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Killer Move
Bill Moore is a man with a plan. He's got a lucrative job selling condos in the Florida keys, a great marriage, and a beautiful house. He had a five year plan for world domination, too, but it's already creeping into year six... so now he's decided to mix it up—just a little.
This means getting in tight with the people in power, the players who run the area like their personal kingdom. It's all going to plan until the day Bill gets to work to find a card left on his desk. It's black on both sides, just one word printed in white: MODIFIED.
From that moment, Bill's life begins to change. At first barely noticeably, then in more and more disturbing ways. Bill soon finds out, in the most terrifying fashion, that he has become the subject of a dark and deadly game... and that he has no choice but to fight back.
This means getting in tight with the people in power, the players who run the area like their personal kingdom. It's all going to plan until the day Bill gets to work to find a card left on his desk. It's black on both sides, just one word printed in white: MODIFIED.
From that moment, Bill's life begins to change. At first barely noticeably, then in more and more disturbing ways. Bill soon finds out, in the most terrifying fashion, that he has become the subject of a dark and deadly game... and that he has no choice but to fight back.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
32 people are currently reading
533 people want to read
About the author
Michael Marshall
70 books414 followersA pseudonym used by Michael Marshall Smith
Michael Marshall Smith (who dropped the "Smith" to write The Straw Men) lives in north London with his wife Paula, and is currently working on screenplays and his next book, while providing two cats with somewhere warm and comfortable to sit.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
(1) Michael Marshall - Religion/Spirituality
(2) Michael Marshall - Acting
(3) Michael Marshall - Fishing/Geography
(4) Michael Marshall - German Children's Books
(5) Michael Marshall - Indonesian Fiction
Michael Marshall Smith (who dropped the "Smith" to write The Straw Men) lives in north London with his wife Paula, and is currently working on screenplays and his next book, while providing two cats with somewhere warm and comfortable to sit.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
(1) Michael Marshall - Religion/Spirituality
(2) Michael Marshall - Acting
(3) Michael Marshall - Fishing/Geography
(4) Michael Marshall - German Children's Books
(5) Michael Marshall - Indonesian Fiction
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
February 6, 2012
I think I've read everything that Marshall has published. Which is a bit odd, considering how I feel about his books. It's a dichotomy, my feelings. I look forward, each time, to his next novel. I feel let down when I complete them. Every. Single. Time. Let me explain...
Marshall indeed writes well. Moreover, he makes his writing interesting. You can write plainly and well. You can write in a way that is interesting, but ultimately poor. Some writers, like McCarthy, write both well and interesting books and add that certain personal touch that makes them above and beyond.
I'm confusing myself so I must be confusing you. Writing well means (to me) using the language correctly. Not fumbling about and causing the reader to notice errors. That's not to say you're using perfect grammar, a good writer can take liberties without sounding like an amateur. Being interesting is both having a good subject or plot, but also presenting it in a way that keeps the reader wanting to continue. Then there's that deeper meaning bit, that personal touch, that I-have-an-insight-and-know-how-to-share-it ability. If you've read McCarthy's last few books, you know what I mean.
Is Marshall McCarthy? No, no, a thousand times no! He does write well and in his own personal style. He writes an interesting story, no doubt. But here's the problem: the build up is never justified by the reveal. It's like having a story in every car magazine around your big 'next thing'. Commercials air on every popular TV program for weeks. The display at the car show is over the top with beautiful girls and moving lights and drama. The entire press corp is there, waiting for the cover to be ripped off with panache and flair and the music comes to a crescendo and...it's a beat-up 1970 VW Beetle. What?
My first Marshall novel was "Straw Men" and you could not ask for a more compelling 90%. In fact, when the reveal comes, it's so much ...less...than you'd imagined, you convince yourself there's something still coming. There's not. Oh wait, "The Upright Man" must be that masterful ending, something that justifies all that happened in the story. But...no. I could be jaded. I might expect too much. If I do, however, it's because the promise Marshall makes during the story is not kept in the reveal.
Still, each time I see a new Marshall book, I'm in line for it. Not physically, of course. I read on a Kindle. I approach each hoping, since every other check box is ticked by him, that he finally got the ending right. That the whole will be more than just the sum of its parts. That the mystery revealed will be ... but it's not. I will continue to read his books, though I must admit that each time, I'm a little more hesitant, a little less willing to spend ten or twelve dollars and two nights to be ultimately underwhelmed.
So, is this a recommendation? A suggestion you put aside your sleep or work or miss your train station to read "Killer Move"? Cause that's what will happen. You WANT to know what's happening. You want to know WHY. Till you do. Then you say, really? That's it? Perhaps real life is like that. The awe and mystery of the Outer Limits is just a bunch of twisted people being twisted. Or maybe as a group, we are so used to Hollywood's Over-The-Top approach that less than that isn't satisfying. I'm not sure.
I guess the fact that I'm torn in saying to read it, the fact that I'll read his next one and would read earlier ones if I knew that they were out there, says it all. Or maybe I'm an idiot, expecting different outcomes from the same set of building blocks. Isn't that the definition of stupidity? Expecting a different result from the same set of actions? Perhaps.
Then again, I did and do enjoy the build up, the characters, the writing. Maybe there's no deeper meaning or revealed truths like in "The Road" or "No Country For Old Men", but then, perhaps there doesn't have to be for it to be a good read. I enjoy Marshall and I await his next novel. I just wish he'd have a little more meat under that excellent sauce.
Marshall indeed writes well. Moreover, he makes his writing interesting. You can write plainly and well. You can write in a way that is interesting, but ultimately poor. Some writers, like McCarthy, write both well and interesting books and add that certain personal touch that makes them above and beyond.
I'm confusing myself so I must be confusing you. Writing well means (to me) using the language correctly. Not fumbling about and causing the reader to notice errors. That's not to say you're using perfect grammar, a good writer can take liberties without sounding like an amateur. Being interesting is both having a good subject or plot, but also presenting it in a way that keeps the reader wanting to continue. Then there's that deeper meaning bit, that personal touch, that I-have-an-insight-and-know-how-to-share-it ability. If you've read McCarthy's last few books, you know what I mean.
Is Marshall McCarthy? No, no, a thousand times no! He does write well and in his own personal style. He writes an interesting story, no doubt. But here's the problem: the build up is never justified by the reveal. It's like having a story in every car magazine around your big 'next thing'. Commercials air on every popular TV program for weeks. The display at the car show is over the top with beautiful girls and moving lights and drama. The entire press corp is there, waiting for the cover to be ripped off with panache and flair and the music comes to a crescendo and...it's a beat-up 1970 VW Beetle. What?
My first Marshall novel was "Straw Men" and you could not ask for a more compelling 90%. In fact, when the reveal comes, it's so much ...less...than you'd imagined, you convince yourself there's something still coming. There's not. Oh wait, "The Upright Man" must be that masterful ending, something that justifies all that happened in the story. But...no. I could be jaded. I might expect too much. If I do, however, it's because the promise Marshall makes during the story is not kept in the reveal.
Still, each time I see a new Marshall book, I'm in line for it. Not physically, of course. I read on a Kindle. I approach each hoping, since every other check box is ticked by him, that he finally got the ending right. That the whole will be more than just the sum of its parts. That the mystery revealed will be ... but it's not. I will continue to read his books, though I must admit that each time, I'm a little more hesitant, a little less willing to spend ten or twelve dollars and two nights to be ultimately underwhelmed.
So, is this a recommendation? A suggestion you put aside your sleep or work or miss your train station to read "Killer Move"? Cause that's what will happen. You WANT to know what's happening. You want to know WHY. Till you do. Then you say, really? That's it? Perhaps real life is like that. The awe and mystery of the Outer Limits is just a bunch of twisted people being twisted. Or maybe as a group, we are so used to Hollywood's Over-The-Top approach that less than that isn't satisfying. I'm not sure.
I guess the fact that I'm torn in saying to read it, the fact that I'll read his next one and would read earlier ones if I knew that they were out there, says it all. Or maybe I'm an idiot, expecting different outcomes from the same set of building blocks. Isn't that the definition of stupidity? Expecting a different result from the same set of actions? Perhaps.
Then again, I did and do enjoy the build up, the characters, the writing. Maybe there's no deeper meaning or revealed truths like in "The Road" or "No Country For Old Men", but then, perhaps there doesn't have to be for it to be a good read. I enjoy Marshall and I await his next novel. I just wish he'd have a little more meat under that excellent sauce.
September 3, 2011
This book was going to get four stars before the ending, where it completely fell apart. It felt like the author did not know how to end it, how to tie up all the pieces and had to end it quickly. Very very disappointing because leading up to that point, the plotting was great, the characters were well formed, but the end just was completely wrong. In fact, when he's doing the final wrap he GETS THE NAME of one of the characters WRONG. The main character's boss throughout the book was Peter Grant. In the last chapter, he changes it to David Grant! You mean to tell me that NO copy editor caught that? Just contributes to the hasty exit this book had.
And one more gripe. The title is terrible. It bears little relation to the theme of the book. And since the word "Modified" was used throughout the book, that would have been the perfect title. Up until the end, it really outline how fleeting your life really is and how an incident or two can change everything. So Modified would have been the perfect title. Wonder who screwed that up?
And one more gripe. The title is terrible. It bears little relation to the theme of the book. And since the word "Modified" was used throughout the book, that would have been the perfect title. Up until the end, it really outline how fleeting your life really is and how an incident or two can change everything. So Modified would have been the perfect title. Wonder who screwed that up?
June 11, 2021
This book is definitely not one for paranoid conspiracy types; after reading it, you just may become that way yourself. It begins with the tales of two men. One is a convicted killer who, after being paroled, returns to get some comeuppance. The other is an upwardly mobile respected realtor in the Sarasota, FL area whose normal life is slowly being infringed upon by strange happenings. A restaurant reservation he doesn't recall making, a book shipped from Amazon he never ordered, a joke email he didn't compose being forwarded to all his contacts. At first is just seems somebody is messing with him, someone who has access to his computer and passwords. But then the small cards with just one word on them begin showing up; the ones that say "Modified."
Little by little the two men's stories play out, the convict kidnapping a wealthy man to get information, the realtor finding more and more odd things and a strange helper in a girl who served him at an ice cream shop. As the story is played out slowly and deliberately it becomes clear that the link between these two men is abductee and the word "Modified."
Even after the connection is made, the story still spools out at a pace that makes you want to keep reading to find out what happens, but at the same time leaves you frustrated with how little has really been revealed. And then the thrusters kick in and story ramps up into a shocking world that will leave you surprised, paranoid and stunned. It's best to go into this book without knowing too much, except for how and what Marshall (Smith) writes. The ending makes the journey well worthwhile and will leave you speechless.
Little by little the two men's stories play out, the convict kidnapping a wealthy man to get information, the realtor finding more and more odd things and a strange helper in a girl who served him at an ice cream shop. As the story is played out slowly and deliberately it becomes clear that the link between these two men is abductee and the word "Modified."
Even after the connection is made, the story still spools out at a pace that makes you want to keep reading to find out what happens, but at the same time leaves you frustrated with how little has really been revealed. And then the thrusters kick in and story ramps up into a shocking world that will leave you surprised, paranoid and stunned. It's best to go into this book without knowing too much, except for how and what Marshall (Smith) writes. The ending makes the journey well worthwhile and will leave you speechless.
October 19, 2011
Every now and then an author writes a book that is truly unique and causes the reader to think extra hard about what is going on.
John Hunter is released from prison after serving sixteen years for a crime he didn't commit. He's had plenty of time to plot his revenge against the people who framed him.
Bill Moore is a real estate salesman in Florida. He's successful and loves his wife but wants more. One day he notices a paper on his desk with the word "MODIFIED" on it.
He doesn't think any more about it but soon a series of things happen that change his life. Something appears on his computer causing his wife to become very upset.
An important meeting with a client is missed and the client's secretary denies that she even made the appointment. Then there are a number of deaths and he becomes a suspect when a man goes missing.
Michael Marshall has written an intellingent story that is a puzzle that the reader must solve. What is the relationship between John Hunter, the missing man and Bill Moore.
The action moves along at a breakneck pace and seduces the reader and yet, nothing is as it seems.
The author brings up good points about greed in society and the wealthy believing that they wouldn't be held into account for their actions.
Only the two main characters are well developed. The plot is complicated and unpredictable. However, it is still unimaginably addictive.
John Hunter is released from prison after serving sixteen years for a crime he didn't commit. He's had plenty of time to plot his revenge against the people who framed him.
Bill Moore is a real estate salesman in Florida. He's successful and loves his wife but wants more. One day he notices a paper on his desk with the word "MODIFIED" on it.
He doesn't think any more about it but soon a series of things happen that change his life. Something appears on his computer causing his wife to become very upset.
An important meeting with a client is missed and the client's secretary denies that she even made the appointment. Then there are a number of deaths and he becomes a suspect when a man goes missing.
Michael Marshall has written an intellingent story that is a puzzle that the reader must solve. What is the relationship between John Hunter, the missing man and Bill Moore.
The action moves along at a breakneck pace and seduces the reader and yet, nothing is as it seems.
The author brings up good points about greed in society and the wealthy believing that they wouldn't be held into account for their actions.
Only the two main characters are well developed. The plot is complicated and unpredictable. However, it is still unimaginably addictive.
June 18, 2015
This started out to be a very amusing story with a unique premise. Right away I found it disturbing how the story alternated between the humorous and intriguing chapters about how Bill's life was being modified and the dark, sick chapters about Hunter.
Eventually the two story lines merged and thus began the most muddled, confusing, pointless story I've ever read. I still don't understand what happened, and I only finished the book to see whether the author could successfully wrap up the whole mess. He did not.
How could anyone who cared about his wife so much spend half the book chasing around town trying to figure out what was going on when she was in the hospital dying from drinking poisonous wine (the source of which was, by the way, never identified)?
The numerous characters were so poorly developed and made of so much cardboard that when the big reveal finally happened I honestly couldn't even remember which character was which.
And the ending -- how does he end up with a secluded cabin in the woods? Where does he get his money from?
Overall, it started out well, but not worth reading.
Eventually the two story lines merged and thus began the most muddled, confusing, pointless story I've ever read. I still don't understand what happened, and I only finished the book to see whether the author could successfully wrap up the whole mess. He did not.
How could anyone who cared about his wife so much spend half the book chasing around town trying to figure out what was going on when she was in the hospital dying from drinking poisonous wine (the source of which was, by the way, never identified)?
The numerous characters were so poorly developed and made of so much cardboard that when the big reveal finally happened I honestly couldn't even remember which character was which.
And the ending -- how does he end up with a secluded cabin in the woods? Where does he get his money from?
Overall, it started out well, but not worth reading.
September 9, 2011
Michael Marshall's latest book Killer Move opens with a newly released con named Hunter seeking payback for a crime he says he didn't commit.
We then meet realtor Bill Moore, a man with a five year plan - increasing his condo sales numbers in the Florida keys, opening up his own realty office, rubbing shoulders with the movers and shakers in his corner of the world. Problem is - it's year six. But Bill is nothing if not upbeat. It will happen.. he just has to work a little harder at it.
Small things start to happen - a card with nothing but a single word - Modified - is left on his desk. A book from Amazon that he can't remember ordering, a prime table at a restaurant he doesn't recall making a reservation for. Then it starts to escalate - he discovers compromising photos on his computer, conveniently stored in a folder labelled Modified. And suddenly that very simple word takes on ominous overtones. Because someone is playing a game with Bill's life....
What a great premise - an everyday guy with no idea who or why someone would mess with him. Bill's desperate attempts to stop his life spiralling out of control are alternated with Hunter's steps to exact retaliation.
Bill tells his story from a first person narrative, which I have to admit I found increasingly annoying in the first few chapters. It took quite a few chapters beyond the prologue for me to become invested in the book. Bill's thoughts on his father and his philosophy on selling were tiresome. The plot is inventive and plausible, but some of the 'moves' were a bit over the top. The ending was somewhat disappointing, referencing a previous book by Marshall as an explanation for what has gone on.
That being said, I think Marshall has come up with a great idea. How much of our lives are controlled by passwords and online access? How secure are they? How much would it take someone to start games with our lives? A good read, but not great for me. Linwood Barclay does it better.
We then meet realtor Bill Moore, a man with a five year plan - increasing his condo sales numbers in the Florida keys, opening up his own realty office, rubbing shoulders with the movers and shakers in his corner of the world. Problem is - it's year six. But Bill is nothing if not upbeat. It will happen.. he just has to work a little harder at it.
Small things start to happen - a card with nothing but a single word - Modified - is left on his desk. A book from Amazon that he can't remember ordering, a prime table at a restaurant he doesn't recall making a reservation for. Then it starts to escalate - he discovers compromising photos on his computer, conveniently stored in a folder labelled Modified. And suddenly that very simple word takes on ominous overtones. Because someone is playing a game with Bill's life....
What a great premise - an everyday guy with no idea who or why someone would mess with him. Bill's desperate attempts to stop his life spiralling out of control are alternated with Hunter's steps to exact retaliation.
Bill tells his story from a first person narrative, which I have to admit I found increasingly annoying in the first few chapters. It took quite a few chapters beyond the prologue for me to become invested in the book. Bill's thoughts on his father and his philosophy on selling were tiresome. The plot is inventive and plausible, but some of the 'moves' were a bit over the top. The ending was somewhat disappointing, referencing a previous book by Marshall as an explanation for what has gone on.
That being said, I think Marshall has come up with a great idea. How much of our lives are controlled by passwords and online access? How secure are they? How much would it take someone to start games with our lives? A good read, but not great for me. Linwood Barclay does it better.
September 5, 2015
JUST A COUPLE OF SPOILERS - IF YOU'RE REALLY GOING TO READ THIS AWFUL MESS, SKIP THIS REVIEW.
This isn't the worst book ever written. Then again, Sharknado 3 isn't the worst movie ever written.
I only finished this because I wanted to see if the author could wrap everything up in any logical sense. He couldn't.
The main character is having a rough week, but every time he has a chance to think about making a decision, he abandons all reason and charges off after nothing. "I need to figure things out, quick, so I am going to sit in this bar and get good and drunk and do nothing until all the answers come to me. Or until I go home with that cute chick I met yesterday. The wife is already pissed, so what's the harm?"
The plot is bad enough, but the interjection of the trips down memory lane slow things down so much that you just hope Bill accidentally electrocutes himself so the whole thing will just be over.
The writer should have cut the character list in half. Hunter and Warner, the first two characters from the 2nd plot stream, pretty much disappear. Warner makes his escape, gets his jollies, then isn't seen again until the last scene. Hunter, who can stealthily kidnap and/or torture grown men, gets killed by an elderly woman that he already had the drop on?? Stef happens to carry around a bottle of wine, that happens to be poisoned, then happens to hook up with the new guy, who happens to show up at her hospital for "coffee", then happens to try to keep her from leaving with her HUSBAND, then happens to stand in the middle of the road to block their car. Because that's just what the new guy does, sometimes.
Cass is a compelling character, though poorly drawn. Jane Doe had the beginnings of a solid character, but she gets killed because a known killer is ridiculing her military record??
Overall, this was an absolute mess. The end sets up a return of Bill Moore, but I don't think I'll witness it.
This isn't the worst book ever written. Then again, Sharknado 3 isn't the worst movie ever written.
I only finished this because I wanted to see if the author could wrap everything up in any logical sense. He couldn't.
The main character is having a rough week, but every time he has a chance to think about making a decision, he abandons all reason and charges off after nothing. "I need to figure things out, quick, so I am going to sit in this bar and get good and drunk and do nothing until all the answers come to me. Or until I go home with that cute chick I met yesterday. The wife is already pissed, so what's the harm?"
The plot is bad enough, but the interjection of the trips down memory lane slow things down so much that you just hope Bill accidentally electrocutes himself so the whole thing will just be over.
The writer should have cut the character list in half. Hunter and Warner, the first two characters from the 2nd plot stream, pretty much disappear. Warner makes his escape, gets his jollies, then isn't seen again until the last scene. Hunter, who can stealthily kidnap and/or torture grown men, gets killed by an elderly woman that he already had the drop on?? Stef happens to carry around a bottle of wine, that happens to be poisoned, then happens to hook up with the new guy, who happens to show up at her hospital for "coffee", then happens to try to keep her from leaving with her HUSBAND, then happens to stand in the middle of the road to block their car. Because that's just what the new guy does, sometimes.
Cass is a compelling character, though poorly drawn. Jane Doe had the beginnings of a solid character, but she gets killed because a known killer is ridiculing her military record??
Overall, this was an absolute mess. The end sets up a return of Bill Moore, but I don't think I'll witness it.
October 14, 2011
What do a recently paroled murderer and a successful real estate agent in Florida have in common? They have been modified.
Bill Moore is an enterprising person and he wants success in a big way. He has a lucrative job, a beautiful wife, and everything going for him until he gets a message. Modified. Everything changes and Bill’s life unravels around him.
John Hunter was just paroled. Once he leaves the prison, he sets out to break all the terms of his parole to prove he was convicted unjustly. What he finds is that he and Bill Moore are nothing but pawns to a group of men out to destroy their lives--because they can.
Michael Marshall is known for his thrillers, and Killer Move is my introduction to his work. Marshall begins on a slow arc, building the suspense and then unleashing a psychodrama that builds speed and a bit of paranoia in the characters and this reviewer. Told from two different points of view, Marshall piles on the tension.
There are a few soft spots in an otherwise taut thriller and the characters are flat, except for Bill and John Hunter, both of whom are fully fleshed. There are moments when it seems Marshall will be unable to tie all the loose ends together, and some are a bit slapdash, but overall Killer Move is a good example of life turned on its head at full throttle, the kind of novel that will have you racing to change your computer passwords.
Bill Moore is an enterprising person and he wants success in a big way. He has a lucrative job, a beautiful wife, and everything going for him until he gets a message. Modified. Everything changes and Bill’s life unravels around him.
John Hunter was just paroled. Once he leaves the prison, he sets out to break all the terms of his parole to prove he was convicted unjustly. What he finds is that he and Bill Moore are nothing but pawns to a group of men out to destroy their lives--because they can.
Michael Marshall is known for his thrillers, and Killer Move is my introduction to his work. Marshall begins on a slow arc, building the suspense and then unleashing a psychodrama that builds speed and a bit of paranoia in the characters and this reviewer. Told from two different points of view, Marshall piles on the tension.
There are a few soft spots in an otherwise taut thriller and the characters are flat, except for Bill and John Hunter, both of whom are fully fleshed. There are moments when it seems Marshall will be unable to tie all the loose ends together, and some are a bit slapdash, but overall Killer Move is a good example of life turned on its head at full throttle, the kind of novel that will have you racing to change your computer passwords.
August 31, 2013
Fantastic thriller from a writer I've long admired. With the Straw Men books Marshall combines a literary style in very effective commercial plot-driven fiction, at the border where the thriller touches upon and then mingles with horror. And the plot here is superb: inventive and surprising. I'd have been happy to just read a novel about the real estate agent's life in Florida, because even without the more fantastical element, the book stands up as a model of a particular time and world. I always enjoy the insights into life and identity in Marshall novels, though you also get much more through the escalation of a dilemma and mystery that falls upon an ordinary man. The author has a more sensitive and philosophical approach to the genre, which I particularly enjoy (also check out INTRUDERS), without eschewing drama and action in which every thing is at stake. Highly recommended to those who like intelligent thrillers.
July 31, 2011
This book starts out with a bang and does not let go. Little things start happening to Bill Moore, an upscale realtor in Florida, and he really does not pay attention at first. Then it starts affecting his personal life when his wife accuses him of being a peeping tom with his co-worker. There is proof on his computer but he didn't do it. From that point on the action just keeps on going. A very suspensful story about how your life can get turned around and changed if someone is out to "modify" it. This book is very well written and holds the reader captive as the mystery starts to unfold. Twists and turns in the story will keep you turning the pages until the end. Very creepy.As you can see by the authors bio, he is a very accomplished author, screenwriter etc. I highly recommend this book to any reader of the mystery/thriller genre.
October 31, 2014
Smooth, smart, thriller, brilliantly written as always and full of strange dark things. A bit more derivative than you might usually expect from Michael Marshall Smith, as it's going to be hard to read it and not be reminded of The Game. But that's okay, it's a lot better and a lot scarier than The Game.
May 19, 2019
I enjoyed this well enough, as a quick, relatively brainless read. (That, I'm sure, sounds like a very backhand compliment, but I feel that the world needs well-written, quick, brainless reads, and we should thank those willing to put in the hours to provide them for us ...) However, I didn't thoroughly enjoy it, I felt there were serious plot holes, and problems with tone. I didn't feel that I wanted to rush out and recommend it, as I did when I finished the two previous Michael Marshall novels I've read recently.
I don't mind unlikable characters, but Bill Moore is a doozy: self-centred, stupid, blind to his own faults, and deaf to what's going on around him. Other people are only walk-on parts in the Triumphant Drama that is the life of Bill (he would really prefer to be William, but it didn't sound chummy enough) Moore. He is a real estate agent. He reads the worst of the worst of self-help books, and thinks in quotes from said books. He is disloyal, superficial and pretty crass. (Spell-check wanted to change "doozy" to "boozy" -- he's that, too!)
(It was actually a great relief when, about a third of the way through the book, we had a break from the first-person, Bill-centered chapters that dominate the book, and have a short chapter from the perspective of an elderly woman who we have just seen Bill patronizing, belittling and (he thinks, cleverly) manipulating as part of his "Bill Roolz" campaign of SW Florida Domination. The fact that she sees right though Bill's infantile plotting, and has exactly the same opinion of him as This Reader is both a) refreshing, and b) reassuring, as it's Marshal's way of letting us know that, yes, he knows his protagonist is a jerk.
And protagonists who are jerks can be fun, but you have to be careful that you don't try to stretch the fun out too far. Bill Moore's jerkiness really would test the patience of a saint: he is slow on the up-take, ham-fisted in his responses to the threats that begin to build around him, and blind to the bleedin' obvious. (There are two Big Reveals toward the end of Bill's travails, when Exposition and Explanation begin to take over from Plot, which were so obvious that I guessed where it had been going the moment the two characters were introduced. And I'm not a genius. Honest. No, really ...)
So, I'd say that this is readable, and clever in parts. But not Mr. Marshall's finest hour.
Random Observations:
* There are subtle hints, about half-way through, that this novel is part of Marshall's Straw Men conspiracy. Other reviewers have commented on the fact that toward the end, the hints go from subtle to clunky (Clunky, as in I read this cheesy thriller about something called Straw Men that explained everything ... ) Odd. And unnecessary?
* I think I enjoyed this less than the other two Michael Marshall/Michael Marshall Smith/Michael Rutger (all the same guy) novels I have read recently is because the tone is off. Marshall, whatever name he chooses to write under, is very witty, and does the snark very well. While there was serious violence, and characters were killed in Straw Men, it was kept at arm's length for most of the book. And The Anomaly always felt like an Indiana Jones pastiche, so the violence felt like Roadrunner/Coyote, and never felt very real. Here, the violence gets up close and very personal (), and that feels very wrong when it's spliced with genuinely funny quips about Bill's jerkiness and all-too accurate observations about the shallowness of some versions of the SW Florida lifestyle.
* The "MODIFIED" plot is very clever, and even almost plausible. But as more and more of its machinations are revealed, it seems to me It all seemed 'way too complicated.
* The John Hunter plot thread
* Bearing in mind that this was written in about 2011, the following dialogue:
The voice was young, female, professional. ... "I'm Melania -- David Warner's assistant."
Melania? Was that even a real name? "What can I do for you Melania?"
WTF? I doubt that "Melania" was a name that had a high recognition factor in 2011. And even before this exchange, I'd harbored suspicions that Marshall was going for a Trump-wannabe vibe with one of the secondary characters. In 2011. Very curious ...
I don't mind unlikable characters, but Bill Moore is a doozy: self-centred, stupid, blind to his own faults, and deaf to what's going on around him. Other people are only walk-on parts in the Triumphant Drama that is the life of Bill (he would really prefer to be William, but it didn't sound chummy enough) Moore. He is a real estate agent. He reads the worst of the worst of self-help books, and thinks in quotes from said books. He is disloyal, superficial and pretty crass. (Spell-check wanted to change "doozy" to "boozy" -- he's that, too!)
(It was actually a great relief when, about a third of the way through the book, we had a break from the first-person, Bill-centered chapters that dominate the book, and have a short chapter from the perspective of an elderly woman who we have just seen Bill patronizing, belittling and (he thinks, cleverly) manipulating as part of his "Bill Roolz" campaign of SW Florida Domination. The fact that she sees right though Bill's infantile plotting, and has exactly the same opinion of him as This Reader is both a) refreshing, and b) reassuring, as it's Marshal's way of letting us know that, yes, he knows his protagonist is a jerk.
And protagonists who are jerks can be fun, but you have to be careful that you don't try to stretch the fun out too far. Bill Moore's jerkiness really would test the patience of a saint: he is slow on the up-take, ham-fisted in his responses to the threats that begin to build around him, and blind to the bleedin' obvious. (There are two Big Reveals toward the end of Bill's travails, when Exposition and Explanation begin to take over from Plot, which were so obvious that I guessed where it had been going the moment the two characters were introduced. And I'm not a genius. Honest. No, really ...)
So, I'd say that this is readable, and clever in parts. But not Mr. Marshall's finest hour.
Random Observations:
* There are subtle hints, about half-way through, that this novel is part of Marshall's Straw Men conspiracy. Other reviewers have commented on the fact that toward the end, the hints go from subtle to clunky (Clunky, as in I read this cheesy thriller about something called Straw Men that explained everything ... ) Odd. And unnecessary?
* I think I enjoyed this less than the other two Michael Marshall/Michael Marshall Smith/Michael Rutger (all the same guy) novels I have read recently is because the tone is off. Marshall, whatever name he chooses to write under, is very witty, and does the snark very well. While there was serious violence, and characters were killed in Straw Men, it was kept at arm's length for most of the book. And The Anomaly always felt like an Indiana Jones pastiche, so the violence felt like Roadrunner/Coyote, and never felt very real. Here, the violence gets up close and very personal (), and that feels very wrong when it's spliced with genuinely funny quips about Bill's jerkiness and all-too accurate observations about the shallowness of some versions of the SW Florida lifestyle.
* The "MODIFIED" plot is very clever, and even almost plausible. But as more and more of its machinations are revealed, it seems to me It all seemed 'way too complicated.
* The John Hunter plot thread
* Bearing in mind that this was written in about 2011, the following dialogue:
The voice was young, female, professional. ... "I'm Melania -- David Warner's assistant."
Melania? Was that even a real name? "What can I do for you Melania?"
WTF? I doubt that "Melania" was a name that had a high recognition factor in 2011. And even before this exchange, I'd harbored suspicions that Marshall was going for a Trump-wannabe vibe with one of the secondary characters. In 2011. Very curious ...
July 6, 2011
Author is great at building suspense and a sense of paranoia... quick and compelling read.
October 20, 2022
A well-written, quick-moving, nonstop thriller with a few twists that threw me for a loop. However, it is chock-full of profanity, which I'm not a fan of, and it is way overused. It's also very dark with some grisly descriptions of murder scenes after the fact and even gruesome crimes as they're being committed. So if you are sensitive to such things then this is not for you.
Another slight annoyance is that the story is set in America with American characters, but the author is British and there are lots of little "british-isms" that sort of pull me out of the story for a second. Even if the author wasn't aware of these I'm really surprised that an editor didn't pick up on them and change the wording. The story is told in the first-person and there were a bunch of little terms and phrases that are just not ones that would be used by a native Florida real estate agent.
Aside from the above negatives, the story was very engrossing and definitely hooked me in.
Another slight annoyance is that the story is set in America with American characters, but the author is British and there are lots of little "british-isms" that sort of pull me out of the story for a second. Even if the author wasn't aware of these I'm really surprised that an editor didn't pick up on them and change the wording. The story is told in the first-person and there were a bunch of little terms and phrases that are just not ones that would be used by a native Florida real estate agent.
Aside from the above negatives, the story was very engrossing and definitely hooked me in.
June 27, 2021
I ended with a so-so feeling with this. The main reason is that first half of the book is really boring, as the last half has its moments, until the end, pretty cliche and with a cliffhanger you can imagine how the whole thing continues, whereas it doesn't.
The pros are just the second half in which anything is what it looked like to be, and the intrigue and suspense really build ups enough to get you glued to the book, the cons are that in the end it looks like the story ends with a too open conclusion that it's nor really concluded, I'd dare say also bit too contrived. That disappointed me and, as it was overall an interesting story, reason why I can't deny to reach another story of same author in the future, the prospect won't be soon, though.
The pros are just the second half in which anything is what it looked like to be, and the intrigue and suspense really build ups enough to get you glued to the book, the cons are that in the end it looks like the story ends with a too open conclusion that it's nor really concluded, I'd dare say also bit too contrived. That disappointed me and, as it was overall an interesting story, reason why I can't deny to reach another story of same author in the future, the prospect won't be soon, though.
July 18, 2021
This one really snuck up on me! I wasn't sure what was going to happen to the protagonist at first, but he was clearly headed for some marital and work trouble due to small dishonesty.
But one small dishonesty after another begin to unravel and snowball into full blown disasters. Eventually it becomes clear to us and the protagonist that he's the chump in a huge con - he's set up to take the fall for a close group of wealthy psychopaths - all trapped in one way or another by a world class psychopath.
Very fast past, gripping, and surprisingly good.
But one small dishonesty after another begin to unravel and snowball into full blown disasters. Eventually it becomes clear to us and the protagonist that he's the chump in a huge con - he's set up to take the fall for a close group of wealthy psychopaths - all trapped in one way or another by a world class psychopath.
Very fast past, gripping, and surprisingly good.
October 20, 2017
I really liked this book. Intriguing, suspenseful. You feel for the main character as you try to figure out what is going on. The book keeps you guessing to the end. I would rate it a 4.5 out of 5.
Paul Sterman
Author, Daddy Versus the Squirrels
www.daddyversus.com
Paul Sterman
Author, Daddy Versus the Squirrels
www.daddyversus.com
April 5, 2018
Awful, don't bother
April 19, 2019
Scary good
July 21, 2019
Pretty good book - mentions the Straw Men which ties in his trilogy.
September 27, 2020
This was a melodramatic and convoluted plot.
October 27, 2020
Good! Very…Strange.
January 25, 2023
Read in 2011. A subtle and unnerving story.
January 21, 2024
Holey Moley..... What an absolute mind boggle
March 17, 2017
Another good book, I really do prefer his more futuristic stories, but this was well written and an easy read. Even though I didn't much like the lead character I found myself getting annoyed on his behalf as the story moved on. As his life got shitter his personality got better. Some really twisted characters popped up in this one, a properly nasty old woman, a crazy goth girl, a corrupt cop and a sadistic killer, all good. Not my fave of his books but well worth a read.
March 29, 2023
Wow, this was an unexpected page-turner. Starts out slow with a self-absorbed boor of a main character. How will this eventually likable guy cross paths with the violent and crazy? Just keep turning pages to see.
I'm only about 80% through, and I'm reading slower to savor the details. It's a better-than-average story, and for an Englishman, Marshall colorfully details of life in ritzy south-Florida--right down to the dialogue, which is funny, tender, and always realistic.
My only change would have been to have named the book, "Modified," as that's a key term throughout. And it's very likely that my next fiction read may be one of his earlier books. Recommended.
I'm only about 80% through, and I'm reading slower to savor the details. It's a better-than-average story, and for an Englishman, Marshall colorfully details of life in ritzy south-Florida--right down to the dialogue, which is funny, tender, and always realistic.
My only change would have been to have named the book, "Modified," as that's a key term throughout. And it's very likely that my next fiction read may be one of his earlier books. Recommended.
August 27, 2011
As a fan of crime novels, I was looking forward to reading this book by Michael Marshall – best selling author of ‘The Straw Men’ and, more recently, ‘Bad Things’.
The main character of this book, set in the Florida Keys, is go-getting estate agent Bill Moore. Bill’s got a good job, a great marriage and a beautiful house. He also has a five-year plan in which he imagines himself to be even more successful. To get this plan to work, however, he needs to make friends in high places. Everything seems to be going smoothly when a card that simply says ‘modified’ arrives on Bill’s desk. From then on, the five-year plan is the least of Bill’s worries as weird things start happening, people begin disappearing and it looks as though Bill is being framed.
I am the type of reader who denounces every crime book as poorly written if I guess the ending anywhere before the author’s big reveal. ‘Killer Move’ is not one of those books. In fact, having finished the book, there are a couple of loose ends I’m still not entirely sure on.
Stylistically, I found myself being pulled from the narrative because Marshall frequently underlines words or statements for emphasis where a more commonly used method is emboldening the text or using italics.
The story itself was slow to get going; I really felt no intrigue or even interest until over a hundred pages in. I felt Marshall’s writing was too self-conscious at times, and tried to be too clever.
With a thriller, I don’t want to read a character have an internal discussion with himself about his father being “an abstract noun, not a verb” and then considering the audience so intellectually challenged that he then explains what he means. The plot should be sufficient enough that the brain is challenged without the author needing to throw elaborate metaphors into the equation. I also felt that Bill’s voice was, at times, inconsistent; Bill not only discussed grammar but also used phrases like “personal beef”. It seems unlikely to have a character so articulate in one instance to then sound like a teenager in another.
Although I found it difficult to believe a seemingly normal guy could turn into an all-action hero within a few chapters, it did make me wonder: how does anyone know what they’re really capable of until their fight or flight mechanism kicks in? Perhaps if any one of us was put in a situation that meant we had to fight for our reputation, our sanity or even our lives, we would push ourselves as far as physically possible to protect those things.
I felt Marshall’s writing sometimes lacked emotional believability, for example Bill encounters several dead bodies but manages to have very little emotional reaction to them. However, when Bill thinks back to times with his wife and recounts them for the reader, I felt those passages were the strongest in the book. It made me realise how important Bill’s marriage was to him and how much he and his wife loved each other.
Sometimes I felt the cultural references to technology seemed forced and very deliberate although nearing the end of the story it becomes apparent why it was important that Moore mentions blogging and Facebooking so frequently. The idea behind the plot is quite an original premise and it really made me consider that if there was someone in the world who wanted to get information about you, or mess with your life there are so many channels in which to do so now. How many of us have our phone numbers or addresses of Facebook? Is your DOB on Twitter? Bill goes from being a technological wizard to, understandably, a techno-phobe.
Although there are flaws in this novel, I have to admit once it really got going I was intrigued and desperate to know what was going on. I had plenty of theories, with pretty much all of them being incorrect. Once his voice became more consistent, I empathised with Bill, whose life was spiralling more out of control with each passing moment. The paranoia that Bill was feeling, of who may be responsible for the ‘modification’ and why, had me mistrustful of almost every character in the book.
Michael Marshall’s often violent and gory writing really captures the horror of the inside of a psychopath’s mind. The slow start is a great device for gradually speeding up the action with the passing of time, to the point where you are practically left breathless by how much is going on.
This novel isn’t flawless but the premise is so unique and intelligently thought-out that I would recommend it to any crime fan. Fans of Linwood Barclay will love it.
The main character of this book, set in the Florida Keys, is go-getting estate agent Bill Moore. Bill’s got a good job, a great marriage and a beautiful house. He also has a five-year plan in which he imagines himself to be even more successful. To get this plan to work, however, he needs to make friends in high places. Everything seems to be going smoothly when a card that simply says ‘modified’ arrives on Bill’s desk. From then on, the five-year plan is the least of Bill’s worries as weird things start happening, people begin disappearing and it looks as though Bill is being framed.
I am the type of reader who denounces every crime book as poorly written if I guess the ending anywhere before the author’s big reveal. ‘Killer Move’ is not one of those books. In fact, having finished the book, there are a couple of loose ends I’m still not entirely sure on.
Stylistically, I found myself being pulled from the narrative because Marshall frequently underlines words or statements for emphasis where a more commonly used method is emboldening the text or using italics.
The story itself was slow to get going; I really felt no intrigue or even interest until over a hundred pages in. I felt Marshall’s writing was too self-conscious at times, and tried to be too clever.
With a thriller, I don’t want to read a character have an internal discussion with himself about his father being “an abstract noun, not a verb” and then considering the audience so intellectually challenged that he then explains what he means. The plot should be sufficient enough that the brain is challenged without the author needing to throw elaborate metaphors into the equation. I also felt that Bill’s voice was, at times, inconsistent; Bill not only discussed grammar but also used phrases like “personal beef”. It seems unlikely to have a character so articulate in one instance to then sound like a teenager in another.
Although I found it difficult to believe a seemingly normal guy could turn into an all-action hero within a few chapters, it did make me wonder: how does anyone know what they’re really capable of until their fight or flight mechanism kicks in? Perhaps if any one of us was put in a situation that meant we had to fight for our reputation, our sanity or even our lives, we would push ourselves as far as physically possible to protect those things.
I felt Marshall’s writing sometimes lacked emotional believability, for example Bill encounters several dead bodies but manages to have very little emotional reaction to them. However, when Bill thinks back to times with his wife and recounts them for the reader, I felt those passages were the strongest in the book. It made me realise how important Bill’s marriage was to him and how much he and his wife loved each other.
Sometimes I felt the cultural references to technology seemed forced and very deliberate although nearing the end of the story it becomes apparent why it was important that Moore mentions blogging and Facebooking so frequently. The idea behind the plot is quite an original premise and it really made me consider that if there was someone in the world who wanted to get information about you, or mess with your life there are so many channels in which to do so now. How many of us have our phone numbers or addresses of Facebook? Is your DOB on Twitter? Bill goes from being a technological wizard to, understandably, a techno-phobe.
Although there are flaws in this novel, I have to admit once it really got going I was intrigued and desperate to know what was going on. I had plenty of theories, with pretty much all of them being incorrect. Once his voice became more consistent, I empathised with Bill, whose life was spiralling more out of control with each passing moment. The paranoia that Bill was feeling, of who may be responsible for the ‘modification’ and why, had me mistrustful of almost every character in the book.
Michael Marshall’s often violent and gory writing really captures the horror of the inside of a psychopath’s mind. The slow start is a great device for gradually speeding up the action with the passing of time, to the point where you are practically left breathless by how much is going on.
This novel isn’t flawless but the premise is so unique and intelligently thought-out that I would recommend it to any crime fan. Fans of Linwood Barclay will love it.
June 30, 2011
Killer Move is a novel by Michael Marshall and a Thriller from William Morrow.
Book Blurb:
Bill Moore is a man with a plan. He's got a lucrative job selling condos in the Florida keys, a great marriage, and a beautiful house. He had a five year plan for world domination, too, but it's already creeping into year six... so now he's decided to mix it up - just a little.
This means getting in tight with the people in power, the players who run the area like their personal kingdom. It's all going to plan until the day Bill gets to work to find a card left on his desk. It's black on both sides, just one word printed in white: MODIFIED.
From that moment, Bill's life begins to change. At first barely noticeably, then in more and more disturbing ways. Bill soon finds out, in the most terrifying fashion, that he has become the subject of a dark and deadly game... and that he has no choice but to fight back.
My thoughts:
Bill Moore is just your average guy selling condo’s for someone else in Florida. But he is not happy with the status quo. He wants to own a company - be The Man. And he has an idea of how to make that happen. Get in good with the current owner and start making connections.
But the connections he makes is not at all what he had in mind. Seems that some of the more wealthy residents in town are bored. And when they get bored, they play a game.
A game that has Bill in the starring role - only he has no idea about this game, the rules or his part in it.
An unexpected player has shown up - a player from a previous game - and he is not happy with the way his game ended. He is looking for a little pay back.
Bill’s world is turned upside down - and this time around - there are no winners.
Killer Move is the first book I have read by Michael Marshall and I was engrossed from the first page.
I give Killer Move 4 out of 5 stars.
M
Product Details
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: William Morrow (6-28-11)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061434426
ISBN-13: 978-0061434426
Book Blurb:
Bill Moore is a man with a plan. He's got a lucrative job selling condos in the Florida keys, a great marriage, and a beautiful house. He had a five year plan for world domination, too, but it's already creeping into year six... so now he's decided to mix it up - just a little.
This means getting in tight with the people in power, the players who run the area like their personal kingdom. It's all going to plan until the day Bill gets to work to find a card left on his desk. It's black on both sides, just one word printed in white: MODIFIED.
From that moment, Bill's life begins to change. At first barely noticeably, then in more and more disturbing ways. Bill soon finds out, in the most terrifying fashion, that he has become the subject of a dark and deadly game... and that he has no choice but to fight back.
My thoughts:
Bill Moore is just your average guy selling condo’s for someone else in Florida. But he is not happy with the status quo. He wants to own a company - be The Man. And he has an idea of how to make that happen. Get in good with the current owner and start making connections.
But the connections he makes is not at all what he had in mind. Seems that some of the more wealthy residents in town are bored. And when they get bored, they play a game.
A game that has Bill in the starring role - only he has no idea about this game, the rules or his part in it.
An unexpected player has shown up - a player from a previous game - and he is not happy with the way his game ended. He is looking for a little pay back.
Bill’s world is turned upside down - and this time around - there are no winners.
Killer Move is the first book I have read by Michael Marshall and I was engrossed from the first page.
I give Killer Move 4 out of 5 stars.
M
Product Details
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: William Morrow (6-28-11)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061434426
ISBN-13: 978-0061434426
November 17, 2012
Bill Moore works for Shore Realtry, he has a good job selling condos in the Florida Keys. He is happily married to Stephanie, who is successful in her own right. They have a beautiful home, but Bill has a five-year plan to achieve super success, and the five-year plan is now in its sixth year. Bill decides to be pro-active and arranges a meeting with his immediate boss Tony Thompson to jig things up a bit. Things go reasonably well.
Returning to his office Bill finds a card on his desk, black with white lettering, just one word printed ‘Modified’. He mentions it to his colleague Karen who says it’s probably an advertising gimmick. He drops it in the bin and doesn’t give it a second thought. But odd things begin to happen to him, at first he manages to deal with the fall-out, but slowly Bills good life begins to spiral out of control.
Unbeknown to Bill there are two fractions at work and neither are initially aware of the other, but Bill is caught in the cross-fire. Eventually, with people dying around him, in order to survive he has to fight back.
This is a terrifying story, and with the technology available today quite possibly happening, hopefully, to a lesser degree. I do not want to spoil the convoluted, fascinating plot, but sufficient to say, it is a real heart in the mouth page turner.
The story is narrated in the first person by Bill Moore, but interspersed by the third person narrative of a man bent on revenge. Of course there is a moral, Bill was struggling to climb the ladder of success, earn more money, and be ‘someone’ in his chosen way of life. But now an unknown hand is trying to take from him all that he had. Can Bill Moore stem the tidal wave of events that is engulfing him? Can he save the life he has built up with Steph, of which he now realises the value of – but is it too late?
Scary but compulsive reading, this book is highly recommended.
-----
Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes
Returning to his office Bill finds a card on his desk, black with white lettering, just one word printed ‘Modified’. He mentions it to his colleague Karen who says it’s probably an advertising gimmick. He drops it in the bin and doesn’t give it a second thought. But odd things begin to happen to him, at first he manages to deal with the fall-out, but slowly Bills good life begins to spiral out of control.
Unbeknown to Bill there are two fractions at work and neither are initially aware of the other, but Bill is caught in the cross-fire. Eventually, with people dying around him, in order to survive he has to fight back.
This is a terrifying story, and with the technology available today quite possibly happening, hopefully, to a lesser degree. I do not want to spoil the convoluted, fascinating plot, but sufficient to say, it is a real heart in the mouth page turner.
The story is narrated in the first person by Bill Moore, but interspersed by the third person narrative of a man bent on revenge. Of course there is a moral, Bill was struggling to climb the ladder of success, earn more money, and be ‘someone’ in his chosen way of life. But now an unknown hand is trying to take from him all that he had. Can Bill Moore stem the tidal wave of events that is engulfing him? Can he save the life he has built up with Steph, of which he now realises the value of – but is it too late?
Scary but compulsive reading, this book is highly recommended.
-----
Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes
July 17, 2011
Bill Moore already has a lot, but he wants more...much more.
He's got a lucrative job selling condos in the Florida Keys, a successful wife, a good marriage, a beautiful house. He also has a five-year plan for super-success, but that plan has begun to drag into its sixth year without reaping its intended rewards. So not Bill's starting to mix it up - just a little - to accelerate his way into the future that he knows he deserves.
Then one morning Bill arrives at work to find a card waiting for him, with no indication who it's from or why it was sent. Its message is just one word: MODIFIED.
From that moment on, Bill's life begins to change.
At first, nothing seems very different. But when things begin to unwind rapidly, and one after another, people around Bill start to die, it becomes increasingly clear that someone somewhere has a very different plan for Bill's future. Confused and angry, Bill begins to fight against this unseen force until he comes to a terrifying, inescapable realization: Once modified, there's no going back.
In the latest suspense thriller by Michael Marshall, Killer Moves is a non stop, page turner that literally will keep you guessing until the very final page. He creates the suspense from the prologue and it only intensifies as the reader continues the unraveling of Bill Moore's life. This book is amazing and one I haven't read for quite some time. I love it when an author can keep you riveted to the story but have you second guessing yourself until the end.
I received this book compliments of HarperCollins Publishers for my honest review and highly recommend it to those of you crime solving readers who love a twisting, complex case to figure out. I rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars and this one left a lasting mark. I will forever be looking over my shoulder just to see whose following me. Not everyone is as innocent as they appear.
He's got a lucrative job selling condos in the Florida Keys, a successful wife, a good marriage, a beautiful house. He also has a five-year plan for super-success, but that plan has begun to drag into its sixth year without reaping its intended rewards. So not Bill's starting to mix it up - just a little - to accelerate his way into the future that he knows he deserves.
Then one morning Bill arrives at work to find a card waiting for him, with no indication who it's from or why it was sent. Its message is just one word: MODIFIED.
From that moment on, Bill's life begins to change.
At first, nothing seems very different. But when things begin to unwind rapidly, and one after another, people around Bill start to die, it becomes increasingly clear that someone somewhere has a very different plan for Bill's future. Confused and angry, Bill begins to fight against this unseen force until he comes to a terrifying, inescapable realization: Once modified, there's no going back.
In the latest suspense thriller by Michael Marshall, Killer Moves is a non stop, page turner that literally will keep you guessing until the very final page. He creates the suspense from the prologue and it only intensifies as the reader continues the unraveling of Bill Moore's life. This book is amazing and one I haven't read for quite some time. I love it when an author can keep you riveted to the story but have you second guessing yourself until the end.
I received this book compliments of HarperCollins Publishers for my honest review and highly recommend it to those of you crime solving readers who love a twisting, complex case to figure out. I rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars and this one left a lasting mark. I will forever be looking over my shoulder just to see whose following me. Not everyone is as innocent as they appear.
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