The Silencer

The Silencer #1

by Mike Ryan

CIA Black Ops agent John Smith is on his latest assignment in London. Little does he know--it'll also be his last. Barely surviving an attack on his life, Smith lays low for six months until he returns to the United States. His flight is strangely diverted to Philadelphia where he meets a mysterious man who already knows about his past and recruits him for a job.

Needing a new identity, Smith becomes Michael Recker. He tries to prevent bad things happening to innocent people while also interacting with several crime factions who are battling for control over the city. All the while, Recker begins to plan his revenge on Agent 17, who is responsible for a heinous act that Recker will never forget.

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

228 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 16, 2016

About the author

Mike Ryan is a writer living in Bucks County, PA. He's married, has three kids, and three dogs. He's used to a hectic and busy household. During his free time, he enjoys watching sports, movies, and music.

Mike's a huge Star Wars fan and loves just about anything with superheroes in it (both Marvel and DC). He also loves to interact with his readers via his blog, Twitter, or email. Follow him on Twitter @Mike_Ryan36 or email at mikeryan36@verizon.net.

Mike also offers a few readers on his mailing list the chance to be beta readers for all books before they're published.

Sign up for Mike's mailing list or visit his blog at www.mikeryan36.blogspot.com

Reviews

[Jim A · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank goodness for Kindle Unlimited. I got about half way through this and threw up my hands. I enjoy the premise of this novel as much as the next person. That stated, the prose and dialogue with this one was just ridiculous. Maybe it gets better as the series moves along, but it's going to do it without me. If I didn't finish the first one, not much point in reading the rest of them.

[Dave Wickenden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having escaped execution by his own CIA hit squad, Mike Recker is recruited by an ex-NSA agent who wants to help those that the government ignores. Together, they find those people who are unknowingly in danger of death, rape, or other crimes and help them with survive the danger.

This is the first book in the series, and the author doubles down the right and wrong of taking the law in your own hands. But when the government ignores the little guy, it is comforting that someone is looking out to settle the score. Action, suspense, and a sense of justice make this story shine.

[Pierre Tassé (Enjoying Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

As previously mentioned this resembles the tv series Person of Interest which was action and "feel good" combined. Nice to take a break every now and then and dip into these kind of stories. I will continue reading the series.

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this as one of four in a boxed set but because I didn't finish all four, I'm reviewing here.

Someone must have recommended this book to me, I have no idea why I put in a request for the library to obtain it because that was two years ago. I'm rather sorry they wasted their money.

Where to start? This is some of the worst writing I've encountered in a long time. As I read, I kept picturing the most boring kid in school telling everyone about his day. He could've said he shot five guys in a restaurant and nobody would've even stopped to ask for details. Well, same here. Forget suspense, forget thrills - you won't find them here.

The dialogue is absolutely dreadful - wooden and stilted. It's like being in a room with Kevin Costner, Nicholas Cage and Keanu Reeves reading to each other and everyone keeps pausing at the grammar and punctuation errors. For starters, would someone please teach the author (and the supposed editors) the difference between plural and possessive forms?

The characters are poorly and minimally developed and therefore uninteresting, unexciting and not worth the reader's time. After reading this entire book, I still don't care about Mike Recker or David Jones, anyone in their orbit, and even less about the people Recker encounters and kills, or his problems with the CIA. Potential conflicts that might gin up some suspense are never fully developed and so there is no suspense. Everything remains superficial. And if Mike Recker is a super-secret spy/assassin with years of experience, he certainly does some pretty stupid stuff. I just.don't.believe.any.of.it.

For the life of me, I can't even imagine being able to slog through and finish the first couple of books, much less sixteen of them . Giving the author (and editors) the benefit of a doubt here, I'm going to hope they improved with practice.

[Mike Nemeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

As far as protagonists go, Mike Wrecker is a throwback. The thought of purchasing women's undergarments for a friend in hiding makes him cringe but a triple-tap in the chest of a bad guy, while not something he relishes, is no big deal. Author Mike Ryan rolls out his black ops anti-hero in the first of the Wrecker series with his origin story. Wrecker, not his real name, is set up on an assignment engineered by his CIA handlers to eliminate him. He'd been deemed radioactive. For what reason, he doesn't know. But Wrecker is a survivor, kills his would-be assassins and goes into hiding. But collateral damage haunts him. Ryan spends quite a bit of the narrative in Wrecker's head, explaining how he interprets things. He's a killer, and a good one. But he's got distinct set of values. He's a protector. After six months in hiding, Wrecker emerges, revenge on his mind. He'd been shot. But rather than intercept his former colleagues and have it out, he's taken aside by a fellow who calls himself David Jones. Jones, a former NSA employee, has a proposition: "Work for me and help people who need help." Jones has piggybacked a way to sift NSA data to find regular people who need help. With Wrecker he hopes to prevent murders, rapes and other unsavory acts. Wrecker's intrigued and joins up. And the fun starts. OK. So it all reminded me of "Person of Interest," created by Jonathon Nolan and starring Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson with Wrecker as Caviezel's character and Jones as Emerson's. And even after reading the first five novels in the series, I still think so. However, that's where it ends. Wrecker's his own guy with his own demons and his own repressed desires. He wants a normal life, but he's hunted by the CIA. Only his association with Jones and his newfound role as the Silencer, a guy who does good without requiring anything in return, keeps him under the radar. At least initially. After consuming this, I read four more of the books like I was plowing through Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer novels. And there are some grammar flubs and odd misused words, but generally Ryan conveys a hard-edged narrative about a hero who gets the job done.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this one three and a half stars. It was a quick read and the plot moved right along. It's an action thriller which is not very deep, but lots of fun to follow along. One complaint I have is that this story is essentially the same as recently featured on the TV show 'Person of Interest' with a rich cyber-hacker and his tough guy operator taking out bad guys and saving good guys. Because it was entertaining, I will read more in the series.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somebody To Lean On!
I just recently finished book number one of a fun and exciting series written by a very creative writer named Mike Ryan. This story begins with a former government agent who is forced to disappear to preserve his own life soon after tragically losing the girl he loves because of the acts of the same agency he represented. Recker, the bad ass main character teams up with Jones, a former NSA and CIA operative, whose expertise in computer hacking makes the team virtually undetectable and unstoppable as they set out to protect the innocent and obliterate evil. This book kind of reminds me of the Equalizer, a well-made TV series where the main character protects and avenges societies underdogs who cannot protect themselves from evil. I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced well-researched story line, finding it very entertaining and easy to follow, thanks in part to excellent proofing and editing. I like the simplicity in the way that the subject matter of story within is conveyed with this cover art of this book. Looking forward to exploring more stories within this series in the near future!

[Rellim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: Books 1-4 have been combined into a box set in both ebook & audio.

This is my first book by Mike Ryan. It’s an interesting mashup of The Equalizer & John Kelly from Without Remorse (the book, not the movie).

It took me a little bit to get into the story - but once I did it was an easy listen. While Recker doesn’t have opportunities to show off his super spook CIA skills, he does use info provided by Jones (another mysterious past) to step in and prevent or stop crimes.

It’s several smaller stories that weave together and while there’s no cliffhanger because individual “cases” are handled, Recker is still looking for answers to avenge a loved one.

This feels more like a serial/episodic than traditional novels and I like that format given Jones & Recker’s missions.

Brian Hutchison was also new to me. I enjoyed his narration. He was a great choice for mostly male characters. There were some parts where the recording was echoing/tinny, but it didn’t keep me from enjoying it. I’m looking forward to continuing the series with Hutchison at the helm.

[J L NICOL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Person of Interest Lookalike

An enjoyable book which reminds me of the TV series Person of Interest, which recently finished.
It will be interesting to see what happens in future books, let us hope that Mike gets rid of the long coat and stops seeing the woman he saved, even if it is only platonic at the moment.
Even in a large city, they will be noticed in the end.

[Betsy · Rating 2 out of 5]

As other reviews have mentioned, the basic premise here is the same as the tv show Person of Interest, but this book is a lot less exciting. I read thrillers because I want some thrill, some danger, some uncertainty. This book is much too safe and the characters are bland. Not likely I’ll read any more of this series.

[Julie Conner · Rating 4 out of 5]

First in a series featuring a former CIA agent who is helping those who couldn't reach out to law enforcement for assistance. Great story line and if you like the Equalizer, you will like this book, and perhaps the series.

[Marion Schloemer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good enough to have on in the background of household chores. Not riveting like The Gray Man used to be, or as entertaining as the Spencer series. But good enough.

[Emilija · Rating 1 out of 5]

The 50 Prompt Eighth Doctor Reading Challenge - Companions And Allies - 16) A Book With A Rogue Or Ambiguous Ally (For Molly)

I normally like books like this, the Jack Reacher-esque books, but I really struggled to get into this novel. I did personally find the main character quite boring and quite wooden as a character in general. As I wasn't a fan of the main character, who the entire book revolves around, the entire book became a bit of a slog to ger through.

[Flugschütz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I endured the first book in this series based upon a quick look at the ratings for the series. I figured the author's prose must improve with each subsequent volume considering the rather high star-ratings he receives. Alas, I am halfway through the second book and I just can't take it anymore as the hoped for improvement remains unrealized.

Mike Ryan would benefit from creative writing courses. Oh, who am I kidding?! He should start out with lessons on basic grammar and sentence structure. Then he might avoid saying the same thing, three different ways in one paragraph, which should probably be two or three paragraphs.

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not exceptionally long and not all that complicated. It is definitely an introduction to a new character and the world that he inhabits. It is almost like a pilot episode to a tv show. There is a lot of world building and introduction to the characters that will inhabit this world. What is missing in this book is a story that really puts the character of Mike Recker in jeopardy.

The plot is pretty basic. Mike Recker has been betrayed by a group in the CIA for falling in love and wanting to leave the organization. He goes underground, only to be found by an independent contractor named David Jones. Jones is a computer hacker who is hacking the CIA computer and wants to make a difference in the world. However, he needs muscle to do it, hence Mike Recker. The basic premise of the series is set up.

Jones and Recker start taking cases. In this book there are several small cases and one big case at the end. Recker protects a nurse from an abusive ex. This adds another character into the mix, named Mia Hendrix who is a possible future romantic interest. There are also gun dealers who will supply Recker with weapons, but are very suspicious of him (for good reason). The final case involves a kidnapping of a rich child and Recker needing to use all his underworld contacts to save her. This case was solved somewhat easily, with not too much suspense.

After reading this book, I wonder what is in store for Recker. I guess that the CIA will come after him at some point. I hope that he is put in a few more perilous missions, as nothing seemed too difficult for him in this book.

[Wally Mountz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, the book is well-written with pretty good character development and an interesting tale. However, holes in the plot leave me wondering.

SPOILERS:

In Chapter 2, Jones says he has established a bank account for Recker, but that was when he didn’t know Recker’s real name or even what alias Recker was going to use. How do you set up a bank account in no one’s name?

In Chapter 7, Recker goes to the Sheraton Hotel to stop a domestic violence situation. He stands outside the door to the room and hears the problem is occurring inside. He then opens the door and steps in. I don’t know of any hotel where a passerby can just open a room door and step in. They all lock upon closing.

In Chapter 9, he places a burner phone on the ground in front of the door of the parent’s home of a kidnapped child. He then knocks on the door, rings the door bell and leaves. He admits he isn’t positive he isn’t under surveillance. He then calls the burner phone and lays out the overall plan to the father.

The problem here is if he was under surveillance, wouldn’t the surveillance see him leaving the phone or the parent picking it up? Furthermore, when the kidnappers grabbed the child at the house and tied up the nanny, they would have more than enough time to plant a listening device or a concealed camera which would have alerted them to Reacher's plan against them.

I can only assume these glaring errors will be repeated in all of the author’s books. For this reason I won’t be reading any more of any of his books.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

★★ 1/2

This was an audio book listen and is part of a 4-book box set that my husband and I downloaded from Audible to listen to while on the road.

I will start by saying that it reminds me of the network television series "Person of Interest" which is not a bad thing as I think the show was pretty harmless and entertaining. In the book, a very smart and computer savvy NSA employee retires from the NSA and starts his own business. He created a software program for the NSA that monitors almost all communication in America but the NSA only acts on information that is a threat to national security. So if they hear that a normal person is going to be robbed or killed, the NSA takes no action. This retired NSA agent, David Jones, took this software and wants to use it to protect the everyday citizens.

In order to accomplish his mission however, he needs a field operative. Enter Michael Recker, a former CIA special operative who is now hiding from the CIA. Together, Jones and Recker save average Philidelphians from danger.

I will listen to the next book in the series with hope that some better editing and dialogue improves the experience. There is promise in the premise but the execution in this first installment fell flat.

[Julie Baswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

After Mike Recker decided he no longer wanted to be an assassin for the government agency known as Centurion, they put a hit out on him. Mike barely managed to escape, and then stay hidden long enough to heal. They may have failed at eliminating Mike, but his girlfriend, Carrie, was not so lucky. Now all Mike cares about is finding and killing the agent who killed Carrie. In the meantime, he is approached by Mr. Jones, a former consultant with the NSA, with a proposition to work with him. Mr. Jones is able to gain access to information that could protect the average citizen before they become a victim and he needs Mike’s expertise.

This was a great beginning to this series. I liked knowing what happened to Mike in real time, and not having to rely on memories. It was evident that everything is not over from his past and I can see that storyline going in several different ways. It was an interesting plot, with me imagining this as a television detective/crime fighter show. I look forward to reading more stories with Mike and Mr. Jones, and all the friends/associates that they made here in the beginning. To me, these characters truly came to life.

[Bert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Major pass on this. I got most of the way through the second book in the box set (4 books), before I gave up. The character development is good (not great), and it is a cheap knock-off of a TV show (which I really didn't like either, although the premise of this book is much more believable; won't mention the TV show to avoid spoiler). What is agonizingly bad is the writing style. Clearly the author was paid by the word count as he repeatedly states the same thing OVER and OVER again in the dialog. Dude, people are not so dense that you have to repeat the same topic using the different words to get your point across, neither your characters or your readers. There are also situations where entire sentences were used where an adverb or and adjective in a prior sentence would have gotten the point across. Overall it is poor writing, but I think I blame who ever EDITED the book more. I am a math/computer geek, not someone who critiques language writing styles, so if I am noticing it, book worms will be looking for a tall building to jump off of.

[Ken Denbow]

Story put together well, and an intriguing plot. Action scenes and suspense were well written and pulled me in. Characters were not very believable, particularly the hoods of Philly. WAAAAAY to much space wasted on bonding of characters, background (repeated over and over), etc. etc. Found myself hitting the page advance to skip, or page backwards to find out what the hell the plot was doing after several pages of redundant description of past personal items.

Biggest objection to the story I had, however, was the poor grammar in the use of prepositions, split infinitives, etc. It is one thing if used with conversation, but in expose the author (and editor!) should be far more critical.

[Jon Hansen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing new, but interesting.
Reads like a low budget version of the TV series "Person of Interest", where they use "Ex-CIA" instead of "Ex-soldier".

Some bad editing, where things at the beginning of the story don't quite match what happens later. Easily fixed, so why didn't they?
Also some of what I would think of as "grammatical errors". Me, not being a
native English speaker, could be wrong, but some of the sentences just sound... "off".

And the author jumps around into the heads of just about everyone, and then telling a lot of things twice, first from one POW, then from another.

It is a short read - and you might enjoy it.
The author shows some promise. Maybe later books in the series will be better.

[Darryle B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read and a delightful mystery thriller. The mysterious ex-secret agent known as Michael Recker earned a reputation on the streets as a vigilante nicknamed "The Silencer". With the help of ex-NSA agent and cyberhacker David Jones, (whom Recker calls "The Professor") whose skills helps Wrecker on missions that help the innocent, it all occurs while being hunted down by his former agency that has him and anyone who knows him marked for termination. It reminds me of the original TV series, "The Equalizer" and if you enjoyed the concept of that show, you'll love these series of novels as well. Highly recommended.

[Ed Basham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reasons to read: There is continual action (focused on criminals doing bad things) and the action scenes are mostly well done. The criminals are often interesting and some of the background characters have potential to be developed. The focus of the subplots is usually clear, direct, and simple.
Reasons not to read: The dialogue and character descriptions are awful. There is no overall plot to the book, just a series of scenes that eventually ends. The settings in Philadelphia are uniformly dull. You have already seen similar stories on TV, and there is absolutely nothing original about the book.

[Jerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

When CIA assassin Mike Recker decides to retire, he immediately becomes their next target and has to go underground. He's hired as a mercenary in Philadelphia by a mysterious man who wants to prevent crimes by intercepting threatening messages online.

Not a very complicated plot and not particularly well-developed characters, but I like the overall idea of the rogue agent trying to do good. This theme, however, is done much more effectively in series such as The Gray Man and Orphan X. It looks like the Silencer series is going to be fairly short novels, set up more like television episodes, which is probably intentional.

[Donna Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding Adventure!

Easily one of the best books I've read this year. A small cast of characters, which I prefer. A gripping atmosphere. I keep holding my breath and it's next to impossible to turn off the cotton picking light off. Retirement helps. I have been reading into the middle of the night since my teen years. I'm so grateful for the fundamental gift of eyesight. I try not to take it for granted. Reading has been a priceless gift for many decades. Hope you decide to read Mike Ryan's wonderful riveting series. It's delightful.

[Carôle Ceres · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook version of this title. The narrator, Brian Hutchison, was very good. The plot is very reminiscent of an American TV show (the name of which, I truly can’t remember)! It also reads like it. It’s quite episodic. Interesting, but not really a novel, therefore really easy to read in one day. (I’ll try to remember the name of the show and update the review).

EDIT: ‘Person Of Interest’ is the name of the show. I don’t know which came first, but the show was better. The show had the police as ‘accomplices’, rather than the gang lords...

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

When trouble comes, the Professor and the Silencer combine to head it off.

Intense action and good characters as a computer expert and a trained “retired” CIA operative work together to stop all kinds of crime before it happens. Routine information gathered by the alphabet agencies frequently contains data and tips on pending crimes that are not related to national security and as such are frequently ignored. These carefully hacked clues form the basis for anticipating and preventing crime in this action packed series. Worth the time.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I docked this a star because this is what happened when I started reading:
Oh, cool, I didn't realize that the tv series 'Person of Interest' was based off of a book. That's cool, I never knew that.
Looks up show dates and book dates
Okay, so the book was written later. Must be one of the ones where the show was done then the book was written.
Looks for any type of acknowledgements, doesn't find any
Okay, so basically this is just a rip off of the tv show
Do I need to include a spoiler alert since I mentioned the tv show?

[Ralph Phares · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great New Life For an Ex-Operative.

It feels so good to read a story about a former operative of an alphabet agency getting a reprieve from a terrible past. A past made worse by a significant relationship brutally ended by that same agency all in the name of "tying up loose ends." Michael Recker gets anew lease on life protecting the most vulnerable from terrible, catastrophic events, most of which they don't even know are unfolding. The characters are so well written and defined and possess such wonderful attributes they just pop. A very wonderful five stars!

[Tina Steblein · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book had a somewhat exciting, but very interesting start that you don’t expect.This was the audible version which I found to be very pleasant to listen to. I think you have to not focus on the negative e.g., what’s possible what’s not possible likely what’s not likely to enjoy it. it definitely felt like an in the book. If you try to project you’re probably going to be right about where the story takes you however, however it’s great car rides are just to relax and pass the time in my opinion.