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John Hayes #2
Dead Man Switch
Thousands of American lives are at stake, and their survival rests on Captain John Hayes and his special operations team.
A deadly fall on a rugged stretch of California coast. A home invasion gone wrong in Brittany. No one connects the killings because the victims are living under cover, their true identities closely-held secrets. They are members of America's most select kill/capture team, which combines special operations lethality with CIA tradecraft. They are the last line of defense against foreign threats, and someone is assassinating them one by one where they sleep, taking family and innocent bystanders to make the deaths seem like accidents.
Captain John Hayes, a special operations legend, has left the military and spent the past year at home with his family. Once he uncovers the pattern behind the killings, he returns to the field to protect the men and women he once worked with. One of those women, Claire Sutherland, draws suspicion for her brilliant abilities as an assassin, and vanishes into thin air. Meanwhile, the attacks on Hayes's team members grow bolder, the killers conspiring to draw them into Manhattan by orchestrating a devastating attack on Independence Day.
Hayes and his teammates are racing against the clock to save their own lives, and thousands more. As with his first John Hayes novel, Cold Barrel Zero, Matthew Quirk has written a breathless high-stakes thriller where the gravest dangers are embedded deep within a tangled nest of politics, double-crosses, and government conspiracies.
A deadly fall on a rugged stretch of California coast. A home invasion gone wrong in Brittany. No one connects the killings because the victims are living under cover, their true identities closely-held secrets. They are members of America's most select kill/capture team, which combines special operations lethality with CIA tradecraft. They are the last line of defense against foreign threats, and someone is assassinating them one by one where they sleep, taking family and innocent bystanders to make the deaths seem like accidents.
Captain John Hayes, a special operations legend, has left the military and spent the past year at home with his family. Once he uncovers the pattern behind the killings, he returns to the field to protect the men and women he once worked with. One of those women, Claire Sutherland, draws suspicion for her brilliant abilities as an assassin, and vanishes into thin air. Meanwhile, the attacks on Hayes's team members grow bolder, the killers conspiring to draw them into Manhattan by orchestrating a devastating attack on Independence Day.
Hayes and his teammates are racing against the clock to save their own lives, and thousands more. As with his first John Hayes novel, Cold Barrel Zero, Matthew Quirk has written a breathless high-stakes thriller where the gravest dangers are embedded deep within a tangled nest of politics, double-crosses, and government conspiracies.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 21, 2017
294 people are currently reading
1148 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Quirk
12 books1,081 followersMatthew Quirk studied history and literature at Harvard College. After graduation, he spent five years at The Atlantic reporting on crime, private military contractors, terrorism prosecutions, and international gangs. He lives in San Diego.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
May 31, 2017
This book was a fast, easy read. I read it in 2 days, finding hard to put down. The premise of the book is about a secret team of US assassins, trained to kill terrorists not vulnerable to drone attacks. They go undercover, sometimes for a year or more, and kill without a trace, frequently making it look like an accident. But then the US team, called Cold Harvest, is itself targeted with the same methods. The hero of this book is John Hayes , who takes on the terrorist killer team.
There are some implausible elements in the book, such as how easy it is for the bad guys to identify the super secret good guys. If you are a fan of thriller/spy book authors such as Ian Fleming, Frederick Forsyth or Tom Clancy, you will enjoy this book.
One quote: "Its technical name was a pressure-release detonator, more commonly known as a dead man switch."
I won this book in a Goodreads sweepstakes by the publisher, Mulholland Books.
4 stars.
There are some implausible elements in the book, such as how easy it is for the bad guys to identify the super secret good guys. If you are a fan of thriller/spy book authors such as Ian Fleming, Frederick Forsyth or Tom Clancy, you will enjoy this book.
One quote: "Its technical name was a pressure-release detonator, more commonly known as a dead man switch."
I won this book in a Goodreads sweepstakes by the publisher, Mulholland Books.
4 stars.
December 29, 2018
Someone is killing the members of John Hayes's unit, and he has to go back undercover to find them. There's all kinds of double crosses and skulduggery, and an unbelievable double cross towards the end.
Pretty exciting if you can suspend enough disbelief.
Pretty exciting if you can suspend enough disbelief.
January 6, 2026
This is entertainment, pure and simple. It features a secret team of United States military personnel, trained to kill terrorists and threats on foreign soil under cover and in secret. You know, CIA type stuff but with full deniability by the Government should they be captured. We all have seen this many times before, on TV shows (think the original Mission Impossible), in movies, and the like.
The key is to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the action and intrigue. There are some good plot twists and the pace is well maintained throughout the book. Characters are a bit two dimensional, but it all proves to be good fun. Just don't expect a really believable plot and you'll be fine.
As always, should you, or any of your IM force be caught or captured, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. Good luck.
The key is to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the action and intrigue. There are some good plot twists and the pace is well maintained throughout the book. Characters are a bit two dimensional, but it all proves to be good fun. Just don't expect a really believable plot and you'll be fine.
As always, should you, or any of your IM force be caught or captured, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. Good luck.
March 19, 2017
I think this is the best military thriller novel I have ever read. I didn't think it was possible, but Quirk actually improves upon Cold Barrel Zero, the first John Hayes novel. The plot is focused and tight, and the Claire Rhodes is a welcome new character. —Pam Brown, Marketing Director
March 21, 2017
"The wilderness of mirrors"
I enjoyed this offering by author Quirk quite a bit more than the first book in the series - COLD BARREL ZERO. It was much easier to follow the storyline, had less characters to keep track of, and had a solid ending.
"36 men and women belong to Cold Harvest, a small group, gathered from the U.S. military’s classified special operations units and the CIA’s paramilitary forces. They were kill teams, in essence, run as independent contractors with no official relationship to their home government. They pursued the gravest threats to national security in countries, most of them American allies, where the U.S. would never be allowed to perform lethal missions. They were a last resort."
And now there was a group out to get rid of the Cold Harvest members and so far are being successful at their endeavors.
John Hayes, who was in the first book of this series, is still trying to fight the good battle even though his reputation is in shreds. He thought he could live like a regular person, enjoying his wife and daughter, but duty calls and he always feels the obligation to respond. So he heads out, trying to protect the remaining Cold Harvest members.
Fast paced, with a major twist in the middle that I definitely did not see coming, this is a spy/action thriller that I highly recommend.
I received this book from Mulholland Books through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.
I enjoyed this offering by author Quirk quite a bit more than the first book in the series - COLD BARREL ZERO. It was much easier to follow the storyline, had less characters to keep track of, and had a solid ending.
"36 men and women belong to Cold Harvest, a small group, gathered from the U.S. military’s classified special operations units and the CIA’s paramilitary forces. They were kill teams, in essence, run as independent contractors with no official relationship to their home government. They pursued the gravest threats to national security in countries, most of them American allies, where the U.S. would never be allowed to perform lethal missions. They were a last resort."
And now there was a group out to get rid of the Cold Harvest members and so far are being successful at their endeavors.
John Hayes, who was in the first book of this series, is still trying to fight the good battle even though his reputation is in shreds. He thought he could live like a regular person, enjoying his wife and daughter, but duty calls and he always feels the obligation to respond. So he heads out, trying to protect the remaining Cold Harvest members.
Fast paced, with a major twist in the middle that I definitely did not see coming, this is a spy/action thriller that I highly recommend.
I received this book from Mulholland Books through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.
December 25, 2022
I had high hopes going into this book. Those hopes were fully satisfied. This book was awesome!!! A fairly straightforward plot, but engaging nonetheless. A solid cast of characters with a couple plot twists thrown in for good measure. If you haven't read this author, you might consider doing so. It will be well worth the effort.
August 21, 2017
by Andrea Renee Cox
Because of an intriguing premise, Dead Man Switch found its way into my stack of library books to check out. It sounded like an action-packed story. Once I dove into it, I discovered it had a few similarities to one of my favorite movie series: The Bourne Identity (and sequels). Like those movies, Dead Man Switch contained profanity and expletives -- always unnecessary and distracting. There was also violence --sometimes overly descriptive, while other times it was tastefully brief -- normally associated with general market thrillers. The story was interesting and had lots of surprises. If it were free of profanity and expletives, I would have given it five stars.
I was not compensated for my honest review.
Because of an intriguing premise, Dead Man Switch found its way into my stack of library books to check out. It sounded like an action-packed story. Once I dove into it, I discovered it had a few similarities to one of my favorite movie series: The Bourne Identity (and sequels). Like those movies, Dead Man Switch contained profanity and expletives -- always unnecessary and distracting. There was also violence --sometimes overly descriptive, while other times it was tastefully brief -- normally associated with general market thrillers. The story was interesting and had lots of surprises. If it were free of profanity and expletives, I would have given it five stars.
I was not compensated for my honest review.
February 8, 2026
A thriller with a “believability” problem…Our hero John Hayes, has a problem-someone is killing “his men”-the secret CIA group(with no accountability), murders across the world, family members are not safe, why now?, who is next-double crossing people and a couple of twists until the end. Just OK.
April 11, 2017
It would be hard for any more action to be packed into a single book without dropping the nouns entirely, but Quirk's special forces super men and women do find time to share fascinating bits of tactical trivia and backstories that make them comprehensible, if not exactly relatable. It's cinematic! It's thrilling! And it genuinely is hard to put down.
It's been a pleasure to know Matt, however tangentially, and watch his transformation into a successful novelist. Speaking with him in DC at his book release party made me appreciate what might be the most fascinating part of his new career: the cultural milieu in which military thrillers exist. "Martial" is probably a good word to start with; I picture guys in shirts that would be sold by Tommy Bahama if they didn't have the word "tactical" on their product tags, guys who eye you with measuring glances and are quite intent on making sure you know that they will never say a word about the vast universe of secret violence and duty that it is their lonesome responsibility to bear. Cheers to you, gentlemen! I found this book immensely entertaining and I bet you will, too.
It's been a pleasure to know Matt, however tangentially, and watch his transformation into a successful novelist. Speaking with him in DC at his book release party made me appreciate what might be the most fascinating part of his new career: the cultural milieu in which military thrillers exist. "Martial" is probably a good word to start with; I picture guys in shirts that would be sold by Tommy Bahama if they didn't have the word "tactical" on their product tags, guys who eye you with measuring glances and are quite intent on making sure you know that they will never say a word about the vast universe of secret violence and duty that it is their lonesome responsibility to bear. Cheers to you, gentlemen! I found this book immensely entertaining and I bet you will, too.
April 5, 2018
I listened to this as an audio book while walking. I didn't realise it was the 2nd in a series, but you got enough background to follow and enjoy it. I assumed it was a young adult book - but from reading other reviews, perhaps not. It is fast paced, an exciting political thriller with enough references to current events to make it realistic. A bit like a Matthew Reilly's scarecrow books without the expletives and not quite as far fetched.
Read
August 18, 2017The second John Hayes book is every bit as good as the first. Our hero is once again alone among a group of loners, unbelievably lethal and determined to protect kith and kin. He is up against nefarious folk both within and outside his secret program and the U.S. Somehow you know he'll prevail but the author manages to amaze and surprise you along the way. It's definitely a joy ride. –Suzanne R.
April 1, 2017
The second John Hayes book is every bit as good as the first. And I was totally unable to stop reading the first once I read the first couple of sentences. Our hero is once again alone among a group of loners, unbelievably lethal and determined to protect kith and kin. He is up against nefarious folk both within and outside his secret program and the U.S. Somehow you know he'll prevail but the author manages to amaze and surprise you along the way. It's definitely a joy ride.
November 3, 2023
Love Matthew Quirk!
September 27, 2017
Dead Man Switch is a good read, though not nearly so riveting or fast-paced, or fascinating as Cold Barrel Zero. Still, it is an interesting story. Recommended.
June 27, 2018
While I liked the first novel in the series, Cold Barrel Zero, one of the main reasons was that I found the main character interesting and relatable, and enjoyed seeing him struggle with the mystery and motivations of the black-listed super-soldier. The plot of this sequel follows around that latter character, who as an invincible killing machine is much less compelling, and not the original protagonist, so I just wasn't as interested. Another audiobook I just couldn't be bothered to finish.
September 20, 2017
“Dead Man Switch” by Matthew Quirk is a covert operations thriller with a terrifying twist – the threats are now in the United States. It is both riveting and compellingly frightening as current and former members of a U.S. covert operations team die accidentally, in the U.S., but under circumstances too suspicious to be mere accidents. Who is killing the families and members of this “black-ops” operation, and how can it possibly be stopped without putting everyone in danger? Perhaps it can’t.
I will not give away the many twist and turns (and they are MANY) in the plot, but no one is who they seem to be, and no one can be trusted. Right from the start, people who are dead, or about to be dead, are not dead, but then, maybe they are; it’s complicated. Those complications are the crux of the sensational conspiracy.
The action is precisely described and technically detailed. There is violence but without excessively graphic gore. It won’t give you a stress-induced headache because of the blood and guts -- just a regular nail-biting headache from chills, thrills, anxiety, stress, murder and speculation about what could possibly happen next. Just when you want to stop and catch your breath, something changes dramatically. There are diversions and complications all along the way to a tragic ending.
I received a copy of “Dead Man Switch” from Matthew Quirk to review, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is the second book in the John Hayes series, the first being “Cold Barrel Zero” which I also highly recommend. It is not necessary to have read the first book in order to appreciate this one. Contextual references throughout the book fill in relevant background without wasting pages and pages rehashing the first book.
Plan your schedule carefully; once you start “Dead Man Switch” you will not be able to put it down.
September 20, 2020
Gun humping nonsense and violence porn. Reading this in Trump's America is simply chilling. To know that there are people who think more and bigger violence is the answer to all problems, and that all of America's enemies are outside its borders, and want to believe that a crew of mentally damaged ultra-violent ninja assassins are all that stands between 'Murca and total chaos is just depressing. That the only female member of Cold Harvest is the one open to emotional manipulation is enraging. The plot is sheer nonsense, as if none of the ninja paranoiacs in Cold Harvest wouldn't have noticed the odd patterns of death in their ranks... Well let's just say that the plot is an insane heap of barely related events kept moving by people exclaiming that they suspect that one woman because, well somehow this broken and friendless woman who had left that whole life of ninja-murder behind was still invited to her former coworker's funerals. What kind of super elite ninja squad breaks deep cover to go to each other's funerals? Then there is the finale, which is...shall we say, implausible?
Badly written too. Cliche driven and half the book is descriptions of how things go blewey.
Badly written too. Cliche driven and half the book is descriptions of how things go blewey.
February 25, 2018
Fun but fairly predictable. Nasty bad guy. Nearly superhuman hero overcomes bureaucratic nonsense to save the day. Near misses. Injuries but not fatal. Friends die. Hayes could be a really great character but needs more development. I'll keep reading but let's get back to the ford novels.
April 19, 2017
Review later
October 19, 2023
Book Review – Dead Man Switch – Matthew Quirk
Author Matthew Quirk’s “Dead Man Switch” is the second book in the John Hayes series, the first being “Cold Barrel Zero” and is just as good if not better. It is not necessary to have read the first book to appreciate this one. Quirk does a good job including contextual references with relevant background without rehashing the first book. This story begins with thrilling action and never slows down. Someone is assassinating Hayes’ fellow elite special ops team members and their families and making it look like accidents. Hayes, a ‘black ops’ legend, pieces together the murders and takes on the assassins in this intense and dynamic action thriller. An excellent follow-up to Cold Barrel Zero, Dead Man Switch is a powerful and energetic thriller! Smart plotting, authentic characters and outstanding action scenes are what makes this book so compelling. The action is precisely illustrated and accurately detailed; the violence is plentiful, but not gruesome; the suspense is nail-biting and intense, and the anxiety and stress of what’s going to happen next is highly anticipatory! The twist-and-turns in the storyline are the crux of the extraordinary conspiracy. Quirk wrote another riveting and captivating action thriller, and I enjoyed it!
Author Matthew Quirk’s “Dead Man Switch” is the second book in the John Hayes series, the first being “Cold Barrel Zero” and is just as good if not better. It is not necessary to have read the first book to appreciate this one. Quirk does a good job including contextual references with relevant background without rehashing the first book. This story begins with thrilling action and never slows down. Someone is assassinating Hayes’ fellow elite special ops team members and their families and making it look like accidents. Hayes, a ‘black ops’ legend, pieces together the murders and takes on the assassins in this intense and dynamic action thriller. An excellent follow-up to Cold Barrel Zero, Dead Man Switch is a powerful and energetic thriller! Smart plotting, authentic characters and outstanding action scenes are what makes this book so compelling. The action is precisely illustrated and accurately detailed; the violence is plentiful, but not gruesome; the suspense is nail-biting and intense, and the anxiety and stress of what’s going to happen next is highly anticipatory! The twist-and-turns in the storyline are the crux of the extraordinary conspiracy. Quirk wrote another riveting and captivating action thriller, and I enjoyed it!
February 15, 2018
The second book in a new series by Matthew Quirk, is filled with action! I’ve never read this author before, but if this book is indicative of his style, I can’t wait to read more of his books!
Agents of Cold Harvest, a covert black ops team with no official backup and who work independently and undercover to protect America’s interests (including being political assassins), are being targeted for death. Each death is set to look like an accident. John Hayes discovers this by chance and tries to discover who is behind the threat. Meanwhile, Claire, a dangerous Cold Harvest agent who’s husband dies under mysterious circumstances (either a botched murder cover up or by curious accident) has gone dark. The question - is Claire behind the deaths of her husband and fellow agents. The intel suggests information to kill is from an internal agency source and no one knows who to trust. Hayes is asked to track Claire down.
This book begins with action and never slows down. At one point there’s a twist that surprised me which made the book more enjoyable. I can’t wait for the next in the series.
Agents of Cold Harvest, a covert black ops team with no official backup and who work independently and undercover to protect America’s interests (including being political assassins), are being targeted for death. Each death is set to look like an accident. John Hayes discovers this by chance and tries to discover who is behind the threat. Meanwhile, Claire, a dangerous Cold Harvest agent who’s husband dies under mysterious circumstances (either a botched murder cover up or by curious accident) has gone dark. The question - is Claire behind the deaths of her husband and fellow agents. The intel suggests information to kill is from an internal agency source and no one knows who to trust. Hayes is asked to track Claire down.
This book begins with action and never slows down. At one point there’s a twist that surprised me which made the book more enjoyable. I can’t wait for the next in the series.
February 17, 2024
Another triumph and another perfect score for Matthew Quirk!
Following on from his blistering action-packed Cold Barrell Zero, Quirk takes Captain John Hayes, our modern-day Batman, and sticks him smack-bang in the middle of a devastating terrorist plot that threatens to claim the lives of thousands on US soil.
A little leaner than Zero, Dead Man Switch wastes no time in getting the action started and introduces us to a covert black ops unit that operates outside of the confines of congress, Langley and law enforcement to take care of those untouchable threats. Hayes is the only returning character from Zero, but Quirk builds a solid team around him once again, with Claire Rhodes being an absolute stand-out!
There's no recommending this highly enough, Quirk has written another winner here, and one can only hope that a third entry is not far away.
Following on from his blistering action-packed Cold Barrell Zero, Quirk takes Captain John Hayes, our modern-day Batman, and sticks him smack-bang in the middle of a devastating terrorist plot that threatens to claim the lives of thousands on US soil.
A little leaner than Zero, Dead Man Switch wastes no time in getting the action started and introduces us to a covert black ops unit that operates outside of the confines of congress, Langley and law enforcement to take care of those untouchable threats. Hayes is the only returning character from Zero, but Quirk builds a solid team around him once again, with Claire Rhodes being an absolute stand-out!
There's no recommending this highly enough, Quirk has written another winner here, and one can only hope that a third entry is not far away.
July 20, 2017
Captain John Hayes, a special operations legend, has left the military and spent the past year at home with his family. Once he uncovers the pattern behind the killings, he returns to the field to protect the men and women he once worked with. One of those women, Claire Sutherland, draws suspicion for her brilliant abilities as an assassin, and vanishes into thin air. Meanwhile, the attacks on Hayes's team members grow bolder, the killers conspiring to draw them into Manhattan by orchestrating a devastating attack on Independence Day.
Hayes and his teammates are racing against the clock to save their own lives, and thousands more.
Hayes and his teammates are racing against the clock to save their own lives, and thousands more.
September 11, 2017
Reading these is like descending into a world of paranoia, perhaps suspending belief of what we think, and likely hope, the world looks like. I'm not sure why I persist in sometimes reading thriller series such as this, which present a glimpse into what "really" might be happening on a global scale. Are they being written in hopes of becoming action movie scripts and movies?
Having said that, I did do a rather rapid read, since I wanted to find out how the challenges might be met and/or resolved, since this is obviously a series. I have read both of Matthew Quirk's previous books and, who knows, may read others.
Having said that, I did do a rather rapid read, since I wanted to find out how the challenges might be met and/or resolved, since this is obviously a series. I have read both of Matthew Quirk's previous books and, who knows, may read others.
February 11, 2020
A well-written account of members of Cold Harvest, a top-secret group of US assassins and their attempt to stay alive after several members of their group are killed. John Hayes knows that unknown enemies are killing, one by one, current and former members of his elite group and members of their families. He faces many obstacles including wondering whether a protegee of his (Claire) is behind their deaths. In the back of his mind the entire time is how to best protect his family from these unknown assassins and the emotional cost of the undercover life he lives.
An exciting story. I look forward to further episodes of John Hayes'.
An exciting story. I look forward to further episodes of John Hayes'.
June 27, 2023
Action right out of the box, someone is targeting all the members of the elite fighting force to which John Hayes belongs, along with their families. Amid competing political agendas, John must come out of his undercover gig to help identify and stop this threat. This is fast paced and reads very much like a screen play. Scenes are deftly and economically described and the complex plot lines are caught up and solved at the end. Definitely plot driven fiction, but this plot is tight, fun and the characters, while a bit stereotypical, are likeable and act consistently to their own standards and those of real people. Another fun, fast summer read.
July 6, 2024
Someone is killing members of America's most elite kill/capture military team.
Captain John Hayes, a special operations legend, has left the military and spent the past year at home with his family. Once he uncovers the pattern behind the killings, he returns to the field to protect the men and women he once worked with. One of those women, Claire Sutherland, draws suspicion for her brilliant abilities as an assassin, and vanishes into thin air. Meanwhile, the attacks on Hayes's team members grow bolder, the killers conspiring to draw them into Manhattan by orchestrating a devastating attack on Independence Day.
Captain John Hayes, a special operations legend, has left the military and spent the past year at home with his family. Once he uncovers the pattern behind the killings, he returns to the field to protect the men and women he once worked with. One of those women, Claire Sutherland, draws suspicion for her brilliant abilities as an assassin, and vanishes into thin air. Meanwhile, the attacks on Hayes's team members grow bolder, the killers conspiring to draw them into Manhattan by orchestrating a devastating attack on Independence Day.
July 2, 2019
I have read the first in this series and rated it three stars so was looking forward to seeing how things develop in the second book for the min character John Hayes. I liked the book although the plot line follows a similar route to other block ops/secret service trying to stop terrorists. This one did have more to it than some of the others because of the other key players and the doubts crafted into the story about which side they are on. I did however find my self sometimes skipping through a few pages quickly which is never a good sign? Overall a good holiday type read.
December 4, 2023
Overall great read, super action packed, and very little small talk. This book is all about keeping the reader engaged with action! The only reason I'd give it only 4 stars is because the writing can sometimes become too busy with the specifics of action scenes, and I would've enjoyed more moments of natural movement and description within the text. The storyline itself is very interesting, I would recommend it to anyone who's a fan of mystery and crime thrillers.
July 14, 2025
Nowhere near as riveting as the first book of the series. Very thin plot (someone is slowly and efficiently taking out elite supersoldiers on American soil, and our man John Hayes is reluctantly drawn back from his idyllic family life) that doesn't make a whole lot of sense by the time the book is in its final act. Claire Rhodes, Hayes' former student, is nowhere near as sympathetic or interesting as Quirk wants her to be. Oh well.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews