Necessary Evil

by Shaun Hutson

It was to be a routine job. Matt Franklin and his companions would rob the Securicor van. Simple. Until the job turned into a nightmare. Two of them are shot dead and another fatally wounded. But who is trying to wipe them out, killing not just them but their families too? How are the Government and the British army implicated? What lurks within a secret research establishment in the English countryside? Franklin has to find out. Finally the only one left alive, he tires of being the prey and decides to become the hunter. His quest will bring him into conflict with forces he cannot begin to imagine or understand but he is driven by a need for revenge that overrides his fear.Aided by a desperate detective, Franklin becomes embroiled in a series of events that lead to a terrifying climax in the London Underground where he comes face to face with the answers he has sought.Like all of us, Franklin was told monsters don't exist. He's about to find out someone was lying . . .

Genres: Horror, Fiction

480 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2004

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

[Ryan Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

not his best

[Georgia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.5

[Sihle Mguli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing!

[Dreadlocksmile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shaun Hutson’s recent novel “Necessary Evil” is a complete return to form for the ‘Godfather Of Gore’. Obviously highly influenced by the recent events of terrorist attacks, Hutson delivers a powerful and compelling novel. From the very beginning, the reader is thrown into the fast-paced action with copious blood spillage on every page.
The tale moves around the main character Matt Franklin, who’s career is that of a professional criminal. Hutson uses this to create a somewhat cliqued character who resembles a less lawful Sean Doyle (Renegades, White Ghost, Knife Edge, Hybrid). With action and plot twists pumped into each page, it’s very difficult to put the book down once you start reading it.

Being a Hutson fan for many, many years now, I can safely say that this is one of his best novels to date. He has kept the energy and passion to shock and repulse his readers, creating this crossover between a thriller and a horror novel.

Running for a total of 468 pages, “Necessary Evil” is one of the longest novels he has written so far. Still, he manages to keep the tension mounting from early on in the story until the final dramatic conclusion. The novel does include a big flaw at the end involving compressed CO2 which Hutson believes is apparently flammable! However, this does not in anyway detract from the story, but will give the reader a bit of a chuckle.

Well worth picking up, especially if you’ve enjoyed previous Hutson novels.

[Joe Stamber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable and fast paced thriller, which could have earned a 4 star rating if it were not for a writing style that sometimes detracts from the reading of the story. Hutson has an unfortunate tendency to throw in unnecessary dialogue tags so that his characters snap, retort, insist, roar, chuckle, rasp, whisper, exclaim, murmur, repeat or say evenly (a favourite), wearily, quickly, defiantly... you get the idea. It's a shame because otherwise his style suits the genre pretty well. One thing I have to mention is the bizzare notion that fire extinguishers are flammable and can be used to create an explosion, mistakenly used by Hutson as a plot point. If you can put up with these faults, necessary Evil is an enjoyable and exciting thriller.