Childhood Games

by J.M. Roach

Childhood Games

They stole her from her family when she was just a little girl. They broke her down and rebuilt her as a weapon. A killer.

They Trained Her to be Unstoppable... They Succeeded
They Raised Her to be Obedient... They Failed

----------------

She was a government experiment, a young child stolen from foster care and trained to become a weapon. A killer.

Against all odds, Samantha Black found a way to escape that life. With a new name and a fresh face she set out to reclaim the family she once knew.

Three years later, Samantha wakes in a hospital bed. She has no memory of the events that put her there, only the news broadcast that tells the story of a brutal massacre. Her family is gone. Murdered.

Only her young sister Lindsey was spared. But she is missing, taken from the scene by the very men who performed this monstrous act.

Now, Samantha will be forced to revisit her training. With the help of Dr. Gregory Ryan, she will stop at nothing to find those responsible and save the only family she has left.

Genres: Mystery

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2014

About the author

Before becoming a novelist, J.M. Roach's previous storytelling took place in the world of film. He has worked as a screenwriter and editor on many projects. In 2003, he formed his own production company, where he would produce and direct several short films as well as two features. His film, The Devil's Gravestone, is available in numerous countries and has been translated into five languages. In 2013, he began work on his first novel, Childhood Games.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through Goodreads First Reads.

Simply put this book is really amazing. Samantha Black is one awesome character and I was definitely rooting for her throughout this entire book. I can only hope that we will see more of her, Ryan and even Cow at some point in the near future. If you want a thrilling action packed book this is one I would highly recommend, I had a hard time putting it down.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childhood Games is the amazing debut novel from screenwriter, J. M. Roach. Security consultant, Samantha Black, awakes in hospital, the only survivor of the brutal massacre of her nearest and dearest and the kidnapping of the girl that’s like a sister to her. That’s more than enough for anyone to cope with, but Samantha also has a guilty secret: she was born and fostered as Jennifer, but adopted and raised as Blackjack, a trained killer, violent operative and master of combat, electronics and weaponry. Samantha believes that her loved ones have been killed or taken because of her, by the mysterious Father who has raised and taught her but from whom she has tried her hardest to escape. Samantha is determined to avenge her family and bring to justice those who have once again tried to ruin her life.

Childhood Games is, quite simply, brilliant. J. M. Roach has written a fantastic book with a wonderful story, thrilling action scenes and clever twists that showcase his screenwriting skills. The story is magnificent and brilliantly plotted, the characters are compelling and the writing is perfect. The intrigue starts on page one and drags you along body and soul for the ride. The action and tension is relentless and there is barely a moment to catch your breath, from Samantha’s early escape from the hospital to the final shocking twist. This is one of the best books I have read recently and I really struggled to put it down long enough to go to work! I cannot recommend this book highly enough to all thriller fans. Reviewed by Julia for Readers' Favorite.

[Patricia Bergman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author sent me this book to read and to give an honest review.

Samatha Black, an assassin trained through a government experiment from childhood, survives an attack that kills the people she loves most. She proceeds to find the killer/or killers which leads to an excellent surprise ending which, in my opinion, earns 5 stars. I can highly recommend this mystery/thriller to fans of this particular genre.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, bumped it to 4 stars for a great ending. a little over the top in a couple of places, solid otherwise. sequel????

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right from the fantastic cover, this was a book for me! It was a well written story that flowed very well, and kept my attention from cover to cover (almost in one day). Great action, good story, interesting characters, even a hint of romantic emotions.

Jennifer/Lindsey/Samantha Black was abandoned at a young age by her biological parents. She bounced around the foster care system until she was given to a family that embraced her, only to have that dream shattered by a government funded project to train/create the perfect soldier/weapons. The next 10+ years her skills are honed turning her into a world class predator, giving strict obedience without resistance to her "Father".

The book picks up with Samantha working for a security/PI firm. She has escaped her program and for all intents and purposes is believed to be dead as a result of a catastrophic shutdown of the program. While overqualified for the small company, she finds a sense of family and acceptance with them. That gets thrown into a whirlwind as the firm is attacked and everyone killed...almost.

The book follows Ms. Black as she seeks to solve the mystery of the murders of her friends, and almost of her as well, in addition to looking to recover a young girl who was abducted in the attack.

I enjoyed the book. I loved her character. In a world where you can't trust anyone, she is forced to find some trust in a young doctor who saved her life. I found Samantha to be very similar to the tv character Nikita. Both were the trained products of a shadow government organization, with skills honed for one purpose, to protect and defend the country, but realistically more in an offensive role than defensive. Both find a way to break free of that life and then are forced to face their deamons and those who created them. Fans of Nikita will like this book.

The ending had a cool twist to it which really excites me as it opens doors for potential follow on books. All in all, this was a great book, and one I look forward to reading many times in the future.




***Please note that I received a free copy of this book as part of Goodreads book giveaway. While it is very appreciated, this had no influence on my review or enjoyment of the book.***

[Anna N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5

I won a copy of this book for an honest review. This will never effect how I like or rate a book.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this book. I've just finished reading it and I'm reminding myself I have to be fair. It wasn't a bad book. It was more just meh. In fact that's what I felt while reading it, well when I could force myself to read it. I found myself setting this book down a lot and it really isn't even that long of a book. In the end I was mostly happy that it just had short chapters. The story idea was interesting enough but there wasn't much besides that to keep me interested.
In fact I kind of felt that if this book was about Samantha and her life after what she went through; her trying to lead a normal life. That would of been more interesting then this. In fact I would of preferred it especially in her flashback moments with Ryan. Meeting him again in her new life and remembering those times would of been fun to see. Instead with how they were I felt like the book was wasting my time. That it could of easily summed up the scene instead of giving the full play out of it. That was the problem though even when the book was going somewhere it felt like it was going nowhere fast.
Beyond that I didn't really care for the main character, Samantha. I tried to like her but I found I just couldn't. It seems the only characters I did like died in the first chapter. After that characters just seemed a bit bland. My biggest problem with the main character is we're told she's smart and she even does use those smarts a lot but she does quite a few stupid things too. Even for the big antagonist in the book she's just simply no match. Heck he's been made practically untouchable to the point where I don't even see where she could be a threat to him at all after the events of this book. Anyway I just couldn't get into her personality.
At the end of the day though these are just complaints I had with the book. Once it got much nearer the end it became more interesting for me. Though I'll admit the ending left me wanting. It didn't feel like that great of a payoff at all. Still I could see this book appealing to many others who are more used to reading this type of story. Definitely recommended to those that love action.

[Crystal Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to obtain a signed copy of "Childhood Games" through a Goodreads giveaway. This is J.M. Roach, screenwriter, editor and directors first novel. As this is not the typical type of book I go for, I stepped out of the box and was pleasantly surprised. Although I put it down several times during the beginning chapters, I found myself very drawn into Samantha Blacks story and by the end I was left craving more. The brilliant plot twists and tie ins are wonderfully written and kept me captivated. It flowed sweetly from one action packed detailed scene to the next, like watching a ball of yarn unravel one chapter at a time.
After years of living an uneventful civilian life, Jennifer (aka Black Jack aka Samantha) wakes in the hospital to the realization that her family has been massacred and she must fight to save her missing sister who is the only family she has left. With the help of Dr. Gregory Ryan (aka her hostage) she is able to solve the mystery and once again escape the grip of her 'father' whom had raised and trained her to be a calculated killing machine. Some of my favorite parts were the hilariously light dialogue between her and Ryan that I couldn't help but snicker loudly through. 
This is definitely one that I'm putting on my list to reread for the simple fact that I'm sure I missed some wonderfully witty details that I'd catch the next time around. I also have two requests, Mr. Roach. One is the sequel to this because I would love to see the next round between Black Jack and Dr. Harmon. The second is the movie, which I know would be amazing. Thank you for taking me out of my norm and into the world of a perfect soldier.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something different. A mystery/ thriller that takes a young woman as the protagonist who must recover having endured a horrific attack on her work place, while her past as a very small child is being chronicled to be programmed as the ultimate soldier against terror. "Childhood Games" by J.M. Roach, is a fast paced, non stop, of action, guts, perseverance, with incredible guile winner. Samantha Black AKA "Black Jack " otherwise was an office worker in a very small security company. Book opens with Sam in the hospital recovering from an attack at her workplace, and leaving her with bullet holes. However, we begin to find out, as a very small child Sam had been adopted by "Father" to be programmed as a non stop ultimate weapon. But, the bad guys have come for Samantha and want to finish killing her on "Father's" orders. Sam must team up with a doctor she's taken hostage. "Father" knows as long as he has kidnapped Sam's younger sister , she'll not stop at any wall to free her little sister. The dialog is superb from the first page right on through to the last page. Characters are life like and have some good depth. I found it to be a very enjoyable read. Basically read book in 2 sittings. Not sure if I was going to like this style. But it flowed, had the action, and delivered the punch. I'd like to see author J. M. Roach write a follow up on "Childhood Games" Sam may have at least one more mission to go. 5 stars out of 5. Good and enjoyable fast paced read. Do yourself a favor and pick it up. Be sure your seat belt works too !

[Sunshyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

After receiving a signed copy of this book from the Author. I waited until I was on vacation to give it my complete attention.

They Trained Her to be Unstoppable... They Succeeded
They Raised Her to be Obedient... They Failed

Samantha Black was taken from her foster family whom loved her and she loved very much. She was taken and trained to be the perfect soldier. Only she escaped. Samantha used the knowledge and tools that her (Father) had instilled in her and used those means to escape from the very people who held her hostage. After several years in hiding and changing her identity between a team of different doctors. Samantha emerges to find what was stolen from her so many years ago.

This novel gripped my attention from the very first page it was non stop action.This book definitely could be a best seller in the movie world. It was the fast paced hard action that we Americans love.I could not put this book down, I lost myself in the world of Samantha Black and Doctor Ryan. I was shocked to find that the whole escaped that unfolded came from Billy. It just goes to show some people are down right evil to the core. I can't wait to read more and I am hoping there is more books to come of this broken heroine, that is tough as nails and has ice water in her veins.

All in all this was a GREAT read and I hope to read more from J.M. Roach.
http://www.roachcity.com
Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, WOW! I love thrillers and this was everything I expect from a thriller and more. The main character is well developed and has you cheering for her right up to the end, despite learning she is not a traditional female, loving hearts, lace, and flowers and an insatiable desire for chocolate. She is none of these things, yet still you are cheering for her, despite learning her history of how she came to be who she is as an adult, and maybe you come to like her even more because of her upbringing. Once I started this book I didn't want to put it down, through the twists and blind hairpin turns. The crashes, shooting, and explosions are all in the name of family, the only real family (and what we would think of as family) she ever knew. She was a walking , talking weapon dead set on rescuing her sister, in spite of her own injuries and the trail of bodies left in her wake. And while on her mission to search for and rescue her sister, she unexpectedly fall in love. It was a good thing he was a doctor or she never would have survived as long as she did. And love her he did, staying by her side knowing her past and even surviving in her present when it seemed the whole world was gunning for her. If you love thrillers this is a must read! Be sure you have a weekend or a least a day off the day after you start it, because you won't want to put it down. I definitely look forward to more novels by Mr. Roach.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Childhood Games by J.M. Roach, Samantha Black wakes up in a hospital to learn that the only family she’s ever had has been murdered, except for the girl she thinks of as her sister. With the help of Dr. Ryan, she is determined to figure out who is responsible and save her sister before something terrible happens to her. Samantha was taken as a little girl by a man she knows as Father, who trained her to be a cold-blooded killer. She managed to escape him and that life, but now she must use those unique skills to do what she has to do. In doing so, she risks being found by the very man she has worked so hard to get away from.

This book was action-packed and had me on the edge of my seat almost the entire time. The exciting plot, the unforgettable characters, the interesting flashbacks, and the intense action sequences made Childhood Games a must-read. I was so surprised to read in the back of the book that this was J.M. Roach’s first novel. It’s very impressive. Even though it was a little over-descriptive at times, I thought the writing style was great. It kept me engaged and made me want more. Not to mention the ending that I never saw coming. Roach is definitely an amazing writer, and it clearly shows. Unpredictable and thrilling, this book will suck you in and you won’t want to put it down. I am really hoping for a sequel. This author will definitely be on my to-look-out-for list. I am so glad I discovered him.

Reviewed by ME for Readers' Favorite

[Kayti Raet · Rating 5 out of 5]

In J.M. Roach’s novel Childhood Games, Samantha Black (not her real name by the way) works for a private investigation team and has been living a normal civilian life for two years after escaping from Father, a man who trained her to be the ultimate assassin. By working for Able Security Team and Henry, Sam hopes to regain a piece of her childhood lost after being snatched from the first foster family she felt was good to her. But those hopes are soon dashed when she wakes up in a hospital and discovers that Henry, to whom she had hoped to reveal her true identity, is dead, along with the rest of his team. Now his daughter Lindsey is missing. Sam must figure out who was behind the attack and bring them to swift justice.

Childhood Games by J.M. Roach is a fast paced novel where the action hardly lets up. If I were to describe it in a sentence, I would say it’s like Taken, but with a female Liam Neeson and, trust me, when she finds you, she will kill you. Childhood Games seems like a book made for the screen, and the only time it lets up on the action or the thrills is when we delve a little into Sam’s past. Some of it is before Father, back when she was raised by Henry and his wife Claire, other parts are from during her training with the man who intended to use her to rule the world. I liked Childhood Games by J.M. Roach a lot and, judging by its ending, hopefully there are more books about this tough but broken heroine.

[Rumeur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just received this book today in my mailbox. It is a Goodreads contest won book. I'm excited to start reading. I'd like to thank Goodreads and the author for having selected me as a winner

I found this book to be exciting, adventurous and gripping right from the start, and it remained that way at minimum, but at maximum I was biting my nails!!

It's the story of Samantha who was brought up in foster care system , got to have a "family" for her, but then it was all taken away one night. Everyone was dead except for her and her younger sister Lindsey. She feels a sense of guilt since the very people that made her "the way she is", are now trying to get her back

With some help and not to many spoilers given away, she sets out to find her sister

I could go on about the whole story but I'm afraid I'd give entirely too much away. I can say though, this, for me , was a page turner. I was reading this at a time I didn't have much reading time, but every spare moment I continued to pick up this book until finished

I'd highly recommend this book, I believe it's this authors first book, but not first time writing?? I'd love for a sequel or a series to be made from this first book. I think it has much potential for that and I'd be sure to buy and read it in a heartbeat. Very exciting & adventurous plus being a page turner!!!

[R J Mckay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodreads for an honest critique.

Samantha Black is part Nikita and part Jason Bourne with a healthy dose of Emily Thorne tossed into the mix! Taken from her loving foster family as a child, Samantha is stripped of her identity and raised to be a cold-blooded killer. When she finally escapes, she has to recreate herself with a new name and face. There is no way she can reveal who she really is, but she still longs for the connection to her lost family. With her new identity, she takes a job working for the small security firm run by her foster father, Henry Able. While at the office one night, the unthinkable happens: an attack is launched on the company, leaving Henry, Gordon, and Sean dead, Samantha clinging to life…and Lindsey, her young ‘sister’, missing.

When Sam comes to in the hospital, she discovers her family is either dead or missing. Now she must use everything ‘Father’ taught her to locate Lindsey and get revenge for the death of Henry and the others. Escaping from the hospital is the first thing she must accomplish, but only after avoiding another assassin targeting her. With Dr. Gregory Ryan as her hostage, she pulls this off. Now she is on the run.

J.M. Roach keeps the reader on their toes as Sam searches desperately for Lindsey and those responsible for the brutal murder of her family.

[Tom Donaghey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently finished a pair of books about a child who was taken from his parents and forced by someone calling himself Father into becoming an assassin. Now I have read CHILDHOOD GAMES and I see a similar scenario and it makes me wonder about synchronicity and worlds aligning and things of that elevated nature. But not to worry, just by reading a few paragraphs anyone can tell they are widely different tales with entirely different and unique plots and characters.
After all, the other killer was a guy and here the killer is a woman.
When Samantha Black’s “family” is attacked and killed or kidnapped, and she ends up in the hospital near death, she has to face the fact that she may not be able to save her stolen little sister. But, being the good action-hero, she has to try.
The back-story portions were well written and give full explanation as to the how and the why of recruiting such a young potential killer. To complement these memories are the action scenes that give life to the later portions of the story. It is nice to have an extremely strong female character kick-butt without bothering to take names along the way and in all this read leaves the door open for follow-up stories.
I won this book through Goodreads.

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samantha Black (8-18; BlackJack, Jennifer) lives in a foster home with her foster parents; Henry Able, Claire Able (wife), & Lindsey Able (14, foster sister.

Samantha is shot & ends up in Nohaven Central Hospital. She cannot recollect much of anything.

BlackJack (Samantha) is abducted by Dr. Jerry Harmon (father, drugs, arms, human trafficking) & his Able Security team & is trained to be a killer/weapon (government experiment, Initiative 38-1).

How will Dr. Gregory Ryan become play a role in Samantha later life?

Lots of “tick tock.”

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written suspenseful mysterious & adventurous book. It was very easy to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. No grammar errors, repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make great adventure movie, animated cartoon, or mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free Autographed Goodreads book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[jwals · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a review copy of this book.
Samantha was taken from a foster family she loved, and that loved her, when she was eight years old, by a secret organisation to be trained as the perfect soldier.
Ten years later she escapes the organisation and after several years and several plastic surgeries latter find her foster family again without their knowing it’s her.
When she wakes up in hospital with several gunshot wounds and no memory of what happened, she finds most of her family dead and her younger sister missing she vows to get her back.
While it is at times over descriptive, the book moves at a good pace, with plenty of suspense and a couple of good twists.
And leaves enough material to run to a series. A jwals review

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book thru a Goodreads giveaway. This book was, simply put, fantastic. Very fast paced with never a dull moment. The plot had twists and turns and right when you thought it couldn't get any better it just goes on to blow you away. And the interactions between Samantha and Ryan are just hilarious. Their conversations while escaping from the hospital had me laughing out loud and drawing looks from people nearby. I can't remember the last time a book actually made me laugh out loud and not just in my head. The combination of action and humor with a dash of romantic interest thrown in all joined together to make one simply amazing story. I'm hoping there's a sequel coming soon and seeing as the author has a history behind the camera, I think this would make one amazing movie!

[Quan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Childhood Games was written by J.M. Roach, and I received an advanced copy from the publisher, but this will still be a honest review.It is very excellent book. Is it going to blow people's mind. No, it is not one of those books. It is a book you read out of pure enjoyment. I recommended this anyone who lose good action, characters, and overall plot. I loved everything about it from details to the little twist in the end. However in the end, I realized that this story is a female version of the movie Taken. Which is not a bad thing since I love Taken. Overall I love this book and I am happy it is on my shelf. Score: 9/10

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodreads First Reads.

This was the first Goodreads giveaway that I've received and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The story caught my interest from the first chapter. I enjoyed the characters and the action kept the plot moving really well. The timeline of events was confusing to begin with, but it started to make sense after awhile. There were some grammar errors that were distracting, but I still caught myself thinking about the book until I could pick it up again. The plot was very well developed with some great twists. Overall, this was an original and interesting story and I'd love to see more from this author.

[Tee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this for review a long time ago but because i was in a reading slump i procrastinated. Hooray for me for getting it done before the new year!

This book was decent, the main female character is different from many characters i've read. I cant necessarily say i had any favorite moments or points but i did love the ending between the two main characters. Just the way it was worded i really liked it.

What i didn't like was deep descriptions, there was just so many descriptions that i would kind of skip ahead. Maybe thats just me being not a wordy person.

Overall it was good.

[Brent Dotson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. From the blurb, I thought it might be a knockoff of Nikita. It wasn't. The book was hard to put down. Twists and turns, a surprise or two, a strong woman antagonist (something I am a sucker for) and lots of action. The author manages to convey an incredible amount of violence without being too graphic. Just enough detail to effectively tell the story and show the horror of the situation without dwelling on the specifics too much. I recommend this book; you won't regret it.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was insanely good. I could not put it down. I don't like putting too much information about a book in a review because I don't want to give anything away. I can tell you that it was very fast paced, very well written and suspenseful. Samantha Black is a bad ass and this book was awesome. I look forward to reading more from this author.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free through the Goodreads first reads program.

I really enjoyed this story. While I don't have a lot of time in my day to read, I did spend every second of it in this book! I could not get through it quick enough. The detail of the story is just enough to leave you hungry for the next page. I do really hope there is a second book in this story. I'm so interested in how Blackjack handles Father :)

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this signed copy from a Goodreads contest. Overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to a sequel (hopefully). The plot kept me interested and eager to discover what would happen next. One suggestion that I would make to the author is to invest in a better editor, because there were several grammatical errors as well as sections of the book that could have been cut. Keeping in mind that this was the author's first novel, I felt that his efforts were successful.

[C. Stuchl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful, really a great thriller. Confusing at first then I got into it and started to understand what was going on. Samantha was kidnapped as a child, trained to kill. She managed to escape and change her identity. This book is just full of action, twists, and turns. I'm not going to spoil the ending, but you won't see it coming. Thank you Goodreads and J. M. Roach for the free book.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had a lot of edge-of-your-seat moments. J.M. Roach took the Hot'n'Deadly chick-power to another level. I really enjoyed this story and the writing style was flawless. I would love to see this made into a movie. Great book, and great addition to my collection. I will definitely read this one again.

[Mallory · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for a fair review. Thanks!!

I really wanted to love this book. There was a lot of action, but I just felt like the story line was muddled. I also could not like any of the characters no matter how much I tried. The ending was definitely great though, and I did not expect it at all.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a GREAT book!

(I won this free off of goodreads.com)

I was immediately pulled into the book and had a hard time putting it down (which was bad since I had to put the finishing touches on my wedding day and went on my honeymoon as I read it!)
The action and suspense were written very well and worked together nicely. This is a book I would definitely recommend to others!

[Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book to my father to read since he loves espionage books. He loved it!
Even though I'm not so much into the genre, I also enjoyed this book. It was fast paced with likable characters and a great twist at the end.
I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway.