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Acid Vanilla #1
The Watcher
One last kill and then cocktails on the beach. But when the world’s deadliest female assassin can’t hit the mark, she may be vacationing six feet under...
Even hired killers need a break. Acid Vanilla is about to take a holiday, won through sheer sweat and blood, when her boss demands she off a notorious Paris-based hacker. But when the eccentric female target shares a startling revelation about Acid’s troubled past, she can’t pull the trigger.
Tangled in a blossoming love/hate relationship with her spared victim and a bounty on both their heads, Acid’s only chance out of the game is to disappear for good. But first she has to battle through a barrage of deadly coworkers, and this killer-for-hire will need every brutal trick in her lethal playbook just to stay alive…
Can she help the hacker and get the goons off her back without taking a fatal retirement?
The Watcher is the pulse-pounding first book in the Acid Vanilla vigilante thriller series. If you like femme fatales, complex cover-ups, and whip-smart dialogue, then you’ll love Matthew Hattersley’s wild tale.
Get The Watcher and start this explosively addictive series today!
For fans of John Wick, Luke Jenning’s Killing Eve, Lee Child’s Jack Reacher and Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne.
Even hired killers need a break. Acid Vanilla is about to take a holiday, won through sheer sweat and blood, when her boss demands she off a notorious Paris-based hacker. But when the eccentric female target shares a startling revelation about Acid’s troubled past, she can’t pull the trigger.
Tangled in a blossoming love/hate relationship with her spared victim and a bounty on both their heads, Acid’s only chance out of the game is to disappear for good. But first she has to battle through a barrage of deadly coworkers, and this killer-for-hire will need every brutal trick in her lethal playbook just to stay alive…
Can she help the hacker and get the goons off her back without taking a fatal retirement?
The Watcher is the pulse-pounding first book in the Acid Vanilla vigilante thriller series. If you like femme fatales, complex cover-ups, and whip-smart dialogue, then you’ll love Matthew Hattersley’s wild tale.
Get The Watcher and start this explosively addictive series today!
For fans of John Wick, Luke Jenning’s Killing Eve, Lee Child’s Jack Reacher and Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne.
300 pages, ebook
First published June 18, 2020
708 people are currently reading
426 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Hattersley
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
April 15, 2021
Acid Vanilla is a savage bitch who doesn't care about anything, or does she? As a top assassin, she shouldn't have any emotional problems, at least any that get in the way of her job. Unfortunately, Acid has a whole bunch of problems and has been able to contain them until now. She's unravelling and desperately needs a break. Unfortunately, before she can grab the rest that she needs a surprise and urgent job comes up. Things don't go as planned and she becomes a target for her own organisation. With the help of her former victim, she turns on those that once employed her. I liked Acid's personality as she veers from a stone-cold killer, suicidal maniac and avenging angel time and again. Her life is running amok and so are her emotions as she struggles to decide who she really is. Recommended reading.
August 24, 2020
As someone who's never been a fan of the thriller genre, I'm as surprised as anyone by how quickly Acid Vanilla stole my heart.
Acid Vanilla as a character is everything you could want in a thriller protagonist, and she manages to be hardened badass with a heart, albeit a very, very buried one. I was ready to root for her from page one, and I cannot wait to see the rest of her and Spook's adventures- my favourite Avenging Angels.
Also, I gotta say- as a bisexual lady myself, it's fucking brilliant to see more of my kind represented in books, and not as tokens for the sake of it. Makes me quite happy, I must say.
I do, however, have one complaint- the seeming lack of editing. I found numerous grammatical errors throughout the whole book, which could easily be fixed with some editing. Hell, since I love the book so much, I'd be happy to do it- with a bit of polish, this book would be a solid 5/5
Props to you, Matthew Hattersley- you wrote the one thriller novel I've actually enjoyed, and I'm eager to see what you come up with next!
Acid Vanilla as a character is everything you could want in a thriller protagonist, and she manages to be hardened badass with a heart, albeit a very, very buried one. I was ready to root for her from page one, and I cannot wait to see the rest of her and Spook's adventures- my favourite Avenging Angels.
Also, I gotta say- as a bisexual lady myself, it's fucking brilliant to see more of my kind represented in books, and not as tokens for the sake of it. Makes me quite happy, I must say.
I do, however, have one complaint- the seeming lack of editing. I found numerous grammatical errors throughout the whole book, which could easily be fixed with some editing. Hell, since I love the book so much, I'd be happy to do it- with a bit of polish, this book would be a solid 5/5
Props to you, Matthew Hattersley- you wrote the one thriller novel I've actually enjoyed, and I'm eager to see what you come up with next!
March 2, 2022
Too Predictable
The book was interesting for a few chapters than was completely predictable. There was no tension in this book because the main 2 characters were invisible.
This book glorifies violence, murder. 100 pages could and should have been edited out. There are too many unnecessary long conversations several repeating what has already been said.
There are too many identical situations that happen with the main characters caught but they escape and kill the captors.
Unrealistic!!!
The book was interesting for a few chapters than was completely predictable. There was no tension in this book because the main 2 characters were invisible.
This book glorifies violence, murder. 100 pages could and should have been edited out. There are too many unnecessary long conversations several repeating what has already been said.
There are too many identical situations that happen with the main characters caught but they escape and kill the captors.
Unrealistic!!!
July 7, 2020
Loved this book. Characters are well drawn and relatable even though one is a hired killer and the other is a computer nerd. Clever dialogue, fast paced story that you can't put down. If you like the Reacher series or watched the Killing Eve tv series, you will enjoy this book. Matthew Hattersley is a young author to follow. I can't wait to see what the future holds for Acid Vanilla.
August 2, 2020
EBook Review: ACID VANILLA
(or THE WATCHER)
By Matthew Hattersley
(A) nger
(C) hills
( I ) n
(D) eception
(V) anquish
(A) bsolutely
(N) ecessary
( I ) ntrusion
(L) eaving
(L) anguished
(A) lone
ACID VANILLA, cold as ice.
Sends shivers, to those seeking.
Heart frozen, won't open up.
Instead burns, with hateful flame.
Deep inside, things are stirring.
Every day, harder to extinguish.
This time, something strange happens.
Where leads, no one knows.
Hurry Hurry, on the run.
Don't hesitate, grab the book.
It will, keep your attention.
At end, ready for more!
*********************************
(T) he
(H) eart
(E) volved
(W) hen
(A) cid
(T) ouched
(C) almly
(H) unts
(E) veryone
(R) uns
THE WATCHER, sits ever quietly.
Been given, task to accomplish.
Without question, does it well.
The best, while others compete.
Eyes are, on the prize.
Then will, take a break.
Keeps working, start to finish.
But now, there's a catch.
Needs eyes, back of head.
You'll want, to join in.
Will get, caught in it.
And glad, you did!
(or THE WATCHER)
By Matthew Hattersley
(A) nger
(C) hills
( I ) n
(D) eception
(V) anquish
(A) bsolutely
(N) ecessary
( I ) ntrusion
(L) eaving
(L) anguished
(A) lone
ACID VANILLA, cold as ice.
Sends shivers, to those seeking.
Heart frozen, won't open up.
Instead burns, with hateful flame.
Deep inside, things are stirring.
Every day, harder to extinguish.
This time, something strange happens.
Where leads, no one knows.
Hurry Hurry, on the run.
Don't hesitate, grab the book.
It will, keep your attention.
At end, ready for more!
*********************************
(T) he
(H) eart
(E) volved
(W) hen
(A) cid
(T) ouched
(C) almly
(H) unts
(E) veryone
(R) uns
THE WATCHER, sits ever quietly.
Been given, task to accomplish.
Without question, does it well.
The best, while others compete.
Eyes are, on the prize.
Then will, take a break.
Keeps working, start to finish.
But now, there's a catch.
Needs eyes, back of head.
You'll want, to join in.
Will get, caught in it.
And glad, you did!
November 4, 2020
WOW...I really enjoyed this thriller....could not put it down.
Great characters and plenty of action.
Can't wait for the next book in the series.
Great characters and plenty of action.
Can't wait for the next book in the series.
March 3, 2022
The main character is too mentally violent to identify with... Similar to 'killing Eve' Free from Amazon.
August 8, 2020
I received a free copy from Voracious Readers Only. I love this story! I am obsessed with Killing Eve and this book satisfies that obsession.
June 21, 2020
This is book one of the Acid Vanilla series and the main character is the world’s deadliest female assassin and works for a small company of pest control operatives, based in London. She took her name from her initials and works either alone or sometimes with another assassin, on varied jobs all over. She has done the job for over sixteen years and worked for her friend and mentor without question all that time. After one job with another operative she can’t stand, she asks her boss for a bit of time off, which he takes as her being unable to do her job. It isn’t that, but an illness she was diagnosed on years before, where she can be depressed one minute and then maniac the next. It helps her do her job, but also leaves her getting jittery if she doesn’t get a break away from her job occasionally.
Just as her boss agrees she can take some time off, he gets an urgent job from an IT company, who want a blackmailing employee killed! The young target is a hacker called Spook Horowitz, yes that’s her real name! Only problem is that she hasn’t actually done what her bosses say she has, what she has done, was witness the CFO of the company killing a sex worker, using the company’s very own spy system. She runs away to Paris after managing to get away from an amateur killer. But now she has a much more experienced and professional killer after her and it is only going to be her hacker skills that will keep her alive. She hacks her employers systems for information on who has been sent after her and arranges a meet with the killer. She has found out secrets from the killer’s past and is willing to use them for her own life not to be ended.
Acid Vanilla has learnt a lesson from her early days, not to listen to her target, no matter what reasons they may give her. But Spook’s knowledge and presence stop her in her tracks. Her boss however, is not quite so trusting and has sent other assassins to keep an eye on her and also to ensure the mark is killed and the evidence is recovered for their clients. Now Acid is left having to kill her colleagues or end up dead herself. If she wants to eventually get a holiday as she wants, she has to stick with Spook and get everyone off their backs. She has her boss and the company, as well as IT company heads, to overcome before she will make it to her retirement alive and in one piece.
I loved the mix of Acid and Spook, two totally opposite types, having to come together and work out a solution that would benefit them both. Both acting out against their normal way of life. They will both learn to give a little and begin to understand the others lifestyle and needs. If they can manage to take down those who are after them, then they may have a chance of a new life. A great read, full of action, killing and survival. But also some redemption for one of the most prolific of killers. I can’t wait to see what Spook and Acid will get up to next, but I certainly know I want to be reading it! It says it’s for fans of John Wick as well as some others, and as a fan of Keanu Reeves in that series of films, this is a definite close run thing. I would recommend it to all who want a good read about killers with troubled pasts, who suddenly have to face their future. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Just as her boss agrees she can take some time off, he gets an urgent job from an IT company, who want a blackmailing employee killed! The young target is a hacker called Spook Horowitz, yes that’s her real name! Only problem is that she hasn’t actually done what her bosses say she has, what she has done, was witness the CFO of the company killing a sex worker, using the company’s very own spy system. She runs away to Paris after managing to get away from an amateur killer. But now she has a much more experienced and professional killer after her and it is only going to be her hacker skills that will keep her alive. She hacks her employers systems for information on who has been sent after her and arranges a meet with the killer. She has found out secrets from the killer’s past and is willing to use them for her own life not to be ended.
Acid Vanilla has learnt a lesson from her early days, not to listen to her target, no matter what reasons they may give her. But Spook’s knowledge and presence stop her in her tracks. Her boss however, is not quite so trusting and has sent other assassins to keep an eye on her and also to ensure the mark is killed and the evidence is recovered for their clients. Now Acid is left having to kill her colleagues or end up dead herself. If she wants to eventually get a holiday as she wants, she has to stick with Spook and get everyone off their backs. She has her boss and the company, as well as IT company heads, to overcome before she will make it to her retirement alive and in one piece.
I loved the mix of Acid and Spook, two totally opposite types, having to come together and work out a solution that would benefit them both. Both acting out against their normal way of life. They will both learn to give a little and begin to understand the others lifestyle and needs. If they can manage to take down those who are after them, then they may have a chance of a new life. A great read, full of action, killing and survival. But also some redemption for one of the most prolific of killers. I can’t wait to see what Spook and Acid will get up to next, but I certainly know I want to be reading it! It says it’s for fans of John Wick as well as some others, and as a fan of Keanu Reeves in that series of films, this is a definite close run thing. I would recommend it to all who want a good read about killers with troubled pasts, who suddenly have to face their future. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
July 12, 2020
Wow, I just finished reading this action packed book. Another thrilling book featuring the elite assassin Acid Vanilla. After deciding not to kill her latest target the two end up on the run trying to take down her targets former boss and avoid
the assassins sent to take out Acid Vanilla for not completing her kill. I highly recommend putting this series on your reading list!
I was given a free copy of this book by Voracious Readers for an honest review.
the assassins sent to take out Acid Vanilla for not completing her kill. I highly recommend putting this series on your reading list!
I was given a free copy of this book by Voracious Readers for an honest review.
July 6, 2020
I was sent this book through Voracious Readers and loved it. Acid is a good baddie. Her character is fun in a somewhat macabre way and her unwanted sidekick, Spook, is an innocent of the first water - with a twist. It's fast and action packed. Yes, of course it has the last minute totally unlikely rescues but hey, you wouldn't want a heroine of this order wiped out would you? Especially as there is going to be more adventures for the unlikely pair. A darn good read.
June 18, 2020
Acid Vanilla is an elite hired assassin, perhaps the best in the world. Spook Horowitz is a geeky computer genius. One evening Spook covertly enters the computer camera and mic of Cerberix CFO Sinclair Whitman and starts recording. She witnesses and records Whitman brutally murdering a young call girl. Spook is unable to delete the files from the Cerebrix mainframe computer in time, and is exposed as a witness. To keep any hint of scandal away, a hit is ordered on Spook, and Acid Vanilla is the person assigned to handle it. Acid Vanilla and Spook are brought together in a way that will radically change both their lives. This book is a great read that will be enjoyed by all fans of suspense and intrigue.
June 23, 2020
Received a complimentary ARC of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.
What a well written cat and mouse action adventure with 2 kick ass female characters. The tale of death and destruction grabs you in the first chapter and doesn’t let go until the last page.
Acid Vanilla, an elite assassin, is badly in need of a holiday when one more job requires her special talent. The person in her sights is Spook Horowitz, a techno wiz kid who one night sees something deadly disturbing. What follows is a globe trotting fight for survival as the duo turn the tables on their employers and come back fighting.
This is book one in the series can’t wait for the next instalment in Acid’s life.
What a well written cat and mouse action adventure with 2 kick ass female characters. The tale of death and destruction grabs you in the first chapter and doesn’t let go until the last page.
Acid Vanilla, an elite assassin, is badly in need of a holiday when one more job requires her special talent. The person in her sights is Spook Horowitz, a techno wiz kid who one night sees something deadly disturbing. What follows is a globe trotting fight for survival as the duo turn the tables on their employers and come back fighting.
This is book one in the series can’t wait for the next instalment in Acid’s life.
June 23, 2020
The main character, Acid Vanilla, has a great arc and great depth throughout the book. Overall the book hooked me in and I was always on the tip of my toes. I also enjoyed how the book would change perspectives, giving you a move detailed idea of what was going on. I am giving it three stars because it was a good but, but the minor characters felt flat and it took a bit to get to what the synopsis was about. Overall it was an excited read that wasn’t predictable, and I would recommend it.
November 8, 2020
Overall a nice surprise.
I was given this book to review and the first couple of chapters weren’t great. The writing style was very staccato with such short sentences it was hard to read.
However, once the writer relaxed into his writing style and started painting the characters it was a really enjoyable read. I’m really looking forward to reading more in the series.
I was given this book to review and the first couple of chapters weren’t great. The writing style was very staccato with such short sentences it was hard to read.
However, once the writer relaxed into his writing style and started painting the characters it was a really enjoyable read. I’m really looking forward to reading more in the series.
June 18, 2020
The story line and character work were great. The book had a fairly smooth flow to it. This was a good read and kept me hooked from beginning to end.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 13, 2021
I loved this book. Read quite a few thrillers recently and this is the first (for me) with a female MC. Definitely intrigued and fell in love with Acid and Spook. Great characters. Def would like to continue the series 😊
June 4, 2021
This woman has issues
Some authors start out slow and then gain momentum.
Mr. Hattersley with this character comes out throwing you into a world of action, emotion, and a flawed woman.
A serious page turner.
Some authors start out slow and then gain momentum.
Mr. Hattersley with this character comes out throwing you into a world of action, emotion, and a flawed woman.
A serious page turner.
June 18, 2020
Really enjoyed this book it was hard to put down. Storyline was exciting spoilt only slightly by quite a few small but noticeable grammatical errors in the writing.
January 12, 2024
Excuse me GoodReads, can I talk to you about your rating metrics? I am looking for the 4*+ book being represented here. This story was nowhere near a 4* rating, basing my review on just story alone. Not really going to delve into poor grammatical errors nor spelling. This isn't GoodEditors.
Aside from the naming conventions, and names themselves, this complete story has been offered elsewhere, many times before, in better outings. While I like the Little Nikita/Professional, Red Robin, Atomic Blonde, yada yada, femme fatale assassin trope premise, it was just lazily adapted here. Alice killed very few people during the actual story (claimed she killed dozens during a petty vacation time whining session), didn't kill her assignment in this book, lucked into barely killing her co-workers, but didn't do the key assassination AT ALL. Her novice, (failed target turned sidekick) did a better killing job to be honest... and that is just poor writing. I mean a push dagger here, nimble minx there, doesn't make a top notch assassin in my book. Hold my knife while I go check on my (not) dead mother. Sheesh.
Same lazy guidelines go for the primary target, Spook, yes her real name, and her AskJeeves hacking credentials. Hacked the White House for fun, come on, really? That's the high watermark here? Yet at every turn she is on her own wi-fi based laptop giving away GPS location data at every turn. And who still has, let alone uses, an ITouch as a known hacker? True hackers won't touch Apple, come on man, seriously? So she pays for her music downloads to a stand alone device because that's how hackers operate, um ok. Should have quit when the phrase, "Google is the hackers best friend" came across. And I would love to test out her little laptop against a 1911 pistol any day of the week, for funsies.
By all accounts, Alice should be a rotting carcass based on the situations presented in this story, on more than one occassion, saved only by comic book braggart villains that talk instead of committing to action, but I digress, she is still supposed to be the best of the best of the best of the... you get the boring picture, which she clearly isn't by a long, wide margin.
GRIPE INCOMING: If Alice is Caesar's top producer (61 supposed kills/jobs this year alone) over many, many years...why send a secondary team behind her immediately? And he's her mentor, father figure, etc., why is she so easily scrapped (based on a $200K job?) How does a 16 year reputation for offing folks hinge on a tech startup hit job? Please enlighten me because this screams of hack writing and amateur storytelling.
This all felt like a COVID era, compiling job to see how far one could go with copy/pasted plot lines and nifty story materials when no one was really looking. Never once did I believe Alice was a credible threat nor did I ever feel bad for her with the "bats" in her head. She never broke character, had trouble sleeping, breathing, shooting, getting dressed, etc. just liked violence, yet never really delivered on the goods. Even John Wick 3 was better.
I feel betrayed as a reader of this genre. This was just bloated hyperbole, less than ordinary and unnecessary dialogues, and predictable self importance trying to be a gender swapped Gray Man which failed on all accounts.
Save yourself the trouble, read baking ingredient labels for more suspense and tension.
Thanks for reading.
Aside from the naming conventions, and names themselves, this complete story has been offered elsewhere, many times before, in better outings. While I like the Little Nikita/Professional, Red Robin, Atomic Blonde, yada yada, femme fatale assassin trope premise, it was just lazily adapted here. Alice killed very few people during the actual story (claimed she killed dozens during a petty vacation time whining session), didn't kill her assignment in this book, lucked into barely killing her co-workers, but didn't do the key assassination AT ALL. Her novice, (failed target turned sidekick) did a better killing job to be honest... and that is just poor writing. I mean a push dagger here, nimble minx there, doesn't make a top notch assassin in my book. Hold my knife while I go check on my (not) dead mother. Sheesh.
Same lazy guidelines go for the primary target, Spook, yes her real name, and her AskJeeves hacking credentials. Hacked the White House for fun, come on, really? That's the high watermark here? Yet at every turn she is on her own wi-fi based laptop giving away GPS location data at every turn. And who still has, let alone uses, an ITouch as a known hacker? True hackers won't touch Apple, come on man, seriously? So she pays for her music downloads to a stand alone device because that's how hackers operate, um ok. Should have quit when the phrase, "Google is the hackers best friend" came across. And I would love to test out her little laptop against a 1911 pistol any day of the week, for funsies.
By all accounts, Alice should be a rotting carcass based on the situations presented in this story, on more than one occassion, saved only by comic book braggart villains that talk instead of committing to action, but I digress, she is still supposed to be the best of the best of the best of the... you get the boring picture, which she clearly isn't by a long, wide margin.
GRIPE INCOMING: If Alice is Caesar's top producer (61 supposed kills/jobs this year alone) over many, many years...why send a secondary team behind her immediately? And he's her mentor, father figure, etc., why is she so easily scrapped (based on a $200K job?) How does a 16 year reputation for offing folks hinge on a tech startup hit job? Please enlighten me because this screams of hack writing and amateur storytelling.
This all felt like a COVID era, compiling job to see how far one could go with copy/pasted plot lines and nifty story materials when no one was really looking. Never once did I believe Alice was a credible threat nor did I ever feel bad for her with the "bats" in her head. She never broke character, had trouble sleeping, breathing, shooting, getting dressed, etc. just liked violence, yet never really delivered on the goods. Even John Wick 3 was better.
I feel betrayed as a reader of this genre. This was just bloated hyperbole, less than ordinary and unnecessary dialogues, and predictable self importance trying to be a gender swapped Gray Man which failed on all accounts.
Save yourself the trouble, read baking ingredient labels for more suspense and tension.
Thanks for reading.
August 17, 2020
This is book one of the Acid Vanilla series and the main character is the world’s deadliest female assassin and works for a small company of pest control operatives, based in London. She took her name from her initials and works either alone or sometimes with another assassin, on varied jobs all over. She has done the job for over sixteen years and worked for her friend and mentor without question all that time. After one job with another operative she can’t stand, she asks her boss for a bit of time off, which he takes as her being unable to do her job. It isn’t that, but an illness she was diagnosed on years before, where she can be depressed one minute and then maniac the next. It helps her do her job, but also leaves her getting jittery if she doesn’t get a break away from her job occasionally.
Just as her boss agrees she can take some time off, he gets an urgent job from an IT company, who want a blackmailing employee killed! The young target is a hacker called Spook Horowitz, yes that’s her real name! Only problem is that she hasn’t actually done what her bosses say she has, what she has done, was witness the CFO of the company killing a sex worker, using the company’s very own spy system. She runs away to Paris after managing to get away from an amateur killer. But now she has a much more experienced and professional killer after her and it is only going to be her hacker skills that will keep her alive. She hacks her employers systems for information on who has been sent after her and arranges a meet with the killer. She has found out secrets from the killer’s past and is willing to use them for her own life not to be ended.
Acid Vanilla has learnt a lesson from her early days, not to listen to her target, no matter what reasons they may give her. But Spook’s knowledge and presence stop her in her tracks. Her boss however, is not quite so trusting and has sent other assassins to keep an eye on her and also to ensure the mark is killed and the evidence is recovered for their clients. Now Acid is left having to kill her colleagues or end up dead herself. If she wants to eventually get a holiday as she wants, she has to stick with Spook and get everyone off their backs. She has her boss and the company, as well as IT company heads, to overcome before she will make it to her retirement alive and in one piece.
I loved the mix of Acid and Spook, two totally opposite types, having to come together and work out a solution that would benefit them both. Both acting out against their normal way of life. They will both learn to give a little and begin to understand the others lifestyle and needs. If they can manage to take down those who are after them, then they may have a chance of a new life. A great read, full of action, killing and survival. But also some redemption for one of the most prolific of killers. I can’t wait to see what Spook and Acid will get up to next, but I certainly know I want to be reading it! It says it’s for fans of John Wick as well as some others, and as a fan of Keanu Reeves in that series of films, this is a definite close run thing. I would recommend it to all who want a good read about killers with troubled pasts, who suddenly have to face their future. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Just as her boss agrees she can take some time off, he gets an urgent job from an IT company, who want a blackmailing employee killed! The young target is a hacker called Spook Horowitz, yes that’s her real name! Only problem is that she hasn’t actually done what her bosses say she has, what she has done, was witness the CFO of the company killing a sex worker, using the company’s very own spy system. She runs away to Paris after managing to get away from an amateur killer. But now she has a much more experienced and professional killer after her and it is only going to be her hacker skills that will keep her alive. She hacks her employers systems for information on who has been sent after her and arranges a meet with the killer. She has found out secrets from the killer’s past and is willing to use them for her own life not to be ended.
Acid Vanilla has learnt a lesson from her early days, not to listen to her target, no matter what reasons they may give her. But Spook’s knowledge and presence stop her in her tracks. Her boss however, is not quite so trusting and has sent other assassins to keep an eye on her and also to ensure the mark is killed and the evidence is recovered for their clients. Now Acid is left having to kill her colleagues or end up dead herself. If she wants to eventually get a holiday as she wants, she has to stick with Spook and get everyone off their backs. She has her boss and the company, as well as IT company heads, to overcome before she will make it to her retirement alive and in one piece.
I loved the mix of Acid and Spook, two totally opposite types, having to come together and work out a solution that would benefit them both. Both acting out against their normal way of life. They will both learn to give a little and begin to understand the others lifestyle and needs. If they can manage to take down those who are after them, then they may have a chance of a new life. A great read, full of action, killing and survival. But also some redemption for one of the most prolific of killers. I can’t wait to see what Spook and Acid will get up to next, but I certainly know I want to be reading it! It says it’s for fans of John Wick as well as some others, and as a fan of Keanu Reeves in that series of films, this is a definite close run thing. I would recommend it to all who want a good read about killers with troubled pasts, who suddenly have to face their future. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
February 2, 2025
Great introduction to Acid Vanilla and a new series about a paid assassin in need of a holiday.
This protagonist has many issues but it is her humanity that shines through.
Seems a difficult pitch to convince anyone.
Surely a gun for hire is little more than a psychopath working to a boss, under a contract.
Yet this is a theme in a lot of literature from James Bond to Lawrence Block’s Keller series. A crowded genre, seemingly not needing a hit man or hit woman, by any other name
So to create a new variation and a character we as reader’s can support, is a tough ask but one which Matthew Hattersley achieves with originality and real suspense.
Yet the author has tackled these issues head-on. Without falling back on stereotypical references, or rehashing old and established plot lines. I therefore welcomed the original ideas conveyed here with scope to let a series develop and mature.
I appreciated that it has a modern technology based plot and pulled no punches when tackling corporate wealth and a big business sense of invincibility. This was a story where you felt on the side of the vigilante spirit, of the young hacker and the woman originally assigned to take her out.
I loved the original aspects here; the humorous notations in the extreme circumstances played out, and the locations across London and Paris. I was hooked from the very first chapters. It is loud, dynamic and action filled.
Like the writing of Mark Dawson it is compulsive reading, addictive heart-stopping thrills with the promise of new books in series form, to feed your growing dependency.
This protagonist has many issues but it is her humanity that shines through.
Seems a difficult pitch to convince anyone.
Surely a gun for hire is little more than a psychopath working to a boss, under a contract.
Yet this is a theme in a lot of literature from James Bond to Lawrence Block’s Keller series. A crowded genre, seemingly not needing a hit man or hit woman, by any other name
So to create a new variation and a character we as reader’s can support, is a tough ask but one which Matthew Hattersley achieves with originality and real suspense.
Yet the author has tackled these issues head-on. Without falling back on stereotypical references, or rehashing old and established plot lines. I therefore welcomed the original ideas conveyed here with scope to let a series develop and mature.
I appreciated that it has a modern technology based plot and pulled no punches when tackling corporate wealth and a big business sense of invincibility. This was a story where you felt on the side of the vigilante spirit, of the young hacker and the woman originally assigned to take her out.
I loved the original aspects here; the humorous notations in the extreme circumstances played out, and the locations across London and Paris. I was hooked from the very first chapters. It is loud, dynamic and action filled.
Like the writing of Mark Dawson it is compulsive reading, addictive heart-stopping thrills with the promise of new books in series form, to feed your growing dependency.
October 25, 2024
This is the first book in a thriller series that features a female assassin code named Acid Vanilla. She works for a private firm in the U.K. that offers its lethal services to anyone who can afford the price. This firm is not a government agency or even a quasi-government agency. So, they do have some limits on their resources; but they are well financed and offer their services across the globe. In this opening story Acid has been working very hard. In fact, I would say too hard. She craves and needs some much-needed time off. However, a very high paying job with potential future lucrative assignments is offered. But the job must be handled efficiently and quickly. Well, she is the firm’s best assassin, so she gives in and accepts the assignment. Then, in a moment of weakness due to her fatigue, the plot takes a sudden, dramatic and dangerous twist with far reaching ramifications. The characters have substance and the dialogue fits the characters and the scenes. If there is any criticism I have about the plot, it is the remarkably swift and far-reaching information they obtain by hacking into computer systems worldwide. However, since I personally know next to nothing about computers and hacking, perhaps all these plot features are possible and even reasonable. If you enjoy plenty of action, danger, tight spots and near miraculous escapes, this is the book for you.
May 23, 2023
Getting Her Head Back On The Right Path
Acid Vanilla is pretty screwed up in her head. That's usually what happens when you grow up like she did. Abused at home and later, after seeing her mother nearly beaten to death by a john, Acid is rescued by a man who grooms her to be a ruthless assassin. It's a life she finds acceptable, considering her overall mental state. But lately, Acid has been fiercely fighting her demons, and losing. Then Acid gets a contract to eliminate an IT worker for a global computer programmer.
This worker has seen some pretty incriminating video she wasn't supposed to see. The IT worker, Spook, is wicked good at what she does. She also knows she's marked for death. Knowing this, Spook decides to find and talk to Acid and tries to talk her out of the contract. What follows is one enormous cat-and-mouse game. It is a serious game that sees the death of several bad players and disruption of the lives and business of a lot of people. These are people with deep pockets and immense influence. And they won't go away peaceably. Spook and Acid join forces to take on the power players. Will they win or lose? What will finally shake out? Take the bumpy, twisty ride that is Acid Vanilla.
Acid Vanilla is pretty screwed up in her head. That's usually what happens when you grow up like she did. Abused at home and later, after seeing her mother nearly beaten to death by a john, Acid is rescued by a man who grooms her to be a ruthless assassin. It's a life she finds acceptable, considering her overall mental state. But lately, Acid has been fiercely fighting her demons, and losing. Then Acid gets a contract to eliminate an IT worker for a global computer programmer.
This worker has seen some pretty incriminating video she wasn't supposed to see. The IT worker, Spook, is wicked good at what she does. She also knows she's marked for death. Knowing this, Spook decides to find and talk to Acid and tries to talk her out of the contract. What follows is one enormous cat-and-mouse game. It is a serious game that sees the death of several bad players and disruption of the lives and business of a lot of people. These are people with deep pockets and immense influence. And they won't go away peaceably. Spook and Acid join forces to take on the power players. Will they win or lose? What will finally shake out? Take the bumpy, twisty ride that is Acid Vanilla.
December 11, 2020
I had quite the journey with this book! I thoroughly enjoyed it and was sad that I couldn't read it as fast as I wanted to, due to health reasons and some other unexpected things. I will tell you that once I was able to get into the groove of reading this book, I seriously couldn't put it down! My poor stomach was so empty and it was continually letting me know that it needed to be fed. I ignored it for some time. I even went so far as to torture my bladder because I just didn't want to put the book down. I was so enthralled with the characters and the story line. This is my kind of book! Eventually, I did have to put the book down and it was for much longer than using the little girls room and grabbing a bite to eat. Normally, I would have had this book read in a day but like I said, health & life got in the way!
I would definitely recommend this book and tell you that Acid Vanilla is quite the character. I even enjoyed the nerdy tech girl, Spook and her bravery. I do look forward to moving onto the prequel and learning how AV got her start!
I received this book from the author through VORACIOUSREADERSONLY.COM for my honest review.
I would definitely recommend this book and tell you that Acid Vanilla is quite the character. I even enjoyed the nerdy tech girl, Spook and her bravery. I do look forward to moving onto the prequel and learning how AV got her start!
I received this book from the author through VORACIOUSREADERSONLY.COM for my honest review.
March 29, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. Took me a bit to get used to writing from Europe but that made it even better. From start to finish I really was engaged throughput. Learning about Acid was my favorite part easily. The writing style was quick descriptive and moved toward the next plot. I can't tell you how many books disappointed me the past year from the elites, but this was my best read in a bit. The ability of the author to make me the reader visualize the storyline doesn't happen for me with every book. Some too complex others just ridiculous, yet this,seemed just right. Acid Vanilla is after just one reading riding high in my top 10 female thriller characters. Can't wait for the prequel. Its like the author read my mind. I need more. Many thanks Matthew, you've got a friend in me
March 13, 2022
Codename Acid Vanilla is an assassin, tasked to kill hacker Spook Horowitz, who's stumbled upon a video of her employer murdering a hooker. Circumstances place both Acid and Spook on same side and now they are both on the run from their respective employers. While the start was very engaging, the middle was reduced to Acid and Spook dodging one assassin after the other, pretty much in John Wick fashion, and became quite repetitive after a while. The story runs at a breakneck speed and it doesn't give you the chance to put the book down. Acid's character is developed really well, but Spook is just a second fiddle. Next book in the series seems to be more revenge thriller and will get it soon.
March 13, 2023
Unlikable characters. Impossible action. Implausible story.
3 Stars
The world's top, cold-blooded, contract killer, code-named Acid Vanilla, suddenly grows a soul when her target, a naïve, young, computer genius named Spook Horowitz, explains why Acid was hired to kill her, triggering painful memories of Acid's own, messed-up childhood.
Not sure what to do next, Acid takes Spook on a panic-driven tour of France, dodging and dispatching her former colleagues that her boss at Annihilation Pest Control sent to finish the job—and her.
The over-the-top action scenes in no-escape situations, complete with monologuing supervillains, would make a suitable script for a comic book or animated film (think "The Incredibles"), were it not for the long bouts of backstory.
3 Stars
The world's top, cold-blooded, contract killer, code-named Acid Vanilla, suddenly grows a soul when her target, a naïve, young, computer genius named Spook Horowitz, explains why Acid was hired to kill her, triggering painful memories of Acid's own, messed-up childhood.
Not sure what to do next, Acid takes Spook on a panic-driven tour of France, dodging and dispatching her former colleagues that her boss at Annihilation Pest Control sent to finish the job—and her.
The over-the-top action scenes in no-escape situations, complete with monologuing supervillains, would make a suitable script for a comic book or animated film (think "The Incredibles"), were it not for the long bouts of backstory.
August 3, 2021
Does any child say, "I wanna be an assassin when I grow up," ?
If I had, I wonder what my code name would be?
In this book, the code name is taken from your initials, no one knows your real name...except for one operative who did not realize what we was doing and used his own name on his application.
But mine, well I wouldn't be married so my initials would be JR.
For J I'm thinking Jupiter, January, Janvier, Jett, Julia, Jackson, Jersey, Jinx....something like that.
For R maybe Random, Ruse, Rose, Ruthless, Rage, Radio, Rocket or Rabbit
But if I were married, M could be Mars, Mushroom, Memphis, Maple, Misanthrope...you get it.
The possibilities are endless.
If I had, I wonder what my code name would be?
In this book, the code name is taken from your initials, no one knows your real name...except for one operative who did not realize what we was doing and used his own name on his application.
But mine, well I wouldn't be married so my initials would be JR.
For J I'm thinking Jupiter, January, Janvier, Jett, Julia, Jackson, Jersey, Jinx....something like that.
For R maybe Random, Ruse, Rose, Ruthless, Rage, Radio, Rocket or Rabbit
But if I were married, M could be Mars, Mushroom, Memphis, Maple, Misanthrope...you get it.
The possibilities are endless.
August 20, 2020
This book is about elite assassins. Acid Vanilla is the deadliest female assassin and works for a small company of pest control operatives in London.
she worked for them for sixteen years without questioning what she was doing.
she now needs time off which is agreed but then given a job to kill a hacker named Spook Horowitz which turns out she can't do. This leads to herself being in danger of being killed.
Denise
she worked for them for sixteen years without questioning what she was doing.
she now needs time off which is agreed but then given a job to kill a hacker named Spook Horowitz which turns out she can't do. This leads to herself being in danger of being killed.
Denise
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