
He started his own publishing house, Ballybunion, to have a vehicle to start The Destroyer spin-off books. Ballybunion has reprinted The Assassin's Handbook, as well as the original works Assassin's Handbook 2, The Movie That Never Was (a screenplay he and Richard Sapir wrote for a Destroyer movie that was never optioned), The Way of the Assassin (the wisdom of Chiun), and New Blood, a collection of short stories written by fans of the series.
He served on the board of the Mystery Writers of America, and was a member of the Private Eye Writers of America, the International Association of Crime Writers, the American Crime Writers League and the Screenwriters Guild.
Murphy also wrote the screenplay for Lethal Weapon 2. He is the author of the Trace and Digger series. With Molly Cochran, he completed two books of a planned trilogy revolving around the character The Grandmaster, The Grandmaster (1984) and High Priest (1989). Murphy also shares writing credits with Cochran on The Forever King and several novels under the name Dev Stryker. The first Grandmaster book earned Murphy and Cochran a 1985 Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original, and Murphy's Pigs Get Fat took the same honor the following year.
His solo novels include Jericho Day, The Red Moon, The Ceiling of Hell, The Sure Thing and Honor Among Thieves. Over his career, Murphy sold over 60 million books.
He started his own publishing house, Ballybunion, to have a vehicle to start The Destroyer spin-off books. Ballybunion has reprinted The Assassin's Handbook, as well as the original works Assassin's Handbook 2, The Movie That Never Was (a screenplay he and Richard Sapir wrote for a Destroyer movie that was never optioned), The Way of the Assassin (the wisdom of Chiun), and New Blood, a collection of short stories written by fans of the series.
He served on the board of the Mystery Writers of America, and was a member of the Private Eye Writers of America, the International Association of Crime Writers, the American Crime Writers League and the Screenwriters Guild.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 29, 2021
The Destroyer finds its footing again in this novel about an unsuspected apprentice to Sinanju traitor, Nuihc. The apprentice, known as the Dutchman, combines Sinanju training with psychic abilities that make him a formidable opponent for Chiun and Remo. Add to that that he has sworn to the now deceased Nuihc that he will kill the remaining masters of Sinanju and you have the basis for a good story.
Murphy takes the time to develop the backdrop and build tension by getting into the head of the Dutchman who clearly doesn’t truly understand how deadly Remo and Chiun are. At times, unfortunately, it also felt as if the author didn’t remember how deadly the Masters of Sinaju are, making me wonder if there may have been a ghost writer involved in the novel. Remo is troubled by the need to hold his breath long before he should have been and there is an encounter with some strangely acting serpents that also didn’t feel quite “real” to me as a longtime admirer of the series. I’d also say that after a great buildup to the Dutchman’s powers, he didn’t use the psychic abilities nearly as effectively as I would have expected. Yet none of this truly detracted from the story and Chiun’s surprising sympathy for the Dutchman really humanized the tale. I would have expected Chiun to want to stamp out the illicit branch of Sinanju and yet he seems to not want to be driven to that extreme. Perhaps he is remembering his own failure to properly mentor Nuihc.
We also see some excellent interaction between Remo and Chiun—not the normal banter (there is plenty of that)—but genuine concern and affection for each other when they fear that the Dutchman may just have what it takes to kill one or both of them. Overall, it is one of the best novels in the series and also introduces one of its most interesting recurring villains.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
Murphy takes the time to develop the backdrop and build tension by getting into the head of the Dutchman who clearly doesn’t truly understand how deadly Remo and Chiun are. At times, unfortunately, it also felt as if the author didn’t remember how deadly the Masters of Sinaju are, making me wonder if there may have been a ghost writer involved in the novel. Remo is troubled by the need to hold his breath long before he should have been and there is an encounter with some strangely acting serpents that also didn’t feel quite “real” to me as a longtime admirer of the series. I’d also say that after a great buildup to the Dutchman’s powers, he didn’t use the psychic abilities nearly as effectively as I would have expected. Yet none of this truly detracted from the story and Chiun’s surprising sympathy for the Dutchman really humanized the tale. I would have expected Chiun to want to stamp out the illicit branch of Sinanju and yet he seems to not want to be driven to that extreme. Perhaps he is remembering his own failure to properly mentor Nuihc.
We also see some excellent interaction between Remo and Chiun—not the normal banter (there is plenty of that)—but genuine concern and affection for each other when they fear that the Dutchman may just have what it takes to kill one or both of them. Overall, it is one of the best novels in the series and also introduces one of its most interesting recurring villains.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
May 4, 2024
This didn’t really feel like a Destroyer novel and time structure was a bit different as well. That said this was a fun enough entry in the series even if it’s on the lower end.
August 24, 2025
Remo and Chiun are sent on 'vacation' to the Caribbean islands. Even Smith claims that he is taking a vacation on a nearby island with his wife. Smith never takes vacations. But on the island, there is a mysterious Dutchman living on devils mountain in a large white castle. The locals are terrified of the Dutchman and with good reason.
A shipping container is found sunken with dozens of dead bodies in it. Their execution is done in the style of Sinanju and Smith suspects that Remo may have gone off the reservation and has killed the derelicts found in the container. He issues Chiun the order to terminate Remo. Chiun doesn't buy it. Examining the cadavers, he notes that something is out of sorts with the broken bones and begins to suspect a greater evil is at hand.
After making friendly with the young woman who has been impoverished by the Dutchman, who convinced her father to leave his shipping yard and fortune to the Dutchman right before he went mad and threw himself from the cliffs, Remo begins to investigate the strange happenings. Several attempts are made on his life and he suspects Chiun is holding back information from him. The wise Sinanju Master faces the Dutchman without Remo and it is discovered that the Dutchman has a power that they have never had to confront.
This episode is actually a good story that shows the father/son relationship that Remo and Chiun share. The plot is a bit disconnected at points, but the action keeps it moving along. Remo and the girl come close to falling in love, but their lives are too different and their paths are too divergent. However, the story ends well for them both.
3/5
A shipping container is found sunken with dozens of dead bodies in it. Their execution is done in the style of Sinanju and Smith suspects that Remo may have gone off the reservation and has killed the derelicts found in the container. He issues Chiun the order to terminate Remo. Chiun doesn't buy it. Examining the cadavers, he notes that something is out of sorts with the broken bones and begins to suspect a greater evil is at hand.
After making friendly with the young woman who has been impoverished by the Dutchman, who convinced her father to leave his shipping yard and fortune to the Dutchman right before he went mad and threw himself from the cliffs, Remo begins to investigate the strange happenings. Several attempts are made on his life and he suspects Chiun is holding back information from him. The wise Sinanju Master faces the Dutchman without Remo and it is discovered that the Dutchman has a power that they have never had to confront.
This episode is actually a good story that shows the father/son relationship that Remo and Chiun share. The plot is a bit disconnected at points, but the action keeps it moving along. Remo and the girl come close to falling in love, but their lives are too different and their paths are too divergent. However, the story ends well for them both.
3/5
November 7, 2019
Rating 3
a fairly average story for the series I thought. It opened with an interesting premise of another potential sinanju trained killer (not assassin) but the story never really progressed very far.
in fact despite the page count being around the normal number, this one felt very short with an under developed story line. the ending implies that the main adversary could return later but as i cannot remember it will be wait and see.
it is better than the worst of the series but along way away from the best ones.
overall then an okay read.
a fairly average story for the series I thought. It opened with an interesting premise of another potential sinanju trained killer (not assassin) but the story never really progressed very far.
in fact despite the page count being around the normal number, this one felt very short with an under developed story line. the ending implies that the main adversary could return later but as i cannot remember it will be wait and see.
it is better than the worst of the series but along way away from the best ones.
overall then an okay read.
May 20, 2017
A welcome return of the Nuihc storyline in the form of the evil Sinanju master's secret protege. The story is less about fun and more about drama this time around and the "bad guy", although definitely bad, is shown to have a tormented soul and the reader cares more about him than any other Remo villain in the past. A great return to form for the series.
March 29, 2020
One of my favourite destroyer novel thus far. Maybe the most favourite. Mr Gordon's and master Niuhc novels are my favourites, maybe they give Remo and his most tranquil little father something to worry about. As a Dutchman myself, I hope we shall see another appearance of the Dutchman (even though he's an American and I was born in the Philippines).
January 13, 2022
#46 in the Destroyer series. Remo & Chiun encounter their arch-enemy’s apprentice. Much chaos ensues.
June 3, 2015
This isn't the best Destroyer book ever written. I would expect more from a novel that features the introduction of Nuich's protege. It seems to lack some of the humor that others have and there is something melodramatic about it. Granted, this is male action, so you aren't expecting a great literary achievement, but over all it just falls a little flat. Maybe its that Chuin's barbs to Remo just aren't as stinging as we have come to expect. It doesn't mean that it's not worthy of course, just not on par with the better ones and I would have expected considering the opponent for it to be truly exceptional.
I do love the interaction between Chuin and the Dutchman though, that is very well done. I also like it anytime I see Chiun still training Remo. Those are scenes that I like to see in every book at least for quite awhile to come yet.
I will say, I seem to remember enjoying this one much more the first time I read it, so perhaps re-reading it after having read almost all of the 150+ of the series means it doesn't measure up the way it did, back when The series was only up to book 45 or so. I can't actually remember when I originally read it. I know the first time through I didn't read them in order the way I am now. Some of the later books are just so much better then these first ones.
I do love the interaction between Chuin and the Dutchman though, that is very well done. I also like it anytime I see Chiun still training Remo. Those are scenes that I like to see in every book at least for quite awhile to come yet.
I will say, I seem to remember enjoying this one much more the first time I read it, so perhaps re-reading it after having read almost all of the 150+ of the series means it doesn't measure up the way it did, back when The series was only up to book 45 or so. I can't actually remember when I originally read it. I know the first time through I didn't read them in order the way I am now. Some of the later books are just so much better then these first ones.
February 12, 2016
One of the big men's adventure series from the 70's than ran an impressive 145 books. The series while an adventure/action story is also full of satire toward much of the mainstream fads and icons of the time. An interesting main character and the sarcastic mentor makes this a funny action/adventure read. Remo is sent to stop a revolution and solve the mystery of murdered army chaplains. Recommended
January 17, 2009
Remo faces off against Jermiah "The Dutchman" Purcell, the only other white man trained in the art of Sinanju. I am certain that this is the second Destroyer novel I ever read, and it will always be one of my favorites.
December 9, 2014
The introduction to The Dutchman. Remo's opposite number. This is a MUST READ. The books only get better from here.
June 6, 2013
Remo is still cool after all these years
April 17, 2017
The Destroyer #46: “Next of Kin” by Warren Murphy (Molly Cochran). The Dutchman, trained in Sinanju by Nuihc, on his 25th birthday he’s supposed to kill Remo and Chiun, but they arrive on his island a year early. Still, they killed his master, so they must die. He trains by killing local drunks and tossing their bodies in the sea. A container full of his victims is discovered and Smith, head of CURE, thinks they were killed by Remo and sends them to the island where Chiun is to catch Remo in the act and kill him. Instead, they discover The Dutchman. Kind of silly, but a fast read.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews