What do you think?
Rate this book
The Killing Men
If you like #Lee Child’s #Jack Reacher, #Michael Connelly’s #Harry Bosch, #James Patterson’s #James Cross, you will love #Reece Pocock’s #Dan Brennan.
In this ebook crime thriller, a killer is on the loose. A task force headed by Detective Sergeant Dan Brennan is on the case to solve the mystery.
All the victims are criminals; murderers, rapists, drug runners and crooked cops, all previously set free by the authorities, a vigilante has decided to do what the police and the judiciary can’t. And soon the newspapers report ‘hoodymen’ killings in other states and the suspense begins about who the killer could be.
What begins as a routine murder investigation becomes a national crisis, and Brennan’s task takes him to the highest levels of the army and the government, revealing deep secrets, conspiracy, corruption and ruthlessness.
The war begins.
After an assassination attempt, Brennan realises he is in a fight for his own life.
Brennan falls in love, Tracy his lover has a baby, and they get married.
In The Killing Men, Reece Pocock presents his third Dan Brennan novel.
In this ebook crime thriller, a killer is on the loose. A task force headed by Detective Sergeant Dan Brennan is on the case to solve the mystery.
All the victims are criminals; murderers, rapists, drug runners and crooked cops, all previously set free by the authorities, a vigilante has decided to do what the police and the judiciary can’t. And soon the newspapers report ‘hoodymen’ killings in other states and the suspense begins about who the killer could be.
What begins as a routine murder investigation becomes a national crisis, and Brennan’s task takes him to the highest levels of the army and the government, revealing deep secrets, conspiracy, corruption and ruthlessness.
The war begins.
After an assassination attempt, Brennan realises he is in a fight for his own life.
Brennan falls in love, Tracy his lover has a baby, and they get married.
In The Killing Men, Reece Pocock presents his third Dan Brennan novel.
368 pages, ebook
Published November 21, 2018
About the author
Reece Pocock
21 books29 followersReece Pocock lives in Adelaide, South Australia, with his wife Marilyn, and after a short Army calling, he enjoyed a business career in sales and management. He had a major role in introducing the Bobcat Skid steer loader to the South Australian market.
However, as an avid reader, Reece's passion was to become a writer. He used this knowledge to launch his career with Marilyn's encouragement. He studied for four years and obtained his Advanced Diploma of Arts (Professional Writing). With these qualifications, he had to decide whether to become a novelist, a screenwriter, a short-story writer, an article writer, or children's stories. He tried all five with some success.
As a novelist he completed three novels, Murder on Display, (now published by Custom Book Publications) a crime story about a psychopath who displays his victims. The Soldiers, a German immigrant faces prejudice in Australia. The Politics of Murder is about a clandestine nuclear dump in Western Australia, and the associated political intrigue that followed. He is researching a fourth.
His major success as a screen writer was a high commendation in the Di Cranston Award administered by the Fellowship of Australian Writers, for his adaptation of The Soldiers.
Reece won the Burnside short-story contest. The on-line magazine TheCheers published twelve stories. The Crime Writers of SA anthology published, The Girl in the Red Beret and What a Dirty Little Town.
TheCheers published sixty articles written by Reece, mostly about politics, and he writes regularly for an Earthmoving magazine with a national circulation.
He has also written several children's stories.
However, as an avid reader, Reece's passion was to become a writer. He used this knowledge to launch his career with Marilyn's encouragement. He studied for four years and obtained his Advanced Diploma of Arts (Professional Writing). With these qualifications, he had to decide whether to become a novelist, a screenwriter, a short-story writer, an article writer, or children's stories. He tried all five with some success.
As a novelist he completed three novels, Murder on Display, (now published by Custom Book Publications) a crime story about a psychopath who displays his victims. The Soldiers, a German immigrant faces prejudice in Australia. The Politics of Murder is about a clandestine nuclear dump in Western Australia, and the associated political intrigue that followed. He is researching a fourth.
His major success as a screen writer was a high commendation in the Di Cranston Award administered by the Fellowship of Australian Writers, for his adaptation of The Soldiers.
Reece won the Burnside short-story contest. The on-line magazine TheCheers published twelve stories. The Crime Writers of SA anthology published, The Girl in the Red Beret and What a Dirty Little Town.
TheCheers published sixty articles written by Reece, mostly about politics, and he writes regularly for an Earthmoving magazine with a national circulation.
He has also written several children's stories.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 11, 2018
The classical detective of Biggers, Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Mickey Spillane and others that defined the Detective genre for its first seventy-five years depended on introverted, deductive loners or semi-loners. People who didn't mix well, had offputting idiosyncracies, or ignored external input. (As in Holmes continual slapdown of official detectives.) In addition, deductive reasoning was king or queen, with the detective peeling away the inconsequential with the precision of a neurosurgeon. (This is the original characters. The ones in movies of about the last 40 years are, well, different.)
Detective Dan Brennan counters this with a plays-well-with-others, collaborative style. This is in line with the modernist sensibilities of this generation. The other difference in this novel is that as Detective Brennan peels back the basic murder, of three corrupt Police Officers, the case spirals into ever deeper complexity, defeating attempts to cut to the core elements of the crime. The author #Reece Pocock does a great job of weaving this new world of detective genre into a satisfying read.
The novel starts with Brennan still recovering from the murder of his wife, caused by a failed hit on him. He's gained notoriety in exposing an illicit nuclear waste dump in a different province. His not-yet-live in girlfriend wants a baby but not yet marriage. His notoriety brings with it attempts by his superiors to discredit him as a detective, and the lead of an investigative team.
Three corrupt police officers are precision killed in the same night in different parts of the city, apparently by the same assassin. There are no clues, no sign of getaway vehicles, just the precision of the kills and one bullet of a caliber not known for use for killing. And the maybe- use of a hoodie to hide his/her appearance. Suspecting a former military man or woman with specialized training, the military is contacted. The military stonewalls even simple secured release of members who recently left the service.
As noted above, the evidence expands instead of contracts, into a nationwide crisis of killings of 'bad people,' with significant collateral damage. The federal government gets involved and becomes the target of this unprecedented threat.
Detective Dan Brennan counters this with a plays-well-with-others, collaborative style. This is in line with the modernist sensibilities of this generation. The other difference in this novel is that as Detective Brennan peels back the basic murder, of three corrupt Police Officers, the case spirals into ever deeper complexity, defeating attempts to cut to the core elements of the crime. The author #Reece Pocock does a great job of weaving this new world of detective genre into a satisfying read.
The novel starts with Brennan still recovering from the murder of his wife, caused by a failed hit on him. He's gained notoriety in exposing an illicit nuclear waste dump in a different province. His not-yet-live in girlfriend wants a baby but not yet marriage. His notoriety brings with it attempts by his superiors to discredit him as a detective, and the lead of an investigative team.
Three corrupt police officers are precision killed in the same night in different parts of the city, apparently by the same assassin. There are no clues, no sign of getaway vehicles, just the precision of the kills and one bullet of a caliber not known for use for killing. And the maybe- use of a hoodie to hide his/her appearance. Suspecting a former military man or woman with specialized training, the military is contacted. The military stonewalls even simple secured release of members who recently left the service.
As noted above, the evidence expands instead of contracts, into a nationwide crisis of killings of 'bad people,' with significant collateral damage. The federal government gets involved and becomes the target of this unprecedented threat.
June 4, 2019
A mystery novel that plays out like a long episode of Law and Order, then turns into a government conspiracy story, like 24, while at the same time putting much focus on individual relationships and dialogue, like a soap opera. It was an interesting evolution and definitely played out in a way that reminded my of a prime time cable television series.
At the beginning of the story, one finds out that someone is killing people, people who have done horrible acts. As a fan of Dexter, I found myself routing against Detective Dan Brennan, a man who constantly sits on a high horse and his unwavering faith in the law; a man who condones murder, no matter who the victim is (i.e. including sadistic serial offenders). During almost the entire novel, I felt at odds with Dan, as he seemed to believe so strongly in his system of law, even though he knew that there was something wrong with it. He seems to preach and have so much faith in the system, not because it is moral or ethical, but simply because it is the law. And for Dan, law is law. This aspect of his character never changes, except for one scene, where his family is involved. Then, and only then, is he okay with murder/breaking the law and covering things up.
Nevertheless this disagreement, the novel has some interesting twists and turns, some of which were surprising. I enjoyed its story’s transformation from a Law and Order to a 24 style, including one technique the author uses to separate scenes. Like a television episode of Law and order, the novel consists of many part, 85 chapters, and each chapter often has bits of different scenes, often giving both perspectives of parties involved. When this happened at the beginning, I could almost hear that classic sound from the television show, letting the viewer know they are being taken to a new location.
This is a novel for those who enjoy the stated aspects and for those who enjoy government and military conspiracies. I’d give it 3.5 stars.
At the beginning of the story, one finds out that someone is killing people, people who have done horrible acts. As a fan of Dexter, I found myself routing against Detective Dan Brennan, a man who constantly sits on a high horse and his unwavering faith in the law; a man who condones murder, no matter who the victim is (i.e. including sadistic serial offenders). During almost the entire novel, I felt at odds with Dan, as he seemed to believe so strongly in his system of law, even though he knew that there was something wrong with it. He seems to preach and have so much faith in the system, not because it is moral or ethical, but simply because it is the law. And for Dan, law is law. This aspect of his character never changes, except for one scene, where his family is involved. Then, and only then, is he okay with murder/breaking the law and covering things up.
Nevertheless this disagreement, the novel has some interesting twists and turns, some of which were surprising. I enjoyed its story’s transformation from a Law and Order to a 24 style, including one technique the author uses to separate scenes. Like a television episode of Law and order, the novel consists of many part, 85 chapters, and each chapter often has bits of different scenes, often giving both perspectives of parties involved. When this happened at the beginning, I could almost hear that classic sound from the television show, letting the viewer know they are being taken to a new location.
This is a novel for those who enjoy the stated aspects and for those who enjoy government and military conspiracies. I’d give it 3.5 stars.
November 28, 2018
In Australia, an expert assassin, always disguised, begins killing, apparently at random. Police soon realise that the victims are all linked by criminal activity for which they have not been brought to account and that the killings are the work of someone who believes the criminal justice system has failed the community. Then Sergeant Dan Brennan and his mate Mac Maclean become the targets of an assassination attempt themselves as they get too close to solving the murders. It becomes clear that the assassin is an ex-soldier but when the Army blocks efforts to identify the man, Brennan and Maclean realise that a bigger game plan is afoot - rogue elements in the Army are planning the overthrow of the Australian Government, using the assassinations as a smokescreen, because they believe they can run the country better.
This book will appeal to readers who enjoy a robust thriller with plenty of murder and mayhem, along with a larger than life plot with high stakes.
The plot unfolds beautifully as the stakes are progressively raised, changing from a local crime investigation into a national emergency. Who to trust becomes a critical issue for Dan and Mac. The ambiguity facing soldiers when faced with orders from their superiors which conflict with their values as citizens is well explored.
The characters are strongly drawn and create stark contrasts, leading to some excellent conflict and competition. Motivation for extreme behaviour is explored in some depth.
The author creates convincing portraits of various Australian settings. His knowledge of military affairs and weaponry is a great asset in bringing the action to life.
Overall I found this book very readable and engrossing.
This book will appeal to readers who enjoy a robust thriller with plenty of murder and mayhem, along with a larger than life plot with high stakes.
The plot unfolds beautifully as the stakes are progressively raised, changing from a local crime investigation into a national emergency. Who to trust becomes a critical issue for Dan and Mac. The ambiguity facing soldiers when faced with orders from their superiors which conflict with their values as citizens is well explored.
The characters are strongly drawn and create stark contrasts, leading to some excellent conflict and competition. Motivation for extreme behaviour is explored in some depth.
The author creates convincing portraits of various Australian settings. His knowledge of military affairs and weaponry is a great asset in bringing the action to life.
Overall I found this book very readable and engrossing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2018
‘The Hoodyman did not enjoy murder, but it was necessary.
I loved how the author, Reece Pocock described this.
A killer is on the loose in South Australia and a task force is headed up by Detective Sergeant Dan Brennan. Unbeknownst to the task force in the beginning of their investigation, they discover all the victims were criminals themselves; murderers, rapists, drug runners and crooked cops, all previously set free by the authorities.
A vigilante has decided to do what the police and the judiciary apparently can’t. And soon the newspapers report ‘Hoodyman’ killings in other states. No criminal is safe.
What a great read filled with plot twists, shady characters, and the Hoodyman.
I loved how the author, Reece Pocock described this.
A killer is on the loose in South Australia and a task force is headed up by Detective Sergeant Dan Brennan. Unbeknownst to the task force in the beginning of their investigation, they discover all the victims were criminals themselves; murderers, rapists, drug runners and crooked cops, all previously set free by the authorities.
A vigilante has decided to do what the police and the judiciary apparently can’t. And soon the newspapers report ‘Hoodyman’ killings in other states. No criminal is safe.
What a great read filled with plot twists, shady characters, and the Hoodyman.
January 8, 2019
"Someone is killing murderers, rapists, drug runners and crooked cops?"
The book starts with the murder of the Police Superintendent Victor Giovanni. At the beginning it seems like a ordinary assassination of a jogger, but with expanding list of evidence the truth comes to light - there are more murders and they are connected.
Sergeant Brennan is well known for striving to solve challenging cases. Serial killer? Nuclear waste dump? For the Sergeant no assignment is too difficult.
Besides his problems in private life he is just unstoppable. Will he manage to solve the case of - what seems to be - the case of an active vigillante?
This one seems to be really problematic.
The prize-winning author is well known for the "Murder on Display", "The Politics of Murder" and other interesting novels.
With this book author proves that he is able to create a suspenseful bag of wonderful ideas.
The book starts with the murder of the Police Superintendent Victor Giovanni. At the beginning it seems like a ordinary assassination of a jogger, but with expanding list of evidence the truth comes to light - there are more murders and they are connected.
Sergeant Brennan is well known for striving to solve challenging cases. Serial killer? Nuclear waste dump? For the Sergeant no assignment is too difficult.
Besides his problems in private life he is just unstoppable. Will he manage to solve the case of - what seems to be - the case of an active vigillante?
This one seems to be really problematic.
The prize-winning author is well known for the "Murder on Display", "The Politics of Murder" and other interesting novels.
With this book author proves that he is able to create a suspenseful bag of wonderful ideas.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2019
'The Killing Men' starts as a standard 'Magnum Force', 'Death Wish' vigilante police procedural, but just as Detective Sergeant Dan Brennan and his stalwart team of South Australian investigators think they've solved the case there's another twist in the tail. Conspiracies, assassins, powerful baddies, intrigue and a body-count to die for confront Brennan's people as they doggedly seek the truth with plenty of surprises along the way. If you enjoy a gripping detective yarn with plenty of action, then you'll love 'The Killing Men'.
January 20, 2019
This is a fast paced thriller with twists and turns right to the end. A great read.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews