The Darkest Day

Victor the Assassin #5

by Tom Wood

World-class assassin Victor finds himself under fire in the new thriller from bestselling author Tom WoodHIT THE TARGET…While carrying out a hit on a terrorist financier, Victor finds himself the target of an assassin who proves to be just as deadly as he is. Never one to let such a thing go, Victor sets about hunting down his attacker and those who sent her. She is Raven—a freelance assassin with a dark past and hidden agenda. If Victor wants to stay alive he must find out who Raven really is and what she is truly after.…OR BECOME THE TARGET.Does she really want him dead, or does someone else want them to kill each other? With the stakes growing higher by the minute—as a city-wide blackout plunges Manhattan into darkness—Victor and Raven must decide who is friend and who is foe before a deadly terrorist plot threatens to consume the city and them along with it. 

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Action, Audiobook, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Espionage

450 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

He is the author of the Victor series of 10 novels and 2 ebook novellas. Tom also wrote the standalone thriller A Knock at the Door under the pseudonym T W Ellis

Victor 10, TRAITOR, is out now in UK, IE, AS & NZ.

Subscribe to Tom's newsletter to stay up-to-date, and have the chance of winning signed copies and more: tomwoodbooks.com/newsletter

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Right from the beginning of this book I thought it would be better as a movie rather than a novel. The action scenes were energetic and brutal: somebody call Michael Bay, there's a script right here for him. However, the plot seemed to be lost behind the big budget scenes.

I loved the main character, Victor, and his female frenemy, Raven. The writing that at first felt very stilted and robotic, actually matched his character perfectly and enhanced the realism of his narrative. I enjoyed the fact that he really did seem to be as pragmatic as he was portrayed, not another boring assassin with a heart of gold. I think I would read these books for Victor alone. Some of the other reviewers have suggested that this is not the best example of Wood's work, so I think i'll go back to the beginning and check out his other novels. By no means is this a bad book, it's very exciting and there are some brilliant characters, but if there are better ones with Victor in them, count me in.


Many thanks to Tom Wood, Netgalley, and Little, Brown Book Group UK for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Sean Peters (A Good Thriller) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Wood delivers yet again an action packed octane thriller tale, featuring one of my favourite anti-hero's.

Yes here we have Victor number 5.

He is darkness. She wants him dead. In a city starved of light, she might just succeed. She moves like a shadow; she kills silently: Raven. This elegant assassin has been on the run for years. This time though, she has picked the wrong target. The hit man known only as 'Victor' is as paranoid as he is merciless, and is no stranger to being hunted. He tracks his would-be killer across the globe, aiming not only to neutralise the threat, but to discover who wants him dead. The trail leads to New York...And then the lights go out. Over twelve hours of unremitting darkness, Manhattan dissolves into chaos. Amid looting, conspiracy and blackout, Victor and Raven play a vicious game of cat and mouse that the city will never forget.

Although many reviewers regard this book as his best I dis-agree, yes action packed as ever, fast paced, but to me maybe a little too many pages/story on car chases and does become a little bogged down, heavy, and confusing, yes I enjoyed the great fun and humour added with the great character Raven, but also found the ending, most of it, not all, a little predictable and weak.

But I am judging this book on his four previous books, still better than most action books

And I look forward to Victor number 6. This time a four star to me

[Adah Udechukwu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Darkest Day is not as spectacular as The Enemy

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 5th book in the 'Victor the Assassin' series by author Tom Wood.
This is the first book I have read in this series and also my first Tom Wood novel so maybe it explains why it took me a while to warm to the lead character Victor but it is certainly well written.
Victor is an assassin whose life is been threatened by a female assassin known as the Raven. The story is full of action and the more I learnt about Victor the more I enjoyed the book. I feel sure that I would have enjoyed this far more if I had read the books in the series in order, so I intend to buy the earlier books to put matters right.


I would like to thank Net Galley and Little Brown Book Group for a copy of this novel in exchange for a honest review.

[Sophie Narey (Bookreview- aholic) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Wood is without a doubt one of my favourite authors of all times! This is the fifth book in the Victor the Assassin series and it is just as good as the other books in the series.

In this novel Victor is joined by another assassin Raven, Victor is one of them characters that even though he is an assassin you still like him, and grow fond of him through the novels, you end up willing him on to get the guy, this is down to the amazing writing skills of Tom Wood who knows just how to capture the readers attention and knows how to keep them hooked on his novels!

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay...another one of those books I'm a little leery about myself for liking. These books do hold together very well. The story is growing and while the move from working almost exclusively for the CIA back into...well other employment may be a bit shakey. We'll see...

I hope.

This is the last Victor The Assassin book in print at the present time. I hate reaching the end of a good series, or at least reaching the point where I have to wait for the next one to come out.

Sigh. What do these writers think they get to have an outside life or something?

Anyway this one puts Victor in a position that he hasn't been in before...and whether we want him to or not the character stays true to himself. Self preservation being his primary mind set, as trusting as a mad cobra, as cuddly as a Black Widow this is Victor the Assassin. Don't like him, don't cross him.

Good read though.

[John Paxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raven the female version of Victor plays a cat and mouse against a Manhattan blackout.

[Craig Sisterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A loner anti-hero quicksteps his way through murky alliances while looking to avoid landmines in this high-octane thriller that keeps the needle high as it hurtles across continents to a New York showdown.

Victor kills people for a living, and is damned good at his job. At the top of the tree, utilised by all sorts, including the CIA, for dirty jobs they need to get done. But he knows that one day it will be his turn (his enemies are legion, past and new), and is constantly assessing risks wherever he goes.

Paranoid, ruthless, highly skilled, Victor draws readers in not because he's an admirable guy but because he's extremely good at what he does, and gets himself into and out of some really exciting situations. THE DARKEST DAY, the fifth in Wood's series, is an unapologetic, out-and-out airport thriller. Fast-paced, foot-to-the-floor action with some tremendous set pieces, it's an extremely exciting read. Wood does a great job crafting a slickly told story that threads in some strands of character, setting, and philosophy, but really this is all about the page-whirring action and thrills. It's a compelling ride.

Victor is set to take out a terrorist financier in Prague, but instead finds himself scampering for survival from a dangerous rival, Raven. Was he set up by his paymasters, or has his own past come back to haunt him?

Knowing he can't let this threat continue to exist, Victor hunts Raven across the globe, trying to establish who sent her and why she came after him at this time. A man who only trusts himself, he knows those around him are lying to him - but which lies are the most dangerous, and how does he sort through the deceit?

Woods has us clinging to Victor's coat-tails as the enigmatic assassin careens from Europe to Latin America to New York City, where a showdown looms. But who is the real enemy, and what do they want? As darkness falls across the Big Apple, Victor realises he might only be a pawn in something far greater.

At times THE DARKEST DAY reads like a novel-length car chase, and it walks a tightrope of going overboard on that front, but overall I found the book to be an exciting, engaging read with a 'cool' main character. I'd imagine fans of Jack Reacher or Jason Bourne would really enjoy what is a very fast-paced thriller that feels like it would be an ideal all-action tale for the big screen. Visual storytelling with enough intrigue laced in throughout the action to keep your mind wondering as your heart races.

Recommended for thriller fans.

This review was written for and first published on Crime Watch: http://kiwicrime.blogspot.co.uk

[Barry who enjoys well-written thrillers, mysteries , & espionage & loathes romance, horror & supernat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Tom Wood's writing and have thoroughly enjoyed each of his books, until this one. Some of the "action" dragged on so long that I nearly fell asleep. It took me nearly an hour to read one chase sequence and, while I don't read particularly quickly anymore, my lips don't move and I set a decent pace.

This story began with an attempt on the life of our hero, Victor the assassin. He, of course, evaded it through means that were slightly beyond credible - okkay, way beyond credible! One thing led to another and Victor found himself trying to avert a massive terrorist attack on US soil because, well, it doesn't really matter. Yadda, yadda, yadda. I actually found myself skimming portions that dragged on - very rare for me.

Nothing very inventive in the plot, two interesting new characters who were a little too inconsistent in their behavior. Well, you get the picture. I recommend earlier Tom Wood's books and will read at least one more because I expect that the next will be more like previous stories.
The End

[SteVen Hendricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review - The Darkest Day - Tom Wood
Author Tom Wood’s “The Darkest Day” might be one of the best Victor the Assassin books in the series. It may not have as much action as some of the others in the series but there is a lot of tactical planning and life or death strategizing that captures the reader’s mind. Don't get me wrong, Victor does his assassin thing - constantly on alert, paying extreme attention to details - in this action suspense thriller but this story really focused on his intellect and how well he works through difficult life and death situations. The story is a good one and works well as a stand alone but is better as part of the series. Victor is now doing contract work for the CIA as an independent contractor. He's sent on a job but is ambushed by another assassin that is trying to kill him. Neither of them complete their assignments but Victor is determined to eliminate the female assassin known as Raven before she can come after him again. There are many twists and turns and superb dialogue between the two and they eventually become allies to go after who hired Raven to kill Victor and ‘why’?! By the time I finished this book, I needed more blood pressure medication! The word “Wow” does not do this story justice. Tom Wood wrote ‘another’ “hell-of-a-story” Victor book. Definitely a ‘must-read’!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in a long while where I have fall in love again with the espionage/assassin story. I used to read a lot of these types of books up there with my mysteries. This book was so easy to read that it was a pleasure and not a chore. So having said this, this is also my first time reading a book in this series.

Victor had a coolness about him kind of like James Bond. Which I found appealing. He is also very intelligent, even if there was a time or two where I thought that Raven or the other guys had gotten the drop on him. Yet it was all part of the plan and Victor scoping out the situation. Speaking of Raven, I was drawn to her as a strong female heroine. She and Victor brought it just as well as they could take it toe to toe. The ending was not what I saw coming. I hope that Raven makes good on her promise and I see her again at some point in another book in this series. I plan to check out the prior novels in this series as well as keep my eyes out for the next one. There was no dark day when I was reading this book.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put it down brilliant read up there with the best

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lured into an ambush, Victor finds himself targeted by another professional killer just as good as he is. While he just about manages to get away from her, he has no intention of allowing the possibility that she might come after him again. His search for answers to the most pertinent questions - Who is she? How did she find him? Who sent her? - takes him to New York, where he unwittingly becomes a central part of a conspiracy - and to stop it, he has little choice but to forge an uneasy temporary truce with the woman he came to kill.

While a solid, entertaining read, this one wasn't quite up to the standard set by the previous books IMO - less running and chasing and a little more actual plot would have been nice.

[Charles Green · Rating 2 out of 5]

‘The Darkest Day’ is the third thriller by Tom Wood and featuring ‘Victor the Assassin’ that I have read, having previously tackled The Hunter and The Enemy, volumes one and two in the series respectively.

Having now become familiar once again with Victor and his adventures and with Wood’s style of writing I remember clearly the reasons why I never picked up volumes 3 (The Game) or 4 (Better Off Dead). Primary amongst these is the central character of Victor himself.

To put it simply I don’t like him. Not that he’s meant be ‘likeable’ in the usual sense. Victor is an anti-hero with the stress on the ‘anti’; an unrepentant, cold blooded assassin who does not do redemptive story-arcs where he atones for his previous crimes through the love of a good woman or is looking to leave the world he inhabits only to be reluctantly pulled back in. Victor know what he is, accepts it and doesn’t look to change.

Unfortunately what he is, in addition to being an exceptional assassin, is a very dull central character. Not only is he unsympathetic, which is excusable considering his nature and chosen profession, he also lacks the charisma that is vital to keep you interested in the fate of such a fundamentally dislikeable individual. Being a ruthless and efficient killer are not by themselves sufficient to make someone interesting or compelling enough to carry a whole novel, and The Darkest Day demonstrates this clearly.

If there was some sort of development of Victor’s character as the story unfolded, if he seemed to learn from his experiences or modified his behaviour as a result of what occurs it might have made the character more interesting. In the event however, Wood seems to be emulating Lee Child’s Jack Reacher by creating a central, recurring character who remain unchanging throughout multiple novels. Having read three featuring Victor it’s obvious that the character will remain almost obstinately resistant to growth or development. However, whereas Reacher is both a sympathetic force for good and, at least in Child’s early novels, a charismatic presence, Victor is neither of these so his rigidity and consistency become his sole defining traits, and they simply aren’t enough.

In the absence of a relatable central character the rest of the novel needs to be on top form. Unfortunately, The Darkest Day is a flabby, unfocused affair. Wood remains a good writer of physical action but whereas both The Hunter and the Enemy were precise, lean thrillers that unfolded with Swiss watch-like precision this latest effort meanders and is laden down with lengthy passages of exposition that seem to describe Victor’s every single thought and action in excessive detail. Wood needs to learn that ‘show’ is always preferable to ‘tell’ in these cases.

He also needed his editor to be more ruthless during what becomes an interminable foot and car chase through New York during the book’s second half. Whilst the Wood’s is good at portraying combat, both armed and unarmed, he struggles to maintain excitement during the seemingly endless pursuit of Victor. Such scenes work well on the screen but are difficult to pull off in on the page in anything other than small doses, and Wood doesn’t succeed here. By the end of the sequence I was skipping paragraphs and pages just to get past it.
The book’s only real saving grace, beyond some solid fight scenes, in the inclusion of the female assassin Raven. She is everything Victor is not; charismatic, witty and sympathetic, as well as being his equal when it comes to professional skills. She enlivens the book when present on the page and without her it would be even more of a slog to get through. Unfortunately her undoubted appeal also serves to draw more attention to Victor’s comparative failing’s as a lead character. When your central character is being outshone by a supporting cast member you really have a problem.

I was fortunate to be offered the chance to try The Darkest Night for free by NetGalley in exchange for this review. Nothing about the experience has radically changed my opinion of Victor the Assassin, the series of books or Wood as an author and I will not be picking up the next volume when its published or going back to read those I have missed.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a bit different than the others in this series in that Victor is working with a female accomplice that he actually doesn't trust - for that matter, Victor doesn't trust anyone and with good reason! We had met this female (Raven) in the previous book when she tried to kill Victor - so that really doesn't sit well with Victor at all. Victor has to find Raven first and although he gets some intel from the CIA he still has to rely on his own judgment.

The main thing I didn't like about the book was all the foot chases and car chases - just not believable enough. Victor is in New York City, suddenly there is a blackout - he has had to "dispose" of a Homeland Security officer who had just disposed of her partner. Victor is making his way to a rendezvous with Raven and it seems like every cop, CIA, etc. knows his every step/turn in a congested city like New York during a blackout. Just not fathomable. Maybe the author was looking for page fillers, not necessary in my opinion.

Anyways, the book is a thriller with some good investigative skills coming to light. An ending that could lead to the next book(s) or not.

2 thumbs up and 4 stars

[Tom Tischler · Rating 5 out of 5]

While carrying out the hit on a terrorist financier Victor suddenly finds himself the
target of an assassin who is just as deadly as he is. He sets out to find this person and
he finds out that it is a girl named Raven and she is as dangerous as he is. Now if he wants to
stay alive he must find out who she really is and what she is after. Does she want him dead
or does someone else want them to kill each other. With the stakes growing higher by the
minute Raven and Victor must decide who is friend and who is foe before a deadly terrorist
plot threatens to consume them both. This is book five in the Victor The Assassin series
and once again Victor is killing everyone in sight. My kind of book so I had to give it a 5.

[JoAnn Kouril · Rating 2 out of 5]

No storyline

80 percent chase scenes, 20 percent story. Very disappointing Tom Wood novel. I skipped offer one half of the book looking to read the story. Unless you are a chase scene fan, I would not recommend this book.

[Allan Kaplan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mediocre, not up to the rest of the series. Very disappointed.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

So much action but not enough Storyline. It literally bored me as the action scenes were constant. Couldn't wait to finish it. Sadly, the worst in the series thus far.

[Hastings75 · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favourite Victor the Assassin novels and loved the ending!

[Pierre Tassé (Enjoying Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book- a little far into trying to get you to believe a few things but then again- this is fiction.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good God, that ending was cold AF.

[Rellim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Darkest Day is the 5th Victor the Assassin book by Tom Wood. While there are tiny details from other books – you really could listen to this one completely on its own. I don’t know why anyone would want to just jump in here… but hey – go wild!

The only issue with binging these books is that the reviews are feeling super repetitive. I love Wood’s writing. I love Victor as a character. I enjoy being totally immersed in the action scenes. I don’t enjoy being wrong when I think I’ve guessed where things are going and I’m surprised by what happens – but that’s a personality flaw and not derision of Wood’s writing.

This book differs from the others in that Victor finds himself begrudgingly teamed up with someone alarmingly like himself in skill and purpose. Which is definitely hard considering Victor doesn’t trust anyone, least of all Raven. Overall a lot of big-action antihero fun.

Narration:
Rob Shapiro continues to do a fantastic job. I honestly can’t imagine reading these to myself. All the accents, emotions – there’s no way I could do the writing justice. I’m drawn in and immersed from opening to end.

[Dan Banana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Victor gets up to his usual shenanigans with killing in all sorts of inventive ways with all sorts of fun objects and hangs with a killer bunch of characters.

[Cordula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ich mag die Reihe um Auftragskiller Victor wirklich sehr, aber dieser Teil war nichts. Gefühlt gab es keine Handlung und eine Verfolgungsjagd reihte sich an die nächste. Das war nichts für mich

[Nick Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Wood has a considerable challenge with his assassin character “Victor”, firstly his “hero” kills people and secondly he has a minimal personality. Having said that, each book is gripping thrilling and very readable indeed. In this, Victor finds he has been targeted by a female assassin who is as skilled and cunning as her is and a game of cat and mouse ensues, culminating in a blacked out New York with everyone on his tail.
It’s clever on many levels, the introduction of a female protagonist and the setting of not only a power blackout but also a communications black-out. There is obviously a bigger picture and Victor is unsure if he is part of the solution or actually part of the problem, and for an assassin who doesn’t trust anyone it does look like he may need a little help to get out of this one.
The talent shown here is to make us root for a killer and that fine balance between having a character that is all about tradecraft and not personality yet making the reader emphasise. No mean feat and very well done in yet another excellent thriller from the very talented Mr Wood.

My thanks to NetGalley for a review copy.

[Mathias · Rating 1 out of 5]

Even though this book is full of thrilling action, it still misses something. Especially if you have read the first three books, you expect a different action hero in 'victor'. Ever since 'the game' book was out plus all subsequent releases since then up to this one, it appears 'the victor storyline' is deteriorating . 'The game' book was mostly disappointing albeit it had a kickass ending. That was the last time I really enjoyed reading 'victor' series. Nowadays it is simply tormenting oneself just reading the series. I would suggest the author revert back to former momentum he had when he wrote the following three books which are five star: the hunter, bad luck in berlin and the enemy. ooh and I miss 'victor' the art collector.

My concern is that the author seems to be exploring for alternative storytelling avenues for the 'victor' series, which seems reasonable on the surface but the reality is he is only driving his fans away with every single one of his releases.

[Hayat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will never get tired of reading Victor the Assassin series and this book was no exception. I loved the high-octane action and thrill of the chase. I especially loved the introduction of Raven, Victor's female counterpart and it's a match made in hell. She is even better than him if that is even possible but as always nothing goes as planned and no one is as they seem.

[P FLOOD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Victor the assassin

This is the fifth and best to date . The only problem with this series of books is that they don't come quick enough.A must read ,but better in chronological order to fully appreciate the charector

[Mark Kearney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forget Bourne, I want to be Victor
Great book