Joseph Demakis's Blog, page 6

Maine Author - Chris Holm

Chris Holm is the author of the Collector trilogy, which blends crime and fantasy, and the Michael Hendricks thrillers. His first Hendricks novel, THE KILLING KIND, was named a New York Times Editors’ Choice, a Boston Globe Best Book of 2015, and Strand Magazine’s #1 Book of 2015. It won the 2016 Anthony Award for Best Novel, and was also nominated for a Barry, a Lefty, and a Macavity. His second Hendricks novel, RED RIGHT HAND, is now available. Chris lives in Portland, Maine.


The Killing Kind
"This novel is so fast-moving, so expertly arranged, every piece fitting together with a well-oiled snap, that it feels weaponized. Read it. Or else."
-New York Times Book Review (An Editors' Choice)

Strand Magazine's Top Book of 2015

A Boston Globe Best Book of 2015

Nominated for a Barry, a Lefty, and a Macavity Award

Winner of the Anthony Award for Best Novel
Michael Hendricks kills people for money. That aside, he’s not so bad a guy. Once a covert operative for a false-flag unit of the U.S. military, Hendricks was presumed dead after a mission in Afghanistan went sideways. He left behind his old life—and beloved fiancée—and set out on a path of redemption... or perhaps one of willful self-destruction.
Now Hendricks makes his living as a hitman entrepreneur of sorts: he only hits other hitmen. For ten times the price on your head, he’ll make sure whoever’s coming to kill you winds up in the ground instead. Not a bad way for a guy with his skill-set to make a living—but a great way to make himself a target.
Named a Buzz Book 2015 by Publishers Marketplace!
Praise for THE KILLING KIND
"Lean, brutal and riveting, Chris Holm’s THE KILLING KIND is the kind of novel you can’t put down but also want to savor. With sharply etched characters, knifelike twists and hardboiled energy to burn, it’s an utter winner, beginning to end."-Megan Abbott, Edgar Award winning author of THE FEVER
"The violence in THE KILLING KIND is visceral, the writing is tight and tense, and the characterizations are more in-depth than usual for this genre. This is a fun spin on crime fiction by having a hero who may also be the villain. The unpredictability of the story will also have readers wondering what's going to happen next, if this is indeed the first in a series."-The Associated Press
"With THE KILLING KIND, Chris Holm has created a story of rare, compelling brilliance... You won't merely read this book, you will inhale it."-David Baldacci, New York Times bestselling author of MEMORY MAN
"Holm’s premise is irresistible... As a hitman who only kills other hitmen, Hendricks is a brilliant study in grey morality... the story morphs into a tension-filled game of professional killers hunting each other through a series of crackling, imaginative twists."-Barnes and Noble (named a Top Thriller for September)
"Holm’s action scenes are breathtaking whirlwinds, and even when readers know what’s next, he builds an improbable level of suspense... it's clear he's a writer with a strong future."-Booklist
"...an ultra-strategic cat-and-mouse game of mind-blowing proportions... Holm, an award-winning short-story writer and author of the fantasy-pulp fiction trilogy 'The Collector,' is terrific at rendering characters with empathy and humor... As the second half careers along with roller coaster speed and twists, meting out some seriously emotionally wrenching moments and showing that Hendricks is more than a match for MacGyver, you’ll want to go along for the ride—but keep that seat belt fastened."-The Boston Globe
Red Right Hand
A Michael Hendricks Novel

Named a Best New Thriller by Barnes & Noble and UK's Daily Express

A Boston Globe Best Book of 2016
When viral video of a terrorist attack in San Francisco reveals that a Federal witness long thought dead is still alive, the organization he’d agreed to testify against will stop at nothing to put him in the ground.

Special Agent Charlie Thompson is determined to protect him, but her hands are tied; the FBI’s sole priority is catching the terrorists before they strike again. So Charlie calls the only person on the planet who can keep her witness safe: Michael Hendricks.

Once a covert operative for the US military, Hendricks makes his living hitting hitmen… or he did, until the very organization hunting Charlie’s witness—the Council—caught wind and targeted the people he loves. Now Hendricks is determined to take the Council down, even if that means wading into the center of a terror plot whose perpetrators are not what they seem.

Praise for RED RIGHT HAND
"Hendricks is back in a complex new thriller from Holm that combines several irresistible threads into one near-perfect story... an amazing balancing act."-Barnes & Noble (named a Best New Thriller for September)
"An explosive followup to THE KILLING KIND... an electrifying read, a book that pretty much demands your total attention till it's finished."-Blue Book Balloon
"Original and exciting... Hendricks is poised to join characters like Jack Reacher, Harry Bosch, and Spencer on reader’s must-buy lists for years to come."-BOLO Books
"The novel brims with nice turns on genre conventions, like Hendricks' PI code—similar to Sam Spade's—and the wisecracking moll, here a computer whiz mocking Hendricks' efforts to sound hip. Good story, good action, some startling turns of phrase: 'The last thing you'll ever see,' Hendricks warns a baddie, 'is your teeth leaving your face.'"-Booklist
"In his second Michael Hendricks thriller, Holm performs authorial acrobatics, elegantly and nimbly leaping between various locations and voices to produce not just a suspenseful tale kicked off by a San Francisco terrorist attack, but one imbued with multiple fine characters to boot."-The Boston Globe
"The pacing and plot sweep you up and before you even know it you are halfway through the book. I actually forgot to eat while I was reading... If you dig the books of Lee Child and Joe Finder you now have another must read author to add to your list."-Crimespree Magazine
"RED RIGHT HAND is an explosive, fast-paced follow-up to THE KILLING KIND... With strong characters and a complex plotline, RED RIGHT HAND has the essence of a great action movie. Ultimately, Holm has done exactly what a good writer should do: he makes you desperate to know what’s coming next."-Daily Express (named a Best New Thriller)
"Fast paced... masterfully plotted... Put aside a full night, RED RIGHT HAND is so engrossing you won’t want to put it down."-Horror World

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