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Kill Someone
From the author of the international best-seller The Stone Man, shortlisted for Audible UK's Book of the Year Award 2015Here are the you can't use a gun. You can't use explosives. You can't use poison. It has to be up close and personal. You don't have to worry about leaving evidence; that will be taken care no one suicidal. No one over the age of 65. No one with a terminal illness.Choose your method. Choose your victim.Chris Summer was a 21 year old call centre worker and a drop out. A nobody, still living at home with his parents. Then one day the Man in White came to his family's house, offering a seemingly impossible kill a random stranger - one of Chris' choosing - within twelve days in order to save the lives of five kidnapped siblings. Refuse, and they die slowly and painfully. The clock is ticking, the Man in White is watching, and Chris has some very important choices to make.This is a tale of fear, indecision, confused masculinity and brutal violence; a story of a coddled young man thrust into a world of sharp metal and bone.Ask yourself if you could do it. Then ask yourself who you would choose.Praise for Luke Smitherd's "For me there is no greater joy than seeing an artist excel at his craft ...you'll be blown away by the abundance of ideas." - Ain't It Cool News.com
295 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 15, 2016
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About the author
Luke Smitherd
32 books594 followersLuke Smitherd is the author of The Stone Man (shortlisted for Audible Book of the Year 2015) and its sequels as well as several other novels. A former singer and guitarist, he now writes full time, hosts the comedy music-discussion show Cracker Juice, and performs around Los Angeles as a stand-up comic. He divides his time between the United States and the United Kingdom.
www.lukesmitherd.com
www.lukesmitherd.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 210 reviews
March 10, 2017
Luke Smitherd writes strange and disturbing stuff. There’s death and voices in your head and things that might be real or might be imagined. It’s mystery and it’s science fiction and it’s horror – he’s not locked into one genre, he bestrides them all.
When I listened to In The Darkness, That's Where I'll Know You: The Complete Black Room Story I knew I’d found an author with a rich imagination and an ability to draw you into a story that made no real sense, a story that defies cognition. In this book Smitherd attacks your senses in a different way: the battle here isn’t to put away everything you know about physiology and psychology and just go with it but to accept there are people in this world evil enough to perpetrate such sinister and hideous acts.
Chris is a 21-year-old call centre worker and is home alone. A knock at his door introduces him to two strange but persuasive characters who are able to draw him into the fate of five kidnapped girls. The challenge laid out for him is to kill someone – there are some rules attached, but essentially he has to identify a random individual and murder them. If he achieves this within the timescale laid down then the girls will be released, if not they will all be killed. Oh, and the clock is ticking and during the course of the twelve days the girls will start to have fingers and limbs lopped off so that if he takes too much time there won’t be much left to save.
The beauty here is that as random and unlikely as this all sounds I did find myself drawn into the story, able to set aside my instinct to dismiss this as wild fantasy. Chris is a believable character and for the most part his reactions felt genuine, felt right. On top of that, as we watch him wrestle with the rights and wrongs, the do’s and don’t do’s, his thoughts and actions seemed to mirror the sort of things that were also going through my mind. And most of all, there are a number of moments in the book – times where Chris is observing an incident or is in conversation (or conflict) with another individual – that are just so well observed that I found them totally convincing.
I went through a number of scenarios in my own head as to how this story would play out, none of them close. Is the ending plausible and are all loose ends tied up satisfactorily? Well, yes and no. There’s a certain logic to how Chris decides to proceed and that part worked well for me but as to the tying up of loose ends, this element I found rather weak. Yes, they were all tied up, but I think I’d rather they weren’t as the rationale concerning the big picture was rather less convincing than the rest of the book. But it’s a gripping story from a writer who is fast becoming one of my favourites. I’m sure to pick up more of his work before the year is out.
When I listened to In The Darkness, That's Where I'll Know You: The Complete Black Room Story I knew I’d found an author with a rich imagination and an ability to draw you into a story that made no real sense, a story that defies cognition. In this book Smitherd attacks your senses in a different way: the battle here isn’t to put away everything you know about physiology and psychology and just go with it but to accept there are people in this world evil enough to perpetrate such sinister and hideous acts.
Chris is a 21-year-old call centre worker and is home alone. A knock at his door introduces him to two strange but persuasive characters who are able to draw him into the fate of five kidnapped girls. The challenge laid out for him is to kill someone – there are some rules attached, but essentially he has to identify a random individual and murder them. If he achieves this within the timescale laid down then the girls will be released, if not they will all be killed. Oh, and the clock is ticking and during the course of the twelve days the girls will start to have fingers and limbs lopped off so that if he takes too much time there won’t be much left to save.
The beauty here is that as random and unlikely as this all sounds I did find myself drawn into the story, able to set aside my instinct to dismiss this as wild fantasy. Chris is a believable character and for the most part his reactions felt genuine, felt right. On top of that, as we watch him wrestle with the rights and wrongs, the do’s and don’t do’s, his thoughts and actions seemed to mirror the sort of things that were also going through my mind. And most of all, there are a number of moments in the book – times where Chris is observing an incident or is in conversation (or conflict) with another individual – that are just so well observed that I found them totally convincing.
I went through a number of scenarios in my own head as to how this story would play out, none of them close. Is the ending plausible and are all loose ends tied up satisfactorily? Well, yes and no. There’s a certain logic to how Chris decides to proceed and that part worked well for me but as to the tying up of loose ends, this element I found rather weak. Yes, they were all tied up, but I think I’d rather they weren’t as the rationale concerning the big picture was rather less convincing than the rest of the book. But it’s a gripping story from a writer who is fast becoming one of my favourites. I’m sure to pick up more of his work before the year is out.
August 28, 2020
Audio 5 Stars
Story 4.5 Stars
Story 4.5 Stars
February 5, 2017
The Rundown
“Here are the rules. Method: you can’t use a gun. You can’t use explosives. You can’t use poison. It has to be up close and personal. You don’t have to worry about leaving evidence; that will be taken care of. Victim: no one suicidal. No one over the age of 65. No one with a terminal illness. Choose your method. Choose your victim.”
Kill Someone by Luke Smitherd is aptly named. This part horror, part suspense thriller, does not waste any time jettisoning you into a wild ride of a story. The book opens with a sleepy Chris Summer, our protagonist, answering the door to two men in suits, the man in white and the man in black. This being an early Saturday morning at his parents’ house in England, Chris is taken aback, but he can’t even begin to imagine what horrors these two men will thrust upon his life. The man in white politely informs him that if Chris does not let him in and hear what he has to say, someone will die. The stunned Chris does what any of us would do and lets these strangers in. The man in white goes on to show Chris video of five kidnapped women, The MacArthur Quintuplets, who are famous humanitarians. Calmly, the man in white tells Chris that if he does not agree to kill someone in their allotted time period these girls will die in slow, horrific fashion. It’s up to him, the man in white explains. He can easily say no, or he can be a hero.
The author does an excellent job of going through Chris’s emotions during his decision-making process as well as after he decides to try to save these girl’s lives. As an ordinary Joe, it’s very easy to sympathize and put yourself in Chris’s shoes. Could you murder someone to save five other people? What would you do if faced with the same situation? It’s a spot on premise that delivers a fast, page-turning read. And as cringeworthy as it is to think about those poor kidnapped girls, the author does a good job of continuing to help us see that not all decisions are black and white. There are many shades of gray in people. Very few of us deserve the kind of fate Chris has been tasked with doling out.
4.5 stars from Underground Book Reviews
The Recommendation
If you like psychological horror and books that make you think as well as scare you, this book is for you. The author is a true professional and this reader can tell that he knows his craft, his pacing and character development. The book never lags. The characters live and breathe and feel very intense emotions that draw you in and make you sympathize. The internal monologue is handled deftly as well, without bogging down the reader in Chris’s agonizing decisions, but giving us enough to allow us to experience this with Chris. It’s a great read and would please anyone who can stomach some violence and uncomfortable situations.
The Rating Reviewer Rating: 4.5 Stars
4.5 Stars (out of 5): Highly recommended. This book is a great read. It can hold its own against any traditionally published novel in its genre, and surpasses many.
“Here are the rules. Method: you can’t use a gun. You can’t use explosives. You can’t use poison. It has to be up close and personal. You don’t have to worry about leaving evidence; that will be taken care of. Victim: no one suicidal. No one over the age of 65. No one with a terminal illness. Choose your method. Choose your victim.”
Kill Someone by Luke Smitherd is aptly named. This part horror, part suspense thriller, does not waste any time jettisoning you into a wild ride of a story. The book opens with a sleepy Chris Summer, our protagonist, answering the door to two men in suits, the man in white and the man in black. This being an early Saturday morning at his parents’ house in England, Chris is taken aback, but he can’t even begin to imagine what horrors these two men will thrust upon his life. The man in white politely informs him that if Chris does not let him in and hear what he has to say, someone will die. The stunned Chris does what any of us would do and lets these strangers in. The man in white goes on to show Chris video of five kidnapped women, The MacArthur Quintuplets, who are famous humanitarians. Calmly, the man in white tells Chris that if he does not agree to kill someone in their allotted time period these girls will die in slow, horrific fashion. It’s up to him, the man in white explains. He can easily say no, or he can be a hero.
The author does an excellent job of going through Chris’s emotions during his decision-making process as well as after he decides to try to save these girl’s lives. As an ordinary Joe, it’s very easy to sympathize and put yourself in Chris’s shoes. Could you murder someone to save five other people? What would you do if faced with the same situation? It’s a spot on premise that delivers a fast, page-turning read. And as cringeworthy as it is to think about those poor kidnapped girls, the author does a good job of continuing to help us see that not all decisions are black and white. There are many shades of gray in people. Very few of us deserve the kind of fate Chris has been tasked with doling out.
4.5 stars from Underground Book Reviews
The Recommendation
If you like psychological horror and books that make you think as well as scare you, this book is for you. The author is a true professional and this reader can tell that he knows his craft, his pacing and character development. The book never lags. The characters live and breathe and feel very intense emotions that draw you in and make you sympathize. The internal monologue is handled deftly as well, without bogging down the reader in Chris’s agonizing decisions, but giving us enough to allow us to experience this with Chris. It’s a great read and would please anyone who can stomach some violence and uncomfortable situations.
The Rating Reviewer Rating: 4.5 Stars
4.5 Stars (out of 5): Highly recommended. This book is a great read. It can hold its own against any traditionally published novel in its genre, and surpasses many.
January 28, 2018
Imagine this..
You answer the door and find two men wearing suits, offering a seemingly impossible choice: kill a random stranger - one of your choosing - within twelve days in order to save the lives of five kidnapped siblings. Refuse, and they die slowly and painfully. The clock is ticking, the Man in White is watching.
Ask yourself if you could do it. Then ask yourself who you would choose.
If you decided to go through the process.Here are the rules.
Method: you can't use a gun. You can't use explosives. You can't use poison. It has to be up close and personal. You don't have to worry about leaving evidence; that will be taken care of.
Victim: no one suicidal. No one over the age of 65. No one with a terminal illness.
Choose your method. Choose your victim
This book officially made it to my top 5 books of this year
Very strong horror and psychological thriller that will suck you in from the moment you start it. It makes you question your beliefs and morals.
All the way through you can feel the main character’s hesitation and wonder. Torn between the duty and the real deal killing someone.
The author did a wonderful job writing wise and a great job narrating his book. I felt it under my skin. Sensed the fear and responsibility.
I cannot say enough words without giving some spoilers so you better get yourself a copy and read it.
Here are the two quotes that I literary stood speechless when I pass through them:
You answer the door and find two men wearing suits, offering a seemingly impossible choice: kill a random stranger - one of your choosing - within twelve days in order to save the lives of five kidnapped siblings. Refuse, and they die slowly and painfully. The clock is ticking, the Man in White is watching.
Ask yourself if you could do it. Then ask yourself who you would choose.
If you decided to go through the process.Here are the rules.
Method: you can't use a gun. You can't use explosives. You can't use poison. It has to be up close and personal. You don't have to worry about leaving evidence; that will be taken care of.
Victim: no one suicidal. No one over the age of 65. No one with a terminal illness.
Choose your method. Choose your victim
This book officially made it to my top 5 books of this year
Very strong horror and psychological thriller that will suck you in from the moment you start it. It makes you question your beliefs and morals.
All the way through you can feel the main character’s hesitation and wonder. Torn between the duty and the real deal killing someone.
The author did a wonderful job writing wise and a great job narrating his book. I felt it under my skin. Sensed the fear and responsibility.
I cannot say enough words without giving some spoilers so you better get yourself a copy and read it.
Here are the two quotes that I literary stood speechless when I pass through them:
”The magic because is a drop of water against the inferno of guilt.”
“Have you ever felt helpless against the tortures of your own mind?”
February 6, 2017
”My decision was therefore this:
I could afford to go into the third time block. Olivia could afford to lose two arms, if that was the cost of making sure I had chosen correctly. That meant I had until 2:59PM tomorrow to kill someone. That, to me, was fair.”
Finally a thriller that is… well, a thriller. I am tired of pseudo-thrillers like Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train where nothing interesting ever happens and we have tons of mundane “action” with boring third-rate characters who are impossible to connect to. And get this: there are two whole plot-twists that made me go WOW~. The first one is the victim, the second – the reason behind the killings. This story feels real. Or at least realistic enough to make you get into the protagonist’s shoes and wonder if that was what you would have done in his place as well. Perhaps you thought he was an idiot on several occasions. I believe most people would. I did.
This is a story about an ordinary 21-years-old man, who gets involved in a devious plot. He is forced to kill someone in order to save five girls. If he refuses, they die. If he doesn’t do the deed in time, they die. But there are rules and he needs to add even more rues, so he could justify taking a life.
”The sex offender register – in the UK at least – doesn’t work the way you might think. It isn’t like Booking.com for sexual deviants, where you can tap in your location and it tells you how many rapists and child abusers are within a radius of your choosing. (“There are 36 sexual predators nearby now, and 42 angry mob members currently viewing them in your area. Hurry before the deviants are all killed!”)”
To tell you the truth, I was frustrated with this protagonist. He was a whiny loser throughout the whole book. I was a little bit disappointed to see not much character development. Nothing really changed, he just started using his head more. This was not what I was looking for, to tell you the truth. Just from reading the title and synopsis I had convinced myself that we were dealing with a gameshow-like setting, that there were perhaps many more participants at a time. Or maybe that the main character was going to flip his switch and get on a murdering spree. Well, I was wrong. The real thing was far more anticlimactic and… normal. When I thought the story finished too soon, seeing as how there were more pages to go, I was like: “Oh, no, not it’s gonna get boring!” And I was right – it was boring. After all, this person went on with his life as if nothing had happened. Until something happened again. Well, no more killings, though. Just a little bit of revelation at the end.
I think I am gonna check some other books by this author. I hope I can find a better story than this one.
September 2, 2017
There's a particular type of British protagonist — I see him sometimes in American fiction, but he's particularly popular in British books and TV shows, for some reason.
He's a mewling, spineless, indecisive, stammering, hapless, feckless, unfuckable loser whom we're nonetheless supposed to identify with because he's an Ordinary Joe. An Everyman whom I guess the reader is supposed to find non-threatening or, Gods forbid, able to "identify" with.
I don't, and I fucking hate this guy. I hate him even when Neil Gaiman writes him, and I like Neil Gaiman. I hate him when he shows up on British TV, from Dr. Who to Monty Python. I hate him in Terry Gilliam movies and I even hated him in Harry Potter (Harry wasn't a complete tosser, but his essential lack of anything identifiable as masculinity is one of the reasons why, as much as I loved the series, I questioned J.K. Rowling's ability to write believable boys, until she started writing adult novels.)
So, I really hated the main character in this book. Chris works in a call center, he lives with his parents, he has no girlfriend or social life, and no real future. Then a couple of mysterious strangers come to his house and talk their way inside (because being this particular species of British invertebrate, of course he lets them in and present their spiel).
Basically, it's a horrific, highly contrived scenario that seems heavily derived from the Saw movies (from what little I know of them, having never actually seen them). The villain has, for his own inexplicable reasons, kidnapped five celebrity sisters whom I cannot help thinking of as Kardassian knockoffs. Chris has to kill someone, or the villains are going to start on one girl and every nine hours cut off a limb, until they get to her head, and then start on the next one.
They set up all kinds of conditions like "no terminal cancer patients, no one suicidal," etc. — in other words, it has to be a genuine victim who doesn't want to die.
Chris dicks around trying to decide who he can kill — his asshole boss, some skinheads at the local white supremacist bar, a drug dealer — but being spineless and incapable of actually making hard decisions, just agonizing about them, pissing his pants, and throwing up for interminable, belabored periods of time, one girl ends up with no arms before he finally arrives at a solution.
I was slightly surprised when the book didn't end there. Instead, Chris moves on from this horrific event, gets married, and then the villains come back. You're expecting something really bad to happen again, and that's when the author springs the twist, the villain explains his evil plan, and...
Okay. The plot was interesting. The motivations of all the characters were, if not exactly believable, consistent. This sort of story might have worked in the hands of Stephen King, or Neil Gaiman. Luke Smitherd isn't either of those guys. His writing was interesting enough to keep me hooked on the plot, but I was grinding my teeth the entire time just wanting Chris to go jump off a bridge. Despite the horrific no-win situation he'd been put in, I could not feel sorry for him because he didn't have an ounce of fight in him, just whining and sniveling and bitching.
It's a 3-star story with 2.5 star writing and a 1-star characterization. Which is perhaps a little unfair, because I realize it's my deep, personal dislike for this type of character that made me dislike this book so much when I otherwise probably would have found it much more interesting. I may even try another book by Luke Smitherd because he does come up with interesting plots. But no more of these quivering little wimp protagonists, please.
He's a mewling, spineless, indecisive, stammering, hapless, feckless, unfuckable loser whom we're nonetheless supposed to identify with because he's an Ordinary Joe. An Everyman whom I guess the reader is supposed to find non-threatening or, Gods forbid, able to "identify" with.
I don't, and I fucking hate this guy. I hate him even when Neil Gaiman writes him, and I like Neil Gaiman. I hate him when he shows up on British TV, from Dr. Who to Monty Python. I hate him in Terry Gilliam movies and I even hated him in Harry Potter (Harry wasn't a complete tosser, but his essential lack of anything identifiable as masculinity is one of the reasons why, as much as I loved the series, I questioned J.K. Rowling's ability to write believable boys, until she started writing adult novels.)
So, I really hated the main character in this book. Chris works in a call center, he lives with his parents, he has no girlfriend or social life, and no real future. Then a couple of mysterious strangers come to his house and talk their way inside (because being this particular species of British invertebrate, of course he lets them in and present their spiel).
Basically, it's a horrific, highly contrived scenario that seems heavily derived from the Saw movies (from what little I know of them, having never actually seen them). The villain has, for his own inexplicable reasons, kidnapped five celebrity sisters whom I cannot help thinking of as Kardassian knockoffs. Chris has to kill someone, or the villains are going to start on one girl and every nine hours cut off a limb, until they get to her head, and then start on the next one.
They set up all kinds of conditions like "no terminal cancer patients, no one suicidal," etc. — in other words, it has to be a genuine victim who doesn't want to die.
Chris dicks around trying to decide who he can kill — his asshole boss, some skinheads at the local white supremacist bar, a drug dealer — but being spineless and incapable of actually making hard decisions, just agonizing about them, pissing his pants, and throwing up for interminable, belabored periods of time, one girl ends up with no arms before he finally arrives at a solution.
I was slightly surprised when the book didn't end there. Instead, Chris moves on from this horrific event, gets married, and then the villains come back. You're expecting something really bad to happen again, and that's when the author springs the twist, the villain explains his evil plan, and...
Okay. The plot was interesting. The motivations of all the characters were, if not exactly believable, consistent. This sort of story might have worked in the hands of Stephen King, or Neil Gaiman. Luke Smitherd isn't either of those guys. His writing was interesting enough to keep me hooked on the plot, but I was grinding my teeth the entire time just wanting Chris to go jump off a bridge. Despite the horrific no-win situation he'd been put in, I could not feel sorry for him because he didn't have an ounce of fight in him, just whining and sniveling and bitching.
It's a 3-star story with 2.5 star writing and a 1-star characterization. Which is perhaps a little unfair, because I realize it's my deep, personal dislike for this type of character that made me dislike this book so much when I otherwise probably would have found it much more interesting. I may even try another book by Luke Smitherd because he does come up with interesting plots. But no more of these quivering little wimp protagonists, please.
February 4, 2017
a very interesting premise but falls flat as to what the point of it all is, a rich guy going to incredible lengths to make random people kill random people to save more random people who are good people the rich guy kidnapped and is going to kill unless you kill someone?
plus the main character was such a whiny crybaby.
plus the main character was such a whiny crybaby.
July 4, 2018
Entertaining, well-written thriller from Smitherd about a regular guy, Chris, who is given the option by "the Man in White" to kill someone (under a specific set of rules) or else have a family of five sisters die a slow, painful death. It's gripping from beginning to end and makes you care about Chris's plight with a first-person telling of the struggles Chris faces with the challenge. Just the right length and a solid ending make this one a winner from an author I'd never heard of before (thanks again, Bandit!). Highly recommended.
April 9, 2017
One night, a Man In White knocks on Chris' door. Chris, a 21 year old man who works at a call center, lives with his parents and coasts along in life with no ambition.
His world turns upside down when he is presented with the biggest moral dilemma of his life:
to save the lives of 5 kidnapped siblings who are famous humanitarians and philanthropists he must kill a random person in 12 days. Someone random or a scum who deserves to die more than the 5 innocent humanitarians who will otherwise suffer a slow painful death that starts with them losing limbs every few hours. He cannot alert the police or they will all die and possibly Chris himself will also be killed.
The victim must be someone willing to live, thus the rules are simple:
- No one suicidal or wishes to die already
- No one over the age of 65
- No one terminally ill.
The method should be up close and personal, so no guns, explosives or poison. He does not need to worry about leaving evidence. As long as he is not caught on camera,The Man in White will take care of it.
The story-line seemed gruesome and I usually don't read books that go into the psyche of a murder or describe a honorific murder in great details. However something about this book and the rules made me very curious so I have given it a try and I have not regretted that decision at all. The author was unknown to be before this book. Having used both versions, the Audible audiobook and the Kindle version, I am really pleased I bought this book.
The story is so gripping, I could not stop reading for hours. You want to know what is going to happen next. The author takes you into a journey through Chris' mind, his inner thoughts, decisions or in decisions and how he deals with this moral dilemma.
As the Author described it:
"This is a tale of fear, indecision, confused masculinity and brutal violence; a story of a coddled young man thrust into a world of sharp metal and bone.
Ask yourself if you could do it. Then ask yourself who you would choose."
The storyline is so plausible. I could not help but ask myself those questions as I was reading the book, what if I ended up in his situation? What would I do? What is the lesser evil choice I would have to make if it came down to it, and finally, who would I choose to save my life and the lives of others?
I applaud the author for his skillful delivery of the story and keeping me on the edge of the seat throughout until the unexpected ending.
An easy 5 stars from me :)
Quote:
"That was when something hit me. The white suit he was wearing wasn't just a fashion choice. I mean, who actually dresses like that? Nobody, at least nobody in reality. Yeah, ok his big friend was in standard spook/secret service/bodyguard gear, but this guy? He was a walking cliche. It was like somebody said to me, Hey Chris, can you imagine a Colombian drug lord for me please? And this guy had popped up as the end result."
His world turns upside down when he is presented with the biggest moral dilemma of his life:
to save the lives of 5 kidnapped siblings who are famous humanitarians and philanthropists he must kill a random person in 12 days. Someone random or a scum who deserves to die more than the 5 innocent humanitarians who will otherwise suffer a slow painful death that starts with them losing limbs every few hours. He cannot alert the police or they will all die and possibly Chris himself will also be killed.
The victim must be someone willing to live, thus the rules are simple:
- No one suicidal or wishes to die already
- No one over the age of 65
- No one terminally ill.
The method should be up close and personal, so no guns, explosives or poison. He does not need to worry about leaving evidence. As long as he is not caught on camera,The Man in White will take care of it.
The story-line seemed gruesome and I usually don't read books that go into the psyche of a murder or describe a honorific murder in great details. However something about this book and the rules made me very curious so I have given it a try and I have not regretted that decision at all. The author was unknown to be before this book. Having used both versions, the Audible audiobook and the Kindle version, I am really pleased I bought this book.
The story is so gripping, I could not stop reading for hours. You want to know what is going to happen next. The author takes you into a journey through Chris' mind, his inner thoughts, decisions or in decisions and how he deals with this moral dilemma.
As the Author described it:
"This is a tale of fear, indecision, confused masculinity and brutal violence; a story of a coddled young man thrust into a world of sharp metal and bone.
Ask yourself if you could do it. Then ask yourself who you would choose."
The storyline is so plausible. I could not help but ask myself those questions as I was reading the book, what if I ended up in his situation? What would I do? What is the lesser evil choice I would have to make if it came down to it, and finally, who would I choose to save my life and the lives of others?
I applaud the author for his skillful delivery of the story and keeping me on the edge of the seat throughout until the unexpected ending.
An easy 5 stars from me :)
Quote:
"That was when something hit me. The white suit he was wearing wasn't just a fashion choice. I mean, who actually dresses like that? Nobody, at least nobody in reality. Yeah, ok his big friend was in standard spook/secret service/bodyguard gear, but this guy? He was a walking cliche. It was like somebody said to me, Hey Chris, can you imagine a Colombian drug lord for me please? And this guy had popped up as the end result."
January 20, 2020
Let me state at the outset that Luke Smitherd's Kill Someone is arguably the worst book you will ever read, though hardly the worst written. Mr. Smitherd actually writes pretty well, and has created a character he calls The Man in White I imagined Christoph Waltz playing in a film version.
Thankfully there will never be a film version. The premise of his story is so patently absurd it would be a compliment to call it ridiculous; the story itself is way too thin to hold your interest for the duration of the book; and the punchline in the final chapter is stupid beyond belief, which is far worse than being merely stupid. It rises to the level of the idiotic.
The story involves Chris, a harmless slacker who's presented with what Mr. Smitherd would have us believe is an impossible choice: kill someone according to strict guidelines or five innocent girls will die. I won't reveal how or why Chris was chosen to commit murder, although you might well ask how can anyone spoil what's already rotten?
Mr. Smitherd may have been aiming for an original story, but he will leave even marginally intelligent readers rolling their eyes and struggling to suppress incredulous groans. I suppose I should be grateful that I got the book for free, so all I wound up wasting was my time. In fact, it was a terrible waste of time.
Smitherd's skill as a writer deserves better than a single star, but this particular book was so bad I would be doing you a disservice to award more than one.
Thankfully there will never be a film version. The premise of his story is so patently absurd it would be a compliment to call it ridiculous; the story itself is way too thin to hold your interest for the duration of the book; and the punchline in the final chapter is stupid beyond belief, which is far worse than being merely stupid. It rises to the level of the idiotic.
The story involves Chris, a harmless slacker who's presented with what Mr. Smitherd would have us believe is an impossible choice: kill someone according to strict guidelines or five innocent girls will die. I won't reveal how or why Chris was chosen to commit murder, although you might well ask how can anyone spoil what's already rotten?
Mr. Smitherd may have been aiming for an original story, but he will leave even marginally intelligent readers rolling their eyes and struggling to suppress incredulous groans. I suppose I should be grateful that I got the book for free, so all I wound up wasting was my time. In fact, it was a terrible waste of time.
Smitherd's skill as a writer deserves better than a single star, but this particular book was so bad I would be doing you a disservice to award more than one.
June 9, 2017
Totally different audiobook for me!
Didn't see that ending coming, so it made for an interesting and probably...right completion of the task???
Who's knows what I'd do if put in the same situation.
Didn't see that ending coming, so it made for an interesting and probably...right completion of the task???
Who's knows what I'd do if put in the same situation.
April 9, 2017
2.5 stars.
The premise of Kill Someone is as intriguing as it is horrifying and thought-provoking. Alas, while the concept of the story is fascinating, its execution is more than a little elusive.
The writing is loose, replete with rambling, repetitions, and digressions in the first person POV. One short third person POV segment is thrown in for no apparent reason, except maybe for the author thinking it would be cool to include it or not knowing how to approach that part of the narrative through Chris’s POV.
The whole thing felt a lot like a self-insert with some alterations – and that feeling got only stronger after reading a rather lengthy afterword which was all too similar in style to the novel’s narration.
And, whereas the umpteen reminders not to judge Chris throughout the story were at least somewhat in place, the same being said in the afterword sounded as if the author forgot that Chris is, after all, not a real person, but his creation.
Speaking of the said creation, it could use some more forethought, because Chris’s character fell into the area of implausibility on quite a few points.
For example, Chris thinks of himself as a kid at the age of 21 (!) and he has never been in a fight (even I, a chronically ill child, was in a fight or two in school). And even a decade later, despite his experience, he still behaves and thinks much the same. What a missed opportunity to show character development.
His family is living on a decrepit farm BUT Chris never mentions anyone doing any farm work AND YET his family is well-off (enough for the parents to vacation in Maldives?) Does not compute.
Additionally, Chris’s parents seem to be keen on him being on the straight-and-narrow path, but they are okay with him working for a call centre instead of Chris going to college?
Then, there was a very sexist matter of reducing five women to quintuplets, although that is not what they were, technically, but triplets and two younger sisters. And the author either wasn’t bothered to do the math or thought it was perfectly fine for them to be ‘very close in age’, so close in fact that they must have been born within 24 months.
That is right, three births (including triplets) within two years. Ah, men and their unrealistic expectations. But, hey, it is just women, right, what else are we for than popping out kids?
So, yeah, that detail made me angry right at the beginning of the book and it hardly improved much as it went on.
By 40 % of the book I had a thought that maybe someone switched the word order in the title, because what I was thinking was ‘someone kill me’.
At least the resolution was somewhat sensible, when Chris figured out that he had the option to choose a merciful solution. (Although, I forgot whether killing himself was against the rules, because that was definitely an option that came to my mind. But no judging.)
The ending and the reveal of why Chris was ‘chosen’ for this experiment at least provided some food for thought.
And here comes a SPOILER.
Guilt-tripping people into helping improve the world by forcing them to committing a crime first is something I disapprove on principle, because wouldn’t it be better if no one died and a person chose to do good without having to atone for something bad?
On the other hand, though, a question arises whether one person’s death could be an acceptable price for how many other (perhaps hundreds, thousands) lives the murderer would improve in trying to atone for their crime?
My first instinct it so say ‘no’, but the answer is much more complicated than I can come up with, at least not now.
Chris, at least, found an answer which he could sleep with, which is also something.
Therefore, the thought-provoking ending somewhat redeemed the book in my eyes, but it was a shame that the rest of it was stylistically and narratively underwhelming and felt not thought-through well enough.
Full review was originally posted on my blog, Beyond Strange New words.
The premise of Kill Someone is as intriguing as it is horrifying and thought-provoking. Alas, while the concept of the story is fascinating, its execution is more than a little elusive.
The writing is loose, replete with rambling, repetitions, and digressions in the first person POV. One short third person POV segment is thrown in for no apparent reason, except maybe for the author thinking it would be cool to include it or not knowing how to approach that part of the narrative through Chris’s POV.
The whole thing felt a lot like a self-insert with some alterations – and that feeling got only stronger after reading a rather lengthy afterword which was all too similar in style to the novel’s narration.
And, whereas the umpteen reminders not to judge Chris throughout the story were at least somewhat in place, the same being said in the afterword sounded as if the author forgot that Chris is, after all, not a real person, but his creation.
Speaking of the said creation, it could use some more forethought, because Chris’s character fell into the area of implausibility on quite a few points.
For example, Chris thinks of himself as a kid at the age of 21 (!) and he has never been in a fight (even I, a chronically ill child, was in a fight or two in school). And even a decade later, despite his experience, he still behaves and thinks much the same. What a missed opportunity to show character development.
His family is living on a decrepit farm BUT Chris never mentions anyone doing any farm work AND YET his family is well-off (enough for the parents to vacation in Maldives?) Does not compute.
Additionally, Chris’s parents seem to be keen on him being on the straight-and-narrow path, but they are okay with him working for a call centre instead of Chris going to college?
Then, there was a very sexist matter of reducing five women to quintuplets, although that is not what they were, technically, but triplets and two younger sisters. And the author either wasn’t bothered to do the math or thought it was perfectly fine for them to be ‘very close in age’, so close in fact that they must have been born within 24 months.
That is right, three births (including triplets) within two years. Ah, men and their unrealistic expectations. But, hey, it is just women, right, what else are we for than popping out kids?
So, yeah, that detail made me angry right at the beginning of the book and it hardly improved much as it went on.
By 40 % of the book I had a thought that maybe someone switched the word order in the title, because what I was thinking was ‘someone kill me’.
At least the resolution was somewhat sensible, when Chris figured out that he had the option to choose a merciful solution. (Although, I forgot whether killing himself was against the rules, because that was definitely an option that came to my mind. But no judging.)
The ending and the reveal of why Chris was ‘chosen’ for this experiment at least provided some food for thought.
And here comes a SPOILER.
Guilt-tripping people into helping improve the world by forcing them to committing a crime first is something I disapprove on principle, because wouldn’t it be better if no one died and a person chose to do good without having to atone for something bad?
On the other hand, though, a question arises whether one person’s death could be an acceptable price for how many other (perhaps hundreds, thousands) lives the murderer would improve in trying to atone for their crime?
My first instinct it so say ‘no’, but the answer is much more complicated than I can come up with, at least not now.
Chris, at least, found an answer which he could sleep with, which is also something.
Therefore, the thought-provoking ending somewhat redeemed the book in my eyes, but it was a shame that the rest of it was stylistically and narratively underwhelming and felt not thought-through well enough.
Full review was originally posted on my blog, Beyond Strange New words.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2016
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
So. You need to kill someone or more people will die. All possible plans to avoid it have been thought of and rules have been put in place to make sure you either do it, or know if you don't do it you will be responsible for the death of others.
The thing is, Chris is an average guy. He's no killer. He expresses the same thoughts you have as you read the book. Whats the least worst possible outcome? its something you continue to think about until the story reaches its conclusion.
For me there are two standout moments in this book. When Chris visits "The Bonnie Minstrel" looking for a possible target - you could cut the tension with a knife. Honesty, this is so well written, the characterisations of the pub clientele just feel so spot on. Secondly, when Chris goes to work and speaks to his boss with the intention to kill. Once again the sense of foreboding and the tension created is remarkable.
What was also great was that I had no idea how this was going to end. Something bad had to take place and how Chris decided to deal with the situation worked really well.
Final observation - I think its great that at the end of the book Luke writes about how he comes up with his ideas and shares ideas that he considered for the story but later rejected. This gives you a much better appreciation of his journey writing the story.
Recommended.
So. You need to kill someone or more people will die. All possible plans to avoid it have been thought of and rules have been put in place to make sure you either do it, or know if you don't do it you will be responsible for the death of others.
The thing is, Chris is an average guy. He's no killer. He expresses the same thoughts you have as you read the book. Whats the least worst possible outcome? its something you continue to think about until the story reaches its conclusion.
For me there are two standout moments in this book. When Chris visits "The Bonnie Minstrel" looking for a possible target - you could cut the tension with a knife. Honesty, this is so well written, the characterisations of the pub clientele just feel so spot on. Secondly, when Chris goes to work and speaks to his boss with the intention to kill. Once again the sense of foreboding and the tension created is remarkable.
What was also great was that I had no idea how this was going to end. Something bad had to take place and how Chris decided to deal with the situation worked really well.
Final observation - I think its great that at the end of the book Luke writes about how he comes up with his ideas and shares ideas that he considered for the story but later rejected. This gives you a much better appreciation of his journey writing the story.
Recommended.
February 2, 2017
La premisa de éste libro y el imaginar qué haríamos en el lugar del protagonista resulta ser más entretenido que la ejecución (jejeje, ejecución).
La premisa es la siguiente: por circunstancias pobremente argumentadas, el protagonista tiene que matar a alguien. No a una persona específica, sino a cualquier persona que él decida. Las condiciones son: nadie que desee morir, nadie que vaya a morir de una enfermedad terminal, nadie mayor ed 65. La forma de ejecución debe ser cercana y personal, esto quiere decir que no lo puede envenenar, atropellar, disparar, etc, sino utilizar un cuchillo o algo así que le obligue a ver morir a su víctima. Lo que está en juego son 5 chicas hijas de un famoso millonario y filántropo que también dedican su vida a la filantropía. Aunque el protagonista no las conoce, sabe que son 5 buenas personas que se dedican a ayudar a la gente, y van a ir siendo ejecutadas una cada cierto tiempo, entonces no es necesario que decida matar a un criminal, sólo a alguien cuya vida él juzgue que vale menos que la de 5 buenas personas.
Aquí yo les pregunto: ¿ustedes qué harían?
En el libro se resuelve de forma muy tonta. Seguro la premisa daba para más.
La premisa es la siguiente: por circunstancias pobremente argumentadas, el protagonista tiene que matar a alguien. No a una persona específica, sino a cualquier persona que él decida. Las condiciones son: nadie que desee morir, nadie que vaya a morir de una enfermedad terminal, nadie mayor ed 65. La forma de ejecución debe ser cercana y personal, esto quiere decir que no lo puede envenenar, atropellar, disparar, etc, sino utilizar un cuchillo o algo así que le obligue a ver morir a su víctima. Lo que está en juego son 5 chicas hijas de un famoso millonario y filántropo que también dedican su vida a la filantropía. Aunque el protagonista no las conoce, sabe que son 5 buenas personas que se dedican a ayudar a la gente, y van a ir siendo ejecutadas una cada cierto tiempo, entonces no es necesario que decida matar a un criminal, sólo a alguien cuya vida él juzgue que vale menos que la de 5 buenas personas.
Aquí yo les pregunto: ¿ustedes qué harían?
En el libro se resuelve de forma muy tonta. Seguro la premisa daba para más.
March 18, 2017
Woah! Talk about an emotional and psychological roller coaster! The fact that it took me a few days to read says far more about what I was doing those few days and less about the quality of the book (because once the Process truly started, I did not want to put it down...but, ya know, life). You need to read this (all of you, and then let me know your thoughts!), and I need to check out more by the author!
August 28, 2017
I went into this book thinking it was a "making of a monster" kind of gory book and toward the middle, I started feeling disappointed because it wasn't. Then toward the end after the twists and turns, I appreciated the ethics and moral philosophy it provoked.
What I like most about this book is that it's thought proking. Every step of the way you question whether Chris is doing the "right thing" and what you would do in his place and that was quite fun.
What I like most about this book is that it's thought proking. Every step of the way you question whether Chris is doing the "right thing" and what you would do in his place and that was quite fun.
October 11, 2021
I loved the first half of this book! Got through it in two sittings.
The second half gets a bit bogged down with a lot of whinging. I get that the situation was a bad one, and the dude was a bit of a soft touch, but damn can that guy whinge and whine!
It's a good, solid, easy read, let down by the ending in my opinion. Could have been better.
Still thoroughly enjoyed it though so 3.5* rounded up to 4*.
Good story, Luke!
The second half gets a bit bogged down with a lot of whinging. I get that the situation was a bad one, and the dude was a bit of a soft touch, but damn can that guy whinge and whine!
It's a good, solid, easy read, let down by the ending in my opinion. Could have been better.
Still thoroughly enjoyed it though so 3.5* rounded up to 4*.
Good story, Luke!
June 7, 2018
Another great read by Luke Smitherd. Quick and entertaining. Great character development. Interesting premise with some good twists. Another dive into deep and complex subjects (morality, race, meaning of life) but in a very relatable and entertaining way.
Read
May 27, 2017Ugh. I forgot my 10% rule until I was too far into this to ditch in.
April 8, 2025
Well... damn. This was soooo good. I've never felt more in the mind of the character, or at least not that I can remember. You really FEEL Chris's emotions and panic. This book had me sobbing in parts, too. I didn't read the opening for The Stone Man though, having an hour of a different story on here felt a little strange so I skipped that, but I'll definitely be checking out some more work by Luke in the future.
January 1, 2021
Oh what a great idea! And well executed too. All you need to know is in the blurb. (In a nutshell, it's basically a version of the trolley problem) If it appeals to you, then I recommend reading it.
And I loved the ending. Perfect!
And I loved the ending. Perfect!
April 13, 2017
Interesting idea. Thrilling read. I finished it in two days.
May 9, 2018
Very enjoyable story in the "what if" style. Speculative fiction.
March 22, 2017
Made me question what I would do
I loved the premise of this story..... and I wasn't disappointed. Wow! What a great story. It made you think a lot and it was filled with action. Don't be discouraged as it starts a little slow but picks up quickly. It could also have been a total copy of "The Box" but it wasn't. It was much deeper and much more realistic. Can't wait to read more from this author.
I loved the premise of this story..... and I wasn't disappointed. Wow! What a great story. It made you think a lot and it was filled with action. Don't be discouraged as it starts a little slow but picks up quickly. It could also have been a total copy of "The Box" but it wasn't. It was much deeper and much more realistic. Can't wait to read more from this author.
March 17, 2017
This is definitely a dark story with a very twisted premise but it's really well written and fast paced and I just couldn't put it down. I started reading it after work and didn't stop (except, begrudgingly, to make my kids dinner) until I was finished. I simultaneously liked and didn't like the ending on a question, but I thought it fit perfectly nonetheless. Totally one of those premises where you never want to have to think a person could be faced with and yet it is not totally implausible with how sick and twisted real people have proven themselves to be. I also loved the bit Chris has where he says hindsight is not necessarily a positive thing. So true.
March 21, 2017
The first one l read........
Wow , what a great read ! Totally unexpected from start to finish - a rare thing to find for me anyway !! I've already raved about this book to my reading buddy Dawn Wheeler and l know we are both destined to be "smithereens" !! Keep em coming Luke , can't wait to get my hands on the rest !!!
Wow , what a great read ! Totally unexpected from start to finish - a rare thing to find for me anyway !! I've already raved about this book to my reading buddy Dawn Wheeler and l know we are both destined to be "smithereens" !! Keep em coming Luke , can't wait to get my hands on the rest !!!
September 3, 2018
This is the second Luke Smitherd book I have read and I'm hooked on his writing.
This is a great book and a good story line. Would you kill 1 person to save 5 others. How will it affect you if you go ahead with the deed.
I loved the ending, I think it left it to your own conclusion enough.
This is a great book and a good story line. Would you kill 1 person to save 5 others. How will it affect you if you go ahead with the deed.
I loved the ending, I think it left it to your own conclusion enough.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2017
Kill someone
Once I started reading I could not put this book down, it's not my normal type of book but It kept me interested to the end
Once I started reading I could not put this book down, it's not my normal type of book but It kept me interested to the end
March 14, 2017
If you like Stephen King then you need to check out this book!! Was exquisitely delicious and fast paced. The author gives enough - but not too much - detail about the characters and the plot was bloody fabulous!!!! Highly recommend!!
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