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If that which does not kill you makes you stronger, then Inspector Thomas Sullivan is one tough dude. As life continues to kick Sullivan around the galaxy, the Alliance finds one criminal mess after another for the Inspector to clean up. Cynical, bitter, and under no illusions about what life has in store for him, Sullivan finds the strength to fight corruption, bring justice to those who seldom experience it, and more often than not, kill the bad guy. If Sullivan's life wasn't troubled enough, his path crosses that of a strange young woman and her sisters who are all too familiar with tragedy. 500 years in the future, hardboiled crime still reaches out and hurts the innocent. Check out this crime noir from the future, the second in the prequel series for Inspector Thomas Sullivan! The hardboiled noir from the future prequel series The Fractured Man What Doesn't Kill Dangerous Is The Game

175 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 16, 2019

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22 people want to read

About the author

K.C. Sivils

36 books215 followers
Science fiction and classic crime novels have long been favorites of author K.C. Sivils. A fan of past noir masters such as Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, Sivils also enjoys the current generation of storytellers like Matt Abraham, Renee Pawlish and Alex P. Berg.

The combination of film noir and science fiction in director Ridley Scott’s adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s sci-fi classic Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep into the masterful Harrison Ford vehicle Blade Runner encouraged him to consume as much of both genre’s as possible.

When not working at his real job, Sivils enjoys his family, his dogs, writing and rocking out to classic rock bands like the Rolling Stones, New Wave rockers The Cars, and the Godfathers of Punk, the Ramones.

Follow Author K.C. Sivils on BookBub at https://www.bookbub.com/profile/k-c-s...

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Profile Image for Rosemary.
3,802 reviews66 followers
July 15, 2020
What Doesn't Kill: Hardboiled Noir From The Future - a review by Rosemary Kenny

*slight spoilers*
What a wonderful new case for the stalwart semi-cyborg Inspector Thomas,('Sully' to his friends) Sullivan. What Doesn't Kill You could be said to be a tale of three parts, (in my humble opinion) all excellent and meshing seamlessly, yet nevertheless complexly different. The first part happens at the end of an earlier case.After being re-assigned to Cigna III, Sully arrives by shuttle aboard the space cruiser Vaya Con Dios and settles in the passenger lounge to watch the shuttle's departure - and its total destruction as it explodes minutes later! Instantly his former Space Marine and Intergalactic Alliance Police Force (IAPF), instincts kick in and Sully seals the area and begins the hunt for the killers of the passengers and crew, who included not only a trillionaire, but a senior member of the royal family of Pandora! Recovery of the debris and identification of the remains may be far from easy, but the truth is exponentially harder to accept. Sully's still getting over the death of his former love, Madison which makes him wary of feeling anything for another woman, so throws himself flat out into working through the seemingly impenetrable cloud of lies surrounding the events of the last few hours, with the help of his two deputies, . The 'second part' of the novel is the backstory of the illegal clone Sarah and her cloned 'sisters' Ellie and Maria - each enhanced in different ways - who've stowed away on the Vaya Con Dios until it docked at Cigna III, before planning the next part of their journey to what they hope will be a new and safe future.Although not directly involved in the first plot, but definitely a major part of the second, the siblings' struggle for survival and how their different temperaments affect what comes next, is brilliantly entwined with earlier and later events, by the magnificent storyteller K.C Sivils.
Even stranger, a third 'thread' is introduced, whereby a serial killer is on the loose, killing women targets publicly, yet untraceably,supposedly to teach them and those watching the gruesome acts and self-aggrandising statements 'the error of their ways' and challenging the police - and Sully in particular - to catch him!  
These various threads form a wonderful conclusion, (with only the very slightest of cliff-hangers). 
I can't wait for the next 'episode' as Sully goes undercover in his next case and I'm dying to know how Sully and Sarah meet and become lifelong colleagues, in the intergalactic Alliance Police Force's mission to bring peace to the galaxy, one planet at a time. I'm sure you'll enjoy it too, as well as all K.C.Sivils' excellent Inspector Thomas Sullivan novels.
Don't wait to grab them all and fill up your sci-fi noir mystery thriller bookshelves today - you'll love them all - guaranteed!
Profile Image for Saundra Wright.
2,829 reviews10 followers
December 10, 2019
The second Inspector Sullivan prequel is a real treat! Not only does Sully have to solve the mystery behind an explosion of a ship in space, he has to catch a serial killer. Plus we get an early look at Sarah and her two sisters shortly after they escape the lab where they were created.

Om board a ship headed to his next assignment Sully witnesses the explosion of a ship that had just left its dock with the one he’s on. He steps in and leads the investigation. With a prince and a trillionaire abord the destroyed ship, was it just a malfunction or an assassination?

By the time he finished the in-space investigation he has been reassigned to a planet where a serial killer has emerged. Someone is brutally killing affluent wives and mothers. With no apparent link between the victims can Sully find the killer before he strikes again?

Sarah and her sisters are in this same city. Maria, the youngest of the three, is dancing as a street performer. It is the only way the sisters have to raise the money they need to get off this planet. Will they attract Sully’s eye?
7,736 reviews49 followers
November 18, 2019
WHAT DOESNT KILL YOU : hardboiled noir from the future
He is assigned to Cigna III, arriving in time to see the shuttle take off and explode, now the tasks of identifying who was on board and what happened. Also on the Vaya Con Dias that brought .Sully In, was Sarah and the clones Ellie and Marie who were stowaways on it. Why as stowaways and what do they want, and what does this have to do with Sully.
A killer, who feels his mission to kill women, “the error of their ways.”
Has the police busy and the key person is Sully.
Good noir plot, the reader is busy trying to put the pieces together as the story unfolds. Another captivating plot, and a good noir story.
Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.

Profile Image for Chessy The Cat.
340 reviews28 followers
February 7, 2020
Who is Thomas Sullivan, and how did he get to where he is today? An explosion, a dead prince, a cover-up, and a set of triplets. What could be more intriguing?

Sivils’ prequel to the Inspector Thomas Sullivan Thriller series, What Doesn’t Kill shows us a bitter and drifting Sully. The universe is against him at every turn. He believes in swift justice and is incorruptible. Those traits don’t make him very popular with officials or criminals.

Being at the wrong place at the right time puts Sully in the middle of a crime as it happens. His training immediately kicks in, and he takes control of the scene. He is like a tenacious alligator that won’t let anything go. His one moment of hesitation will haunt him forever.

5 out of 5 stars.
1,271 reviews16 followers
August 27, 2021
Solving crimes in a "space ship" isn't the easiest thing to do but Inspector Sullivan can manage quite nicely. Send him after a serial killer and things really heat up. A rather mechanical protagonist stars in this book of murders and mysteries. Unusual locations and scenes set the stage for an entertaining novel. Recommended.
304 reviews1 follower
December 11, 2019
Once again,author SIVILS shows his superior world-building and character development in this latest novel featuring his character "SULLY" an interplanetary police inspector..These novels are such a treat to read,and I highly recommend them!
Profile Image for Manfred.
545 reviews
December 8, 2019
A very entertaining Sullivan backstory where he crosses path with Sarah and her clone sisters for the first time. SciFi noir as known and welcomed by K C Sivils. Alway a pleasure to read.
242 reviews2 followers
August 24, 2021
A thriller story

The main character is a hard man who goes by his own rules. He is sent to stop a serial killer.
122 reviews3 followers
August 31, 2021
A new detective worth following. This needed a few spelling corrections, but otherwise was a really good read!
670 reviews5 followers
October 16, 2021
Sulley is great as always

If you follow the series this fills in the early blanks of Sulleys career. A fast paced thriller that is hard to put down.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews

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