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101 People to Kill Before I Die
Set in Melbourne Australia - a dark, fast, action-packed thriller, dripping with bitterness and sarcasm. With a few comical moments and an array of colorful characters all as determined as they are deadly.
Brian Samuals is a former soldier, a former police officer and an ex-convict, recently bankrupt, divorced and now diagnosed with terminal cancer. He has an epiphany. He has nothing to lose and a lot of people have offended against him. Therefore, before he goes they go. All of them. As he embarks on his killing spree he hooks up with a beautiful stripper, Natasha Brown, but is unsure how that's going to work.
Be careful who you kill. Before long he has the Russian Mob, a Chinese Triad, the CIA, Interpol, the Australian Federal Police, the Australian SAS anti-terrorist squads and every cop in the state of Victoria hunting him down, screaming for his head. Things aren’t looking good for Brian and Natasha.
Brian Samuals is a former soldier, a former police officer and an ex-convict, recently bankrupt, divorced and now diagnosed with terminal cancer. He has an epiphany. He has nothing to lose and a lot of people have offended against him. Therefore, before he goes they go. All of them. As he embarks on his killing spree he hooks up with a beautiful stripper, Natasha Brown, but is unsure how that's going to work.
Be careful who you kill. Before long he has the Russian Mob, a Chinese Triad, the CIA, Interpol, the Australian Federal Police, the Australian SAS anti-terrorist squads and every cop in the state of Victoria hunting him down, screaming for his head. Things aren’t looking good for Brian and Natasha.
237 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 19, 2017
174 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
About the author
Anthony O'Connor
5 books34 followersI grew up in a small town in rural Australia. I studied mathematics, physics and computer science at the University of NSW in Sydney, Australia. I worked in IT and Software Engineering for many years, on a wide variety of systems and applications - mostly in Australia, but also in the United States and the UK.
I have always read very widely. The classics, modern SF, history, philosophy, mythology, AI, the singularity, mysticism, modern physics, logic, mathematics et al. My favorite writers are David Foster Wallace, Charles Bukowksi, Umberto Eco, Haruki Murakami, Neal Stephenson, William Gibson, Ian Banks, Vernor Vinge, and Peter Watts. I am interested in everything.
I have written a series of novels on a variety of themes:
— The Department of Hate - A Love Story.
— The Second Incarnation of Beelzebub.
— The Assassination Game.
— 101 People to Kill Before I Die
One semi-fictional, sarcastic user's guide:
— The Extended Reality Web, 2037. A User's Guide.
And one mostly factual biographical piece:
— The Fire in the Maze
I own and run a Virtual Reality Games business, Mad Magpies Studio, with one VR game on Steam so far:
— Flying Carpets Over Shark Infested Waters
and others in progress.
I am interested in quantum computing.
I have written a couple of sims ( soon to be available on GitHub ) and I am engaged in a small research project. Maybe there is a book or two on the way on non-locality and entanglement.
I am even more interested in transfinite computing but obviously this is hypothetical. See the fictional User's Guide.
I have always read very widely. The classics, modern SF, history, philosophy, mythology, AI, the singularity, mysticism, modern physics, logic, mathematics et al. My favorite writers are David Foster Wallace, Charles Bukowksi, Umberto Eco, Haruki Murakami, Neal Stephenson, William Gibson, Ian Banks, Vernor Vinge, and Peter Watts. I am interested in everything.
I have written a series of novels on a variety of themes:
— The Department of Hate - A Love Story.
— The Second Incarnation of Beelzebub.
— The Assassination Game.
— 101 People to Kill Before I Die
One semi-fictional, sarcastic user's guide:
— The Extended Reality Web, 2037. A User's Guide.
And one mostly factual biographical piece:
— The Fire in the Maze
I own and run a Virtual Reality Games business, Mad Magpies Studio, with one VR game on Steam so far:
— Flying Carpets Over Shark Infested Waters
and others in progress.
I am interested in quantum computing.
I have written a couple of sims ( soon to be available on GitHub ) and I am engaged in a small research project. Maybe there is a book or two on the way on non-locality and entanglement.
I am even more interested in transfinite computing but obviously this is hypothetical. See the fictional User's Guide.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
September 8, 2017
A Bloodbath of Bullets and Belly-laughs
What if your life in retirement from CIA Ops was a boring mess? You now exist in a corporate world of cubicles, with obnoxious co-workers and a marriage gone bad. What if you felt that the world pretty much sucked, but you have to put up with all of the shit to support an ex-wife you now despise, and a child you aren’t allowed to see? What can you do?
But what if one day a doctor told you that you had only three months to live?
And finally, what if you were a now a dying man who reminded himself that he had, as Liam Neeson’s retired CIA Op character in TAKEN would say, “A very particular set of skills ”?
So why not kill all of the assholes?
Brian Samuels is a serio/comic sledgehammer of a character who launches a bullet flared vendetta against a world stifled by boring complacency and smug in its corruption. As the bullets fly and the bodies pile up we sometimes find ourselves laughing aloud at the blood soaked humor of novelist Anthony O’Connor’s tour de force satire of pulp heroes such as Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer. It’s all in good fun with lovable strippers, and seductive Russian female assassins added to the mix.
Unless you are one of those post-modernist French intellectuals (who considered Spillane a genius) you won’t find any deeper meaning here – just the most hilarious killing spree that would give Sam Peckinpah Quentin Tarantino hard ons.
PS This being an O’Connor novel, you can expect some silly aliens to enter the carnage.
November 29, 2024
OMG! If You Want Death/Violence/Sex — You’ve Got The Right Book
You HAVE To Read This Book … You’ll Never Believe Its Story!!!
I honestly don’t think I’ve come across a story with more killings, back-stabbing violence and graphic sex, than what The Author put in these pages. Yet, amazingly, The Author has written a rather intelligible, coherent book that consistently continues the same story, page after page after page.
Now, that’s not to say that The Reader doesn’t have to willingly suspend their disbelief, because the coincidence of so many different factions converging together at “just the right time” is kind of hard to swallow. But, as those wiser than me have been known to say — timing is everything!
So! If Murders, Vicious Attacks and lots of Sex doesn’t turn you off — by all means go grab this book and dive into The Author’s world.
You HAVE To Read This Book … You’ll Never Believe Its Story!!!
I honestly don’t think I’ve come across a story with more killings, back-stabbing violence and graphic sex, than what The Author put in these pages. Yet, amazingly, The Author has written a rather intelligible, coherent book that consistently continues the same story, page after page after page.
Now, that’s not to say that The Reader doesn’t have to willingly suspend their disbelief, because the coincidence of so many different factions converging together at “just the right time” is kind of hard to swallow. But, as those wiser than me have been known to say — timing is everything!
So! If Murders, Vicious Attacks and lots of Sex doesn’t turn you off — by all means go grab this book and dive into The Author’s world.
September 23, 2021
Bloody brilliant - literally
The bodies quickly stack like cord wood in this dark action comedy.
The protagonist learns he isn't long for this world and goes on a bucket list killing spree. The antagonists pursue him with ever increasing fervor. Everyone is a bad person and bad things happen to them all. Its very dark and violent subject matter, but through it all the author keeps it pretty light and amusing. While not laugh out loud funny, this is a fun book. Its reminiscent of ridiculous eighties and nineties action movies, like Get Carter crossed with Commando. I will be recommending this book to people that don't normally read as it is a very easy read. A caveat to that is it really isn't for the squeamish or easily offended.
The author's quick pacing and terse prose keep this book light despite the extreme violence. He never delves too deeply into the action or lingers on the aftermath, keeping the book comic instead of graphic. Like a PG13 movie - the stuff happens but is quickly glossed over. This book is appropriate for older teens and up in my estimation.
The author is expert at building tension. The antagonists quickly grow in power and numbers and get closer to the protagonist with every page, without ever having things go their way or become easy. Through it all, the author manages to keep it comedic. Its similar to the movies Smokin Aces or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, or Snatch. Its done so well that I would give this author's other books a look on that basis alone, even if the rest of the elements weren't also handled competently. This author could give classes on building tension in thrillers.
There are far better pieces of fiction available that are very similar to this, but this book is quite good and well worth reading.
The bodies quickly stack like cord wood in this dark action comedy.
The protagonist learns he isn't long for this world and goes on a bucket list killing spree. The antagonists pursue him with ever increasing fervor. Everyone is a bad person and bad things happen to them all. Its very dark and violent subject matter, but through it all the author keeps it pretty light and amusing. While not laugh out loud funny, this is a fun book. Its reminiscent of ridiculous eighties and nineties action movies, like Get Carter crossed with Commando. I will be recommending this book to people that don't normally read as it is a very easy read. A caveat to that is it really isn't for the squeamish or easily offended.
The author's quick pacing and terse prose keep this book light despite the extreme violence. He never delves too deeply into the action or lingers on the aftermath, keeping the book comic instead of graphic. Like a PG13 movie - the stuff happens but is quickly glossed over. This book is appropriate for older teens and up in my estimation.
The author is expert at building tension. The antagonists quickly grow in power and numbers and get closer to the protagonist with every page, without ever having things go their way or become easy. Through it all, the author manages to keep it comedic. Its similar to the movies Smokin Aces or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, or Snatch. Its done so well that I would give this author's other books a look on that basis alone, even if the rest of the elements weren't also handled competently. This author could give classes on building tension in thrillers.
There are far better pieces of fiction available that are very similar to this, but this book is quite good and well worth reading.
November 29, 2019
Stupidly engaging
The plot is off the wall, the characters almost likeable and the writing fairly good. It could be subtitled 'Keystone Cops Kill Half of Australia '
The plot is off the wall, the characters almost likeable and the writing fairly good. It could be subtitled 'Keystone Cops Kill Half of Australia '
September 7, 2017
Levels of conflict
Not bad overall, goes a little sideways at the very end. Personally didn't think the last additional level of conflict was needed.
Not bad overall, goes a little sideways at the very end. Personally didn't think the last additional level of conflict was needed.
June 14, 2018
It couldn't end any other way
What a ride. Couldn't put it down, because I had to know what happened next. Funny, sexy, a little gory, and lots of killing. What would your hit list look like if you knew you were dying. Who would be looking to kill you, for your revenge killing of their loved one? Definitely worth the read.
What a ride. Couldn't put it down, because I had to know what happened next. Funny, sexy, a little gory, and lots of killing. What would your hit list look like if you knew you were dying. Who would be looking to kill you, for your revenge killing of their loved one? Definitely worth the read.
January 26, 2018
The protagonist Brian Samuels goes on a killing spree after he’s been diagnosed with terminal cancer with only six more months to live. He has a list of his own. One of his kills does not go as planned and he accidentally kills the American ambassador to Australia. At other points, he also kills the son of a Russian gangster and the son of a Chinese gangster. So we have the Australian police, army, anti-terrorist squad, CIA, Russian gangsters and Chinese gangsters all trying desperately to kill him. They corner him in a small town. Very interesting premise.
The buildup to this point was good. I was getting seriously hooked. And then what happens? Aark Aaark Aarrk, Varrk, Aark Aaark. An alien shows up! Seriously? I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I think I felt betrayed by the author there.
Anyways, it was a good read with humor. The ending was a little weird but I liked. The author has left a lot for the readers to imagine.
If you read this book, do count how many people Brian really killed in the book for me. I lost count after 21.
The buildup to this point was good. I was getting seriously hooked. And then what happens? Aark Aaark Aarrk, Varrk, Aark Aaark. An alien shows up! Seriously? I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I think I felt betrayed by the author there.
Anyways, it was a good read with humor. The ending was a little weird but I liked. The author has left a lot for the readers to imagine.
If you read this book, do count how many people Brian really killed in the book for me. I lost count after 21.
September 7, 2017
I really enjoyed this book, the premise was very interesting and the violence and mayhem that ensued were entertainingly farcical. The main character who discoverers he has six months to live decides to wreak revenge on all those he has decided have done him wrong. He is a misogynistic conspiracy theorist with a short fuse.
I have had to mark the book down to two stars because of the confused and bewilderingly, comprehensively, unsatisfactory conclusion, sadly the last few chapters really brought the book down to earth with a resounding thump.
Please, Mr O'Connor, the book deserves a better ending, sure I understand there were never going to be winners but the "Sci-Fi" ending is totally out of place and ruins the book almost completely.
I have had to mark the book down to two stars because of the confused and bewilderingly, comprehensively, unsatisfactory conclusion, sadly the last few chapters really brought the book down to earth with a resounding thump.
Please, Mr O'Connor, the book deserves a better ending, sure I understand there were never going to be winners but the "Sci-Fi" ending is totally out of place and ruins the book almost completely.
April 7, 2018
Despite a decent premise, this book fails to deliver.
The main character has life hand him a shit sandwich, some of which is caused by his own actions - then he proceeds to make things worse by smearing said sandwich across the face of almost everyone he encounters.
Add in a casual/dismissive attitude towards killing that makes James Bond look like a flaming liberal.
With a frankly ludicrous plot twist/element and the only slightly redeeming factor is that everyone who deserves to die, does so. Along with everyone else.
The book had promise, but fails to deliver.
The main character has life hand him a shit sandwich, some of which is caused by his own actions - then he proceeds to make things worse by smearing said sandwich across the face of almost everyone he encounters.
Add in a casual/dismissive attitude towards killing that makes James Bond look like a flaming liberal.
With a frankly ludicrous plot twist/element and the only slightly redeeming factor is that everyone who deserves to die, does so. Along with everyone else.
The book had promise, but fails to deliver.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2017
The overall story is interesting. That said, Brian Samuals is a most unlikeable character.
Yes, he received a dire diagnosis. No, his remaining time to live is short. Yes, he has scores to settle, though most of them are trivial.
For this reader, some of the story (once Samuals is into his killing spree) border on the absurd. On the plus side, the author creates an engaging character in Natasha. In the end, Samuals is a bitter man whose end did not come soon enough.
Yes, he received a dire diagnosis. No, his remaining time to live is short. Yes, he has scores to settle, though most of them are trivial.
For this reader, some of the story (once Samuals is into his killing spree) border on the absurd. On the plus side, the author creates an engaging character in Natasha. In the end, Samuals is a bitter man whose end did not come soon enough.
January 20, 2024
Get Smart: RESEARCH
Too bad the author can't tell the difference between a weapon that uses a clip and a weapon that utilizes a magazine.. Semi-automatic pistols use magazines. Some rifles or pistols use clips. None of the weapons mentioned in this story are of the clip requiring type. Get smart before you write about weapons you know nothing about.
Too bad the author can't tell the difference between a weapon that uses a clip and a weapon that utilizes a magazine.. Semi-automatic pistols use magazines. Some rifles or pistols use clips. None of the weapons mentioned in this story are of the clip requiring type. Get smart before you write about weapons you know nothing about.
September 19, 2017
I finished it but....
It was painful....I mean, aliens?!? Could have done without that chapter and it's excerpts. I had high hopes from the beginning but set the bar too high....
It was painful....I mean, aliens?!? Could have done without that chapter and it's excerpts. I had high hopes from the beginning but set the bar too high....
December 2, 2017
Good read
Great storyline. Loved the characters!! Kept me reading on. But some parts were so long, drawn out that I lost interest.. I skipped quite a few parts..
Great storyline. Loved the characters!! Kept me reading on. But some parts were so long, drawn out that I lost interest.. I skipped quite a few parts..
May 1, 2018
Meh
Doesn't draw you in. Tries too hard to use a shock factor to pull you in but it's not relatable and the first chapter doesn't even sound realistic.
Doesn't draw you in. Tries too hard to use a shock factor to pull you in but it's not relatable and the first chapter doesn't even sound realistic.
May 30, 2020
Wait.... what?
This book was interesting! It was completely different than anything I’ve ever read before, I think that’s why I was drawn to it. The story jumps right into him hearing his prognosis and it’s like as soon as he heard it he was ready to kill people. It all happens within three weeks- his killing spree & falling in love. It was quickly engaging but I got so lost keeping up with all the people that wanted to kill him. His hatred to tailgaters was molding amusing and also frightening- the way he brutally murdered people for riding his bumper! CAUTION: don’t ride people’s bumpers, they might kill you with an ax!
However, this book is exactly what I expected- cancer diagnosed person goes in killing spree. There was no disappointment there. He definitely did that and some!
It was a little gruesome; but that goes hand to hand with his anger issues. If you like quick action packed gruesome stories then this book is for you.
I gave it 3 stars because, like I said, it’s totally different from my normal reads and also because there were just too many characters to keep up with that wanted him dead. The ending left me with questions like 1. Who hacked the drones if it wasn’t Brian; 2. What happened after he was killed?
But it was a good book.
This book was interesting! It was completely different than anything I’ve ever read before, I think that’s why I was drawn to it. The story jumps right into him hearing his prognosis and it’s like as soon as he heard it he was ready to kill people. It all happens within three weeks- his killing spree & falling in love. It was quickly engaging but I got so lost keeping up with all the people that wanted to kill him. His hatred to tailgaters was molding amusing and also frightening- the way he brutally murdered people for riding his bumper! CAUTION: don’t ride people’s bumpers, they might kill you with an ax!
However, this book is exactly what I expected- cancer diagnosed person goes in killing spree. There was no disappointment there. He definitely did that and some!
It was a little gruesome; but that goes hand to hand with his anger issues. If you like quick action packed gruesome stories then this book is for you.
I gave it 3 stars because, like I said, it’s totally different from my normal reads and also because there were just too many characters to keep up with that wanted him dead. The ending left me with questions like 1. Who hacked the drones if it wasn’t Brian; 2. What happened after he was killed?
But it was a good book.
October 22, 2019
It was okay
Brian Samuals has received bad news. He has Stage 3 pancreatic cancer and his days are limited. So he makes a list of the people who have betrayed him or wronged him.
The story alternates between murder and close encounters of the
Kama Sutra kind with a nymphomaniac stripper he rescued from Russian hitmen. The corpse count is in the thousands.
It was a struggle to read, but I finally finished it. I intend to keep the book because it's an insomniac's dream. Every time I started reading, I fell asleep.
35
Brian Samuals has received bad news. He has Stage 3 pancreatic cancer and his days are limited. So he makes a list of the people who have betrayed him or wronged him.
The story alternates between murder and close encounters of the
Kama Sutra kind with a nymphomaniac stripper he rescued from Russian hitmen. The corpse count is in the thousands.
It was a struggle to read, but I finally finished it. I intend to keep the book because it's an insomniac's dream. Every time I started reading, I fell asleep.
35
September 9, 2017
Aliens?
I actually likes the book and was really enjoying it. Right up to the point where the author decided to bring aliens into the story.
I actually likes the book and was really enjoying it. Right up to the point where the author decided to bring aliens into the story.
October 4, 2017
Good read
I really liked the character development. Well written story line. Lots of twists and turns along the way. Comic relief was a great way to help with the intensity.
I really liked the character development. Well written story line. Lots of twists and turns along the way. Comic relief was a great way to help with the intensity.
October 8, 2017
This book went to an extremely weird ending, but I enjoyed it until then.
November 24, 2018
i really like the book
November 27, 2019
This book contains a great deal of sex and violence.
January 14, 2021
Extremely violent
Altho this is a well written book it is in all parts very violent. All characters are in fact psychotic. Even the love making is over the top.
Altho this is a well written book it is in all parts very violent. All characters are in fact psychotic. Even the love making is over the top.
April 22, 2021
Waste of time
At least this book didn't cost me any money. It's a rape and murder fantasy that reads as if it were written by a horny teenager.
At least this book didn't cost me any money. It's a rape and murder fantasy that reads as if it were written by a horny teenager.
March 9, 2025
A dark, violent, and hilarious revenge story. The pacing is relentless, the humor is sharp, and the protagonist’s descent into chaos is gripping. A gritty, no-holds-barred storytelling with a side of sarcasm. Brutally fun!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews