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Whatever It Takes
For the small town of Watkins Forge, the worst thing to happen is a heavy snowfall. That is until widower Cory Keller visits for an annual hunting trip. When he witnesses a murder in the nearby forest, no one believes him. With no corpse, and as the only witness, he is faced with convincing the town's skeptical sheriff before the killer tracks him down to silence him. As he develops a friendship with an attractive waitress, Keller discovers that he is up against much more than a killer and he must not only save himself but the whole town. Mick Williams is the author of Amazon Top Ten title A Reason To Grieve, and the page-turning adventure A Guy Walks Into A Bar.
269 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 16, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 30, 2019
Whatever It Takes is a great story, an all-action movie in a book.
Watkins Forge is a small sleepy town with one hotel, where Keller has rented a room. He’s stayed here before on his annual hunting trip.
The story starts with hunting scene in a forest and quickly descends into Keller witnessing a murder.
Keller, very shaken from this, gets himself back to Watkins Forge where he reports it to the sheriff. The sheriff asks him to return the next day, when he’s has time to rest and recover from the ordeal he’s just seen. He pops out to eat where he gets chatting to Ashley, a waitress, and tells her about his day.
Very well-paced it kept me hooked with all that followed. And there was a lot of action!
Fights, kidnapping, secrecy, murder, trust and betrayal. Throw in some Eastern European hardened criminals, bullets flying and some graphic scenes. And a little romance too.
Thoroughly recommended by me.
I first came across this author at a local blogger/author meet up. The first one I read was ‘A Guy Walks into a Bar’ and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve since bought the rest of his published work.
https://steflozbookblog.wordpress.com...
Watkins Forge is a small sleepy town with one hotel, where Keller has rented a room. He’s stayed here before on his annual hunting trip.
The story starts with hunting scene in a forest and quickly descends into Keller witnessing a murder.
Keller, very shaken from this, gets himself back to Watkins Forge where he reports it to the sheriff. The sheriff asks him to return the next day, when he’s has time to rest and recover from the ordeal he’s just seen. He pops out to eat where he gets chatting to Ashley, a waitress, and tells her about his day.
Very well-paced it kept me hooked with all that followed. And there was a lot of action!
Fights, kidnapping, secrecy, murder, trust and betrayal. Throw in some Eastern European hardened criminals, bullets flying and some graphic scenes. And a little romance too.
Thoroughly recommended by me.
I first came across this author at a local blogger/author meet up. The first one I read was ‘A Guy Walks into a Bar’ and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve since bought the rest of his published work.
https://steflozbookblog.wordpress.com...
July 22, 2018
I really enjoyed this fast-paced action thriller, which is packed full of drama and adventure from the off. Cory Keller has a favourite hunting spot, but when he witnesses a brutal murder from his deer stand, he soon becomes prey himself and runs to the nearest small town Watkins Forge for help. The town Sherriff seems strangely unmoved by Keller's ordeal and still doesn't appear too concerned when the killer follows Keller to the town and tries to kill him again. As the body count rises, the small town becomes the target of mafia-style hitmen who want to kill Keller and silence him for good. Not only does Keller have the hitmen to deal with, his suspicions about the Sheriff get him into more trouble and he has to do whatever it takes to save himself, the waitress he has fallen for, and the entire town itself. A great story which does not stand still for a second. This would make a heart-stopping action film! A great read.
December 29, 2025
Whatever It Takes had been on my TBR list for far too long so Mick Williams re-editing and re-releasing it was the kick up the bum I needed to bump it up my reading list!
Apologies to Mick for the late review. The Christmas chaos took over!
What a brilliant read! Not that I’m surprised as I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Mick Williams.
Cory Keller is a fabulous character. Finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time leads to him being the target of some extremely undesirable people (to put it mildly). It takes him a little while to convince the local Sheriff of what he witnessed but it isn’t long before circumstances leave him in no doubt at all of what they’re up against. Luckily for Keller, he knows how to handle himself, but there isn’t only his own life at risk.
Talk about fast-paced and full of action! A compelling plot, brilliant characters, suspense, humour, and a bit of romance. I loved it! There are also many excellently choreographed fight scenes throughout this book which would look fantastic on the big screen.
Another easy five stars for me!
** Many thanks to Mick Williams for my epub review copy **
https://chataboutbooks.blog/2025/12/2...
Apologies to Mick for the late review. The Christmas chaos took over!
What a brilliant read! Not that I’m surprised as I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Mick Williams.
Cory Keller is a fabulous character. Finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time leads to him being the target of some extremely undesirable people (to put it mildly). It takes him a little while to convince the local Sheriff of what he witnessed but it isn’t long before circumstances leave him in no doubt at all of what they’re up against. Luckily for Keller, he knows how to handle himself, but there isn’t only his own life at risk.
Talk about fast-paced and full of action! A compelling plot, brilliant characters, suspense, humour, and a bit of romance. I loved it! There are also many excellently choreographed fight scenes throughout this book which would look fantastic on the big screen.
Another easy five stars for me!
** Many thanks to Mick Williams for my epub review copy **
https://chataboutbooks.blog/2025/12/2...
August 1, 2019
•audiobook•
The story and the characters started off very strong. A missing body always hint at a cover up in a small town, doesn’t it?
It could be that it’s too cliché who the small town villain is, but I easily guessed and then saw the writing on the wall.
I wish we knew more about Keller’s profession and experiences before the story got going because as it was piece fed to us, it felt like an afterthought or a Van Damme. Except it seems like Keller uses guns. Soo. Um. Idk. I don’t follow movies much, but there you have it.
So it’s clearly a action packed book and listening to it helped get me through it.
It’s a complete stand alone book, which is also another positive.
Most of the characters were typical, but at least they acted and conversed as adults. The waitress, Amber, well. She wasn’t interesting nor developed. I truly disliked her although she quickly became the love interest. I’m not sure why she’s the small town sweetheart. I didn’t find her endearing or memorable.
Roger Wood, like the book, had his zenith and valley peaks as he performed the book. He has a nice voice. It was better most - and as I mentioned, I was able to finish this.
The story and the characters started off very strong. A missing body always hint at a cover up in a small town, doesn’t it?
It could be that it’s too cliché who the small town villain is, but I easily guessed and then saw the writing on the wall.
I wish we knew more about Keller’s profession and experiences before the story got going because as it was piece fed to us, it felt like an afterthought or a Van Damme. Except it seems like Keller uses guns. Soo. Um. Idk. I don’t follow movies much, but there you have it.
So it’s clearly a action packed book and listening to it helped get me through it.
It’s a complete stand alone book, which is also another positive.
Most of the characters were typical, but at least they acted and conversed as adults. The waitress, Amber, well. She wasn’t interesting nor developed. I truly disliked her although she quickly became the love interest. I’m not sure why she’s the small town sweetheart. I didn’t find her endearing or memorable.
Roger Wood, like the book, had his zenith and valley peaks as he performed the book. He has a nice voice. It was better most - and as I mentioned, I was able to finish this.
August 13, 2025
Another blistering story from Mick Williams (and if you haven't read 'Collateral Damage', 'Take Down', 'Going Dark' or 'Mission Black' yet, you're seriously missing out on some great stories)
'Whatever it Takes' is a slight change of tone from the others, but since they're ALL full of action, gun-play, tension and some great characters - good and bad - along with plenty of dry humour, you won't be let down one bit.
I won't spoil the storyline, but take one slightly innocent guy - Cory Keller - whose on a hunting trip in the small town of Watkins Forge, when he witnesses a murder. And that was his bad luck, because from then on, he's in someone else's cross hairs.
And nobody believes him when he reports what he saw. Except a very attractive waitress who is then dragged into his new-found world of guns, villains and mayhem.
It's a great ride and I urge you, if you haven't already, give Mick Williams a try. I haven't been disappointed yet!
'Whatever it Takes' is a slight change of tone from the others, but since they're ALL full of action, gun-play, tension and some great characters - good and bad - along with plenty of dry humour, you won't be let down one bit.
I won't spoil the storyline, but take one slightly innocent guy - Cory Keller - whose on a hunting trip in the small town of Watkins Forge, when he witnesses a murder. And that was his bad luck, because from then on, he's in someone else's cross hairs.
And nobody believes him when he reports what he saw. Except a very attractive waitress who is then dragged into his new-found world of guns, villains and mayhem.
It's a great ride and I urge you, if you haven't already, give Mick Williams a try. I haven't been disappointed yet!
November 2, 2025
Mick Williams is a marvellous storyteller.
The action starts when the peaceful opening scene is shattered by a gunshot. The hunter becomes the hunted and the suspense builds as some totally unexpected twists reveal that the characters are not all as they first appear. Sometimes chillingly violent, at others heartwarming, I couldn’t put this book down and finished it in two (long) sittings. Highly recommended.
The action starts when the peaceful opening scene is shattered by a gunshot. The hunter becomes the hunted and the suspense builds as some totally unexpected twists reveal that the characters are not all as they first appear. Sometimes chillingly violent, at others heartwarming, I couldn’t put this book down and finished it in two (long) sittings. Highly recommended.
November 11, 2025
Mick Williams is one of my favorite story tellers. His books feel like a movie in my mind. His vivid imagery puts me into the scene, and I can't put his books down. This one might be my favorite yet. There's never a dull moment in this book. It's full of action and suspense. Just when I thought I might know what's going on, he proved me wrong. It's a must read!
December 22, 2017
Great action book with a touch of romance. Never having been to Watkins Forge, I don't know how accurate the story is, but the story is wonderful. Engaging, gripping, shocking. Loved it. I always get a good feeling when reading a Mick Williams action story, feels like a movie or a TV show.
December 30, 2025
WHATEVER IT TAKES - Another interesting, intriguing, and a bit romantic story complete with good characters and intense story lines set to a good pace. Humor. Good dialog. A bit gory in places, but not graphic. Source: The author. 5*
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews