Defenseless

by Matt Lenz

Buckle up for the most riveting man-chase crime thriller of the decade

When Mark Stone's wife is murdered he quickly realises he cannot rely on the police to bring the villains to justice. But in his increasingly desperate search for clues to the killers' identity, Mark himself becomes the hunted one. Under the heat of the Florida sun, once the gun smoke has cleared, who will come out on top?

Genres: Mystery

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2014

About the author

I’m an engineer but I’m also creative. I’ve designed and built one-of-a-kind systems for entertainment and theme parks for a long time. I’ve always had an overriding passion for writing, especially suspense thrillers. Before publishing my first novel, I wrote a dozen live stunt show scripts, created concepts for scores of theme park rides and attractions, and authored hundreds of winning project proposals, most of which I’ve built and installed all around the world. For example, one highly successful project seen by billions of people around the world was the Olympic Cauldron Flame for the 2006 games in Torino, Italy. Chances are, if you’ve been to a theme park in the USA, Asia, Europe or England, you’ve enjoyed an amazing attraction I’ve helped to create.
Defenseless is the first of three novels with the sequel, Merciless, in the works. I live with my family in Orlando, Florida.

Reviews

[Jjamieson1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very tense and exciting thriller about a man on the hunt for his wife’s killers. I found all the action scenes relentless and it had me gripped the whole way through. I really liked the first-person narrative and the short and punchy writing that I thought was well crafted and didn't get in the way of the exhilarating journey the main character, Mark, goes on. It’s starts well with the horrific murder of Mark’s wife, and the rest is an intense ride as he tries to find them. One of the best thrillers I've read- believable, fast and one hell of a rush. I’d definitely recommend it.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. Typically, I don’t get into the mystery/thriller/detective genre, but I gave this one a read. The main character has a drive to solve his wife’s murder, no matter the cost. At times, he does so seemingly without thinking about the cost or the outcome. He gets himself into trouble more than once, which drives much of the conflict in the book. Other conflict comes from his inability to manage his emotions, which leads to him disappointing those he is close to.

The book is very fast paced; I managed to finish it within a week because the action is truly always on. The writing is well done, and the author uses concise and clear descriptions to get the reader into the headspace of the protagonist and to get the reader into the setting in which the characters live.

The one concern I have with the novel is related to the number of lucky breaks that the protagonist gets during his quest for vengeance. For example, the characters he meets and the money he receives seem to be forced, rather than what would ordinarily happen. Aside from that, I am ready for book 2, hoping that Mark Stone has learned from his miscalculations and missteps of “Defenseless.” I would like to see him stay out of trouble, but I’ve got the feeling that the author likes the drama and suspense of putting him in harms way.

TL;DR: Fast paced with great actions scenes. Includes a fair amount of descriptions to keep the reader familiar with the setting and the protagonists drive but not enough to bog down the story.

[Marianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very simple and engaging thriller. Like watching a well-acted movie. The excitement and tension are almost palpable.

[Erik Empson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly reading this book is like watching an action movie. The suspense does not let up!

[Joann · Rating 4 out of 5]

ONE OF MY WORST FEARS! This book went right to the heart of a fear many may have, being invaded and harmed through no fault of their own. This was a very fast paced action novel that kept you on the edge of your seat. Loved the fact the author did not repeat himself or the situation, but kept moving the plot forward. When I started to have a question in my mind, it seemed like the author was right there with the explanation, like aren't their alligators in that swamp! Answer-yes! I almost got hot myself due to the poor main character sweating all the time. Living in Florida, I can relate, but sure wished he had a swimming pool to jump in! Looking forward to reading Merciless....heard it was even better.
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Product Details

DEFENSELESS: an intense, action-packed crime thriller
byMatt Lenz
3.7 out of 5 stars
62
3.7 out of 5 stars

[Patty U. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't see that ending coming. Great story. One guys quest to find the men that broke into his home and killed his wife during a robbery. This reads like true to life. Once the venture starts it doesn't let up. I have the second book ready to read.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

a man's wife is murdered in a botched robbery. He is determined to catch them. He does

[Barb VanderWel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this & I can't wait for more.
I will be also leaving a review on Goodreads @ Amazon.
And letting everyone know about it.
So i gave it a 5 Stars.

[Nancy Ahyee · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing style here is painfully choppy, and the premise is ridiculous at best. An architect is expecting to solve his wife's murder because he feels the detective on the case is incompetent (cliche). The detective tells him that his description of the vehicle is nebulous and can't be trusted, but his physical therapist suggests that he just ask someone at the DMV for the vehicle records he wants because it can't hurt to just ask. The woman he talks with (Mrs. Brown) talks with her supervisor, who informs him that it's against the law for him to access these records, that only the police are allowed to have them. But then Mrs. Brown calls him and tells him that she can do the search and erase the evidence, and she's willing to risk this for a total stranger because her husband's murder has been unsolved for six years. (Seriously? But wait, it gets better!) She gives him a flash drive with about 5000 vehicle records on it. He dumps the data into "a spreadsheet program" that he uses for work to perform calculations. One of the data columns is vehicle color, so he starts going through them one by one, deleting the vehicles that aren't white. After six hours, he has cleared only 100 records and feels there must be a faster way. (No! Really??) He starts to research and discovers online that the serial number of each vehicle (most people would call that a VIN) has the color coded into it. So he writes a formula in the spreadsheet to remove all of the vehicles that aren't white. So let's think about this. We are supposed to believe that a man who doesn't even know how to filter a spreadsheet (which would take, oh, about two seconds) can solve his wife's murder better than the police?!?! Now that's what I call suspension of disbelief! I would give it zero stars if I could!

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pros: Kept me interested, wanted to know what was going to happen next. Enjoyed how the author detailed and described locations of events.
Cons: I would hope that police are not that incompetent with their investigations, but one never knows.
Interesting how he escaped from bathroom, not sure this can really be done without making any noise.
I really enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to your next one.

[Philip A. Guercio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plenty of action not too original

An every day guy watches his wife get murdered and opts for revenge. Sound familiar? It is and too much so. Plenty of action to make up somewhat for the tired story line.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

the story is about how o e men had to find the people who killed his wife due to a police dept. who wasn't I tested his job