Final Hour

Victor the Assassin #7

by Tom Wood

The enigmatic assassin Victor returns in an explosive thriller from the international bestselling author of A Time to Die and The Darkest Day.

SOMETIMES THE ONLY WAY TO LIVE...

Victor is the ultimate predator. He surfaces to kill, then disappears into thin air. But he's a disposable commodity for the powerful people he works for--both the good guys and the bad. And no one has his back. Especially now that doing black bag jobs for the CIA has put a target on his head...

...IS TO DIE.

Antonio Alvarez, a high-ranking US intelligence official, is determined to clean house and find the legendary killer who slipped away from him during an operation in Paris. There's only one person Victor can turn to for help: a lethal female assassin whose life he once saved. And now Victor wants her to return the favor--by killing him....

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

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

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

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

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

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Final Hour” by Tom Woods is the 7th novel in a sequel involving Victor, a hired killer and assassin. I have not read the previous 6 novels and had no problem following the narrative. I’ve read reviews that say you should read the preceding novels for full enjoyment, but my husband and I both enjoyed the story as a stand alone.

We listened to the story, narrated by Rob Shapiro. Shapiro does an excellent job, voicing an assassin. The story is intricate and complicated. We had to pay close attention as Victor out maneuvers the CIA. What makes this story special is that you get inside the head of an assassin. It’s a very stressful life! Staying anonymous is difficult.

Adding spice is a female assassin, Ravin. The two assassins intersect as Victor eludes his killers. Ravin has her own issues. The inner thoughts of the two assassins will leave you thinking like an assassin. Seriously, you will see suspicious characters everywhere!

Both my husband and I enjoyed this so much that we intend to listen to the first novel in the series.

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

Well what can I say......

Five stars, yes clearly because Tom Wood is very near the top of favourite authors.

The Final Hour is the best so far of Tom Wood's books, a book full of great characters, some new ones, but some great returning characters.

This book bursts with tension, excitement, thrilling action and "What Next" moments.

Former CIA agent Antonio Alvarez has been tracking a vicious murderer for years, a nameless hitman responsible for numerous homicides.

Once, the Agency deflected him away from his search, but now promotion has given him a second chance to right the past.

Only problem is, the killer has vanished.

Thousands of miles away, the professional known as Victor has stopped working - recently he began to care; he made mistakes. But there's another assassin, Raven, who needs his help - and she is hard to refuse . . .

Great, page-turning stuff, with a hard edge and a compellingly and gripping story, that clearly establishes Tom Wood as one of the Best British Thriller authors.

This books is not to be missed, but do read the first six.... PS I have already ordered number 8 in the series out in July !!

I want to tell you so much more.... I can't, but I promise you , you will love the books by Tom Wood.

Five stars plus !

Out shortly.....

[Terence M - “Quot libros, quam breve tempus!" · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook - 10:49 hours - Narrator: Daniel Philpott
3.5 of 5.0 stars ^ to 4.0 Stars

Not quite up to the standard of its immediate predecessor, #6 "A Time To Die", #7 "The Final Hour" was still an entertaining novel, subject to several caveats. Something odd was at foot as the plot and storyline seemed to twist and turn without really achieving anything beneficial to the overall story, but to my ears, the twisting and turning was more likely attributable to an unusual direction taken by the narrator either by his own choice or that of the production's director. Whoever made the choice, it didn't work.

Usually a single narrator will choose a neutral voice, mostly his/her normal reading voice and choose separate vocalisations/accents for individual characters, depending on the number of them and their importance in the story. For some reason, when a paragraph or most of a paragraph featured a particular character, Daniel Philpott chose to read the narrative and the dialogue using the character's vocalisation/accent for both. The exception seemed to be if the dialogue included other characters, in which case the particular character used their individual vocalisations/accents in their conversations.

Confused? Well you might be because so was I! It was an absolutely annoying distraction and quite frankly ruined the listening to the book for me. I have listened to well over 800 audiobooks and this is the first time I have confronted this form of narration. I hope it's the last.

The disjointed plot, the bedraggled and somewhat unsatisfactory ending and the confusing narration meant that "The Final Hour" warrants only 3.5 of 5.0 stars.

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a Victor fan.

There's this thing I have with this series where it is spot on perfect reading for me at certain times in my reading mood because I know I'm just going to really get into it and live with Victor for a while. Not that I'd *actually* like to live with Victor he's a bit up and down on whether he'll drink with you or break your neck but whatever. Nothing like a bit of danger.

Anyway, seriously speaking these are terrifically good thrillers in comparison to a lot that are out there at the moment because Tom Wood's writing style is cleverly immersive - in the way that you don't realise you are in it until you come out again. I like that as a reader and I like the lilt of the storytelling, simplistically elegant, I also like Victor as a main protagonist because he seems predictable but really is not.

In "The Final Hour" things get shaken up a bit. Raven returns (and I know not everyone warmed to Raven but I'm a little in love with her especially after the early morgue scene and then the ending) - the relationship between the two of them was one of the highlights of this instalment for me. Someone from the past is after Victor in a very focused way and by the finale I was all edge of the seat and stuff. Plus its left me rather more eager than usual for Victor 8 so that says it all really.

These are actually classically good. Great writing, great storytelling GREAT characters. Just great.

Bring on the next.

Definitively recommended.

[Rellim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Final Hour is the 7th Victor the Assassin book by Tom Wood. There are a lot of references to previous books in this one and the series is best enjoyed in order.

Wood brought back Raven!!!! I love, love, love Victor and all these books. However, I simply adore the interplay between these two. It makes for a fantastic story. Or six. Because holy moly did Wood give backstories and smaller incidents to create an intense last third that kept me giving the stink eye to anyone who dared ask me to pause the audio. I enjoy their banter, how they work together, how they fight, and that the fact still remains… neither truly trusts the other.

Yet Victor & Raven make a pact to work together as long as it serves both their interests. With enemies coming at them from all directions it does. Until it doesn’t.

There’s even more depth and insight as we’re treated to Alvarez’s perspective on what it’s like to hunt for Victor. How Victor has alliances and enemies and it’s often difficult to tell them apart.

So good. I’m ready for even more Victor in Kill for Me.

Narration:
Rob Shapiro continues to be a fantastic match for Wood’s writing. Wood has so many personalities, accents, & emotions and Shapiro does justice to them all. I just love listening to these books.

[Barry who enjoys well-written thrillers, mysteries , & espionage & loathes romance, horror & supernat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Victor the Assassin book. In this episode, Victor, whose real name is known to no one, goes in search of the mysterious Phoenix, a broker who has put out a contract on him, three times. Their mutual interests bring Victor together with another assassin codenamed Raven. The relationships between Phoenix, Victor and Raven are, as you might imagine, very complicated.

Then you mix in a couple of CIA elements who seem not to be playing for the same team and a brand new MI6 handler for Victor. He has worked for both intelligence organizations but under different codenames and they suspect but haven´t been able to confirm that fact.

So the parallel storylines include, Victor´s hunt for Phoenix while simultaneously, foiling assassins sent by Phoenix, intra-CIA conflict, CIA-MI6 issues and attempted assassinations of Raven. As is clear, the book has quite a lot of action but the type of action that I prefer, fairly brief (as opposed to 50 pages of one fight), intense, interspersed with twists and other surprises.

As Tom Wood´s books tend to be, it is well-written, cleverly plotted and populated with nearly believable and very interesting characters. This one was one of my favorite Victor books and I look forward to the next. Great literature it ain´t, but rather it´s a fun, fast-paced, well-written, semi-possible super-assassin book.

Highly recommended to those that love this genre BUT, if you haven´t read a Victor the Assassin book before, you are well-advised to start with book one. They are not all as great as this one, although most are, but the back story is important and they definitely build on each other to a degree.

Fini

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE AMICABLE EX

"And now, the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I'll say it clear
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain…" — Frank Sinatra

"Only blood can wash away blood." — American Mafia saying on assassination.

"Assassination is a state of mind, a checkmate. Your opponent may still have pieces on the board, but with the king gone, he’s lost the game." — Robert B. Baer, CIA Officer.

The only concrete thing about life is that nothing in it is concrete. Things change, people move on, memories fade, and love can turn to hate. This is particularly true in the realm of espionage, where strategic and political winds can leave the golden boy loved by the department an utter pariah by the end of the month. And it’s absolutely true when one is an asset of an intelligence service. Even if you are useful, the friendly man who hands over nice thick envelopes full of laundered greenbacks can be replaced with an angry woman aiming a suppressed Ruger MK3 at your heart. This year, one of the few pure anti-heroes in contemporary spy fiction finds himself in that third category, as someone from his past comes back to haunt him.

Over seven books, British thriller writer Tom Wood has charted the course of Victor the Assassin. Victor is a nice man who kills other men and women for large sums of money. When we first meet him, he’s a freelance hitman who spectacularly wrecks an op run by the chief of the CIA Russia desk and comes to the attention of the power behind the throne at Langley’s NCS. Shanghaied into becoming a deniable asset, Victor has dutifully done the jobs that the Company’s Special Activities Division could not, with a brief sabbatical with the UK SIS. But in this book, Victor is faced with an espionage Captain Ahab looking to run him down. Not wanting to go to jail, Victor comes up with a cunning plan—one which goes off the rails as the final hour to implementation draws near. Now to the review: how does one plan the perfect divorce?

The novel begins in a surprising fashion, taking us back to 2015 in the aftermath of Book 5, The Darkest Day. Victor is seemingly enjoying downtime after a hellish 12 hours in the Big Apple. Taking confession in County Cork, Ireland; exercising at an MMA gym in Holland; and taking a piano lesson in Lisbon, each of the people Victor meets in these literary snapshots makes revealing comments on the parts of the man he allows them to see, while knowing there is something else below the surface. Across the Atlantic in Canada, the assassin Raven—who ended at the point of death in Book 5—awakens from her slumber. Realizing she’s in a vulnerable position, she attempts to find a way out of the hospital she has ended up in. The plan she comes up with, however, plays into the hands of a DEVGRU corpsman turned hitman, who makes the mistake of crafting a complicated plan to off his would-be victim and gets a bone saw through his neck. Raven then takes her leave and flees to Europe.

We then cut to a year later, when Victor returns to County Cork, this time on business. As it turns out, the priest he took confession from was a tout working during the Irish Troubles. Unfortunately, the tout was two-timing the SIS and also selling out fellow assets to the Provo nutting squad. Victor informs the old man that he’s going to die for angering a British spy with a long memory, and after futile attempts at staving off the inevitable, the Irishman is deposited in the Irish Sea. Back in America, a familiar face appears. Antonio Alvarez, formerly of the CIA, is golfing with the most powerful man. We learn the ONI has poached him. After his golf game, he visits another familiar figure, Roland Proctor, the semi-retired number two at the CIA NCS. During their meeting, Alvarez makes his official declaration of war against Proctor and the mysterious hitman who slipped away all those years ago.

Across Europe, Victor is once again on business, seemingly meeting for a freelance contract in a countryside lodge in Bavaria. As it turns out, it’s a trap set by Phoenix, an anonymous broker who hunted Victor in Book 6. Victor reverses the trap and blows apart the Macedonian hit squad sent after him with aplomb. In Italy, Raven resurfaces with a vendetta on her mind. And in the darkest black hole of the espionage world, orders are sent out and plans are made that may just suck both killers into a vortex they may never return from. With good guys to the left and bad guys to the right, only one question remains: when two assassins are stuck in the middle with each other, who will survive to the final hour?

In terms of plot, The Final Hour hits the sweet spot and is perhaps the most fully realized novel Tom Wood has written to date. Since the first three books, the series has sometimes seemed to struggle in finding its feet after a glorious, blood-splattered, cinematic establishing trilogy. Books 4, 5, and 6 were extremely well written but seemed to miss the spark that turned good spy fiction into spellbinding thriller writing. That spark returns in a big way, with the author going big and bold in this entry. A twisting, sweeping plot with genuinely high stakes, a surprisingly large degree of character development and worldbuilding that closes out the final book in this phase of Victor’s life, and wonderfully crafted action scenes that rank among the top five in this formidable series—The Final Hour is one of the best-plotted spy novels of 2017.

Action and setting: superb as usual. Whether it be an up-close-and-personal fistfight or a dramatic gun battle across one of Europe’s great cities, Wood is an action master for all seasons. With six previous books under his belt, his ability to craft violence that steps off the page and fires a gun next to your ears is second to none. From the first death by bone saw, to a gunfight with a John Wick–ian vibe in Bavaria, the action then sweeps up to the infiltration of a seaside mansion in Italy gone wrong, a violent home invasion on the Scottish–English border, and finally a small three-way war involving a Special Activities Division paramilitary unit that destroys an apartment block in Helsinki. The Final Hour seeks to end this stage of Victor’s changing life with a bang. Vivid, dramatic, and slickly written, and full of the energy and poise that made the early books glimmer, once the killing starts—don’t blink. If you do, it’ll be over, and Victor will have left the bodies behind.

Research: impeccable as usual. Wood studiously avoids the tacticool nonsense that infected the genre post-9/11. He comes from an older, nobler tradition where research doesn’t turn books into firearms shopping catalogues. A bit of name-dropping is welcome, but controlled. Highlights include a suppressed HK P7 used by Raven, a Beretta 93R used by Victor, a Steyr AUG Para submachine gun, and in the climax, a Heckler & Koch MP7. But it’s not just firearms where Wood shines. From a look into the nature of modern crime in Italy—how Mafia dons are on social media and have departed from their murderous 1990s period—to the ins and outs of international shadow banking institutions, infiltration tactics, unarmed combat, and even pointers on how to escape flexicuffs without a knife, these books are intelligently written but not overbearing. Wood integrates all the kit and useful tidbits into the story with sublime skill. But the star highlight is the realistic portrayal of a contemporary shadowy organization. Unlike a monolithic non-state actor like HYDRA, a true Illuminati—as shown in indie thriller superstar Peter Nealen’s AP series—is made up of political and financial networks that can buy firepower and have intersecting interests. Wood demonstrates this with the “Consensus,” a network that is almost an organic entity, a sort of espionage Cthulhu that can swallow any do-gooder who opposes it or drive them insane.

Characters: above and beyond the usual in this entry. The Final Hour sees a huge amount of character development and change for everyone in the story—not just Victor, who, even when fleshed out, still retains that enigmatic mask of lies, omissions, false identities, and plastic surgery that has served him well. There are many standouts, so I’ll focus on three: Victor, Raven, and Alvarez.

First, Victor. Everyone’s favourite anti-hero is back with a vengeance. Unlike Book 6, which was essentially a day at the office, here the stakes are properly high and dicey for the perfect assassin. But Victor meets the challenge head-on, and that challenge—with an American Inspector Javert on his tail—brings out the best in him. Manipulative, funny, and deadly, Victor assembles the pieces for his planned retirement party as a deniable asset with admirable professionalism and keeps his cool for nearly the entire story. The genre cries out for a higher class of anti-hero, and Victor is that anti-hero. He’ll make you laugh, gasp, and then leave a body or two behind. With no scruples or Boy Scout morality to torture him at night, Victor does the things other so-called anti-heroes aren’t willing to do—and he does them with a finality that leaves a mark.

Next, Raven. Raven is an Iranian American who just so happens to be a rogue ISA operator who angered the armaments firms of North America when she robbed them of a big payday in Book 5. In this book, we explore her background, character, and what makes her tick. She’s a different beast to Victor—more conventionally heroic and with a desire to do the right thing. But she’s no pushover. In Book 5 we only glimpsed her abilities; here Wood puts them on full display, and the results are a violent Fourth of July firework show. Whether it’s stabbing a mad Estonian mercenary or engaging a Special Activities Division team with a stolen Heckler & Koch MP7 from a tactically disadvantaged position, Raven keeps up with Victor—and at her best, can even outdo him.

Finally, Alvarez, our antagonist. Alvarez is a do-gooder of the Scott Harvath/Mitch Rapp variety. He would fit snug as a bug in that kind of story. Unfortunately, he’s not in that sort of story; he’s stuck in a morally ambiguous, stale-beer espionage drama where backstabbing and betrayal are par for the course. A dogged individual, Alvarez may not be as fast in strategy as the fellow intelligence officers he seeks to bring to justice, but he’s relentless enough to start making the connections that bring him within striking distance of Victor the Assassin. Round 2 may have ended, but I’d love to see a Round 3 for the ONI man.

Constructive criticism: Not much, really, except that the book was so well written I was left wanting a whole lot more. The author was on top form this year, and it will be interesting to see where Victor goes from here.

A good friend of mine once wrote that there is great power in letting go. Whether it be accepting the loss of a friend, losing your top employee, or having to change a job, change is necessary to live life—and accepting change is necessary to live life well. Victor the Assassin goes through such change in The Final Hour, and ultimately comes out all the better for having adapted. Tom Wood’s seventh book is proof that he has changed too as a writer—for the better.

He has taken his work to new heights. His prose is sharper and more refined than in the previous book, and he has not rested on his laurels in closing this era of his awesome fictional assassin, who remains a cut above the rest. With a beautifully written, blood-pumping narrative, a cast of characters whose interactions delight, shock, and amaze, and a perfect blend of cinematic action, accurate research, and deep worldbuilding, The Final Hour is the perfect end to this era of the thriller series. It’s a new dawn and a new day for Victor, and when the hour comes that he resurfaces, you’d better go find him before he finds you.

VERY RECOMMENDED.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for a high drama thrill ride where the lines are blurred between heroes and villains? Tom Wood’s THE FINAL HOUR will have you questioning who are truly the villains in a world filled with political intrigue, betrayal and those assigned the tasks of cleaning up life’s loose cannons, or loose ends, if you will.

Victor is a loner, an expert in all things covert. He is an assassin, a tool to be used by the highest bidder, but it isn’t personal, it’s his job and he is very good at it. He doesn’t do soft and cuddly, he cannot depend on anyone but himself, until he becomes the next target of an assassin, himself. There is only one person he can count on, a female assassin he once let live, just barely. Now he needs Raven to return the favor and “kill” him. A case of the devil you know?

If there is honor among thieves, there must be some special oath among assassins other than kill or be killed because two survivors in a world of brutality and death will join forces in a tentative truce in order to live another day. Will there be any questions or doubt? Can Victor and Raven co-exist for a brief time and walk away? There is more on the line than meets the eye and only the strong will survive.

Tom Wood has created an anti-hero that one cannot help but root for in a dark world where death can be bought and denial is a given. Brilliant dialogue, razor sharp tension and events that will have your imagination running full speed!

Not a tale to rush, allow it to sink in, visualize each scene and marvel at what kind of planning would go into pulling off the perfect assassination or even rescue. Imagine living as a shadow in the world, unseen, yet with the ability to strike like a cobra and disappear like a ghost.

THE FINAL HOUR may re-define your concept of what true evil really is as it hides behind lies and the money to purchase death.

I received an ARC edition from Berkley in exchange for my honest review.

Series: Victor the Assassin - Book 7
Publisher: Berkley (August 29, 2017)
Publication Date: August 29, 2017
Genre: Thriller | Suspense
Print Length: 448 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble 
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Don Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would put Victor aka Tesseract aka Cleric aka hundreds of other aliases against any other novel tough guy/assassin and he would come out on top due to his attention to detail, calculating diligence and being the best at his craft................the consummate assassin. With so many comic book tough guy books popular now, I'm gonna hate the day Tom Wood finishes his Victor series. Other than the Gray Man and Gabriel Allon novels, the rest of them just don't cut it when compared to the cool, calm and collected Victor.

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more intelligent than some thrillers in this genre but feels surprisingly unexciting in the telling. Maybe it gets bogged down in technical details of weapons, maybe it's so concerned about making Victor soulless and anonymous that he's almost a robot. In any case, the pace is steady and flat, never rises to any level of excitement. The premise sounds intriguing but this didn't grab me enough to read more of the series.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

So I'd definitely advise reading these books in order, that's not only because they are excellent but because there's instances where the characters have a past meeting.
Victor has been my favourite assassin long before he made it big, when the book was called The Killer and the author was Tom Hinshelwood on the cover.
I remember stumbling onto that book through amazon getting it and being totally blown away by it. Then it was reprinted as The Hunter and i went and got that too cause you've got to have both versions..
Erm.. Right?

Victor has definitely got into his groove again.
This was another great book in the series, I liked the ending and it's good to see Victor is heading back to the old ways.
All this CIA/MI6 stuff wasn't his style.
He doesn't like blasphemy how could he stand being around intelligence agencies for god sake...
Oh my bad.. Sorry Vic.
If Tom Wood keeps writing these Victor thrillers then chances are I'll keep advising people to read them they're just that good.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Final Hour (Victor the Assassin #7)
by Tom Wood
Synopsis
The enigmatic assassin Victor returns in an explosive thriller from the international bestselling author of A Time to Die and The Darkest Day.
SOMETIMES THE ONLY WAY TO LIVE...
Victor is the ultimate predator. He surfaces to kill, then disappears into thin air. But he’s a disposable commodity for the powerful people he works for—both the good guys and the bad. And no one has his back. Especially now that doing black bag jobs for the CIA has put a target on his head...
...IS TO DIE.
Antonio Alvarez, a high-ranking US intelligence official, is determined to clean house and find the legendary killer who slipped away from him during an operation in Paris. There’s only one person Victor can turn to for help: a lethal female assassin whose life he once saved. And now Victor wants her to return the favor—by killing him....
Review
Tom Wood's books in my opinion are underrated, Victor is a character whose the consummate professional, he's an expert in what he does. Victor is an assassin who likes to operate as a lone wolf. He is inscrutable, ruthless, highly analytical and very, very good at what he does. He never drops his guard and doesn't let his emotions cloud his judgement. He's on high alert at all times.
I really liked the relationship between Raven and Victor, are they going to help each other or kill each other. Just when you think Victor's going soft, bam. He cranks it up a notch he tries to kill her and later asks for her help... Seriously !!!!!! and she does. Tom Wood's books are compulsive reading if your a fan of Vince Flynn, Terry Hayes or Lee Child.

Dramatic, electrifying and superb. These three words sum up the series that Tom Wood has built. The possibilities for Victor are endless with our anti-hero still a ghost and his list of enemies growing larger with every book, whatever trouble Tom Wood is planning for Victor, it’s definitely going to be interesting. With first class action, intelligent dialogue, excellent plot, The Final Hour is one not to be missed and is highly recommended
4 Stars

[Betsey Stahler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book and I am a bit puzzled by that. The two main characters are assassins. Killers. There is nothing particularly likeable about either of them. And yet I enjoyed the book -- the pace and the twists and turns. Hmmm.... Victor the Assassin...

[Michael Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Wood does not disappoint in the latest installment of series. Really enjoyed Raven' character and her interactions with Victor. Looking forward to the next in series. Highly recommended.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this series at book five. Instantly, I became a fan. Victor is gold. He is what makes this series so great. He is cool under pressure. The more challenging the situation, the better. If, he and James Bond were fighting, my money would be on Victor. Although, I am a fan of Bond. Victor does show compassion. How many people can say that they heard their killer's confession before they were killed. Not many. Poor priest. God rest his soul.

Yet, Victor is not the only reason I was giddy with excitement for this book. Raven! She and Victor team up again. She is probably the only person that Victor respects and who could get close enough to Victor to kill him. In fact, they both have a point on the score board as it relates to attempting to kill each other. My only regret regarding this book is that I read it so fast that I have to wait for the next one. The Final Hour is a top notch thrill ride thriller featuring ass kicking characters!

[Rory James Gilfillan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It really doesn't get any better than Tom Wood's character Victor. Victor finds himself up against the usual suspects of various intelligence agents, assassins and a shadowy group known loosely as the Consensus. There are a lot of connections to the original book The Killer. I'll leave it there lest I spoil the book but as I've mentioned in previous reviews, Victor sets the standard for the genre and has,unfortunately ruined assassins in other books who fail to meet this standard. Victor is a man without an identity and without a past. He is riveting and compelling. I tried to ease my speed on this book but failed. Now I have to wait for the next one.

[Tim Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Fast paced story with great characters

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

Complicated book with a different insight into Victor. Also an intriguing ending.

[Kemery Myers · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

(A) back to back Victor bangers has the most emotional impact of any of these books thus far. Ending with a climax that wraps nearly all of the previous books was impressive whilst also delivering a quieter plot that also was as shifty as there has ever been yet.

This series is not meant to be deeply emotional. It's meant to be an ongoing series of thrills that focus on tradecraft and expertly executed skills. And nearly every book is ONLY that. As such, there have been emotionless action-heavy thrills in The Killer and No Tomorrow, and agency-heavy plotty missions in The Enemy and The Darkest Day. But A Time to Die and The Final Hour have showcased that even the coldest characters can garner sympathy and understanding from readers when he chooses to slow down and reflect on his life that's dicey to say the least.

Picking up antagonists originating from The Killer and The Enemy, this completes an arc that brilliantly also includes a side character that was highly underutilized in The Darkest Day. While this isn't the most fun action experienced, it does see Victor at his..most vulnerable? Most sympathetic? And I am all here for it. The first 80 pages is an interquel of sorts as it really addresses the fallout from The Darkest Day that was vastly needed and then a high-speed cat and mouse chase erupts from the aftermath.

Is this the shortest of all the plots? Yes. Does it suffer because of it? Yes. But does it make up for those shortcomings with much richer character work and thematic resonance? ABSOLUTELY! While there is a bit too much poker-face calling bluffs from every angle (Muir, Alvarez, Procter, Raven, Victor and beyond), what ends up taking place ratchets and ratchets and ratchets until it unfolds in the most mundane (for these books) way that is also so precise I can't even complain about it.

Victor makes enemies endlessly, that's obvious, but in this book even his associates force him to reconcile with pieces he's never had to before and it's glorious because it makes him squirm. The ending is rushed, there are beats of cliché and tropey thriller stuffs going on (esp if you've watched Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation) but Wood deftly handles it in a way that it really doesn't suffer for the most part because of it. It's less about the what and the how is handles very well. Overall, I'm wondering if I should take a break or just keep plowing through these. I hope this is really just the beginning of deeper stories for this pitiable protagonist of wildly capable dark abilities.

[Gopal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book#7 of Victor The Assassin series in a masterclass in crafting the high stakes spy genre, which has been converted into bang, bang, shoot, shoot of late. The shadowy world of spying and assassination is not a high stakes James Bond movie. It is a rather mundane, slow chess match where the opening moves are all about setting up your pieces in such a way to take advantage of and exploit your opponents weakness whenever revealed.

Antonio Alvarez is one such operator. Victor spectacularly screwed up Alvarez's op in Book#1 of the series when we are introduced to Victor. Since then Alvarez has been biding his time and waiting for revenge. He knows he cannot go after Victor while he's in the Company and Victor is being protected by the #2 in the Company's clandestine affairs - Ronald Proctor.

So when Alvarez gets his chance to move to the top of the food chain as the director of ONI, he's finally in a position to do something about Victor. Alvarez is a straight guy who is firmly on the side of right and believes that any American blood spilled should be avenged and Victor being supported by the Company after spilling American blood does not really sit well with him. So now when Proctor and Muir are at their weakest, Alvarez pounces. He sets up the chess board with the decks stacked on his side and sets himself as a bait to get close to Victor.

Read the full review at: Gopal's Bookshelf - The Final Hour by Tom Wood

[Nick Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

The seventh book to feature assassin “Victor”. I was of the opinion over the last couple of books in the series, that Tom Wood had to mix things up a bit. Victor is devoid of personality and that is hard to carry from book to book and the plots needed some depth of character to bring them above the obvious violence and tradecraft. Mr Wood achieves this by involving Raven who Victor may have killed in the last book, but now they need to work together and align their open and hidden agendas. I’ve read complaints that the book features Raven too much, but for me it very much worked, she is given a strong personality allowing Victor to be….well Victor
In this a rising star in the intelligence community has decided that catching Victor will be his personal mission and Victor and Raven need to escape while also addressing a shadowy organisation that very much wants both of them dead.
I very much enjoyed this one, fast paced easy reading, lots of action and more depth than you might have expected.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm new to this series, starting with number seven could be a disadvantage. But, I don't feel I am missing anything, this clearly can be read as a stand-alone story.

The characters are quite intriguing, and kudos to an author who can make you feel for assassins and feel disdain for the intelligence agencies and organizations that make use of their services. I found myself fully invested in the story of the two assassins, I was rooting for the "bad guys". Thank you Mr. Wood, for making me step outside the box!

I loved everything about this tale, and look forward to exploring the series further!

[Dan Banana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, Victor bad man. Always enjoyable action and tension but, you just hope something positive comes out of the evil and usually it's just the grim reaper. Guns, knives, blood, running, bending, action and SOP of some character assassination.

[Jahazel Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hooked on the character from the moment I started read The Killer. I have read every book since. The Final Hour did not disappoint. 5 stars.

I was hooked from the moment I started to read The Killer. I have every book since. The Final Hour did not disappoint. * * * * * The series is enjoyable. I like the character Viktor. My rating is 5 stars.

[Emma Carey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF VICTOR!

In my life thus far, I've never loved a fictional character as much as I love Victor! Anyone who knows me will know how much I love to read fictional crime thriller novels! I've read many in my time but no other character has stuck out to me as much as Victor the assassin! My Dad and I have the exact same taste in fictional novels, and it was him who introduced me to this 7-part series which follow the badass shenanigans of a highly professional killer, Victor. He's quick, clever and dry as the Sahara desert but all of the above work so well in his favor.

I was stupidly unaware that there is the 7th book in this series - silly me! Needless to say, I got my hands on it pretty quickly and managed to clock this book in a matter of days. Simply unable to put the book down until my eyes were literally closing beyond my will.

I hands down rate this book a solid 5 stars because it's bloody fantastic! Raven has returned and recovered from her little poisoning episode, courtesy of Victor of course. One less enemy, the better in his eyes, despite the fact they had become allies for a bit there (and obviously enough so, given that Victor gave Raven the antidote for the poison, to save her life). Raven and Victor need each other's help in this book, they need help to eliminate some more enemies as well as needing to somehow destroy the big fat 'WANTED' target hanging above their heads. They link up, two fearless assassins working as a team to try and make their lives a tad easier and last a little longer. No doubt that Victor is well past his expiry date, with countless warlords, government agencies and well, once upon a time Raven, wanting him dead! However, he's managed to yet again find these baddies and have them executed himself. He's a legend, Victor! After reading all these books you get to understand the way he thinks, you get to understand how heartless and emotionless he is, he literally doesn't give a shit and that's what has kept him alive so long!

I am hoping there will be a book number 8, I have a little Victor addiction.

[Kyla Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspense of the tummy tightening kind!

Brilliant, fantastic, outstanding .Tummy clenching intrigue. Superb writing, superb storyline. One can’t help oneself in routing for both Victor & Raven. You just don’t want them dead.

[Katrin Meinke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich liebe diese Reihe. 😍 Jeder Teil ist mega spannend. Victor ist ein äußerst interessanter und brillianter Charakter. Ich kann es kaum erwarten das der nächste Teil rauskommt.
Ich wünsche es gäbe mehr Romane von diesem Genre.

[Raymond Gettins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each book in the series is better than the last....and as good as the first one was... That's impressive.

[Nikul Patel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The return of Victor did not disappoint! The book is brilliantly written as the rest of the series and the action sequences are amazingly detailed and almost makes you feel right there in the middle of the scene. This book is slightly different from the others in that Victor is being chased and seems that practically everyone he meets wants him dead. But of course Victor being Victor is always twenty steps ahead and always prevails. It was also good to see Raven get a starring role in this book and the relationship between Victor and her is intriguing and almost makes me think that there will be a showdown in the near future between the two of them. The ending is absolutely brilliant and riveting and very fast paced.

[ron harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

First class story

A first class story that has just wiped out my Sunday.
I have read every book in this series and I am sure they improve with each novel.
Victor is an excellent character, the book full of action and impossible to put down.