Knife Edge

Sean Doyle #3

by Shaun Hutson

When Sean Doyle receives his first message from Robert Neville, he has only seven hours in which to save London, and the Northern Ireland peace process, from disaster. Neville is an explosives expert in the British Army, but peace in the Province has ripped a hole in his life. His demands are simple: to be re–united with his daughter Lisa. His threats are terrifying: a series of bombs to be detonated in the center of the Capital every hour until he has the girl. Already responsible for a string of callous attacks on Irish public figures on both sides of the political divide, Neville has to be stopped before the cease–fire is dealt a fatal blow. As a member of the Counter Terrorist Unit, Doyle knows his own days are numbered by the cessation of The Troubles. He’s close to understanding Neville’s mind — closer, in fact, than is safe — but now, forced to toy with the life of an innocent girl and to trust the words of a cold–hearted assassin, Doyle has only one impulse: to find Neville before London is reduced to rubble, and before his own violent instincts propel him towards self–destruction.

Genres: Horror, Action, Fiction, Thriller

307 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

British horror novelist, including horror and urban thriller novels.

His novella Slugs was made into a movie, although Hutson didn't like the movie. He also appeared in two horror movies himself.

Hutson is a Liverpool F.C. fan.

Reviews

[Karl]

This hardcover is signed by the author Shaun Hutson.

[Jordan Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Knife Edge is a full-throttle, no-brakes thriller that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let up. If you’re familiar with Hutson’s work, you’ll know he’s not exactly known for subtlety—and thankfully, this book is no exception. This thing reads like a Netflix action movie that got lost on its way to the editing room: all intensity, all chaos, and all very, very entertaining.

The plot centers around a Doyle, a grizzled, flawed anti-terrorist operative, tasked with brining in a domestic terrorist who isn’t afraid to mow down anyone in the way. Obviously, this quickly spirals into a brutal cat-and-mouse game of explosions and destruction across the mid-90's landscape of London. It's gritty, urban, and absolutely soaked in menace. There are no long-winded setups here—Hutson gives you just enough to care about the characters before plunging them (and you) into relentless, blood-soaked mayhem. Every chapter feels like a new explosion going off. And just when you think things can’t get any more unhinged, they do.

What really sells Knife Edge, though, is Hutson’s writing. It’s raw, unrefined, and at times outright pulpy—but that’s part of the charm. Coming from an author whose horror work is famously over the top (we’re talking eyeballs, entrails, and absolutely no chill), this kind of gritty, fast-paced action actually feels like a natural fit. The same intensity he brings to his horror is repurposed here to ramp up the suspense and violence to almost cartoonishly brutal levels—and it works. You’re not reading Hutson for elegant prose or layered character development. You’re reading him because he knows how to craft a story that moves, with a kind of brutal, grimy energy that feels straight out of a VHS-era thriller.

Is it flawless? Not even close. The dialogue can be clunky, and the realism is… well, not the point. But Hutson’s no-nonsense, balls-to-the-wall storytelling makes Knife Edge a wildly fun ride. It’s over-the-top, schlocky in all the right ways, and absolutely refuses to be boring.

[John Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who gives a shit

[Mark Sutcliffe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a great book Sean Doyle the supposed anti-hero went around like a petulant 14yr old

[Cainneach Rua · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book one day in a second hand shop. It was a funny and entertaining read which I really enjoyed. I had never read a book with swear words before.