With having to leave the Commission for a year while things cool off politically, Mark finds that the Church has loaned him out to the FBI, who have been trying for years now to get an experienced monster and demon expert in their newest division, to help train and educate the agents there on just what they will be facing. Finding out that Mark actually is one of those very monsters has made them want him even more; not just for what he can bring to the table, but because they do need to check off that newest minority checkbox, even if no one knows they exist. Mark doesn't mind the new assignment, being closer to home, it means it will be easier to visit with family, and the agents all seem nice enough. Plus the FBI has a bigger budget and gets a lot nicer toys than Mark is used to. However, while Mark knows how to deal with devils, demons, and even the nastier monsters out there, he doesn't know anything about how to deal with a sociopath werewolf who has gone full psycho and started to murder co-eds. That's more of a 'human' problem, after all.
I've had a very varied life. I grew up in New York, on Long Island. I went to school to become an Engineer, then joined the Air Force. After that I worked first in Robotics, then in Aerospace as a Flight Test Engineer. I moved into the medical fields, then into more Technical markets working for a number of high tech companies where I became a Contractor. I used to own and raise big cats. I love motorcycles and old cars. I'm a pilot and former martial arts instructor. I'm a fan of the Reno Air Races. Then there's the stuff I'm not supposed to talk about, but that's another story. I've seen a lot of interesting stuff go by, met a lot of interesting, wonderful, strange, or sometimes just psychotic people. I've had the opportunity to work on some truly game changing technologies. And while I've had some very bad things happen to me in my life, I've never let it stop me. Keep smiling. -John
Alright. I'm just going to say it. This book = Amazing.
It caught me completely off-guard!
I don't even know what was I expecting. Not this, that's for sure. This is a second book in my five-random-honest-review-novels challenge and so far the results are awesome!
I was prepared for the worst with the first challenge book Revelation - but that didn't happen (review). I said "OK, now is the time". Nope. All good.
Had I not made this bet to buy drinks if the entire challenge proves to be a disaster - as I fully expected it to be - I think we'd see a different story here. Karma works in mysterious ways, and if this is me getting punished for that snail I killed in the second grade, I'll take it any day!
Let's have it, then. Wolf Killer (The Hammer Commission). Written by John Van Stry, narrated by Doug Tisdale, Jr. [Audible US / UK]
I haven't read anything from John by now, nor have I listened to anything by Doug. And I am so very glad I picked this as a challenge book! This is such a gem in disguise I still don't believe I found it.
Book itself starts rather normal for a fantasy book. A young lycan goes exploring what should not be explored, finds a solitary cabin in the woods... and sets a pretty interesting chain of events in motion.
Someone who's supposed to remain in the cabin suddenly isn't there any longer. Other someone who's supposed to come back to the very same cabin also doesn't. But so does everybody else. Specifically, firemen, medics and police.
Confused yet? Well, it's kind of intentional :-)
I'm not going to spoil anything as the book is pretty short already. And if you decide to read it, you'll be glad I haven't.
What I can tell you, though, is that our main protagonist Mark gets called to the spot. He's a new addition to the FBI task force, albeit temporary. They need help hunting monsters, and he is good at hunting monsters. Perhaps because he is one himself.
What felt unusual during this reading was the lack of 'blonde' moments. Characters actually did what was in their best interest and nobody ran up the stairs when the killer was in the house, rather than running out of the front doors.
There was no actual running up the stairs, but you get the picture. People don't stare at the burning car wreckage asking if this is really happening, but they actually do something about it. Whether because most of them are trained cops or because writer just didn't want to make them idiots, I don't know. But I'm glad it's like that.
Sometimes, however, they are borderline too smart and make you feel there's a very linear train of thought followed by the author. And then you realize you just witnessed an FBI team brainstorming session and since they really aren't stupid the conclusion was high on the list of logical choices.
So decide to go with it, or nitpick, as you wish. Story was interesting, and you won't find many issues with it. If you do, you should really stop reading books and grab that magazine with Kim's ass on the front page of it.
If you are into lycans, even better. I myself was not so thrilled about it, nor did I read many such books before to let it grow on me. Yet, I really enjoyed it.
When it comes to supernatural, I prefer my vampires. But hey, it's like the age old question - Ninjas or pirates? Whatever is your game, you'll have fun if it's well written. And this book is. And narrated!
I had no idea who Doug Tisdale, Jr. is or if he's going to ruin the book completely for me.
As the story unfolded, I started liking him more and more. Good narrators can carry even the worst of books, to the point where they are bearable enough for you to finish them without cringing (too much). This book didn't require any effort on my side, and narrator made it only better.
I will check out how he manages longer books, with more characters and vastly different personalities - but for now I have no real complaints.
This is a strong 5*, and I will be looking forward to reading the sequel.
Challenge continues tomorrow.
Good night, and may the Force be with you.
Edit: Almost forgot. If it wasn't obvious already, I've been provided this book by the author free of charge in exchange for an honest review.
Imagine if the things that go bump in the night really existed. Who would take out the evil nasty Demons, Devils, Fae and monsters? Well, The Vatican has a secret team of monster hunters called the Hammmer Commission, chartered through Interpol, for just such a task. Mark is their leading agent and after a mission goes bad, he is lent to the FBI to help train their monster hunting teams. At the same time, a seriously twisted werewolf is torturing and killing women in Virginia, and the team is sent to investigate. What they find is horrific in the extreme, and only the help of the local Weres and Mark's wife, a WereCougar, do they manage to bring him down and stop the cause of his rampage. As Mark says, they may be monsters, but it doesnt mean they are evil. This is the second book in the series, but it is stand alone enough to follow along with no problems. With well rounded characters, a well developed world, villains that really have bite and some serious snark, this is a must read for any fans of Urban fantasy.
As far as narration, Doug Tisdale Jr. does a great job with the material, keeping the narration flowing and bringing the characters to life. He is quickly rising in my list of top narrators.
When I started reading this book I was just looking for a quick read. I really got into the story and the characters a f hope that Mr Van Stry plans on continuing this into a series.
5 stars. This book is awesome. It boggles my mind why this series isn't more popular. It's my favorite 2016 read, and I'm a picky reader. Also, even though this is second in the Hammer Commission series, it can be read as a stand-alone, though for more enjoyment, do read the first one as well.
In this book, we see what a shifter's interaction with an FBI team would be like, when said shifter doesn't do much to hide his non-human status (or at all, later in the book). I loved that nobody lost their mind, so to speak, when they found out the truth, so no hunting-the-paranormal-just-because, X-Men-style scenario. Everybody uses their brains in choosing how to act, and the FBI team uses this opportunity to learn about citizens that aren't human, how they choose to follow (or defy) human laws, and a little about how the paranormal community in general deals with their proven guilty folk, independent of the human justice system. The world isn't black and white, and everybody needs to understand, be aware of, and respect boundaries, both personal and professional.
The plot is quite simple, in a mystery-genre type of way. So, enjoy a good, not very complicated mystery, with federals looking for a serial killer, interlaced with the paranormal? This right here is a book for you. In a few words, serial killer finds young, beautiful women, attracts them to him, then does very, very bad things to them. One of the victims gets lucky with hormone-fueled teenage rebellion/horniness though, and thus the world finds out there is a case to be solved... before it's too late for the others.
We do see more of the relationship between the main character and his family, so there's a plus. Also, said family gives a hand in resolving the case and capturing the bastard, and also further educating the federal squad on "normal", law-abiding paranormals.
There are scenes from the killer's perspective as well, so that's interesting. It just makes it easier to understand that there really are people out there who don't think like you and I (probably, who knows who will actually read this review), and it played with my mind a little. I just wanted to reach my hand through the book and slap some common sense into that bastard. It proves how involved you feel while reading/listening to this book.
Mark is one of The Vatican's secret weapons. He belongs to The Hammer Commission, an elite group of people who fight the unseen monsters that society know nothing about. At the moment, Mark is on lone to the FBI to try to help them and teach them about Monster hunting. Mark is different though, as well as being part of the team, he is a Were. His supernatural abilities help him with his job, so when a rouge and unhinged Were, starts killing and turning females, it's up to him and the FBI to bring him down. It's not going to be easy though, as the Were is extremely strong, stronger than he should be. Can they stop him before things get seriously out of hand?
Having not realised that this is book two, The Hammer Commision being book 1, I have to say that it does work well as a stand alone. There are a few questions that I had but nothing that stopped me enjoying this as much as I did. I really enjoyed the interactions between the FBI and Mark and his friends. Sometimes snarky, sometimes funny, it added a little levity to an otherwise dark read.
The plot was fast paced and action packed. It's a typical serial killer book but with supernaturals. A serial killer is bad enough, but when it's a Werewolf, it's even worse! We get to see the serial killers POV which added to the overall story. It's well written and executed. All the characters were well written and developed as well.
In all. this is a great read. It has all the elements of a mystery but with the added bonus of Supernaturals added into the mix. I must check out book 1 now!!
Doug Tisdale Jr. was great. He really knew how to tell this story. He had the right tones at the right times and amped up the tension when needed. He is a narrator that I will have to check out.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.
I liked the plot. Solid movement and a well designed storyline. I like the basic world building. Clear design and not a lot of complications. Everything happens for logical reasons.
And there's the problem. Everything is very logical. The emotion is rather dispassionate and flat. Not saying the characters don't claim feelings, but it doesn't make it off the page. A layer of depth that is missing, making it more of a newsreel than a dramatic story.
I'm going to buy the next book, because it is well proofed and edited. I hope to see growth in the writing. And I do like the concept.
But I cannot advise others to purchase this series.
Personally, I think this second book in the series is even better than the first book. The action is still solid, while the plot is more straightforward and allows you to better enjoy the characters and story.
This book felt a bit shorter and more focused than the first book, and I enjoyed this book even more than the first one. I hope we get to look a bit deeper into the MC’s family as it sounds interesting with the issues around trying to find partners for all his kids. The actual FBI case the MC dealt with was fairly standard but with a bad guy who is a serial-killer warewolf with an unexpected motive. Looking forward to reading more in this series.
In soon hee ways, I enjoy this series more than some of the other series by Van Stry. The shifters in the Valens Legacy series are obviously more popular (and raunchy), but having one of Mark's wives have scenes in this story was refreshing and added to the overall story. This is an interesting take on shifters, the FBI and Mark and his church backed training tracking down a serial killer.
The MC and his wife help the feds investigate a serial-killer were-wolf and his accomplices. Some interesting thoughts on how humans react to what they perceive as threats, while ignoring other, possibly more immediate actual threats. Also explores how lycans and other supernatural creatures, though they may look like humans would think completely differently.
So mark is back but on loan to the FBI after everyone in the Vatican finding out he’s a cougar shifter. He’s in America and we get a chance to see more of him and his family dynamic as well as there’s a Lycan serial killer on the lose and it’s up to Mark the feds to put a stop to his evil. Makes for a great read
I love Johns books but this series isn’t for me. Sorry but the story, character, plot, focus and material is all hard to mix and the flow just makes me want to stop reading.
The second book was every bit as good as the first. Mark is a good MC and I like the supporting cast as well. The book has a good story line with quite a bit of action. Looking forward to book 3.
Wonderful story with great characters. His world building is fantastic, and the story is thrilling. You become invested in the characters, as any well written tale should draw you in. Buying the next book now.
This is a scary fun read. Were cougars serial killers and the supernatural what more can you ask for what a great read. Already have the next one starting it now!
I have read this book before I forgot how good it is. I didn’t review it the first time because at that point I was not into reviewing books, just reading a lot of books but now that I’ve come back to this this is definitely a book worth re-reading.
Mark is OK being loaned out to teach the FBI how to handle various kinds of monsters. It means he can visit his mother and his wives can come to see him. Soon, they have a case to work on. There is a very nasty wolf running around with more power than he should have and he is doing very nasty things to beautiful young coed’s. Mark must teach the FBI how to fight him and find out where he is getting all that extra power from.
This was a nice, light listen. It kept my interest throughout and was an entertaining way to spend a few hours. The narration was good and the action was plentiful. Bad things happen but the tone is kept light and the action is fast paced enough that the horrors aren’t dwelt on too much. There is a lot of banter and humor as the FBI agents get to know Mark and then begin asking questions to satisfy their curiosity. Mark’s relationship with his ‘wives’ is very interesting, a little awkward, sexy, and humorous at times.
Doug Tisdale did a nice narration although his dialogue is better than the actual narration pieces. The characters had good tone, cadence, and inflection and then he just kind of went flat when the talking stopped. It took me out of the listen often enough for me to notice it.
I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom! in exchange for an honest review.
Second book in the series, guy is a were cougar who works for the Vatican fighting demons, gets loaned out to the FBI to help them take down supernatural crooks. The series is decent, not really religious like full of religion or spirituality, the first one had some of that, the MC does work with priests banishing evil spirits, this one was about taking down a bad were wolf teaching an FBI team the ins and out of the supernatural community. Decent worth reading, but not really great, plenty of action, decent characters will read another sequel but not one of my favorites.
“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”
I enjoyed the book very much. The narrator was clear and had a pleasant voice. He did not have a great deal of variation for the different characters but I don't believe it made much difference in the enjoyment of the story. The premise that supernatural beings may try to work with maudlin humans, has been addressed by other authors and it does not seem to get old. Good job, please keep writing.
Very good book, hopefully it's the start of a great series, but actually would love 2 read about 2 or 3 books that are prequels to this one or this series that explain how he met his wife's and because a monster and killed a vampire and the cases he's handled for the church and Interpol as a lycon since being turned into one and before this book were he was loaned to the FBI.
Love this series! No kidding! This is the second I've read, in a row, and now I'm going to dive right into the action in the third! Please keep writing! I LOVE these dudes!!!!!!!
I'm really enjoying his take on the paranormal world as well as the great war. I've got both books in the hammer commission and am eagerly awaiting the next release