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Michael Hendricks #1
The Killing Kind
A hitman who only kills other hitmen winds up a target himself.Michael Hendricks kills people for money. That aside, he's not so bad a guy.
Once a covert operative for a false-flag unit of the US military, Hendricks was presumed dead after a mission in Afghanistan went sideways. He left behind his old life--and beloved fiancée--and set out on a path of redemption...or perhaps one of willful self-destruction.
Now Hendricks makes his living as a hitman entrepreneur of sorts--he only hits other hitmen. For ten times the price on your head, he'll make sure whoever's coming to kill you winds up in the ground instead. Not a bad way for a guy with his skill-set to make a living--but a great way to make himself a target.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published August 27, 2015
120 people are currently reading
1749 people want to read
About the author
Chris Holm
21 books327 followersChris Holm is the author of the cross-genre Collector trilogy, which recasts the battle between heaven and hell as old-fashioned crime pulp; the Michael Hendricks thrillers, which feature a hitman who only kills other hitmen; and the standalone scientific thriller, CHILD ZERO. He's also a former molecular biologist with a U.S. patent to his name. Chris’ work has been selected for THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES, named a New York Times Editors’ Choice, and won a number of awards, including the 2016 Anthony Award for Best Novel. He lives in Portland, Maine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 263 reviews
January 10, 2016
This is a great book for any Mystery reader looking for an amazing read.
That said, I encourage anyone who likes their stories fast, furious and un-put-down-able to give "The Killing Kind" a try.
The book's plot is the story of a man who becomes a Hit-Man going after other Hit-Men (quite unlike Dexter). Mr. Holm's has utilized a plausible environment (today's world) where protagonist Michael a former black-ops sniper who was presumed dead after a top-secret mission in Afghanistan goes tragically wrong. He comes back home and "lives off the grid" with the help of his friend and former army buddy Lester. They are trying to make the world right. Now Michael is being hunted by a man who sees nothing wrong with killing women and children - for a price.
If a comparison is needed, the book reads like Robert Ludlum meets Richard Stark. The tension builds and builds, morality is questioned, the characters are enthralling with their own back stories, the book is relentless and breathtaking.
Don't pass this up.
That said, I encourage anyone who likes their stories fast, furious and un-put-down-able to give "The Killing Kind" a try.
The book's plot is the story of a man who becomes a Hit-Man going after other Hit-Men (quite unlike Dexter). Mr. Holm's has utilized a plausible environment (today's world) where protagonist Michael a former black-ops sniper who was presumed dead after a top-secret mission in Afghanistan goes tragically wrong. He comes back home and "lives off the grid" with the help of his friend and former army buddy Lester. They are trying to make the world right. Now Michael is being hunted by a man who sees nothing wrong with killing women and children - for a price.
If a comparison is needed, the book reads like Robert Ludlum meets Richard Stark. The tension builds and builds, morality is questioned, the characters are enthralling with their own back stories, the book is relentless and breathtaking.
Don't pass this up.
June 29, 2015
Michael Hendricks has a very particular set of skills, skills he has learned over a short career as a covert ops agent stationed in Afghanistan, skills that make him a nightmare for other hired killers. If you pay him now, that will be the end of it. You will survive an attempt on your life. But if you don’t, he will ignore you, they will find you, and they will kill you.
Up to now, Hendricks has made himself a very successful career knocking off other hit men. Unfortunately for Hendricks, a large crime syndicate dubbed The Council has taken it upon itself to seek out an equally skilled killer, Engelmann, to wipe him off the map. Adding fuel to the fire is FBI Special Agent Charlie Thompson. Leaving nothing behind; no clues, no method of identification, Hendricks has become nothing more than a ghost to her for years.
The Killing Kind sets a collision course for all three individuals. A collision course that leads to a war. A war in which all three will do anything to be the last one standing.
Chris Holm’s The Killing Kind moves like a tank with a Ferrari engine; absolutely brutal and destructive scenes infused with action that flows effortlessly. With so many cooks in the kitchen, you rarely have time to catch your breath before Holm moves the focus to another scene or character, keeping things fresh and intriguing.
The Killing Kind had been one of my most anticipated reads of 2015 and I’m happy to say that my expectations were met, and then some. Grab this when it hits shelves in September.
Also posted @ Every Read Thing.
Up to now, Hendricks has made himself a very successful career knocking off other hit men. Unfortunately for Hendricks, a large crime syndicate dubbed The Council has taken it upon itself to seek out an equally skilled killer, Engelmann, to wipe him off the map. Adding fuel to the fire is FBI Special Agent Charlie Thompson. Leaving nothing behind; no clues, no method of identification, Hendricks has become nothing more than a ghost to her for years.
The Killing Kind sets a collision course for all three individuals. A collision course that leads to a war. A war in which all three will do anything to be the last one standing.
Chris Holm’s The Killing Kind moves like a tank with a Ferrari engine; absolutely brutal and destructive scenes infused with action that flows effortlessly. With so many cooks in the kitchen, you rarely have time to catch your breath before Holm moves the focus to another scene or character, keeping things fresh and intriguing.
The Killing Kind had been one of my most anticipated reads of 2015 and I’m happy to say that my expectations were met, and then some. Grab this when it hits shelves in September.
Also posted @ Every Read Thing.
October 24, 2025
Малко неправдоподобна ми се видя основната идея на тази книга - наемен убиец, който убива само наемни убийци, но пък Крис Холм я е написал историята добре и ми беше интересна.
Но героите му не са много изпипани и от това "Порода убиец" определено губи.
Моята оценка - 2,5*.
P.S. Естествено, "Бард" не са издали втората част на поредицата.
Но героите му не са много изпипани и от това "Порода убиец" определено губи.
Моята оценка - 2,5*.
P.S. Естествено, "Бард" не са издали втората част на поредицата.
November 11, 2018
Michael Hendricks is a former army vet long presumed dead who now makes a lucrative living from murdering hit men who target seeming innocent men at the bequest of the mob. It's a tough gig but Hendricks' skills and training have made him perfect for the path he's so violently paved for himself.
In The Killing Kind, we're introduced to Hendricks and a host of bit-characters who fleet in and out of the story (sometimes altogether after a backstory and present tense scene) which makes it difficult to really connect with any one character, although Charlie, the cop on Hendricks' trail grew on me towards the later stages of the book.
The story is pretty much what you'd expect from a thriller / hit man novel with plenty of action (the casino scene is especially well written) and lots of lives thrown away in a hail of bullets. What dampens the story is the somewhat disjointed feel of the book overall. Is this meant to be about Hendricks/the mob/Charlie/or the hit man hired to hunt Hendricks? Too much switching back and forth between characters for no real reason makes it a little uninteresting at times.
My rating: 3/5 stars. I much prefer Max Allan Collins' Quarry novels for my hit man fix but The Killing Kind is a decent enough thriller, I just wish the story stuck to Hendricks rather than introducing elements which detracted from the plot.
In The Killing Kind, we're introduced to Hendricks and a host of bit-characters who fleet in and out of the story (sometimes altogether after a backstory and present tense scene) which makes it difficult to really connect with any one character, although Charlie, the cop on Hendricks' trail grew on me towards the later stages of the book.
The story is pretty much what you'd expect from a thriller / hit man novel with plenty of action (the casino scene is especially well written) and lots of lives thrown away in a hail of bullets. What dampens the story is the somewhat disjointed feel of the book overall. Is this meant to be about Hendricks/the mob/Charlie/or the hit man hired to hunt Hendricks? Too much switching back and forth between characters for no real reason makes it a little uninteresting at times.
My rating: 3/5 stars. I much prefer Max Allan Collins' Quarry novels for my hit man fix but The Killing Kind is a decent enough thriller, I just wish the story stuck to Hendricks rather than introducing elements which detracted from the plot.
August 1, 2015
I was excited to get this ARC. I loved Holm’s Collector series, and though this goes more into the detective line and away from the fantastical aspects that got me into it, I still love Holm’s writing, and I love the concept. I don’t know if this is meant to become a series or something — there’s room for it, given the ending, but it would be awkward to put the emotional punch into it. The main character is already a ghost, cut off from family and friends: there’s basically only two people he cares for, and by the end of this book, one of them is dead and the other is going into witness protection where she should, in theory, be safe.
Still, if Holm decides to write more, I trust him to do it well. There’s a redemption plot here, after all: Hendricks is killing hitmen with the eventual goal of redemption. When exactly he might reach that, I don’t think the character knows.
Anyway, this has slick writing, with just the right levels of detail. I love that it has some queer characters, too, just casually in with the rest because that’s how it works. I felt like I knew what was coming a little too often at the end, but maybe that’s just in comparison to mysteries where the end is deliberately from out of nowhere.
Originally posted here.
Still, if Holm decides to write more, I trust him to do it well. There’s a redemption plot here, after all: Hendricks is killing hitmen with the eventual goal of redemption. When exactly he might reach that, I don’t think the character knows.
Anyway, this has slick writing, with just the right levels of detail. I love that it has some queer characters, too, just casually in with the rest because that’s how it works. I felt like I knew what was coming a little too often at the end, but maybe that’s just in comparison to mysteries where the end is deliberately from out of nowhere.
Originally posted here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2015
Thank you to the Publishers, the author and Net Galley for this great book !
Let's start off with one fact, this is my favourite type of book, but boy did this add more.
A killer of a concept, a riveting rollercoaster of an action, with a huge body count that keeps you guessing all the way, who will make it to the end, how many more dead bodies !
My first book by this author, but I also believe one of his first thrillers, as this authors previous work is fantasy books, a "no no" from me. But his move into action thriller is a great success.
The central character of The Killing Kind is Hendricks, who doesn't collect the souls he sends to - wherever they go - but simply bumps off their owners. Hendricks is a very particular sort of hitman, focussing exclusively on other hitmen. Somehow he's got a line on who the organised crime gangs want killed, and, amazingly, it turns out the intended victims will pay to live.
There are Reasons for Hendricks' taking up this particular line in crime: guilt after surviving when the rest of his US Army unit died, guilt at what they'd done before that, a desire to atone - but to be honest, for me, that didn't really matter, what matters in this book is the relentless action, Hendricks' ingenuity at doing what he does, and above all, the dramatic hunt that ensues when the Mob discover someone is messing with their plans. Of course they buy in another legendary assassin and of course we end up with a full-blooded duel - and of course there is plenty of carnage along the way, add to this a FBI agent who is on the tail of the would be good assassin, and a collection of great supporting characters including Wesley.
This concept has my heart pounding and just could not stop reading and just had to know what was happening next, who would survive throughout all these twists and turns.
A fantastically fast paced, action packed action thriller, I know a book is good, when I think this would be a great action film.
An easy five stars for me.
Let's start off with one fact, this is my favourite type of book, but boy did this add more.
A killer of a concept, a riveting rollercoaster of an action, with a huge body count that keeps you guessing all the way, who will make it to the end, how many more dead bodies !
My first book by this author, but I also believe one of his first thrillers, as this authors previous work is fantasy books, a "no no" from me. But his move into action thriller is a great success.
The central character of The Killing Kind is Hendricks, who doesn't collect the souls he sends to - wherever they go - but simply bumps off their owners. Hendricks is a very particular sort of hitman, focussing exclusively on other hitmen. Somehow he's got a line on who the organised crime gangs want killed, and, amazingly, it turns out the intended victims will pay to live.
There are Reasons for Hendricks' taking up this particular line in crime: guilt after surviving when the rest of his US Army unit died, guilt at what they'd done before that, a desire to atone - but to be honest, for me, that didn't really matter, what matters in this book is the relentless action, Hendricks' ingenuity at doing what he does, and above all, the dramatic hunt that ensues when the Mob discover someone is messing with their plans. Of course they buy in another legendary assassin and of course we end up with a full-blooded duel - and of course there is plenty of carnage along the way, add to this a FBI agent who is on the tail of the would be good assassin, and a collection of great supporting characters including Wesley.
This concept has my heart pounding and just could not stop reading and just had to know what was happening next, who would survive throughout all these twists and turns.
A fantastically fast paced, action packed action thriller, I know a book is good, when I think this would be a great action film.
An easy five stars for me.
August 27, 2018
The assassin-hero is an oddly popular trope in thrillers. It runs the gamut from James Bond, Jason Bourne and Gabriel Allon (all essentially assassins with ancillary skills) to Mitch Rapp and Will Robie (government-sponsored killers without the "spy" frosting) to various freelancers such as John Rain who use their skills on various sides of the law. Typically, we watch our assassin-heroes kill people who "need killing" (however that's defined) and avoid getting killed themselves, usually by other assassins who work for people who "need killing." It's quite possible to get lost in this hall of mirrors where the putative good and bad guys are reflections of each other save for their employment contracts.
The Killing Kind takes this trope to its logical conclusion by giving us Michael Hendricks, an assassin who kills other assassins. While this is the usual end-state for most of these tales, author Holm cuts through the interim plot points and goes straight for the usual Act 3.
Hendricks is a standard thriller trope: the patriotic kid with the awful upbringing who discovers his calling in special forces work (see "Bourne, Jason") and, through a series of (fairly unlikely) circumstances, becomes a killer-for-hire (see "Rain, John," et al). He finds out when people have pissed off the Council (the tropey confederation of underworld types) enough for the Council to send a hitter after them, then offers the would-be victim the opportunity to hire Hendricks for ten times the contract amount to put a kink in the Council's plans. Of course, the Council objects to this and sends another master assassin after Hendricks.
Got all that? It's really less complicated than it sounds. Narrative complexity is not a major feature here; sheer speed and punchy action is the draw.
Hendricks is the requisite tortured protagonist with a snake-bitten past. He lives a minimalistic life off the grid in a New England forest, stalks the Woman He Left Behind -- who's now (natch) pregnant by another man -- and has one friend in the world. Would it surprise you that the friend is an Army buddy in a wheelchair? No? Okay, would it surprise you that he's also the ace hacker who gets Hendricks all his intel? It shouldn't -- we've been working that trope since Lifeguard in Wiseguy back in the '80s. Despite this, Hendricks isn't as remote a character as he could be, and you'll probably end up rooting for him even though you know you shouldn't.
The other two main characters don't give him much competition in either dimension or in likability. FBI Special Agent Charlotte (Charlie, inevitably) Thompson is the stock hard-driving female cop who has no private life and an unhealthy lifestyle; even though she sussed out Hendricks' work years ago, nobody believes her (of course). If she was a bit more of a dork, she could be Kate O'Hare's sister in Janet Evanovich's "Fox & O'Hare" series. Engelmann, the hitter the Council sics on Hendricks, is predictably (a) non-American, and (b) a psychopath. Yes, I understand he has to be more mentally disturbed than the hero, but, really?
So with all that, how does this rate three stars? The simple answer: velocity. The story moves like street tires on black ice. I finished over half of the book in one night. The author can put a page together and keep the momentum going even when Hendricks is ruminating about his so-called life or Englemann is twirling his mustache. There's enough gun porn and fight porn to satisfy that side of your brain; the descriptions are sufficient to set the scenes in your mind; and the cliffhanger escapes keep you turning the pages, even though you've already figured how they'll play out. All of which makes this book perfect for that LAX-JFK nonstop even if you forget it by the time your luggage hits the carousel.
The Killing Kind is the literary analog to stock footage. That said, the author cut the clips together really well, producing a story that's highly familiar but still entertaining for the time it takes to read it. The sequel's set up in the last few pages; if you like this book, there's more out there. Empty calories? Sure. But they go down easy.
The Killing Kind takes this trope to its logical conclusion by giving us Michael Hendricks, an assassin who kills other assassins. While this is the usual end-state for most of these tales, author Holm cuts through the interim plot points and goes straight for the usual Act 3.
Hendricks is a standard thriller trope: the patriotic kid with the awful upbringing who discovers his calling in special forces work (see "Bourne, Jason") and, through a series of (fairly unlikely) circumstances, becomes a killer-for-hire (see "Rain, John," et al). He finds out when people have pissed off the Council (the tropey confederation of underworld types) enough for the Council to send a hitter after them, then offers the would-be victim the opportunity to hire Hendricks for ten times the contract amount to put a kink in the Council's plans. Of course, the Council objects to this and sends another master assassin after Hendricks.
Got all that? It's really less complicated than it sounds. Narrative complexity is not a major feature here; sheer speed and punchy action is the draw.
Hendricks is the requisite tortured protagonist with a snake-bitten past. He lives a minimalistic life off the grid in a New England forest, stalks the Woman He Left Behind -- who's now (natch) pregnant by another man -- and has one friend in the world. Would it surprise you that the friend is an Army buddy in a wheelchair? No? Okay, would it surprise you that he's also the ace hacker who gets Hendricks all his intel? It shouldn't -- we've been working that trope since Lifeguard in Wiseguy back in the '80s. Despite this, Hendricks isn't as remote a character as he could be, and you'll probably end up rooting for him even though you know you shouldn't.
The other two main characters don't give him much competition in either dimension or in likability. FBI Special Agent Charlotte (Charlie, inevitably) Thompson is the stock hard-driving female cop who has no private life and an unhealthy lifestyle; even though she sussed out Hendricks' work years ago, nobody believes her (of course). If she was a bit more of a dork, she could be Kate O'Hare's sister in Janet Evanovich's "Fox & O'Hare" series. Engelmann, the hitter the Council sics on Hendricks, is predictably (a) non-American, and (b) a psychopath. Yes, I understand he has to be more mentally disturbed than the hero, but, really?
So with all that, how does this rate three stars? The simple answer: velocity. The story moves like street tires on black ice. I finished over half of the book in one night. The author can put a page together and keep the momentum going even when Hendricks is ruminating about his so-called life or Englemann is twirling his mustache. There's enough gun porn and fight porn to satisfy that side of your brain; the descriptions are sufficient to set the scenes in your mind; and the cliffhanger escapes keep you turning the pages, even though you've already figured how they'll play out. All of which makes this book perfect for that LAX-JFK nonstop even if you forget it by the time your luggage hits the carousel.
The Killing Kind is the literary analog to stock footage. That said, the author cut the clips together really well, producing a story that's highly familiar but still entertaining for the time it takes to read it. The sequel's set up in the last few pages; if you like this book, there's more out there. Empty calories? Sure. But they go down easy.
September 26, 2015
Wow but this one hits the ground running and doesnt let up – an intriguing thrill ride of a novel, fast paced, brutal with that touch of insanity that makes a read a breathtaking one.
So Michael Hendricks is a skilled killer. He has his own moral code and is intensely loyal to the (very few) people he cares about. Engelmann is an equally skilled killer who has been tasked with taking Michael out by crime syndicate “The Council”. Then we have Charlie – an FBI special agent for whom Michael has become somewhat of a project.
So the scene is set for a desperate struggle to be the winner in a war of violence – and the author takes us on a shockingly savage at times yet so addictively readable road to the final solution without giving much room to stop along the way.
I liked the way that this was set from several viewpoints, I adored the pure energy of it – duelling assassins, blurring moral codes, some intricate plotting to keep things interesting and a genius pitch perfect ending.
Overall a fabulously fun read. Escapism at it’s best and a book to devour in one adrenalin fuelled sitting.
Happy Reading Folks!
So Michael Hendricks is a skilled killer. He has his own moral code and is intensely loyal to the (very few) people he cares about. Engelmann is an equally skilled killer who has been tasked with taking Michael out by crime syndicate “The Council”. Then we have Charlie – an FBI special agent for whom Michael has become somewhat of a project.
So the scene is set for a desperate struggle to be the winner in a war of violence – and the author takes us on a shockingly savage at times yet so addictively readable road to the final solution without giving much room to stop along the way.
I liked the way that this was set from several viewpoints, I adored the pure energy of it – duelling assassins, blurring moral codes, some intricate plotting to keep things interesting and a genius pitch perfect ending.
Overall a fabulously fun read. Escapism at it’s best and a book to devour in one adrenalin fuelled sitting.
Happy Reading Folks!
October 19, 2015
Chris Holm knows how to put together a mighty fine thriller, and with The Killing Kind he’s at his frenetic best.
While dueling assassins are old-hat in the thriller genre, Holm taps into a quick and easy rhythm that will keep readers glued to the page throughout. If it weren’t for the day job, I could have easily plowed through this book in a day, the pages kept turning so easily. In fact, I’m not sure that I’ve read a game of cat-and-mouse this engrossing since Thomas Perry’s Pursuit more than a decade ago.
Holm ably crafts his chase story in triangular fashion, with Michal Hendricks, a hitman who targets other hitmen, Engelmann, the hitman hired to locate and kill Hendricks, and the FBI agents trying to drum up any lead they can on the killer ghost that is Hendricks.
Hendricks, an ex-Special Forces operator, carries around a good amount of emotional baggage and conflictedness over his actions, and although he murders for money he operates by a set of rules and basic morality. The sort of ‘do a little bad to do a little good’ bit. Engelmann, on the other hand, is a wonderfully odd duck defined by his contrary nature. European, well-educated, nicely tailored, and possessing all the affectations that go along with that, he’s a cold-blooded sort and brutal in his executions, yet intriguingly and scarily deft in his tortures of those standing between him and his target.
The world in which both men operate in is nicely defined, and Holm tackles the big questions surrounding Hendricks’s choice of employment – like how does he figure out who needs help and who helps him along the way – quickly and succinctly, guiding readers through the plausible steps that define how a killer of killers would operate. And rather than feeling bogged down by a series of endless chases between disparate groups all running toward the same goal, there’s a beautiful sense of energy guiding the story.
Equally important, Holm avoids some of the typical expectations of the genre that most readers would expect – there’s no burgeoning romance shoehorned in between Hendricks and the female FBI agent that’s been chasing his ghost for years. These characters are utterly professional and proficient in their aims, which is another aspect I appreciated here. The focus is on keeping the tension torqued and the action moving.
And the action – well, there’s plenty of it, and it’s apparent that Holm had a great time writing and constructing this book. The Killing Kind is as clever as it is enjoyable, and Hendricks lays out several well thought out traps to ensnare his quarry, with a finale that is both satisfying and more than a touch ingenious.
The Killing Kind is a seriously fun read, and more than a few scenes recalled for me the glory days of the TV show Burn Notice (which, if you haven’t watched, you need to!). It’s energetic, propulsive, and eminently readable. Fans of smart action-thrillers, you’ve got your next read right here.
[This review is based on an advanced copy received from the publisher via NetGalley.]
While dueling assassins are old-hat in the thriller genre, Holm taps into a quick and easy rhythm that will keep readers glued to the page throughout. If it weren’t for the day job, I could have easily plowed through this book in a day, the pages kept turning so easily. In fact, I’m not sure that I’ve read a game of cat-and-mouse this engrossing since Thomas Perry’s Pursuit more than a decade ago.
Holm ably crafts his chase story in triangular fashion, with Michal Hendricks, a hitman who targets other hitmen, Engelmann, the hitman hired to locate and kill Hendricks, and the FBI agents trying to drum up any lead they can on the killer ghost that is Hendricks.
Hendricks, an ex-Special Forces operator, carries around a good amount of emotional baggage and conflictedness over his actions, and although he murders for money he operates by a set of rules and basic morality. The sort of ‘do a little bad to do a little good’ bit. Engelmann, on the other hand, is a wonderfully odd duck defined by his contrary nature. European, well-educated, nicely tailored, and possessing all the affectations that go along with that, he’s a cold-blooded sort and brutal in his executions, yet intriguingly and scarily deft in his tortures of those standing between him and his target.
The world in which both men operate in is nicely defined, and Holm tackles the big questions surrounding Hendricks’s choice of employment – like how does he figure out who needs help and who helps him along the way – quickly and succinctly, guiding readers through the plausible steps that define how a killer of killers would operate. And rather than feeling bogged down by a series of endless chases between disparate groups all running toward the same goal, there’s a beautiful sense of energy guiding the story.
Equally important, Holm avoids some of the typical expectations of the genre that most readers would expect – there’s no burgeoning romance shoehorned in between Hendricks and the female FBI agent that’s been chasing his ghost for years. These characters are utterly professional and proficient in their aims, which is another aspect I appreciated here. The focus is on keeping the tension torqued and the action moving.
And the action – well, there’s plenty of it, and it’s apparent that Holm had a great time writing and constructing this book. The Killing Kind is as clever as it is enjoyable, and Hendricks lays out several well thought out traps to ensnare his quarry, with a finale that is both satisfying and more than a touch ingenious.
The Killing Kind is a seriously fun read, and more than a few scenes recalled for me the glory days of the TV show Burn Notice (which, if you haven’t watched, you need to!). It’s energetic, propulsive, and eminently readable. Fans of smart action-thrillers, you’ve got your next read right here.
[This review is based on an advanced copy received from the publisher via NetGalley.]
September 10, 2021
The Killing Kind is the first book in a series about Michael Hendricks, a former special ops assassin who only targets other hit men. I was halfway through book two (Red Right Hand) when the references to events from this one convinced me to download the audiobook, which we listened to in the car. It meant I was already spoiled for the outcome of this, which diluted the impact, but we both still enjoyed it. Unfortunately there is no sign of a third book (RRH was published in 2016) so I guess this didn’t do well enough to persuade the author to keep writing?
Michael Hendricks lives in the shadows - after being declared dead following an explosion in Afghanistan, only his best friend Lester knows the truth. Together they provide a service where people can have a hit man eliminated - for ten times the bounty on their heads. When The Council, a nefarious criminal organisation, tire of having their hit men eliminated, they hire uber-sociopath Alexander Engelmann to track Hendricks down - and the hunter becomes the hunted…
While there’s nothing groundbreaking here, I liked the premise, the hero and the way it was written. The tension mounts towards some epic action sequences straight out of a Hollywood movie. We get both Hendricks’ and Engelmann’s perspectives - one killing to atone for his past, the other as his calling. There’s also Charlie, an FBI agent determined to catch her “ghost”. While there is violence including torture, and a fairly high body count, it’s not gratuitous.
Obviously I already knew how this would end, but not the details, but with this sort of book the outcome is never really in doubt. The audiobook narrator wasn’t my favourite, he reads competently but I didn’t particularly like his accent. Recommended to fans of full-on action fiction - and here’s hoping the author does have some more adventures planned for Hendricks and is just taking his time.
Michael Hendricks lives in the shadows - after being declared dead following an explosion in Afghanistan, only his best friend Lester knows the truth. Together they provide a service where people can have a hit man eliminated - for ten times the bounty on their heads. When The Council, a nefarious criminal organisation, tire of having their hit men eliminated, they hire uber-sociopath Alexander Engelmann to track Hendricks down - and the hunter becomes the hunted…
While there’s nothing groundbreaking here, I liked the premise, the hero and the way it was written. The tension mounts towards some epic action sequences straight out of a Hollywood movie. We get both Hendricks’ and Engelmann’s perspectives - one killing to atone for his past, the other as his calling. There’s also Charlie, an FBI agent determined to catch her “ghost”. While there is violence including torture, and a fairly high body count, it’s not gratuitous.
Obviously I already knew how this would end, but not the details, but with this sort of book the outcome is never really in doubt. The audiobook narrator wasn’t my favourite, he reads competently but I didn’t particularly like his accent. Recommended to fans of full-on action fiction - and here’s hoping the author does have some more adventures planned for Hendricks and is just taking his time.
October 10, 2015
There are both strong pluses and strong minuses to this book. I like it but then it took a long time for it to really draw men into it's story.
So, what do we have here? We have "another" disillusioned spec-ops soldier. He was good at killing but over time lost his ideals as he was asked to handle the kind of jobs that the government would "disavow".
Then he was killed...sort of. He happened to be checking out a noise beside the road when an IED took out almost his entire outfit. So he decided to stay dead. Giving up the woman he loves, giving up his prior life he becomes a hit man...except he only kills other hit men (I don't know if he'd kill a hit woman that hasn't come up yet).
Oh and he won't do it for free. See if you're scheduled to be "hit" he'll offer to hit the hit man before said hit man hits you. For an exorbitant price. I mean how much would you pay to not get hit?
Of course after a while the people hiring the dead hit men become...concerned.
As noted the book does "wake up" around the halfway point (though some like it from the "get-go"). I can recommend this one. It does seem to be the first in another series even though there isn't a "1" after the title. I guess we'll wait and see but it does end with that, "there's more to come" feeling.
Enjoy.
So, what do we have here? We have "another" disillusioned spec-ops soldier. He was good at killing but over time lost his ideals as he was asked to handle the kind of jobs that the government would "disavow".
Then he was killed...sort of. He happened to be checking out a noise beside the road when an IED took out almost his entire outfit. So he decided to stay dead. Giving up the woman he loves, giving up his prior life he becomes a hit man...except he only kills other hit men (I don't know if he'd kill a hit woman that hasn't come up yet).
Oh and he won't do it for free. See if you're scheduled to be "hit" he'll offer to hit the hit man before said hit man hits you. For an exorbitant price. I mean how much would you pay to not get hit?
Of course after a while the people hiring the dead hit men become...concerned.
As noted the book does "wake up" around the halfway point (though some like it from the "get-go"). I can recommend this one. It does seem to be the first in another series even though there isn't a "1" after the title. I guess we'll wait and see but it does end with that, "there's more to come" feeling.
Enjoy.
October 29, 2015
The opening scene hits the ground running as we witness a hit on a Miami entrepreneur. Within the background of art deco, we can’t help but wait for what is to be. However, what takes place is a twisted turn of events. We are left to digest what’s transpired…and challenge ourselves on whether there was true vengeance.
Michael Hendricks, a former Special Ops agent, is in the business as a killer for hire. Through breached mob communications and possessing The Godfather, he goes out of his way to offer his services to those marked – and of course for a price tag.
He is particular in choosing his clientele on the grounds he deems saving or whether they deserve a second chance, and takes a pass on petty family wars. He takes pride that "in the three and a half years he'd been doing this, he'd yet to lose a single client".
The Council, which encompasses all the major crime families operating in the U.S., contacts one of their own hired killers, Alexander Engelmann to take care of Hendricks.
The title sets the tone of the story for what’s to come – a hitman who targets other hitmen; the hunter becoming the hunted.
I’m not surprised Hendricks was a military man. And although he has managed to be a ghost severing ties to his roots, what connections he does have are near and dear to his heart. This is where the wheels turn on the vigilante for hire.
A fast-paced read for those who enjoy old-fashioned crime pulp.
Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
Michael Hendricks, a former Special Ops agent, is in the business as a killer for hire. Through breached mob communications and possessing The Godfather, he goes out of his way to offer his services to those marked – and of course for a price tag.
He is particular in choosing his clientele on the grounds he deems saving or whether they deserve a second chance, and takes a pass on petty family wars. He takes pride that "in the three and a half years he'd been doing this, he'd yet to lose a single client".
The Council, which encompasses all the major crime families operating in the U.S., contacts one of their own hired killers, Alexander Engelmann to take care of Hendricks.
The title sets the tone of the story for what’s to come – a hitman who targets other hitmen; the hunter becoming the hunted.
I’m not surprised Hendricks was a military man. And although he has managed to be a ghost severing ties to his roots, what connections he does have are near and dear to his heart. This is where the wheels turn on the vigilante for hire.
A fast-paced read for those who enjoy old-fashioned crime pulp.
Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
September 27, 2015
I had been looking forward to the release of Chris Holm’s The Killing Kind for some time, and I hoped and expected to enjoy it, but by the time I got a chance to read it, I’d heard so much praise, part of me feared it might not live up to it. Fear not - it totally does. Smart, tightly crafted, a great premise and a great story — character driven, plot driven, it’s just driven, relentlessly propelling you forward like the best thrillers out there.
November 18, 2025
sometimes books don’t need to be good ok? they can just be fun 😤😤
April 22, 2016
This is the kind of tale best tackled with a bag of chips and a six of soda. It's fast and furious in a way that'll take you back to your teens, when you inhaled as many of these pulpy thrill rides as you could get your hands on. Overworked descriptions, mimicked styles, every single character a cliché - but that's okay because all we're here to do is play whack-a-page at a certified, high-speed, Guinness Book of World Records rate. (Crunch, crunch, sip, sip.)
I sometimes wonder how many budding crime novelists tapped a Post-It note on the von Sydow scene in Three Days of the Condor. Probably the same number who flagged The Mechanic for a fourth viewing. (Feeling a certain level of kinship here? You might check out Keanu Reeves in John Wick...if you haven't already.) Unlike despots, terrorists and alien overlords, assassins can actually be twisted into antiheroes of lurid fascination. Chris Holm takes his shot at the construct with Black Ops vet Michael Hendricks - ostensibly killed in action while on patrol in Afghanistan when, in fact, all that died were his rosier illusions. In a moral lurch that's never quite fully explained, Hendricks returns to the U.S. of A. and takes up work as a hitman of note. His specialty is a particular and tremendously elusive form of quarry. He targets other hitmen.
Now I could go on to flesh out a few of the more meaty structural elements, but in a story this adrenalin-dependent it would take the experience down a peg. It's not deep stuff. There's nothing much to weigh, so why screw with the one rush it's tailored to provide?
Read no further. Chips, a six, and a retro thrill. Enjoy.
I sometimes wonder how many budding crime novelists tapped a Post-It note on the von Sydow scene in Three Days of the Condor. Probably the same number who flagged The Mechanic for a fourth viewing. (Feeling a certain level of kinship here? You might check out Keanu Reeves in John Wick...if you haven't already.) Unlike despots, terrorists and alien overlords, assassins can actually be twisted into antiheroes of lurid fascination. Chris Holm takes his shot at the construct with Black Ops vet Michael Hendricks - ostensibly killed in action while on patrol in Afghanistan when, in fact, all that died were his rosier illusions. In a moral lurch that's never quite fully explained, Hendricks returns to the U.S. of A. and takes up work as a hitman of note. His specialty is a particular and tremendously elusive form of quarry. He targets other hitmen.
Now I could go on to flesh out a few of the more meaty structural elements, but in a story this adrenalin-dependent it would take the experience down a peg. It's not deep stuff. There's nothing much to weigh, so why screw with the one rush it's tailored to provide?
Read no further. Chips, a six, and a retro thrill. Enjoy.
September 27, 2015
I haven't slept much in the last 24 hours and I blame this book. Without a doubt, one of my favourites of this year. Review to follow...
October 25, 2015
4.5 Stars.
Exciting, fast moving read. I really like this author's writing style.
Exciting, fast moving read. I really like this author's writing style.
September 15, 2015
FBI Special Agent Charlotte Thompson has an obsession. Over a period of several years she’s been tracking a man she calls the ghost, a hit man she’s convinced is responsible for an unusual string of murders—her ghost only kills other hit men.
Neither her new partner nor her bosses at the Bureau are convinced.
But as it turns out, calling her quarry a ghost is incredibly apt since, unbeknownst to Thompson, the target of her obsession is dead. Well, on the books he is anyway.
Michael Hendricks was once a member of a covert ops unit sent to perform false-flag missions for the US government. When all but two members of his squad—Hendricks and one other—were killed in a roadside attack in Afghanistan, Hendricks saw it as an opportunity to disappear and start his life over.
Upon finding his way back to the States, Hendricks decided to put his special skill set to use in a way he hopes will help him clear his conscience and earn redemption—he becomes a killer of killers. With the help of his friend, tech wizard Lester Myers, the other survivor of that attack in Afghanistan, Hendricks identifies people who are targets of impending “hits” and offers to take out the hit man assigned the job—for a price: ten times the cost of the hit. People who accept Hendricks’s offer live to see another day. Those who decide to pass, well, their track record isn’t too great when they decide to roll the dice without Hendricks as backup.
Things take an interesting, and potentially deadly, turn for Hendricks when a group that represents the various mob factions throughout the US in matters of importance to them all gets fed up with their hitters getting hit. Their solution? Hire the best freelancer in the world, a creepy, nasty piece of work named Alexander Engleman, a man who savors his job just a little too much, to track down and eliminate the ghost haunting their operations. Complicating matters even further for Hendricks, Special Agent Thompson has finally figured out his pattern and convinces her bosses to turn her loose, which sets the various parties and action in motion on an inevitable course for collision.
It wouldn’t be correct to say at that point The Killing Kind is off to the races, because the truth of the matter is author Chris Holm starts things off at a run right from the opening pages, when the reader joins Hendricks on a hit in progress, and the pace rarely slows down long enough to take a breath from that point on. With a wonderfully adept mix of straightforward prose and exquisite attention to detail, Holm takes both his characters and the reader on a wild, pulse-pounding ride that unfolds from the streets of Miami to the woods of Virginia, with stops in Portland, Maine’s Old Port neighborhood (home base to Lester Myers) and a riverside casino in Kansas City (where a deliciously convoluted and colorful confrontation occurs involving all the parties—with a Hendricks client and his assigned hitter thrown in for good, wickedly messy measure) along the way. The Killing Kind’s climactic showdown is one for the ages, with Holm bringing things to life with such detail and creativity it begs to be put on film…and will leave you casting glances about your house, amazed at the uncommon use some common items can be put to in the right hands.
Previously known to readers for his outstanding, intricately plotted and laced with dark humor urban fantasy meets noir Collector trilogy, Holm has both shifted gears somewhat and at the same time upped his game with The Killing Kind. While the Collector books were universally praised, appearing on scores of “Best of the Year” lists, The Killing Kind’s more mainstream thriller setup has the potential to open new doors for Holm and expand his reader base exponentially. And this would be a good thing for everyone, because if there’s one thing readers could use more of, it’s Chris Holm penned stories.
Neither her new partner nor her bosses at the Bureau are convinced.
But as it turns out, calling her quarry a ghost is incredibly apt since, unbeknownst to Thompson, the target of her obsession is dead. Well, on the books he is anyway.
Michael Hendricks was once a member of a covert ops unit sent to perform false-flag missions for the US government. When all but two members of his squad—Hendricks and one other—were killed in a roadside attack in Afghanistan, Hendricks saw it as an opportunity to disappear and start his life over.
Upon finding his way back to the States, Hendricks decided to put his special skill set to use in a way he hopes will help him clear his conscience and earn redemption—he becomes a killer of killers. With the help of his friend, tech wizard Lester Myers, the other survivor of that attack in Afghanistan, Hendricks identifies people who are targets of impending “hits” and offers to take out the hit man assigned the job—for a price: ten times the cost of the hit. People who accept Hendricks’s offer live to see another day. Those who decide to pass, well, their track record isn’t too great when they decide to roll the dice without Hendricks as backup.
Things take an interesting, and potentially deadly, turn for Hendricks when a group that represents the various mob factions throughout the US in matters of importance to them all gets fed up with their hitters getting hit. Their solution? Hire the best freelancer in the world, a creepy, nasty piece of work named Alexander Engleman, a man who savors his job just a little too much, to track down and eliminate the ghost haunting their operations. Complicating matters even further for Hendricks, Special Agent Thompson has finally figured out his pattern and convinces her bosses to turn her loose, which sets the various parties and action in motion on an inevitable course for collision.
It wouldn’t be correct to say at that point The Killing Kind is off to the races, because the truth of the matter is author Chris Holm starts things off at a run right from the opening pages, when the reader joins Hendricks on a hit in progress, and the pace rarely slows down long enough to take a breath from that point on. With a wonderfully adept mix of straightforward prose and exquisite attention to detail, Holm takes both his characters and the reader on a wild, pulse-pounding ride that unfolds from the streets of Miami to the woods of Virginia, with stops in Portland, Maine’s Old Port neighborhood (home base to Lester Myers) and a riverside casino in Kansas City (where a deliciously convoluted and colorful confrontation occurs involving all the parties—with a Hendricks client and his assigned hitter thrown in for good, wickedly messy measure) along the way. The Killing Kind’s climactic showdown is one for the ages, with Holm bringing things to life with such detail and creativity it begs to be put on film…and will leave you casting glances about your house, amazed at the uncommon use some common items can be put to in the right hands.
Previously known to readers for his outstanding, intricately plotted and laced with dark humor urban fantasy meets noir Collector trilogy, Holm has both shifted gears somewhat and at the same time upped his game with The Killing Kind. While the Collector books were universally praised, appearing on scores of “Best of the Year” lists, The Killing Kind’s more mainstream thriller setup has the potential to open new doors for Holm and expand his reader base exponentially. And this would be a good thing for everyone, because if there’s one thing readers could use more of, it’s Chris Holm penned stories.
October 10, 2015
There are both strong pluses and strong minuses to this book. I like it but then it took a long time for it to really draw men into it's story.
So, what do we have here? We have "another" disillusioned spec-ops soldier. He was good at killing but over time lost his ideals as he was asked to handle the kind of jobs that the government would "disavow".
Then he was killed...sort of. He happened to be checking out a noise beside the road when an IED took out almost his entire outfit. So he decided to stay dead. Giving up the woman he loves, giving up his prior life he becomes a hit man...except he only kills other hit men (I don't know if he'd kill a hit woman that hasn't come up yet).
Oh and he won't do it for free. See if you're scheduled to be "hit" he'll offer to hit the hit man before said hit man hits you. For an exorbitant price. I mean how much would you pay to not get hit?
Of course after a while the people hiring the dead hit men become...concerned.
As noted the book does "wake up" around the halfway point (though some like it from the "get-go"). I can recommend this one. It does seem to be the first in another series even though there isn't a "1" after the title. I guess we'll wait and see but it does end with that, "there's more to come" feeling.
Enjoy.
So, what do we have here? We have "another" disillusioned spec-ops soldier. He was good at killing but over time lost his ideals as he was asked to handle the kind of jobs that the government would "disavow".
Then he was killed...sort of. He happened to be checking out a noise beside the road when an IED took out almost his entire outfit. So he decided to stay dead. Giving up the woman he loves, giving up his prior life he becomes a hit man...except he only kills other hit men (I don't know if he'd kill a hit woman that hasn't come up yet).
Oh and he won't do it for free. See if you're scheduled to be "hit" he'll offer to hit the hit man before said hit man hits you. For an exorbitant price. I mean how much would you pay to not get hit?
Of course after a while the people hiring the dead hit men become...concerned.
As noted the book does "wake up" around the halfway point (though some like it from the "get-go"). I can recommend this one. It does seem to be the first in another series even though there isn't a "1" after the title. I guess we'll wait and see but it does end with that, "there's more to come" feeling.
Enjoy.
July 3, 2015
I actually read this book and not the audio version. However I bet listening to this book would be just as great. The premise of this book is what intrigued me to want to check it out further. So glad that I did. I literally had a hard time putting this book down. The only reason that I did is because my breaks and lunch times were over at work. So this is a warning to you. Warning: Read this book at home, so you are not distracted by work.
Michael Hendricks is one hitman that you do not ever want to cross or become a name on his list. However if you did, you probably would never know it before it is too late. Yet, Michael is not your typical hitman. He can be reasonable. Is there really such a thing as a reasonable hitman? Well either way the story got even amped up more when the other hitman was after Michael. These two chasing after each other was like watching two predators with you in the middle waiting to see who would come out on top. The ending was great as well. The only thing killing me is that I finished this book.
Michael Hendricks is one hitman that you do not ever want to cross or become a name on his list. However if you did, you probably would never know it before it is too late. Yet, Michael is not your typical hitman. He can be reasonable. Is there really such a thing as a reasonable hitman? Well either way the story got even amped up more when the other hitman was after Michael. These two chasing after each other was like watching two predators with you in the middle waiting to see who would come out on top. The ending was great as well. The only thing killing me is that I finished this book.
October 16, 2018
Premise is a hit man (ex military of course) who kills other hit men, for a price. Not a bad idea, but the execution was a fairly typical thriller with the usual stereotypes. If you like thrillers, it's enjoyable.
March 9, 2019
Perfectly serviceable read that could only have been improved if I’d been lying at the beach as I whizzed through it. Clinically cinematic, if a little preposterous with well laid out set pieces and not too much gibbons in between. If the book was a little over-populated at least the long list of characters has been thoroughly cut down by the end. Fun enough to read in one go.
August 24, 2015
It’s a killer concept. Unleash a righteous assassin, a hitman who exclusively stalks his own species, other hired guns. Let him loose against mafia mobsters in a perilous poacher-turned-gamekeeper role reversal. So far, so many deservedly dead bodies… but there’s more. There’s always another predator further up the foodchain, so in steps an ultimate über-assassin, hired by the bad guys to seek and destroy the good guy while he’s still killing bottom-feeder bad guys.
With such a rip-snortingly entertaining idea, what could possibly go wrong?
Well, you could bog down the first third of the story with some uncharacteristically cumbersome exposition which slows the action to a feeble crawl. This is weird because author Chris Holm is entirely capable of spinning a satisfying dance of seven veils, as he so ably demonstrates in his excellent ‘Collector’ series of spookynatural noir.
Once you get past the ‘secret origin’ stage, the action kicks off and the real fun lets rip. And boy, the second half of his book is a LOT of fun. Great pace, a clever and not unduly intricate plot; genuine tension, cracking attention to detail and lots of satisfying, nitty-gritty tradecraft. There are two stoating action set-pieces and some exquisitely executed sneaking-about sequences, matched with an intriguing cast of supporting characters – especially the female FBI agent.
Best of all, the villain is gloriously bad. A true sociopath, a man who’d extract information and extinguish the spark of life for his own amusement. He’s the perfect predator to turn the tables on the protagonist. The final third of the book is the absolute inverse of the opening chapters as the conflict between the two killers builds to its conclusion. Once you pass the midway point you’ll want to read right through to the final menacing moment.
So this could’ve been the ultimate hard-boiled pulp fiction for crime-thriller fans. If you can get past the slow start (and you do need to read it all because later plot points don’t make sense without that earlier info) then The Killing Kind is a hugely rewarding thriller. But it was touch ‘n’ go for me – I came perilously close to packing it in at one point…
8/10
I ramble on in even more detail about this at:
https://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress...
With such a rip-snortingly entertaining idea, what could possibly go wrong?
Well, you could bog down the first third of the story with some uncharacteristically cumbersome exposition which slows the action to a feeble crawl. This is weird because author Chris Holm is entirely capable of spinning a satisfying dance of seven veils, as he so ably demonstrates in his excellent ‘Collector’ series of spookynatural noir.
Once you get past the ‘secret origin’ stage, the action kicks off and the real fun lets rip. And boy, the second half of his book is a LOT of fun. Great pace, a clever and not unduly intricate plot; genuine tension, cracking attention to detail and lots of satisfying, nitty-gritty tradecraft. There are two stoating action set-pieces and some exquisitely executed sneaking-about sequences, matched with an intriguing cast of supporting characters – especially the female FBI agent.
Best of all, the villain is gloriously bad. A true sociopath, a man who’d extract information and extinguish the spark of life for his own amusement. He’s the perfect predator to turn the tables on the protagonist. The final third of the book is the absolute inverse of the opening chapters as the conflict between the two killers builds to its conclusion. Once you pass the midway point you’ll want to read right through to the final menacing moment.
So this could’ve been the ultimate hard-boiled pulp fiction for crime-thriller fans. If you can get past the slow start (and you do need to read it all because later plot points don’t make sense without that earlier info) then The Killing Kind is a hugely rewarding thriller. But it was touch ‘n’ go for me – I came perilously close to packing it in at one point…
8/10
I ramble on in even more detail about this at:
https://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress...
February 5, 2016
This is a very unusual sort of thriller and (anti-) hero. It raises the larger question: Is killing ever justified? And also posits the obvious: Killing is a messy business, no matter the circumstances. It's easy to categorize things in our minds: Killing is a necessary evil of war and is justified against the enemy, but it's never that simple. It also exacts its toll on those who engage in combat, both from the point of view of those who are killed and those who kill.
There's likely no better example of that than the lead character in "The Killing Kind." Michael Hendricks was suited to kill, which made him a natural for the Special Operations Forces deployed to the Middle East. When his entire unit, except he and one other soldier, were killed by a roadside IED, due to the nature of their covert mission, the two who remained became little more than phantoms.
Fast forward to the present day, when this supposed "dead man walking" is living off the grid and working as a paid assassin. Not only did Hendricks's skills determine his actions in the Special Ops, the Special Ops determined the mode of his present-day mission as well: As a result of what he endured in war, in his present role, he only kills other paid assassins, financed by those who would be their targets.
Of course, taking out other trained killers requires a great deal of skill and luck, and it seems as we meet Hendricks, his luck is about to run out. A dedicated FBI agent is on his trail (she calls him "the ghost" and has finally convinced the agency he's real). Then the forces of organized crime are hot on his trail for the killing of more than one of their own. So he's also grappling with another assassin targeting him; he just isn't aware of it yet.
Can Hendricks survive to kill another day? That's the journey of "The Killing Kind."
There's likely no better example of that than the lead character in "The Killing Kind." Michael Hendricks was suited to kill, which made him a natural for the Special Operations Forces deployed to the Middle East. When his entire unit, except he and one other soldier, were killed by a roadside IED, due to the nature of their covert mission, the two who remained became little more than phantoms.
Fast forward to the present day, when this supposed "dead man walking" is living off the grid and working as a paid assassin. Not only did Hendricks's skills determine his actions in the Special Ops, the Special Ops determined the mode of his present-day mission as well: As a result of what he endured in war, in his present role, he only kills other paid assassins, financed by those who would be their targets.
Of course, taking out other trained killers requires a great deal of skill and luck, and it seems as we meet Hendricks, his luck is about to run out. A dedicated FBI agent is on his trail (she calls him "the ghost" and has finally convinced the agency he's real). Then the forces of organized crime are hot on his trail for the killing of more than one of their own. So he's also grappling with another assassin targeting him; he just isn't aware of it yet.
Can Hendricks survive to kill another day? That's the journey of "The Killing Kind."
March 21, 2016
My dad used to travel a lot for his work, and he'd pack mysteries to get him through. He kept a stash of Erle Stanley Gardner novels in his briefcase -- you never knew when a flight might be delayed -- and would label a trip according to how many Perry Mason novels he read on the flight. Philadelphia to Chicago was a "One Perry Mason Trip." Philadelphia to Los Angeles was a "Two Perry Mason Trip."
I've carried on the practice when I travel, packing my Kindle with leisure reading whenever I leave home. Ho Chi Minh City to Boston was a "One Chris Holm Trip" for me: twenty-four hours of travel, including a 75-minute delay in Hong Kong. The Killing Kind kept me going the entire time, and I continued reading on the two-hour car ride back to Amherst (our daughter was good enough to meet us at Logan and chauffeur us home).
I like a hit man with principles. I like intricate scenarios where you don't know everything the author has in mind, where you have to trust that the pieces will come together (like in the old Mission Impossible TV series). In fact, the set-up of Holm's story reminded me a lot of Mission Impossible. You've got the black op guy whose activities are disavowed by his government ("As always, should you or any of your I.M. Force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions.") You've got the equivalent of the "Apartment Scene," where a few tantalizing hints are dropped as to how the caper is going to play out, without giving the whole thing away. Satisfying, and no loose ends. I could have done with less carnage at the Kansas City casino; a FUBAR of less epic proportions would have sufficed.
But I'm old school when it comes to violence. Targeted assassination, yes. Mass shootings, no. A Shane-like loner heading off into the sunset, sure. A man is what he is, after all.
I've carried on the practice when I travel, packing my Kindle with leisure reading whenever I leave home. Ho Chi Minh City to Boston was a "One Chris Holm Trip" for me: twenty-four hours of travel, including a 75-minute delay in Hong Kong. The Killing Kind kept me going the entire time, and I continued reading on the two-hour car ride back to Amherst (our daughter was good enough to meet us at Logan and chauffeur us home).
I like a hit man with principles. I like intricate scenarios where you don't know everything the author has in mind, where you have to trust that the pieces will come together (like in the old Mission Impossible TV series). In fact, the set-up of Holm's story reminded me a lot of Mission Impossible. You've got the black op guy whose activities are disavowed by his government ("As always, should you or any of your I.M. Force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions.") You've got the equivalent of the "Apartment Scene," where a few tantalizing hints are dropped as to how the caper is going to play out, without giving the whole thing away. Satisfying, and no loose ends. I could have done with less carnage at the Kansas City casino; a FUBAR of less epic proportions would have sufficed.
But I'm old school when it comes to violence. Targeted assassination, yes. Mass shootings, no. A Shane-like loner heading off into the sunset, sure. A man is what he is, after all.
November 1, 2016
To call this book clichéd would be a cliché. Where to begin with this clunker? Did you know that when you enlist in the U.S. military you go through a whole battery of psychological tests (you don't) to find out if you're a warped deviant so that they can turn you into a deadly killer and that when your elite unit somehow gets wiped out in Afghanistan they forget you even exist (they don't) so you are forced to flee the country all by yourself and can't return to your much-loved wife, daughter of uppity rich folks who never understood her love for you a boy from the wrong-side-of-the-tracks, forcing you to use your skills to become a hit man who hunts hit men who are hunting others only now there is a hit man hunting the hit man who is hunting other hit men.
Oh! And there's an FBI agent who is also hunting the hunter of other hunters. And you know what? She's really distracted because her sister can't get her life in order and keeps interrupting her with texts and phone calls while, get this, she is working on catching that hunter of hunters! Now that's character development, people!
Improbable plot line. Trite dialogue. Shallow (and I'm being generous) characterization. This work wouldn't have escaped being torn to shreds in a community college creative writing class. Makes you wonder how it got published.
Usually we'd say that a book like this was airport reading. However, if you had the misfortune to be on an airplane that was crashing, the last thoughts you'd have would be, "I can't believe I wasted my last few hours of life reading that piece of garbage."
Oh! And there's an FBI agent who is also hunting the hunter of other hunters. And you know what? She's really distracted because her sister can't get her life in order and keeps interrupting her with texts and phone calls while, get this, she is working on catching that hunter of hunters! Now that's character development, people!
Improbable plot line. Trite dialogue. Shallow (and I'm being generous) characterization. This work wouldn't have escaped being torn to shreds in a community college creative writing class. Makes you wonder how it got published.
Usually we'd say that a book like this was airport reading. However, if you had the misfortune to be on an airplane that was crashing, the last thoughts you'd have would be, "I can't believe I wasted my last few hours of life reading that piece of garbage."
March 28, 2017
Fast Paced+action packed + fantastic characters=must read
The Killing Kind is a riveting read. Holm knows how to create compelling characters that you will either root for or actively despise. He mines the darkest parts of humanity with an eery insight. Hendricks is a complicated protagonist that you immediately bond with. Engelmann is a sadistic psychopath that you feel like you understand way too intimately. I don't know how Holm does it, but he manages to capture the psyches of the most battles scarred and twisted individuals and bring them to life on the page. These characters felt more real than the people I know.
Holm paints gorgeous pictures with his words and I felt like I was everywhere Hendricks went. It was almost like reading a graphic novel. Truly a master of setting the scene.
The premise is incredibly original and definitely intrigued me. A hitman who only kills other hitmen makes for an absolute page turner. Great plotting, fast paced storytelling, terrific characters, and a premise that you can't forget!
Fantastically choreographed fight scenes and lots of hold your breath moments filled this book.
The ending leaves room for a sequel and I really hope there will be one!
Regardless, I can't wait to read his next book. Fantastic storytelling Mr. Holm.
The Killing Kind is a riveting read. Holm knows how to create compelling characters that you will either root for or actively despise. He mines the darkest parts of humanity with an eery insight. Hendricks is a complicated protagonist that you immediately bond with. Engelmann is a sadistic psychopath that you feel like you understand way too intimately. I don't know how Holm does it, but he manages to capture the psyches of the most battles scarred and twisted individuals and bring them to life on the page. These characters felt more real than the people I know.
Holm paints gorgeous pictures with his words and I felt like I was everywhere Hendricks went. It was almost like reading a graphic novel. Truly a master of setting the scene.
The premise is incredibly original and definitely intrigued me. A hitman who only kills other hitmen makes for an absolute page turner. Great plotting, fast paced storytelling, terrific characters, and a premise that you can't forget!
Fantastically choreographed fight scenes and lots of hold your breath moments filled this book.
The ending leaves room for a sequel and I really hope there will be one!
Regardless, I can't wait to read his next book. Fantastic storytelling Mr. Holm.
August 29, 2015
4 Stars! Wow, a killer who kills killers who are being paid to kill bad people. This one had me intrigued from the blurb and interested from chapter one. There is a lot of gory violence in this one, so if that bothers you, you may want to rethink buying this book. But if not, then you will be caught up in the suspense like I was. I mean people are being killed left and right. This English dude doesn't care who he kills. And this Corporation that these two killers work for? Something seriously wrong is going on there. I don't know if there's a rebel involved inside there or what, but to pit two members against each other, one unknowingly. That's just wrong.
This book definitely kept my attention and was definitely a page turner for me. Before I knew, I was done with this one. The ending was like SOOOOO good. That poor house though. I really did like Michael though. Even though he was a hit man, he did have a conscience. I mean he was all worried about the hit on the 16 year old boy until he met him. I don't doubt his decision on that one at all. He made the right one. I definitely recommend this book!
Thanks Mulholland Books and Net Galley for providing me with this free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
This book definitely kept my attention and was definitely a page turner for me. Before I knew, I was done with this one. The ending was like SOOOOO good. That poor house though. I really did like Michael though. Even though he was a hit man, he did have a conscience. I mean he was all worried about the hit on the 16 year old boy until he met him. I don't doubt his decision on that one at all. He made the right one. I definitely recommend this book!
Thanks Mulholland Books and Net Galley for providing me with this free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
October 29, 2015
(3 1/2) A great protagonist and a great villain, that certainly is an entertaining combination. The theme is crazy but fun, a hit man hired to kill another hit man. There is no lack of action in this one, hardly a wasted page. From the Northeast to the Midwest there is all kinds of stuff going on. This book was very hard to put down, Holm has done a really nice job with it. I will look for his future endeavors.
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