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The Killer #1
The Killer
To survive the violent streets of Belfast in the 1970s, young Darren McCann learns to fight. The IRA are interested in recruiting him but, though he is a Catholic, he refuses to take sides until a family tragedy allies him with “the cause”. His specialist training turns him into an efficient sniper and covert operative. One brutal interrogation earns Darren the reputation as “The Butcher of Belfast” and pairs him with his infamous knife, The Killer. After a high profile assassination, he takes refuge in Spain where he works with ETA terrorists and takes part in an audacious bank raid. He returns to Ireland to continue the fight, but the seeds of doubt are planted in his mind by a British MI6 officer with shocking information and plans to turn him into a double-agent.
174 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 29, 2012
This book totally ruined my day. I started it in bed at about midnight, couldn't put the damn thing down, finished at 4.30 and couldn't get to sleep wondering what's going to happen to sweet little killer Darren McCann next. Real page turner and a heart grabbing twist at the end.
August 5, 2012
Irish/English troubles in Northern Ireland ... interesting read of a man seeking revenge of his mother by joining up with the IRA which he had refused many times. Ending was a bit of a suprise! Good suspense, sometimes predictable.
July 15, 2012
Easy reading if a little predictable, but good fun for all that; ideal for the train or 'plane.
If you've read any of the books by Danny King (Burglar Diaries, Bankrobber Diaries etc.) this is written in a similar style, albeit rather more violent and brutal, where you feel yourself rooting for the main character and indeed laughing at his interactions and antics with his mates. In this case he is an IRA assassin who has joined the ranks after his mother was brutally killed by loyalist paramilitaries. Or so he thinks....
The book follows the trials and tribulations of The Butcher from killings in Northern Ireland, to enforced exile in Spain to stay with ETA until his abduction by the British Security Services and his temporary internment in the Maze Prison, and therein comes the twist and the inevitable lead into the Killer Part II, which I have to say I am looking forward to reading!
If you've read any of the books by Danny King (Burglar Diaries, Bankrobber Diaries etc.) this is written in a similar style, albeit rather more violent and brutal, where you feel yourself rooting for the main character and indeed laughing at his interactions and antics with his mates. In this case he is an IRA assassin who has joined the ranks after his mother was brutally killed by loyalist paramilitaries. Or so he thinks....
The book follows the trials and tribulations of The Butcher from killings in Northern Ireland, to enforced exile in Spain to stay with ETA until his abduction by the British Security Services and his temporary internment in the Maze Prison, and therein comes the twist and the inevitable lead into the Killer Part II, which I have to say I am looking forward to reading!
July 11, 2012
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read that was exciting and authentic.
The "Butcher" is a character full of raw emotion while at the same time this character is a cold blooded killer.
My only complaint stems from the fact the story jumps all over the place and sometimes I found myself having to go back and find out just where I was in the story and what character was in focus at the present time. Minor complaint overall but had it flowed a little better, I would have given it 5 stars.
Enjoyable novel and I look forward to further works.
The "Butcher" is a character full of raw emotion while at the same time this character is a cold blooded killer.
My only complaint stems from the fact the story jumps all over the place and sometimes I found myself having to go back and find out just where I was in the story and what character was in focus at the present time. Minor complaint overall but had it flowed a little better, I would have given it 5 stars.
Enjoyable novel and I look forward to further works.
August 11, 2012
I agree that the story is predictable, including the climax/ending but still a good read.
August 24, 2018
The Butcher of Belfast! Very interesting story, really enjoyed it. It wasn't long but I thought very well written with great narration to give it that extra added touch to really bring it to life. I'm fascinated with Ireland and that period in time, and following his travels through Ireland and Spain was captivating. I'm anxious to hear more, and am awaiting more in the series! Great job!
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
July 20, 2018
First of all, let me disclose: "This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."
Now that I've got that out of the way, let's talk about this book!
Having just re-read Patriot Games by Tom Clancy, I really enjoyed reading another book about the various terrorist/military factions at play in the United Kingdom in the late 70s/early 80s. It is so fascinating to me to see how people can believe in a cause so completely as to do things that are completely depraved and feel good about it. And of course, I'm talking about both sides here!
The language in the book is very harsh, and may be offensive to some readers, but it definitely is authentic. It's not overdone for shock value, it's not inaccurate for the time period and place, it seems to be very characteristic of the people and events of the novel.
The narrator of the audiobook version that I am evaluating kept the book interesting. I'm not an expert on the various accents and dialects of Northern Ireland, or anywhere, for that matter, but it seems like a lot of time and effort was put into making the accents and dialects accurate for the characters. The different accents really make the story pop.
This is a very promising start to a series. The tension builds several times during the novel, and especially at the end, where the stage is set for the protagonist to become a very effective tool in the trade of war and terror.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in European terrorist groups of the late 20th Century, or political thrillers, or just action novels in general. Definitely worth a read.
Now that I've got that out of the way, let's talk about this book!
Having just re-read Patriot Games by Tom Clancy, I really enjoyed reading another book about the various terrorist/military factions at play in the United Kingdom in the late 70s/early 80s. It is so fascinating to me to see how people can believe in a cause so completely as to do things that are completely depraved and feel good about it. And of course, I'm talking about both sides here!
The language in the book is very harsh, and may be offensive to some readers, but it definitely is authentic. It's not overdone for shock value, it's not inaccurate for the time period and place, it seems to be very characteristic of the people and events of the novel.
The narrator of the audiobook version that I am evaluating kept the book interesting. I'm not an expert on the various accents and dialects of Northern Ireland, or anywhere, for that matter, but it seems like a lot of time and effort was put into making the accents and dialects accurate for the characters. The different accents really make the story pop.
This is a very promising start to a series. The tension builds several times during the novel, and especially at the end, where the stage is set for the protagonist to become a very effective tool in the trade of war and terror.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in European terrorist groups of the late 20th Century, or political thrillers, or just action novels in general. Definitely worth a read.
August 20, 2013
The Killer
By Jack Elgos
2012
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
The very first chapter set in England in 1985 whets the reader’s appetite to want to know more about Liam O’Neil.
Chapter two then brings readers to the beginning in Northern Ireland in 1978, meeting Darren McCann, caught in the violence in Belfast, but refusing recruitment into the IRA.
“‘Darren, my son, as long as I draw breath, promise me you’ll not get involved in the troubles.’ His mother’s constant words echoed through his mind at every attempted recruitment.”
For each chapter after, the action continues to build as readers follow McCann into escalating violence, until the conclusion, which rather than resolving the story, introduces new questions for the reader. The sequel, The Killer II, promises to answer what happens next.
The well-done characterization, dialogue, and action in The Killer keep the reader engaged. What this reviewer wanted, however, was a somewhat more concrete conclusion of this book on its own merit as a stand-alone book, albeit part of a trilogy, not an ending stating it is only the beginning.
Aside from this one perceived flaw, the author offers a well-conceived story line for readers who are content to wait for subsequent books to get the whole story.
Angie Mangino currently works as a freelance writer and book reviewer, additionally offering authors personalized critique service of unpublished manuscripts. http://www.angiemangino.com
By Jack Elgos
2012
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
The very first chapter set in England in 1985 whets the reader’s appetite to want to know more about Liam O’Neil.
Chapter two then brings readers to the beginning in Northern Ireland in 1978, meeting Darren McCann, caught in the violence in Belfast, but refusing recruitment into the IRA.
“‘Darren, my son, as long as I draw breath, promise me you’ll not get involved in the troubles.’ His mother’s constant words echoed through his mind at every attempted recruitment.”
For each chapter after, the action continues to build as readers follow McCann into escalating violence, until the conclusion, which rather than resolving the story, introduces new questions for the reader. The sequel, The Killer II, promises to answer what happens next.
The well-done characterization, dialogue, and action in The Killer keep the reader engaged. What this reviewer wanted, however, was a somewhat more concrete conclusion of this book on its own merit as a stand-alone book, albeit part of a trilogy, not an ending stating it is only the beginning.
Aside from this one perceived flaw, the author offers a well-conceived story line for readers who are content to wait for subsequent books to get the whole story.
Angie Mangino currently works as a freelance writer and book reviewer, additionally offering authors personalized critique service of unpublished manuscripts. http://www.angiemangino.com
September 8, 2013
Sept 8 2013. Update.
The Killer III is available from Amazon now
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Killer-Re...
Hi all
The Killer II - The American Connection, is out on Amazon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Killer-II...
Hope you enjoy
Jack
The Killer III is available from Amazon now
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Killer-Re...
Hi all
The Killer II - The American Connection, is out on Amazon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Killer-II...
Hope you enjoy
Jack
May 16, 2014
Quick read set during 'the troubles' in Northern Ireland. Not really full of action, but a lot of pages were filled giving background to the character Darren McCann, "The Butcher of Belfast".
As this is the first of what is as of now a three part series, it does end with a cliff hanger of sorts. I will be interested to see where Elgos takes the character, now called Liam O'Neil, as he has been co-opted by British Intelligence to be an assassin.
As this is the first of what is as of now a three part series, it does end with a cliff hanger of sorts. I will be interested to see where Elgos takes the character, now called Liam O'Neil, as he has been co-opted by British Intelligence to be an assassin.
June 23, 2013
Great read. It was short which more thrillers should be. Couldn't put it down and I'm looking forward to the sequel.
April 8, 2013
Great book couldn't put it down
February 4, 2018
This is the first part of a trilogy and unusually for me I read them back to back and couldn't put them down. Jack Elgos builds his characters well and there are a host of likeable and unlikeable ones. "Butch" so called because of his nickname "The Butcher of Belfast" joins the IRA after his mother is killed by paramilitaries. We go on his journey. Each book is as fast paced and enjoyable as the one before.
January 6, 2018
Shallow, unconvincing story about an IRA terrorist.
December 21, 2012
It does read like a to-do list as another reader has said. This is unfortunate because the subject matter is quite interesting. But it was on sale at Amazon for 0.99€ so I bought it.
The Spanish characters are little more than caricatures. The E.T.A fighters are cartoons of early 20th century Spaniards, compete with hot-tempered red-blooded Mediterranean males. Also, the author keeps using the word 'Español' as the basques refer to the language they speak that is not their native Euskera. This is wrong, the correct term is 'Castellano'. I'm not being pedantic, people in Spain simply don't use Español when they mean Castellano which is the name of the official language, Español is used in Latin America. It's not a big deal, but it surely detracts from the authenticity of the characters who are already extremely shallow.
Same thing for the other characters. You can tell who's british because they all say things like 'Old boy' or 'old chap'. The Irish are easy to spot because they curse a lot.
The editing of the book is also strange. It often feels like whole paragraphs were yanked out with no edits to fix their ommision.
Overall pretty poor.
The Spanish characters are little more than caricatures. The E.T.A fighters are cartoons of early 20th century Spaniards, compete with hot-tempered red-blooded Mediterranean males. Also, the author keeps using the word 'Español' as the basques refer to the language they speak that is not their native Euskera. This is wrong, the correct term is 'Castellano'. I'm not being pedantic, people in Spain simply don't use Español when they mean Castellano which is the name of the official language, Español is used in Latin America. It's not a big deal, but it surely detracts from the authenticity of the characters who are already extremely shallow.
Same thing for the other characters. You can tell who's british because they all say things like 'Old boy' or 'old chap'. The Irish are easy to spot because they curse a lot.
The editing of the book is also strange. It often feels like whole paragraphs were yanked out with no edits to fix their ommision.
Overall pretty poor.
July 5, 2012
I only got 1/4 of the way through this book before giving up, so this is a limited review. Maybe it gets better...
BUT, What I did read did not grip me. The writing style is very sparse. It reads like a to-do list - like the author wrote out the plot, and then barely bothered to fill in the details except to list every action that needs to be set out to move the plot towards the ending. There is also some weird use of grammar, particularly the use of quotation marks in odd places for no reason.
If you want a quick read (you could probably finish this in 4 or 5 hours), and don't really want to engage with the characters or story, just want a script-play of a book, then you may like this.
Personally I prefer lots of detail - more like The Bourne Identity, and so this book wasn't for me.
BUT, What I did read did not grip me. The writing style is very sparse. It reads like a to-do list - like the author wrote out the plot, and then barely bothered to fill in the details except to list every action that needs to be set out to move the plot towards the ending. There is also some weird use of grammar, particularly the use of quotation marks in odd places for no reason.
If you want a quick read (you could probably finish this in 4 or 5 hours), and don't really want to engage with the characters or story, just want a script-play of a book, then you may like this.
Personally I prefer lots of detail - more like The Bourne Identity, and so this book wasn't for me.
May 17, 2013
i want to read first
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2013
Sounds very promising!
December 2, 2014
This book is terrible. It is an absolute abomination to writing and literature. It is shallow, undeveloped and written for a 6 year old.
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November 19, 2017Horrible
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews