Book Review: The Killing Kind by Chris Holm

Chris Holm’s The Killing Kind is a hit man tale with a twist. He’s an assassin who hunts others like him, an effort to redeem his mysterious past and failure to come home from war to a woman he loves.

The book is a solid thriller with well paced chapters. Holm’s action scenes flow, sometimes at breathless pace, and he grounds everything in a practical detail that brings real clarity to the action.

The primary characters of the novel work well for the concept and situation they’re all facing, but each needs more depth and nuance to justify their larger than life calamities. Then at other times, lesser characters come to life only to disappear with insufficient resolution (the casino ventriloquist, for example).

The book takes a dark twist with a mostly convincing psychopath villain, and Holm builds a little sympathy for the FBI characters trailing the hero hit man. But it’s too little too late for the book’s otherwise well paced structure. The ending is momentous, too much so. The hitman earns his explosive climax, but it’s hard to justify his choice.

All told, The Killing Kind is an entertaining read with a hard edge that needs just a little honing.

The Killing Kind by Chris Holm: ★★★

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