Stealth

by John Hollenkamp

From darkness things can creep up on you, and, before you know it, they devour you. A killer can do the same…

Darren Mangan is a big-city cab driver; his life runs a fine line between good and a little bad through his friendship with Johnno, a small-time drug dealer, bouncer and collector of shady debts…
One night, Darren breaks up a savage fight. The scrawny skinhead attacker is Martin Villier and he leaves a permanent impression… Darren will never forget the ghostly pale face, the lifeless, beady eyes staring into his. Like a foreboding…
A cache of handguns, promised to a ruthless biker gang, is stolen from Johnno. Martin escapes the city, the guns stashed in his bag. Loyalty to Johnno, and deepening feelings for Cate, a beautiful, ambitious detective on the trail of the bike gang, and their dangerous leader, Eddie, entangle Darren in a web of deceit and violent retribution. Unaware of Darren's connection with Eddie, Cate walks a dangerous line which ultimately sends her on a path of no return.
Who will get to Eddie first? Cate or Darren?
In the background, Martin Villier is carving out his own future...
Life around Darren does full circle...it all started with Martin...and it all ends up with Martin as the last man standing...Or is it?

The decomposed body of a girl is discovered in a deep crevasse, a man is dead from a shot to the head, a kilo of high-grade cocaine is missing… Darren decides to take matters into his own hands and go after Martin. The only way to find him - follow the trail of bodies.

Genres: Thriller

430 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 9, 2017

About the author

John Hollenkamp created The Darren Mangan Thriller Series with STEALTH, followed by A TROPICAL CURE, and now a third in the Series, WIRED. Darren is a dry-witted, good-looking Queenslander, (some people think he resembles the chap in Magnum PI, Tom Selleck) except a cabdriver doesn't make the same coin as a Hollywood actor. And that's where Darren's life runs a fine balance between good and a little bad...
Rich in colloquial dialogue, and coarse language, the stories reflect a realistic part of 'hard bloke' blue-collar Australia, set from Sydney's Manly & the Northern Beaches, to the South Coast of NSW before ending up in Tropical North Queensland.

John Hollenkamp's stories feature colourful, fictional characters. His crime-fiction stories are played out on the fringes of the gritty and shadowy world of Australia's underbelly, Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs, the Italian Mafia and characters of ill-temperament. Violence and coarse language do feature in his sharp, and 'pull no punches' style of writing...as do characters that will make your skin crawl. After all, that's real life.

With A TROPICAL CURE, the second in the Darren Mangan Thriller Series he features the introduction of Joel Shallowater, a young Indigenous cop from the suburbs of Townsville, with a dry sense of humour who has a penchant for cutting right to the chase with justice in mind.

Strap in, John's style of writing is fast-paced, full of twists and turns.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stealth by Aussie author John Hollenkamp was a dark and violent story, with not one character that I felt anything for. With plenty of murders, drugs, guns and bikies (and that was before we left Sydney!) the plot was set around a psychopath named Martin and a cab driver called Darren. I was initially intrigued by the blurb - I love Aussie crime fiction - but in reading it, I was increasingly distracted by the continual (and to my mind, mostly unnecessary) offensive language. And not just the F word either! So if a story littered with that type of coarseness doesn't bother you, go for it!

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stealth is John Hollenkamp's first novel and it has a genuine true blue Aussie flavour. Much of the action happens in the Aussie bush on the NSW south coast or around the crocodile infested creeks of Northern Queensland and they felt very vivid and real. His main characters are Darren, a taxi driver, mostly good but a little bit bad and not scared of taking on a trouble maker and a very nasty character called Martin, a sociopath and pure evil personified. Martin causes a whole lot of trouble with a bikie gang, some drug runners and some friends of Darren before he finds himself in a whole lot of very deep trouble. Often very dark and bleak, it's composed of short and sharp chapters, liberally sprinkled with droll Aussie vernacular, and with a host of interesting minor characters in Martin's building mates, a terrifying bikie gang and Martin's drug running cousin Matt. The plot is a little slow to develop and I felt could have been more focused and moved along faster particularly in the mid section of the book. However, there is lots action and quite a few bodies along the way. I have a feeling we'll see Darren and some of his mates back in a sequel sometime soon.

[Sheila Angell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book new the locations so got right into the story. Sheila Angell

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘He’s my friend. And friends help each other in times of need.’

Meet Darren Mangan, he’s a cab driver in Sydney. Darren spends most of his time on the right side of the law, but he’s been known to cross the line, especially if a mate needs a hand. But Darren’s life changes completely after two chance meetings with a young man named Martin. The first time, Martin attacked a friend. The second time, it’s Martin’s cruelty towards his dog that has Darren take note.

Because of a friend, Darren becomes caught up in a search for a stolen gun, a .38 Smith & Wesson. And the search for this gun leads Darren into some fairly dark places. Trying to find the gun and trying to track down Martin become Darren’s objectives. Darren’s journey takes him from Sydney to the News South Wales south coast, and then to Townsville.

In the meantime, Martin is on his own mission, and you just know that this isn’t going to end well. Will Darren prevail, and at what cost?

‘Taking responsibility for your own stupidity is something I grew up with. The old man paid the price for his habit.’

Delivered in short, sharp chapters, this is a story that held my attention from the first page to the last. Darren’s motivation is easy to understand, even if some of his choices are questionable. And, in Martin, I’ve met a character with absolutely no identifiable redeeming features.

Did I enjoy this novel? Yes. It’s black, it’s bleak and it moves quickly. This is Mr Hollenkamp’s first published novel, and is to be the first of a series featuring Darren Mangan. I’ll certainly be in line to read the next one.

Note: I was offered, and accepted, a free copy of this novel for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just completed this excellent contemporary Australian crime thriller. By the end of page one I was hooked. The author has very creatively managed to bring a number of diverse characters together in a very realistic and believable way. The Australia he describes sounds beautiful but also, like most other places on planet earth, dangerous. Very much look forward to his next book.

[Nick Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

From 1st page to the last I found it very difficult to put this book down. It was the first book I have read in years. I love the fast moving action details of the area and the characters. Thank you John for an awesome read

[Monique Boesch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an intriguing story that's cleverly told. It's hard to stop reading, and then it all culminates into a very well thought-out ending. Can't wait to read the next book!