Once a Killer

by Martin Bodenham

This psychological thriller, set in the world of corporate deal-making on Wall Street, will surprise you with its twists, and the shocking resolution will have you questioning everything...

Michael Hoffman has come a long way from his deprived childhood in Chicago’s south side. Now he’s a young, successful partner in a major New York law firm, handling some of its clients’ most prestigious M&A deals. With a beautiful wife, and two young daughters who look up to him, he has built the perfect life. But Michael has a secret: one that goes back to his childhood; a secret so dark it could destroy his family and brilliant career. Discovered by the wrong people, it would certainly get him killed. There is only one person who knows about his past, and he is a career criminal who manages a low profile hedge fund, bankrolled by Eastern European mafia money. Michael is safe, but only for as long as he agrees to feed details of his firm’s deals to the fund so it can make millions from insider trading.

Genres: Thriller

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 17, 2014

About the author

Martin Bodenham is a crime thriller writer.

He is the former CEO of a London-based private equity firm, before which he was a corporate finance partner at both KPMG and Ernst & Young.

His latest crime novel, Watch for Me, is a psychological suspense thriller and was published by US publisher, Down & Out Books, in August 2021.

Reviews

[Veronica ⭐️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Hoffman had a rough past but after changing his name and working hard he had built a new life for himself – a good life. Michael has now been made an equity partner in a major law firm.
He has always maintained a low profile pushing the dark secret of his past to the back of his mind. He wasn’t that person anymore. However, one slip up would bring Rondell Williams crashing back into his life. And with that his whole world will come slowly tumbling down. Rondell runs a hedge fund company backed by Mafia money. He blackmails high profile lawyers into giving information on upcoming deals so his firm can make millions from insider trading. Michael must conform with Rondell’s requests or his wife will be told of his past. Michael is torn by what is right and what is wrong but he can see no way out.

This was an unputdownable financial crime thriller. And when the Mafia is involved you know there is going to be lots of blackmail and murder.
I felt Michael’s hopelessness, the innocent victim, how was he ever going to get out of this mess. The plot moves along quickly with more and more people, both good and evil, being caught in the Mafia web. Michael’s character hooks you in, you really feel sorry for him and a severe dislike for Rondell.
This story has a surprising twist at the end plus the ending itself had me reeling.
All I can say is Oh My Goodness!!!

[June Kramin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Martin's last book, so I was anxious to dive right in. I was not let down. This was another great, fast paced read that you don't want to put down. Your heart will go out to some characters while you'll want to hurt others! Can't wait to see what come next.

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can a man ever escape his past, or must his family pay the price? Once a Killer stuffs a taut psychological thriller with dirty money and exposes the dark side of Wall Street – insider trading, dodgy deals and illicit money trails. Add the Eastern European mafia into the mix and this is a first-class thriller with an unexpected and truly shocking ending. A real page-turner.

I really enjoyed the ride!

[Jude Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a page turner. You start to wonder when and how Michael Hoffman is going to get out.
Though I gave it a five star the end could've been better.

[Theresa Needham fehse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Free book for honest review. juliesbookreview.blogspot.com

Michael Hoffman has come a long way from his deprived childhood in Chicago’s south side. Now he’s a young, successful partner in a major New York law firm, handling some of its clients’ most prestigious M&A deals. With a beautiful wife, and two young daughters who look up to him, he has built the perfect life. But Michael has a secret: one that goes back to his childhood; a secret so dark it could destroy his family and brilliant career. Discovered by the wrong people, it would certainly get him killed. There is only one person who knows about his past, and he is a career criminal who manages a low profile hedge fund, bankrolled by Eastern European mafia money. Michael is safe, but only for as long as he agrees to feed details of his firm’s deals to the fund so it can make millions from insider trading.

Wow what can i say about this book hmm It was AMAZING!!! This guy just had bad luck with every step he made.. it felt so real like you was right there with micheal at every step he made. I was like man give the guy a break let him just live his life in peace with his family.. every chapter was pack full of action and twist and turns not knowing whats going to happen next when you think it was done and over with... feel so upset about micheal had to do at the end that's all i can say so i don't spoil it for other reader's.. everybody this book is MUST HAVE !!!!!!!!!

5 out of 5 books
Olivia R.

[David Jarrett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to write semi-negative reviews almost as much as I hate receiving them, but this book was by no means the thriller that its title and description imply. There was heavy emphasis on the ins and outs of securities trading, a subject that the author obviously knows well, and if one wanted to learn about hedge funds without reading a text, this book would give him a start. However, there was too much meaningless dialogue and not enough action to keep a reader interested in turning the pages. I usually read a book in a night or two -- this one took me two weeks, simply because, although I wanted to finish it out of respect for the author, it did not hold my interest. The story is set in the USA, but many of the colloquialisms are obviously British, and do not sit well with an American reader as myself. The main plot line was straightforward enough, but the subplots were ineffective, the character development wooden, and the backstory "twist" that the reader needs to understand the protagonist's dilemma is not revealed until very near the end of the book. The author has only a rudimentary knowledge of firearms, probably gleaned from reading a book or from the Internet, and has probably never fired one himself, and it shows in his descriptions of all firearm-related actions. The ending of the story is contrived, weak, and abrupt, and leaves the reader with a "who cares?" attitude -- not the way for a "thriller" to end.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not the kind of book I normally read, but I am a fan of Martin's work and dove right in. The book is about a lawyer named Michael who is living the good life. His career is taking off, he has an amazing wife and two girls. However, everything changes when a person from his past pays a visit and threatens to expose who Michael really is. In order to hide his past from his job and his family, Michael is blackmailed into helping his old friend with more than a few illegal acts against his law firm. This story leaves you guessing until the end. I could not wait to find out the real story behind Michael's past and see how he would hold his life together while trying to cover up his past.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by this author and I really liked it. Good plot, enough action to move the story along. I wish it had been a little longer - I thought the ending, while not unexpected, was somewhat abrupt. It has made me want to read more by Mr. Bodenham, and I highly recommend it.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Legal/Finanace Thriller.
Excellent book! Well developed characters, there are a lot of them, no problem getting to know them all. Hard to put down.
5 stars.

[Marty Bohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not great literature, but if you're in the mood for a fast paced Wall Street thriller, this is it!

[Andy Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best one I've read for a long time, good from start to finish.