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Tina Boyd #4
Target
In his new bestseller, superb plotting and great characters keep pace in a race-against-time thriller by Transworld’s brightest crime writing star.
Did someone try to kill me or am I going mad?
When writer Rob Fallon gets drunk one night and ends up joining his friend’s girlfriend, Jenny, back at her apartment in London’s West End, he’s feeling guilty before anything’s even happened. But guilt quickly turns to shock when two men break into the apartment, abduct Jenny, and try to kill Rob. Somehow he manages to escape, but when he reports the abduction to the police no one believes him. Jenny’s father claims she’s on holiday abroad, her apartment appears untouched, and the doorman didn’t see or hear anything.
But Rob knows what he saw and he can’t let things lie — not with Jenny’s life in danger. When he starts asking questions, he finds himself the target of faceless killers who’ll stop at nothing to get him out of the way.
What are they so desperate to hide? And what does it have to do with an ordinary girl like Jenny? Either he finds out or he’s dead — it’s that simple. And time’s already running out.
Did someone try to kill me or am I going mad?
When writer Rob Fallon gets drunk one night and ends up joining his friend’s girlfriend, Jenny, back at her apartment in London’s West End, he’s feeling guilty before anything’s even happened. But guilt quickly turns to shock when two men break into the apartment, abduct Jenny, and try to kill Rob. Somehow he manages to escape, but when he reports the abduction to the police no one believes him. Jenny’s father claims she’s on holiday abroad, her apartment appears untouched, and the doorman didn’t see or hear anything.
But Rob knows what he saw and he can’t let things lie — not with Jenny’s life in danger. When he starts asking questions, he finds himself the target of faceless killers who’ll stop at nothing to get him out of the way.
What are they so desperate to hide? And what does it have to do with an ordinary girl like Jenny? Either he finds out or he’s dead — it’s that simple. And time’s already running out.
496 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
82 people are currently reading
995 people want to read
About the author
Simon Kernick
73 books1,158 followersSimon Kernick (born 1966 in Slough, Berkshire) is a British thriller/crime writer now living in Oxfordshire with his wife and two daughters. He attended Gillotts School, a comprehensive in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Whilst he was a student his jobs included fruitpicker and Christmas-tree uprooter. He graduated from Brighton Polytechnic in 1991 with a degree in humanities. Kernick had a passion for crime fiction writing from a young age and produced many short stories during his time at polytechnic. After graduating Kernick joined MMT Computing in London in early 1992, where a relative was the Chairman and Managing Director. Kernick was a key member of the sales team and was very highly regarded. However, he left the company after 4 years in the hope of trying to secure a publishing deal. Despite interest from a number of publishers Kernick was unable to secure a deal, so he joined the sales force of the specialist IT and Business Consultancy Metaskil plc in Aldermaston, Berkshire in 1998 where he remained until he secured his first book deal (The Business of Dying) in September 2001. His novel Relentless was recommended on Richard & Judy's Summer book club 2007. It was the 8th best-selling paperback, and the best-selling thriller in the UK in the same year
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews
March 26, 2013
It is only a minor exaggeration to say that Simon Kernick’s “Target” is to an actual thriller like McDonald’s meal is to actual food. McDonald’s fare has calories and it fills the stomach, yet the stuff is devoid of taste and has little nutritional value. “Target” contains just the plot; there are no additional values. No portraits of characters, no psychological or sociological observations. Zero depth. And the plot is silly.
The plot begins with Rob Fallon, an aspiring true crime writer, witnessing kidnapping of the woman with whom he is about to go to bed. Then the implausibility fest begins. DS Tina Boyd takes Rob Fallon’s story about the kidnapping seriously despite all circumstances indicating otherwise. Then, she asks Rob to do surveillance work for her. Next, they actually begin working together, like a pair of private eyes. Fat chance! Plausibility of the story is on the level of middle-school students who try to imagine police work. The quality of writing matches the level of plausibility.
The plot culminates in a cinematic orgy of death and violence – how else? There are several “twists and turns” towards the very end. I do not want to spoil the ending for readers who might, for some strange reason, find this book interesting, so let me just say that one of them (the method of a bad guy’s escape) is perhaps the unlikeliest I have ever encountered. But the one that concerns one of the “good guys”, as much as I dislike “twists and turns”, is pretty much unexpected, and thus, it gives the novel a little bit of redeeming quality.
I am also disgusted to report that Mr. Kernick stays faithful to his signature writing cliché. All characters are able to summon the remainder of their energy to restore their full energy. I noticed it three times (pages 32, 122, and 323 of the hardcover edition). Where is the editor?
Mr. Kernick has fallen a long way from his splendid “The Business of Dying” to this piece of junk.
One star (courtesy of the one aspect of the ending).
The plot begins with Rob Fallon, an aspiring true crime writer, witnessing kidnapping of the woman with whom he is about to go to bed. Then the implausibility fest begins. DS Tina Boyd takes Rob Fallon’s story about the kidnapping seriously despite all circumstances indicating otherwise. Then, she asks Rob to do surveillance work for her. Next, they actually begin working together, like a pair of private eyes. Fat chance! Plausibility of the story is on the level of middle-school students who try to imagine police work. The quality of writing matches the level of plausibility.
The plot culminates in a cinematic orgy of death and violence – how else? There are several “twists and turns” towards the very end. I do not want to spoil the ending for readers who might, for some strange reason, find this book interesting, so let me just say that one of them (the method of a bad guy’s escape) is perhaps the unlikeliest I have ever encountered. But the one that concerns one of the “good guys”, as much as I dislike “twists and turns”, is pretty much unexpected, and thus, it gives the novel a little bit of redeeming quality.
I am also disgusted to report that Mr. Kernick stays faithful to his signature writing cliché. All characters are able to summon the remainder of their energy to restore their full energy. I noticed it three times (pages 32, 122, and 323 of the hardcover edition). Where is the editor?
Mr. Kernick has fallen a long way from his splendid “The Business of Dying” to this piece of junk.
One star (courtesy of the one aspect of the ending).
April 9, 2010
This was a good enough thriller that I might just read more of Mr. Kernick's work. It's interesting that the blurb calls it Hitchcockian, because I think it was Hitchcock who said, regarding telling good, thrilling stories: you can't just keep the action going full-tilt; you have to have moments for pausing and breathing, and then pick things up again. And I was thinking about that because that's exactly what Kernick did in this book. You feel like things are moving non-stop, but if you actually pay attention, you realize that there are very deliberate pauses in the action, usually right after something crazy just happened.
The plot was not completely predictable, although certainly some of the twists and connections were. Many people ended up dead, at least a few of whom I really didn't expect. There were some references to some events that presumably took place in an earlier book, but not so many that you were lost, or felt like you were missing a big chunk of understanding about the plot or the characters.
The characters themselves are ones you care about, complete with strengths and flaws that make them seem very real. He goes slightly overboard with names at times - if you're going to kill off a random cop within a page of introducing him, frankly, he doesn't really need a name. I realize that in the real world, they all do have names, and it's important to remember them, and every person who dies is a real person, and if this were real life, I'd have no objection to naming them. But it isn't, and quite frankly, such incidental characters are not really important to the story, and there's no clarity issues if they're not named, so there's no point. It's just one more name you wonder if you need to remember. Unnecessary clutter in the story. That said, it didn't really slow anything down, so it's all good.
Ultimately, this book is basically fluff, akin to chick lit, and it was great for that. Easy to chew through in a day, thoroughly enjoyable at the time, and, frankly, more or less forgettable once it's over. I would definitely recommend this for beach reading, or even curling up by the fireplace on a winter getaway vacation. It's perfect for that sort of thing.
The plot was not completely predictable, although certainly some of the twists and connections were. Many people ended up dead, at least a few of whom I really didn't expect. There were some references to some events that presumably took place in an earlier book, but not so many that you were lost, or felt like you were missing a big chunk of understanding about the plot or the characters.
The characters themselves are ones you care about, complete with strengths and flaws that make them seem very real. He goes slightly overboard with names at times - if you're going to kill off a random cop within a page of introducing him, frankly, he doesn't really need a name. I realize that in the real world, they all do have names, and it's important to remember them, and every person who dies is a real person, and if this were real life, I'd have no objection to naming them. But it isn't, and quite frankly, such incidental characters are not really important to the story, and there's no clarity issues if they're not named, so there's no point. It's just one more name you wonder if you need to remember. Unnecessary clutter in the story. That said, it didn't really slow anything down, so it's all good.
Ultimately, this book is basically fluff, akin to chick lit, and it was great for that. Easy to chew through in a day, thoroughly enjoyable at the time, and, frankly, more or less forgettable once it's over. I would definitely recommend this for beach reading, or even curling up by the fireplace on a winter getaway vacation. It's perfect for that sort of thing.
May 1, 2022
Kitap ismini kıçından sallama timinden "Target" iken "Olduğun Yerde Kal" ismi layık görülen sıradan bir İngiliz Polisiyesi.
Öyle ki kurgu ve senaryo adına pek birşeyin olmadığı ancak bölüm sonu canavarı ve oyun sonu büyük canavar namına bol bol vurdu ve de kırdının bulunduğu bir kitaptı. Film olsa IMDB puanı net 5.5.
İngiliz polisiyesi yine komik ya nedir bu İngiliz polislerin çektiği. "Doğrusunu" yapacağım diye eli kolu bağlanmış. Bir yere baskın yapacak "Silahlı Polis" diye bağırarak giriyor. Ya ne olacaktı "Köpük Baloncuklu Polis" deyip suçluların yüzüne baloncuk mu üfleyecekti. Bir de ikide bir şarjör doldurur gibi çubuğu içine sokup çıkı çıkı sallayıp tekrar üfleyecek filan. Yok gerçekten öyle büyük bir terör eylemini durdurmaya giden iki polisin elinde biber gazı var tırı durduruyor suçluların yüzüne fıs fıs biber gazı sıkıyor.
Neyse bir plot twist hariç oldukça sıradandı ama akıcıydı ve doyurucuydu.
Herkese keyifli okumalar
Öyle ki kurgu ve senaryo adına pek birşeyin olmadığı ancak bölüm sonu canavarı ve oyun sonu büyük canavar namına bol bol vurdu ve de kırdının bulunduğu bir kitaptı. Film olsa IMDB puanı net 5.5.
İngiliz polisiyesi yine komik ya nedir bu İngiliz polislerin çektiği. "Doğrusunu" yapacağım diye eli kolu bağlanmış. Bir yere baskın yapacak "Silahlı Polis" diye bağırarak giriyor. Ya ne olacaktı "Köpük Baloncuklu Polis" deyip suçluların yüzüne baloncuk mu üfleyecekti. Bir de ikide bir şarjör doldurur gibi çubuğu içine sokup çıkı çıkı sallayıp tekrar üfleyecek filan. Yok gerçekten öyle büyük bir terör eylemini durdurmaya giden iki polisin elinde biber gazı var tırı durduruyor suçluların yüzüne fıs fıs biber gazı sıkıyor.
Neyse bir plot twist hariç oldukça sıradandı ama akıcıydı ve doyurucuydu.
Herkese keyifli okumalar
December 1, 2012
Another fast paced exciting novel by Simon Kernick. He really does deserve more plaudits.
June 15, 2014
An enjoyable read but not in my opinion one of his best. The plot was a little contrived in my opinion .
November 23, 2009
I bought this book as I liked the cover, and also the blurb on the back. I didn't expect to read it, and finish it within 6 hours. It was a fast paced thrilling story that had me on the edge of my seat too many times to count.
Rob Fallon, ex-banker wannabe writer (he just hasn't found a spark yet) is thrown into an unimaginable situation, a situation that he thought existed but never realised he would live it firsthand. He attempts to spend a night with his best friends ex-girlfriend only for it to be cut short when two unnamed men break in and abduct her, and in the process attacking him. He escapes (which granted he would have to be VERY lucky but to make a story sometimes the unlikely has to happen. And I love that!)and the story progresses from there. He has a desire to save Jenny (his best friend's ex) but no one will believe him. And his persistence is causing attention from the wrong people. The people that have no qualms to end his life in an instant. When DS Tina Boyd comes onto the scene however, she thinks something isn't quite right and plans to find out, but with no hlep from her colleagues she enlists the help of Rob, putting his life into the thick of it, not to mention her own.
I really felt that this book was amazing, I love Harlan Coben as a writer and I felt similarities in both their styles, not to mention that my attention was grabbed completely with the characters. I felt they were developed well and I was really able to sympathise especially with Rob Fallon.
I wish I had read the first book with DS Tina Boyd, as it continually referred back to moments in her life, especially with her love interest, but I will have to live with reading that one and all of his others after. I hope they will be as enjoyable, I am sure they will be... I will tell you all later!
Rob Fallon, ex-banker wannabe writer (he just hasn't found a spark yet) is thrown into an unimaginable situation, a situation that he thought existed but never realised he would live it firsthand. He attempts to spend a night with his best friends ex-girlfriend only for it to be cut short when two unnamed men break in and abduct her, and in the process attacking him. He escapes (which granted he would have to be VERY lucky but to make a story sometimes the unlikely has to happen. And I love that!)and the story progresses from there. He has a desire to save Jenny (his best friend's ex) but no one will believe him. And his persistence is causing attention from the wrong people. The people that have no qualms to end his life in an instant. When DS Tina Boyd comes onto the scene however, she thinks something isn't quite right and plans to find out, but with no hlep from her colleagues she enlists the help of Rob, putting his life into the thick of it, not to mention her own.
I really felt that this book was amazing, I love Harlan Coben as a writer and I felt similarities in both their styles, not to mention that my attention was grabbed completely with the characters. I felt they were developed well and I was really able to sympathise especially with Rob Fallon.
I wish I had read the first book with DS Tina Boyd, as it continually referred back to moments in her life, especially with her love interest, but I will have to live with reading that one and all of his others after. I hope they will be as enjoyable, I am sure they will be... I will tell you all later!
March 30, 2018
2.5 stars. A little predictable towards the end, though I like that it’s a bit of a bloodbath throughout. The plot is over complex and overdone though. When I first read one of Kernick’s books I was blown away and couldn’t put it down. I genuinely can’t tell if his writing has changed or my taste has! But this left me a little sad not to have enjoyed it more. A decent enough thriller, but nothing special.
January 28, 2025
From the 1st page, this book had me gripped and wanting to discover how the story was built, the routes it would take and how it would finish.
It had varying characters who seamlessly bleed into each other and the story.
The only downside was the IRA angle which felt incomplete and hashed, it never felt "real" in the story.
It had varying characters who seamlessly bleed into each other and the story.
The only downside was the IRA angle which felt incomplete and hashed, it never felt "real" in the story.
January 23, 2019
Fast pace, believable characters who seem like old friends. Clever plot, still manages a few twists with the bomb plot to disrupt the financial district.
March 28, 2023
Really gripping in some parts, in others it was slow. Surprising twists - one I didn’t agree with and nearly put the book down, but a good ending, albeit a predictable and satisfying one.
April 15, 2019
3.25 *
Solid enough read, and very much as I would expect from Kernick. I have read a few such books and although there is a predictability to them, it is nice to know what you are going to get.
Lots of action that races through the story at breakneck speed. I liked the use of first, and third person for the different characters. This makes it easier to determine who is speaking in any one chapter. This is all about the pace of the story, and nothing else. I disliked what happened to the main character. He really was the ball to Kernick's bat.
On the whole a decent read, not for a reread. If you like fast-paced, violent crime stories, this will be for you.
Solid enough read, and very much as I would expect from Kernick. I have read a few such books and although there is a predictability to them, it is nice to know what you are going to get.
Lots of action that races through the story at breakneck speed. I liked the use of first, and third person for the different characters. This makes it easier to determine who is speaking in any one chapter. This is all about the pace of the story, and nothing else. I disliked what happened to the main character. He really was the ball to Kernick's bat.
On the whole a decent read, not for a reread. If you like fast-paced, violent crime stories, this will be for you.
November 14, 2022
Audiobook
February 6, 2021
Very Kernick
March 18, 2020
Me being a massive fan of Kernick's - I was delighted when I spotted this in my local charity shop for €1.50 - continuing the Tina Boyd series in order.
We are introduced to an average-down-on-his-luck-guy Rob Fallon who seems to be just drifting through life. His failing attempts at becoming a successful author drove his wife & child away to France and any chance of happiness seems to be long gone. Out with his friend for drinks he bumps in to a long lost acquaintance Jenny Brakspear, who used to date his best friend Dom, Rob always had a crush on Jenny and the two catch up over drinks which leads to Jenny's apartment in the middle of the night.
Rob is confronted by two masked men who kidnap Jenny and attack Rob attempting to silence him. As Rob comprehends what has happened to him and runs to the Police Station to divulge what has taken place - Tina Boyd takes the case. Only then is Rob left dumbfounded that all evidence of a kidnapping/attack on Jenny's apartment is removed. Coincidences start to go against Rob as Jenny's father claims she went on holidays recently and hasnt spoken to her - and Dom hasnt spoken to Jenny in 6 months. Rob must think he's delusional at this point.
However, with Tina Boyd on the case - she is relentless in her approach to the investigation, nice pun there as Kernick has a book called Relentless ;), and she seeks the help of old friends Mike Bolt & Mo Khan to confirm her suspicions. I really enjoyed this installment in the series - even though the book is over 10 years old it still holds that thriller flame and kept my pulse racing as Mike & co honed in on the bad guys. 5 stars for Kernick.
We are introduced to an average-down-on-his-luck-guy Rob Fallon who seems to be just drifting through life. His failing attempts at becoming a successful author drove his wife & child away to France and any chance of happiness seems to be long gone. Out with his friend for drinks he bumps in to a long lost acquaintance Jenny Brakspear, who used to date his best friend Dom, Rob always had a crush on Jenny and the two catch up over drinks which leads to Jenny's apartment in the middle of the night.
Rob is confronted by two masked men who kidnap Jenny and attack Rob attempting to silence him. As Rob comprehends what has happened to him and runs to the Police Station to divulge what has taken place - Tina Boyd takes the case. Only then is Rob left dumbfounded that all evidence of a kidnapping/attack on Jenny's apartment is removed. Coincidences start to go against Rob as Jenny's father claims she went on holidays recently and hasnt spoken to her - and Dom hasnt spoken to Jenny in 6 months. Rob must think he's delusional at this point.
However, with Tina Boyd on the case - she is relentless in her approach to the investigation, nice pun there as Kernick has a book called Relentless ;), and she seeks the help of old friends Mike Bolt & Mo Khan to confirm her suspicions. I really enjoyed this installment in the series - even though the book is over 10 years old it still holds that thriller flame and kept my pulse racing as Mike & co honed in on the bad guys. 5 stars for Kernick.
April 26, 2014
4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this book, thanks, once again, to a very good narration by Paul Thornley. The start of this book reminded me of Flightplan where you start to wonder if the events actually happened, and although Simon could have strung this out a little longer, I liked the fact that the reader was aware of the whole conspiracy from the outset.
Some reviewers have stated that there is not enough characterisation, but I feel that if you have read previous works by Kernick, that you already know the main characters well enough. I liked the way that Simon threw a few curve balls by 'eliminating' some characters that I didn't expect to die. The story flowed well and kept enough tension throughout to warrant its 'thriller' genre.
I like Simon's ability to switch between 1st and 3rd person and still keep the story rolling. Although only a sub-plot (revealed in the last few chapters), the fact that Paul Wise was once again present hints towards a grand finale in the coming books where Tina finally faces her nemesis.
Highly recommended, although I would advise trying to read Simon's books in order to avoid coming across spoilers, and to follow the chain of events in the right order.
I really enjoyed this book, thanks, once again, to a very good narration by Paul Thornley. The start of this book reminded me of Flightplan where you start to wonder if the events actually happened, and although Simon could have strung this out a little longer, I liked the fact that the reader was aware of the whole conspiracy from the outset.
Some reviewers have stated that there is not enough characterisation, but I feel that if you have read previous works by Kernick, that you already know the main characters well enough. I liked the way that Simon threw a few curve balls by 'eliminating' some characters that I didn't expect to die. The story flowed well and kept enough tension throughout to warrant its 'thriller' genre.
I like Simon's ability to switch between 1st and 3rd person and still keep the story rolling. Although only a sub-plot (revealed in the last few chapters), the fact that Paul Wise was once again present hints towards a grand finale in the coming books where Tina finally faces her nemesis.
Highly recommended, although I would advise trying to read Simon's books in order to avoid coming across spoilers, and to follow the chain of events in the right order.
September 19, 2014
****** Another fast pasted book by Simon Kernick, he is becoming one of my favorite authors *****
NO ONE TO TRUST
When writer Rob Fallon goes out one night and ends up with his best-friend's girlfriend, Jenny, he's feeling guilty before anything's even happened.
NOWHERE TO RUN
But guilt quickly turns to shock when two men break into Jenny's apartment, abduct her, and try to kill Rob. When Rob reports this to the police, no one believes him. And when he speaks to Jenny's father, he says she's on holiday abroad.
NO PLACE TO HIDE
Rob knows Jenny's life's in danger and starts asking questions. Soon he's the target of brutal killers who are as terrifying as they are elusive. But what do they want? And what does it have to do with an ordinary girl like Jenny?
Either Rob finds out or he's dead. It's that simple ...
NO ONE TO TRUST
When writer Rob Fallon goes out one night and ends up with his best-friend's girlfriend, Jenny, he's feeling guilty before anything's even happened.
NOWHERE TO RUN
But guilt quickly turns to shock when two men break into Jenny's apartment, abduct her, and try to kill Rob. When Rob reports this to the police, no one believes him. And when he speaks to Jenny's father, he says she's on holiday abroad.
NO PLACE TO HIDE
Rob knows Jenny's life's in danger and starts asking questions. Soon he's the target of brutal killers who are as terrifying as they are elusive. But what do they want? And what does it have to do with an ordinary girl like Jenny?
Either Rob finds out or he's dead. It's that simple ...
November 11, 2017
Simon Kernick is a safe bet. Any Kernick's book you decide to read, you end up having your nose stuck in the book until the very last page (and it's never enough!). "Target" is totally up to the expectations. The plot is compelling, the description of the operations performed by the various divisions of the British Police are not only realistic but also detailed. The narrative style - that I particularly love - is always intriguing. Mike Bolt and Tina Boyd are, again, a skittish twosome, and their reciprocal attraction manages to find a new level of awareness.
Five well-deserved stars.
Five well-deserved stars.
May 13, 2020
Addicted to this author
Great plot....superb characters. From the books I've read with Tina Boyd as the focal character ,you just want to see her find some happiness in her personal life because she's one hell of a tough cop. Totally submerged myself in this from beginning to end. I couldn't predict the plot at all throughout the book.
Great plot....superb characters. From the books I've read with Tina Boyd as the focal character ,you just want to see her find some happiness in her personal life because she's one hell of a tough cop. Totally submerged myself in this from beginning to end. I couldn't predict the plot at all throughout the book.
February 19, 2017
Was a good read, easy and straight forward.
October 31, 2017
An easy read, though throughly depressing. I wondered whether any of the characters would survive!
April 12, 2019
Sorry Mr Kernick, this was just too "boys' own adventure" for me.
December 14, 2020
Usual page-turner, with some nice twists.
August 22, 2025
Tina was a bigger character in this one, and after having her in barely two chapters in previous books, it was a nice chance of pace, though she did manage to get herself abducted in the first half of the book. Also, it is just me or the police department frustrating in this book? I am not sure if things really work this way, but they aren't allowed to do anything. I mean, they try to stop a vehicle with killers in it with PEPPER SPRAY only.
COME ON!!!
Anyway, the plot. A girl, Jenny, is abducted after a night at the bar. She was spending time with her ex boyfriend Dom's best friend Rob. After Jenny is taken, Rob goes to the police, to Tina, to be more precise, but there is literally no evidence Jenny was taken. There is no sign of struggle in her room, and everyone thinks she is abroad, but Rob knows what happened, and he won't let it go.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Only to confront Dom about Jenny's disappearance but Dom was in on it. Dom sends word to the bad guys, and they kill Rob. They kill Dom, too, just in case, and the police can't manage to reach Jenny alive, either. Only Tina can get out alive after being taken by the same men.
And anyway, what they wanted to do was mush bigger than Jenny or Rob. These guys made some bad investments and they wanted to affect the stock market to lowr their loses. Since Jenny's father was selling dangerous gases, they got him to bring mustard gas for them to use. They were planning a big explosion, until Mike Bolt and his team stopped them. Again, this isn't bad, it was enough to keep me engaged until the end, but it wasn't quite a satisfying read, since I read much better in the same genre. Nevertheless I will be finishing the books I own, and thankfully I only have two more to go.
COME ON!!!
Anyway, the plot. A girl, Jenny, is abducted after a night at the bar. She was spending time with her ex boyfriend Dom's best friend Rob. After Jenny is taken, Rob goes to the police, to Tina, to be more precise, but there is literally no evidence Jenny was taken. There is no sign of struggle in her room, and everyone thinks she is abroad, but Rob knows what happened, and he won't let it go.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Only to confront Dom about Jenny's disappearance but Dom was in on it. Dom sends word to the bad guys, and they kill Rob. They kill Dom, too, just in case, and the police can't manage to reach Jenny alive, either. Only Tina can get out alive after being taken by the same men.
And anyway, what they wanted to do was mush bigger than Jenny or Rob. These guys made some bad investments and they wanted to affect the stock market to lowr their loses. Since Jenny's father was selling dangerous gases, they got him to bring mustard gas for them to use. They were planning a big explosion, until Mike Bolt and his team stopped them. Again, this isn't bad, it was enough to keep me engaged until the end, but it wasn't quite a satisfying read, since I read much better in the same genre. Nevertheless I will be finishing the books I own, and thankfully I only have two more to go.
October 26, 2021
Rob Fallon while on a drinking spree meets an ex-girlfriend of one of his best friends and goes back to her place, while in the bathroom he hears noises and movement in the next room but as he is no superman stays hidden in the bathroom, but is found and realises Jenny is the target and has been abducted but why? and he tries his best but being drunk he manages to escape and elude these 2 thugs, but he is now a marked man. He tries his luck at the police station and Tina Boyd half believes him but with not much to go on and with constant terrorist threats nobody is trying too hard. His best friend and Jenny's ex is not who is says he is and has this dark side and money speaks, what has he caught himself up in? On the whole most enjoyable and quite dark in places storyline is good but not too keen on the narrator, sounded a bit bland.
September 27, 2024
Putting aside the fact that I found some parts of this story far fetched, it was such an easy, enjoyable read. It didn't feel nearly 500 pages long. Every chapter ended on a cliff hanger and it was intriguing and exciting. However, the pace of the novel started at 100mph so it had nowhere to go. It seemed to be constant action with no downtime in-between scenes. I didn't expect both the main character and the girl he was trying to save to both die. I know her kidnapping was just a small part of a big picture but these were the two characters we were invested in to begin with. I felt at least one needed to survive. I liked the characters and rooted for Tina. I really hated the small twist near the end with Hook pretending to be Jenny- I really found that too unbelievable. Overall, it was an easy read that captured my attention and made me want to find out more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2018
I found this one of Kernick's poorer efforts. I have always enjoyed his books before
The beginning scene reminded me a lot of The Witness, especially the kidnapper going off to the bathroom.
The series of fortunate escapes from Rob Fallow stretched believability especially as he was eyeball to eyeball with a professional gunman a few times and escaped.
The book was also too long and could have been tighter. The planned gas attack element was ludicrous.
Also whether Jenny was dead or not was confusing.
Unconvinced by Tina Boyd being in mortal peril as we know she is in later books.
Tina remembering someone's mobile number while under extreme pain and stress was a little too unconvincing.
Body count was very high.
However, the book is an okay read.
The beginning scene reminded me a lot of The Witness, especially the kidnapper going off to the bathroom.
The series of fortunate escapes from Rob Fallow stretched believability especially as he was eyeball to eyeball with a professional gunman a few times and escaped.
The book was also too long and could have been tighter. The planned gas attack element was ludicrous.
Also whether Jenny was dead or not was confusing.
Unconvinced by Tina Boyd being in mortal peril as we know she is in later books.
Tina remembering someone's mobile number while under extreme pain and stress was a little too unconvincing.
Body count was very high.
However, the book is an okay read.
February 16, 2021
This is not a good story.
To be fair I read it quickly, so it must have something going for it, although I could just put it down to COVID.
It is difficult with thrillers to get the story to move at pace and remain credible. Twists and turns are good but too many and it all just seems contrived.
There’s a bad guy that kills or shoots nearly everyone he sees over a period of 3 or 4 days! He also escapes a burning barn by pretending to be a kidnapped woman, using her own scalp as a wig. And he’s carried by a police officer who doesn’t notice.
A main character doesn’t make it to the end (guess who finishes him off?), which shows a bit of originality.
But it’s not enough to paper over the significant cracks.
To be fair I read it quickly, so it must have something going for it, although I could just put it down to COVID.
It is difficult with thrillers to get the story to move at pace and remain credible. Twists and turns are good but too many and it all just seems contrived.
There’s a bad guy that kills or shoots nearly everyone he sees over a period of 3 or 4 days! He also escapes a burning barn by pretending to be a kidnapped woman, using her own scalp as a wig. And he’s carried by a police officer who doesn’t notice.
A main character doesn’t make it to the end (guess who finishes him off?), which shows a bit of originality.
But it’s not enough to paper over the significant cracks.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2022
I have read and enjoyed fifteen of the author's books so I thought I would try and get hold of books which I had missed. This book was first published in 2009 and features Tina Boyd and Mike Bolt who appear in several of the author's other books. Quite a lot of this story is told in the first person by Rob Fallon who witnesses a crime but by the time he contacts the police all the evidence has disappeared so he is treated as a crank. The plot is unbelievable but if you go with the flow it is a very exciting read and I finished it in one sitting. It starts with a kidnapping but then many people die at the hands of a particularly nasty and brutal killer.
October 5, 2022
Another great story.
Tina is really coming into her own in this next in the series. Still runs nicely alongside the Dennis Milne series giving us more background.
The kidnapping of a young woman in front of a friend is the start of this thriller when the friend has problems getting anyone to believe his story. Tina unofficially starts to investigate then all hell begins to break out. Mike Bolt eventually becomes involved in what could become an atrocity.
This author just goes from strength to strength with his writing.
Tina is really coming into her own in this next in the series. Still runs nicely alongside the Dennis Milne series giving us more background.
The kidnapping of a young woman in front of a friend is the start of this thriller when the friend has problems getting anyone to believe his story. Tina unofficially starts to investigate then all hell begins to break out. Mike Bolt eventually becomes involved in what could become an atrocity.
This author just goes from strength to strength with his writing.
October 12, 2022
Simon Kernick always gives you a good read, pacy, violent with definite room for doubt as to what’s going to happen. Throw in Tina Boyd a talented but definitely lone gunslinger detective and you have a book that doesn’t disappoint. I love the way she always muddies the lines and I can certainly understand why she’s always getting suspended, having said that I love her as a character. We need more police officers prepared to go the extra mile in the real world.
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