What do you think?
Rate this book
Pierce Hunt #1
Hunt Them Down
The dark world he’s been fighting against has caught up with him. Will his daughter pay the price?
Former Army Ranger Pierce Hunt is no stranger to violence. Fresh off a six-month suspension, he’s itching to hit a notorious Mexican drug cartel where it hurts, even if that means protecting crime boss Vicente Garcia, a witness in the case against sadistic cartel leader Valentina Mieles. But things spiral out of control when the cartel murders Garcia and kidnaps his granddaughter and an innocent bystander, Hunt’s own teenage daughter.
Mieles wants the new head of the Garcia family on a plate—literally. Hunt has seventy-two hours to deliver, or Mieles will execute the girls live on social media. With the clock ticking, Hunt goes off the grid and teams up with Garcia’s daughter, a former lover and current enemy. To save the girls, Hunt will have to become a man he swore he’d never be again: an avenging killer without limits or mercy.
337 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2019
6178 people are currently reading
4302 people want to read
About the author
Simon Gervais
20 books649 followersSimon Gervais is a former federal agent specializing in protective operations and counterterrorism. He spent nearly twenty years in the military and in law enforcement. His assignments took him all over Europe and the Middle East. He's the New York Times and #1 Amazon bestselling author of 15 exciting thrillers, one of these titles—Robert Ludlum's The Blackbriar Genesis—was written for the Robert Ludlum estate. Simon's Clayton White series is presently being adapted for TV by CBS Studios with Jerry Bruckheimer TV attached to produce.
Simon lives with his wife and two children. He's an avid boater, diver, and skier.
Literary Agent: Mark Tavani at David Black Agency.
Film/TV Agent: Debbie Deuble-Hill and Alec Frankel at APA.
The Caspian Anderson series:
THE ELIAS NETWORK (Sept 2024)
THE ELIAS ENIGMA (July 2025)
THE ELIAS CONSPIRACY (July 2026)
The Chase Burke series (co-written with Ryan Steck):
THE SECOND SON (December 2025)
THE MARKED SON (November 2026)
Robert Ludlum's THE BLACKBRIAR GENESIS written by Simon Gervais (October 18, 2022)
The Clayton White series:
THE LAST PROTECTOR (November 2021)
THE LAST SENTINEL (August 2022)
THE LAST GUARDIAN (October 2023)
The Pierce Hunt series
HUNT THEM DOWN (January 2019)
TRAINED TO HUNT (September 2019)
TIME TO HUNT (November 2020)
The Mike Walton series:
THE THIN BLACK LINE (March 2015)
A LONG GRAY LINE (Novella—March 2016)
A RED DOTTED LINE (November 2017)
A THICK CRIMSON LINE (April 2018)
"[An] action-packed series launch by Simon Gervais..." —Publishers Weekly
"One of the most anticipated action thrillers of the year..." —The Real Book Spy
"Gervais is a thriller writer to watch..." —Library Journal
"An action-packed thrill ride with plot twists around nearly every curve" — Kirkus Reviews
Simon lives with his wife and two children. He's an avid boater, diver, and skier.
Literary Agent: Mark Tavani at David Black Agency.
Film/TV Agent: Debbie Deuble-Hill and Alec Frankel at APA.
The Caspian Anderson series:
THE ELIAS NETWORK (Sept 2024)
THE ELIAS ENIGMA (July 2025)
THE ELIAS CONSPIRACY (July 2026)
The Chase Burke series (co-written with Ryan Steck):
THE SECOND SON (December 2025)
THE MARKED SON (November 2026)
Robert Ludlum's THE BLACKBRIAR GENESIS written by Simon Gervais (October 18, 2022)
The Clayton White series:
THE LAST PROTECTOR (November 2021)
THE LAST SENTINEL (August 2022)
THE LAST GUARDIAN (October 2023)
The Pierce Hunt series
HUNT THEM DOWN (January 2019)
TRAINED TO HUNT (September 2019)
TIME TO HUNT (November 2020)
The Mike Walton series:
THE THIN BLACK LINE (March 2015)
A LONG GRAY LINE (Novella—March 2016)
A RED DOTTED LINE (November 2017)
A THICK CRIMSON LINE (April 2018)
"[An] action-packed series launch by Simon Gervais..." —Publishers Weekly
"One of the most anticipated action thrillers of the year..." —The Real Book Spy
"Gervais is a thriller writer to watch..." —Library Journal
"An action-packed thrill ride with plot twists around nearly every curve" — Kirkus Reviews
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 570 reviews
December 1, 2018
(As of 12/1/18 -- If you are interested in this book, be aware there are some glitches in the release date with Amazon. Hopefully they will have it fixed today...I was able to receive a Kindle edition through Amazon Prime)
The author lost me early on when he wove a plot that I felt was extremely contrived.
We are supposed to believe that a DEA operation designed to take down a major part of a drug cartel would take a reporter along with them. Even if that is believed, no one patted the reporter down to check for a cell phone (to prevent the reporter from doing what he did, tweet about the operation beforehand and alert his millions of followers, as well as the drug operation about to be busted). The author’s own words state “This was a busier neighborhood than he would have liked," yet the action has several DEA officers firing into a crowded street at the fleeing perpetrators. Not only were there innocent civilians around, but the perpetrators were driving away. Basically, the lives of civilians were greatly endangered and firing at people who are escaping – moving away from the agents – make it very difficult to believe that the person running the operation would have authorized agents to shoot.
However, the story would not have been able to proceed in the direction the author wanted it to take, which is why I state that the plot was contrived. While it could happen, the potential is quite limited, and following it up by placing a loaded gun against a civilian’s head (and not getting fired for that) placed more of a strain on my credibility meter than I could take.
The characterization is typical: divorced from his wife because of the job, a difficult relationship with his daughter. Agent Hunt carries around the same baggage we see in countless other books. Other plot lines are taken straight out of the newspapers, opioids kill tens of thousands (once you add in the illegal opioids), guns kill people, the depiction of the typical law enforcement person in the United States as crooked, uncaring, and ruthless. After a while, everything begins to become one big cliché.
As I said, the author lost me early on, as everything I have described happened in the first 10% of the book.
The hard-to-believe plot continued as I doggedly continued to read. The author does provide good description, and keeps the characters to a minimum, making them easy to follow from chapter to chapter. The main character jumps from one action-oriented event into the next, making this a great book for adrenaline junkies but not for anyone seeking a book with a realistic story. Thus, some people will like it and others won’t. I’ve shared just enough for the most readers to decide whether or not this is the book for you. Three stars.
The author lost me early on when he wove a plot that I felt was extremely contrived.
We are supposed to believe that a DEA operation designed to take down a major part of a drug cartel would take a reporter along with them. Even if that is believed, no one patted the reporter down to check for a cell phone (to prevent the reporter from doing what he did, tweet about the operation beforehand and alert his millions of followers, as well as the drug operation about to be busted). The author’s own words state “This was a busier neighborhood than he would have liked," yet the action has several DEA officers firing into a crowded street at the fleeing perpetrators. Not only were there innocent civilians around, but the perpetrators were driving away. Basically, the lives of civilians were greatly endangered and firing at people who are escaping – moving away from the agents – make it very difficult to believe that the person running the operation would have authorized agents to shoot.
However, the story would not have been able to proceed in the direction the author wanted it to take, which is why I state that the plot was contrived. While it could happen, the potential is quite limited, and following it up by placing a loaded gun against a civilian’s head (and not getting fired for that) placed more of a strain on my credibility meter than I could take.
The characterization is typical: divorced from his wife because of the job, a difficult relationship with his daughter. Agent Hunt carries around the same baggage we see in countless other books. Other plot lines are taken straight out of the newspapers, opioids kill tens of thousands (once you add in the illegal opioids), guns kill people, the depiction of the typical law enforcement person in the United States as crooked, uncaring, and ruthless. After a while, everything begins to become one big cliché.
As I said, the author lost me early on, as everything I have described happened in the first 10% of the book.
The hard-to-believe plot continued as I doggedly continued to read. The author does provide good description, and keeps the characters to a minimum, making them easy to follow from chapter to chapter. The main character jumps from one action-oriented event into the next, making this a great book for adrenaline junkies but not for anyone seeking a book with a realistic story. Thus, some people will like it and others won’t. I’ve shared just enough for the most readers to decide whether or not this is the book for you. Three stars.
February 27, 2020
This is my first experience with this author and narrator.
This book is fiction. Our protagonist is Pierce Hunt a DEA agent in Chicago. The book is nonstop action; there is violence and some profane language. The book is setting up the basics for a series. If you are looking for a fast-paced nonstop action story, try this book.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is eight hours and thirty-three minutes. Bon Shaw does a good job narrating the book.
This book is fiction. Our protagonist is Pierce Hunt a DEA agent in Chicago. The book is nonstop action; there is violence and some profane language. The book is setting up the basics for a series. If you are looking for a fast-paced nonstop action story, try this book.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is eight hours and thirty-three minutes. Bon Shaw does a good job narrating the book.
December 31, 2020
How has it taken me this long to pick up a book by Simon Gervais, but man am I happy that I did. This is also my last book of 2020 and it was a great choice to go out with a bang!! We are introduced to Pierce Hunt who is an amazing character, so well developed and actualized. He is a warrior, flawed with humility and wit. The action in this book was so great and made you never want to stop reading at night. I cannot wait to pick up the next book in the series!! One of my top books I read this year.
February 1, 2019
A throwback to the Men's Adventure sagas of the 1980's. Pierce Hunt is a ranger turned DEA agent, who plays by his own rules. When his daughter is inadvertently kidnapped by a drug lord, he goes after her, willing to do whatever it takes.
Fast moving, and very readable.
Fast moving, and very readable.
January 15, 2019
Slightly belated review, as I finished this book a couple of weeks ago, but here goes.
Having not been aware of this author before taking this as a First Read pick, I wasn't sure what to expect. What I found was an action-loaded vigilante / vengeance story with a main character that has the potential to be another in the Jack Reacher mould. The pace was good, the plot was strong and the writing was of a high standard in the main.
There were a few naïve writing traits that made me believe this could be a first novel, so was slightly surprised to find that not the case. As I have said the writing is very good, but there is a lack of subtlety in some of the plot reveals that you usually find in newer writers. Sometimes it isn't necessary to spell out in black and white what can be hinted at in soft focus grey, but I'm being a little picky and subjective (as is my right!).
The characters were excellent, not only Pierce Hunt but several of the secondary characters were well developed and created empathy and interest. The plot was direct but with enough layers to create suspense, and the climax was worthy of the build-up, sadly not always the case. Very much a stand-alone book, it also leaves you wanting to follow the further adventures of Pierce Hunt. If the next book is this good, Hunt could become one of my new favourites.
Having not been aware of this author before taking this as a First Read pick, I wasn't sure what to expect. What I found was an action-loaded vigilante / vengeance story with a main character that has the potential to be another in the Jack Reacher mould. The pace was good, the plot was strong and the writing was of a high standard in the main.
There were a few naïve writing traits that made me believe this could be a first novel, so was slightly surprised to find that not the case. As I have said the writing is very good, but there is a lack of subtlety in some of the plot reveals that you usually find in newer writers. Sometimes it isn't necessary to spell out in black and white what can be hinted at in soft focus grey, but I'm being a little picky and subjective (as is my right!).
The characters were excellent, not only Pierce Hunt but several of the secondary characters were well developed and created empathy and interest. The plot was direct but with enough layers to create suspense, and the climax was worthy of the build-up, sadly not always the case. Very much a stand-alone book, it also leaves you wanting to follow the further adventures of Pierce Hunt. If the next book is this good, Hunt could become one of my new favourites.
August 26, 2018
Clearly the best book I have read all year! It starts out with Pierce Hunt as a DEA Agent in Chicago as a member of the RRT, Rapid Response Team. Someone got the bright idea of including Luke Moore, a cop hating reporter along on a raid. This is a truly bad idea as Moore starts streaming the raid and tipping off the cartel before the team could move in. So much for taking them by surprise. Because of Moore, Hunt's most promising agent and some innocent slave girls in the warehouse end up dead. This is pretty much all we read about him the rest of the book so I hope justice is done somewhere along the way. Onward.
Hunt's actions toward the reporter end with him getting a 6 month suspension and reassignment to Miami. This happens to be close to where his ex-wife, Jasmine and his daughter, Leila live. Enter Vincente Garcia, head of a crime family Hunt had infiltrated and testified against. Garcia reached a plea agreement with the govt in exchange for information about Valentina Mieles, the Black Tosca, the most powerful woman in the drug world. Here is where it gets a bit dicey. An informant in the DEA has tipped her off as to the transfer and even had one of her men in the car Vincente was being transferred in. Bottom line, Garcia ends up dead along with all of the special agents except Pierce and there ends up being an FBI warrant for his arrest. As if that wasn't action enough, at the same time this is going down, Garcia's granddaughter along with her best friend, Leila, are kidnapped. The Black Tosca is out for revenge against the Garcia crime family and ending up with their drug trade will be a nice bonus. With no one to turn to, to help get the children back, due to his arrest warrant, Hunt is forced to contact Garcia's son and daughter, who now control the cartel and also happen to hate his guts. They form an uneasy alliance and the action really picks up! Looking forward to more books in this series.
Full disclosure- I received this book free as an Advance Reader Copy, but do have it pre-ordered on Amazon.
Hunt's actions toward the reporter end with him getting a 6 month suspension and reassignment to Miami. This happens to be close to where his ex-wife, Jasmine and his daughter, Leila live. Enter Vincente Garcia, head of a crime family Hunt had infiltrated and testified against. Garcia reached a plea agreement with the govt in exchange for information about Valentina Mieles, the Black Tosca, the most powerful woman in the drug world. Here is where it gets a bit dicey. An informant in the DEA has tipped her off as to the transfer and even had one of her men in the car Vincente was being transferred in. Bottom line, Garcia ends up dead along with all of the special agents except Pierce and there ends up being an FBI warrant for his arrest. As if that wasn't action enough, at the same time this is going down, Garcia's granddaughter along with her best friend, Leila, are kidnapped. The Black Tosca is out for revenge against the Garcia crime family and ending up with their drug trade will be a nice bonus. With no one to turn to, to help get the children back, due to his arrest warrant, Hunt is forced to contact Garcia's son and daughter, who now control the cartel and also happen to hate his guts. They form an uneasy alliance and the action really picks up! Looking forward to more books in this series.
Full disclosure- I received this book free as an Advance Reader Copy, but do have it pre-ordered on Amazon.
December 17, 2018
It seems "Hunt Them Down" will be an on-going action series starring Pierce Hunt. I suppose each title will include Hunt in the title somewhere (like the Prey series). Overall I liked this book. It gave me what I wanted in an action thriller. In the eighties this would have been a paperback book first. I picked it up as an Amazon First Read. I will read further adventures of Pierce Hunt, either as a library book or when the book price comes down to a paperback price.
November 12, 2021
Knee caps blown, face ironed , broken bones and backstabbing. Adrenaline rush at its best. I loved it so much and can’t wait to continue the journey with Hunt
July 21, 2025
Pierce Hunt's DEA career is on the brink after being the lone survivor of a prisoner transport. Then his daughter is kidnapped by a cartel boss.
Good story, not as compelling as some of Gervais' other works.
Good story, not as compelling as some of Gervais' other works.
July 27, 2020
Hunt Them Down is a well-crafted and well-written action thriller that swiftly introduces a new badass protagonist to be remembered by the readers. The first chapter itself, involving a DEA bust gone violent, establishes the gritty and action-paced tone of the book and gives a great introduction of Pierce Hunt, a straight shooter DEA agent, team-leader, and an Army Ranger (I have often heard “Once A Ranger Always A Ranger”, so cannot say former Ranger).
The narrative follows Pierce Hunt, on his first day back to work in Miami after the violent turn of events taking place in the introduction, where Hunt is asked to help an investigation against The Black Tosca, a feared leader of her drug cartel. Hunt is asked to help out due to the witness being a criminal Pierce put away during his undercover mission with the DEA. The backstory behind the undercover stint adds to the story an emotional layer due to Hunt falling in love with a woman undercover while having a family back home. With the news of an imminent betrayal reaching The Black Tosca, she tasks her trained operators to not only put an end to the treachery, but to exact vengeance for a horrific tragedy she experienced at a very young age. This sets in a motion a violent and brutal chain of events in which Hunt’s young daughter is taken by the cartel members, and it is up-to Hunt to get her back in one piece.
What makes Pierce Hunt so memorable for me is grounded characterization. He isn’t perfect. He has made mistakes, and he makes some more in the events of the book. It is his determination and perseverance to stand tall in the face of adversity and embracing his emotions to fuel his determination that resonated with me. It also helps that Hunt is a bona-fide badass extremely lethal with an MP5 as well as with a Glock 22.
The narrative is well-crafted with relatable and realistic characters that balance the fast-paced and action-packed vibe of the book with strong emotions and dilemmas that make for such a fascinating read. Each character brings emotional baggage to the story and acts accordingly, creating an intriguing tale of flawed human beings. Both good guys and gals as well as bad guys and gals are imbued with a cognizant emotional center that adds to the tension. The characters are not good or bad for the sake of it. The motivations are well defined.
The action sequences are some of the finest I have read. Each gunshot in the shootouts is easily visualizable for the readers with accurate tactical descriptions of the weapons and the equipment used. The action sequences, shootouts and hand-to-hand combat, felt cinematic in nature with respect to the attention to detail and descriptions to help readers visualize the nuances of the combat.
There is no dull moment in this thriller. From starting to the very ending, the book captures the attention with amazing action, well-defined protagonists and antagonists that you can root for and hate respectively, captivating storyline comprising of tense and emotional moments in the midst of brutal action and race-against-time thrills. The ending presents a cliff-hanger of sorts that will get reader super excited to want to pick up the next book in the series immediately. Pierce Hunt has quickly become one of my favorite characters in the genre and I look forward to reading more of him. This is a must-read action thriller for the action-thriller aficionados.
The narrative follows Pierce Hunt, on his first day back to work in Miami after the violent turn of events taking place in the introduction, where Hunt is asked to help an investigation against The Black Tosca, a feared leader of her drug cartel. Hunt is asked to help out due to the witness being a criminal Pierce put away during his undercover mission with the DEA. The backstory behind the undercover stint adds to the story an emotional layer due to Hunt falling in love with a woman undercover while having a family back home. With the news of an imminent betrayal reaching The Black Tosca, she tasks her trained operators to not only put an end to the treachery, but to exact vengeance for a horrific tragedy she experienced at a very young age. This sets in a motion a violent and brutal chain of events in which Hunt’s young daughter is taken by the cartel members, and it is up-to Hunt to get her back in one piece.
What makes Pierce Hunt so memorable for me is grounded characterization. He isn’t perfect. He has made mistakes, and he makes some more in the events of the book. It is his determination and perseverance to stand tall in the face of adversity and embracing his emotions to fuel his determination that resonated with me. It also helps that Hunt is a bona-fide badass extremely lethal with an MP5 as well as with a Glock 22.
The narrative is well-crafted with relatable and realistic characters that balance the fast-paced and action-packed vibe of the book with strong emotions and dilemmas that make for such a fascinating read. Each character brings emotional baggage to the story and acts accordingly, creating an intriguing tale of flawed human beings. Both good guys and gals as well as bad guys and gals are imbued with a cognizant emotional center that adds to the tension. The characters are not good or bad for the sake of it. The motivations are well defined.
The action sequences are some of the finest I have read. Each gunshot in the shootouts is easily visualizable for the readers with accurate tactical descriptions of the weapons and the equipment used. The action sequences, shootouts and hand-to-hand combat, felt cinematic in nature with respect to the attention to detail and descriptions to help readers visualize the nuances of the combat.
There is no dull moment in this thriller. From starting to the very ending, the book captures the attention with amazing action, well-defined protagonists and antagonists that you can root for and hate respectively, captivating storyline comprising of tense and emotional moments in the midst of brutal action and race-against-time thrills. The ending presents a cliff-hanger of sorts that will get reader super excited to want to pick up the next book in the series immediately. Pierce Hunt has quickly become one of my favorite characters in the genre and I look forward to reading more of him. This is a must-read action thriller for the action-thriller aficionados.
December 5, 2018
Some "Thrillers" we read actually get thrilling only in the last 20 or 30 pages. "Hunt Them Down" puts the petal to the metal starting on page one in this high octane thriller that moves like a runaway freight train. A highly entertaining debut by a very talented author I hope to follow.
May 23, 2020
This wasn’t the most eloquent of books. It had a very no-nonsense, straight forward style to it that made it sometimes difficult to picture the entire soon and sometimes left me out of the action. I definitely felt like the story could’ve been more elaborated on, especially with so many players involved with so many different motivations.
On the other hand, the plot was solid, with it being a case of a kidnap and rescue. It was almost like Taken, if Mills had a menagerie of operators, Mexican cartel, and guns for hire at his side. It even had a few good twists.
Nor one, but two characters had a change of heart. That’s huge since you normally don’t see the main set of characters flip sides like that. Hector especially I found a compelling character expressly because he was out-of-hand violent but also had a strict moral code when it came to children. It was very hard for me to see him straight-up as the villain as I could with his cousin.
Egan as well. Gun for hire? Sure. But in the end he made a choice to redeem himself and that counts for a lot. So, again, very hard to call him completely a white or a black hat.
All in all, this was a very engaging book full of interesting character choices. The only thing that needs improvement is the writing itself, especially when it comes to some of the details of the character’s decisions and what’s going on in any given scene. Less jump cuts and more shots that linger on a single character for a few pages would go a long way.
On the other hand, the plot was solid, with it being a case of a kidnap and rescue. It was almost like Taken, if Mills had a menagerie of operators, Mexican cartel, and guns for hire at his side. It even had a few good twists.
Nor one, but two characters had a change of heart. That’s huge since you normally don’t see the main set of characters flip sides like that. Hector especially I found a compelling character expressly because he was out-of-hand violent but also had a strict moral code when it came to children. It was very hard for me to see him straight-up as the villain as I could with his cousin.
Egan as well. Gun for hire? Sure. But in the end he made a choice to redeem himself and that counts for a lot. So, again, very hard to call him completely a white or a black hat.
All in all, this was a very engaging book full of interesting character choices. The only thing that needs improvement is the writing itself, especially when it comes to some of the details of the character’s decisions and what’s going on in any given scene. Less jump cuts and more shots that linger on a single character for a few pages would go a long way.
August 13, 2020
A fantastic ride of regret, revenge, and redemption. Simon Gervais delivers from the opening scene until the last page is turned.
Former Army Ranger Pierce Hunt is a highly skilled operator for the DEA that will always do what's right. A man unafraid to do whatever it takes to see that justice is served. If that means blurring a few lines, so be it.
Hunt Them Down takes readers through the complicated relationships and violent situations the War on Drugs requires. When his job unexpectedly spills over to impact his own family... all bets are off on what Hunt will do to get them back safely.
This is a well written, action packed, high paced novel with enough emotional awareness and insight to draw you in from the moment you open the book. Gervais brilliantly bring the world of Pierce Hunt alive on the page.
This is a MUST READ series.
Former Army Ranger Pierce Hunt is a highly skilled operator for the DEA that will always do what's right. A man unafraid to do whatever it takes to see that justice is served. If that means blurring a few lines, so be it.
Hunt Them Down takes readers through the complicated relationships and violent situations the War on Drugs requires. When his job unexpectedly spills over to impact his own family... all bets are off on what Hunt will do to get them back safely.
This is a well written, action packed, high paced novel with enough emotional awareness and insight to draw you in from the moment you open the book. Gervais brilliantly bring the world of Pierce Hunt alive on the page.
This is a MUST READ series.
January 2, 2019
Rocket-fuelled thriller!
Rocket-fuelled ride with dynamic and credible action scenes. Seamless prose, heroic characters, and sensational settings. Brew a pot of Java and enjoy! A must-read for fans of action thrillers. Simon Gervais is an author who will soar to the top of the lists. Loved it!!!!
Rocket-fuelled ride with dynamic and credible action scenes. Seamless prose, heroic characters, and sensational settings. Brew a pot of Java and enjoy! A must-read for fans of action thrillers. Simon Gervais is an author who will soar to the top of the lists. Loved it!!!!
February 20, 2021
Pierce Hunt is a dangerous man. Especially when someone messes with his family. In HUNT THEM DOWN, Pierce Hunt is a DEA Agent with a particular set of skills that he wields liberally while hunting down cartel members who kidnapped his daughter. This is a great lead-in to a series that I’m sure will be a hit!
March 27, 2021
A straight forward action adventure story. As we would say in special operations this was direct action to the max. If you want an exciting read introducing a new series character, Pierce Hunt, this is the book for you.
December 7, 2020
Hunt Them Down is the first book in Simon Gervais’ Pierce Hunt series. This is my first experience with Gervais, but it won’t be my last. After listening to this, I plan to spend the extended Thanksgiving weekend binging all the Hunt books and perhaps dive into Gervais earlier works.
This is Summer Blockbuster, drags you in, holds on tight, and never lets go action/thriller material. At first I was a little concerned at the sheer number of people that Gervais introduced – but his writing combined with Shaw’s superb narration meant that I was never lost and truly felt like I was getting to know their unique personalities. While Pierce Hunt is former military and current DEA, he’s definitely NOT Captain America. While definitely a hero, he is far from perfect, but totally owns his mistakes and shortcomings. It made for a completely relatable character.
Hunt finds himself calling on old friends and allied with previous adversaries to pull off the rescue of a lifetime. I love that Gervais balances honoring Hunt as a skilled operator with the fact that not everything will go according to plan. Yes, this is definitely fiction, but offers a level of realism that made it easy to lose myself in the story. Not everyone is going to make it out alive and things aren’t tied off in a neat little package.
That said, Hunt survives, Gervais teases the future, and I’m ready to start Trained to Hunt.
Bon Shaw’s narration is fantastic. He has the perfect voice for not only Hunt, but a full cast of characters spanning various ages, genders, & accents. It’s impossible not to be drawn into the action. I’m looking forward to him narrating the rest of the series.
This is Summer Blockbuster, drags you in, holds on tight, and never lets go action/thriller material. At first I was a little concerned at the sheer number of people that Gervais introduced – but his writing combined with Shaw’s superb narration meant that I was never lost and truly felt like I was getting to know their unique personalities. While Pierce Hunt is former military and current DEA, he’s definitely NOT Captain America. While definitely a hero, he is far from perfect, but totally owns his mistakes and shortcomings. It made for a completely relatable character.
Hunt finds himself calling on old friends and allied with previous adversaries to pull off the rescue of a lifetime. I love that Gervais balances honoring Hunt as a skilled operator with the fact that not everything will go according to plan. Yes, this is definitely fiction, but offers a level of realism that made it easy to lose myself in the story. Not everyone is going to make it out alive and things aren’t tied off in a neat little package.
That said, Hunt survives, Gervais teases the future, and I’m ready to start Trained to Hunt.
Bon Shaw’s narration is fantastic. He has the perfect voice for not only Hunt, but a full cast of characters spanning various ages, genders, & accents. It’s impossible not to be drawn into the action. I’m looking forward to him narrating the rest of the series.
September 22, 2020
Pierce Hunt is a former Army Ranger and no stranger to using violence when he needs to. This book starts off where the assignment is taking down a Mexican cartel in Chicago, Illinois. Something goes terribly wrong with a tag along reporter, Luke Moore whom everybody knows is against the guys in blue. We then fast forward 6 months And Pierce is coming off a six month suspension and transfer to Weston, Florida. Vicente Garcia has been sitting in prison and is going to testify against the Black Tosca, Valentina Mieles. During the transfer of Garcia once again things spiral out of control and in another part of town Pierce’s daughter and Garcia’s granddaughter are kidnapped. The ends that Pierce will go to to rescue his daughter and bring the people down who took her are shocking and wild to say the least! I love a crime thriller and this one had me glued to the pages! The characters are sadistic and it had me rooting for their demise! This book was written very well and it was so believable! It deserves more then 5 🌟’s! It will take you on a thrilling ride for sure!
December 28, 2018
This reads like an 80’s action b-movie. Or the kind of direct-to-dvd actioner that would star John Cena.
It’s not horible, just completely contrived. The focus is on the action, and the action is decent. Again, it’s written like a brainless action movie. If that’s your thing, you’ll probably enjoy it. If it’s not, you’ll hate it.
It’s not horible, just completely contrived. The focus is on the action, and the action is decent. Again, it’s written like a brainless action movie. If that’s your thing, you’ll probably enjoy it. If it’s not, you’ll hate it.
January 23, 2019
Hunt Them Down is the beginning of a new series. The main character is DEA agent Pierce. The story is engaging and action packed. The characters are likeable and intriguing on some levels. Look forward to reading more from Simon Gervais. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
February 15, 2022
When you take out the specifics, this book has an intriguing premise: an unhinged DEA agent’s daughter gets kidnapped, and he has to team up with his biggest rival, the head of a drug cartel, to get her back.
I can see what the author was going for here: enemies have to work together, an agent has to betray the laws he upholds, etc etc. But take a step back and appreciate just how profoundly absurd this premise is:
The DEA agent, Hunt, went undercover for two years, befriending the new head of a cartel, Tony, and seducing Tony’s sister, Ana (falling in love with her and screwing up his marriage). After he testifies against Ana’s cartel, she obviously hates him and swears revenge.
But Tony’s daughter is also best friends with Hunt’s daughter. This isn’t because of Hunt’s undercover assignment, it’s a complete coincidence— and neither Hunt nor anybody in the cartel even realize the connection until both girls get kidnapped. That’s not all— the bigger cartel that kidnaps the girls hires Hunt’s old army buddy to kill him. At this point, we’re just pulling plot points out of a hat at random.
I’m a big fan of radical plot twists but there’s radical and then there’s completely unbelievable.
It doesn’t help that Hunt is written like Michael Scarn in the Office… that is, like a juvenile power fantasy of what a law enforcement officer would be. Hunt is hyper-competent and intimidating to the point of absurdity (I lost count of how many times his foes literally pissed or shit their pants when facing him). What seems like it should be a dark streak of law-breaking and dangerous behavior gets completely undercut because the author (an ex-cop) is such a Thin Blue Line cheerleader that he can’t bear to actually condemn Hunt’s actions. ANY of them. Even when Hunt puts a pistol to the head of an unarmed journalist and threatens to kill him, it’s because the journalist is an asshole and deserves it.
This kind of copaganda happens throughout the book. If a cop has a chance to shoot somebody and hesitates, they die. Alternatively, if they DO shoot somebody, it’s always the right call and should never be questioned. Anything a cop does is morally acceptable because all cops are beyond reproach, and when they break the law, they do so because the law is wrong. Here’s actual dialogue between Hunt and one of his cop buddies:
Hunt: “I’ve got a favor to ask.”
Other cop: “You got it.”
Hunt: “It could be dangerous and illegal too.”
Other cop: “But is it honorable and will it serve justice?”
This is not just ends justifying means, it’s GOALS justifying means, and it’s honestly a chilling insight into how cops see themselves as above the law and beyond criticism.
Importantly, this twisted morality also undermines the premise of the book. The fun of a plot like this is that when the cop has to break the law to get his daughter back, he has to go against not only his own morals, but his buddies back on the force who are, you know, still trying to enforce the law. The rogue cop finds himself stripped of his usual resources and has to come up with creative solutions, while dodging the innocent agents he’s essentially betraying.
Not so in this book. Because cops are perfect in this world, Hunt never questions his own actions. He never has a moral crisis. Furthermore, Hunt’s cop buddies unquestionably side with Hunt. They don’t try to stop him in any way, they even give themselves up and let him incapacitate them. A lot of them, like in the convo above, actively help him, so he’s not even stripped of resources.
It’s not just gross this way, it’s boring.
I can see what the author was going for here: enemies have to work together, an agent has to betray the laws he upholds, etc etc. But take a step back and appreciate just how profoundly absurd this premise is:
The DEA agent, Hunt, went undercover for two years, befriending the new head of a cartel, Tony, and seducing Tony’s sister, Ana (falling in love with her and screwing up his marriage). After he testifies against Ana’s cartel, she obviously hates him and swears revenge.
But Tony’s daughter is also best friends with Hunt’s daughter. This isn’t because of Hunt’s undercover assignment, it’s a complete coincidence— and neither Hunt nor anybody in the cartel even realize the connection until both girls get kidnapped. That’s not all— the bigger cartel that kidnaps the girls hires Hunt’s old army buddy to kill him. At this point, we’re just pulling plot points out of a hat at random.
I’m a big fan of radical plot twists but there’s radical and then there’s completely unbelievable.
It doesn’t help that Hunt is written like Michael Scarn in the Office… that is, like a juvenile power fantasy of what a law enforcement officer would be. Hunt is hyper-competent and intimidating to the point of absurdity (I lost count of how many times his foes literally pissed or shit their pants when facing him). What seems like it should be a dark streak of law-breaking and dangerous behavior gets completely undercut because the author (an ex-cop) is such a Thin Blue Line cheerleader that he can’t bear to actually condemn Hunt’s actions. ANY of them. Even when Hunt puts a pistol to the head of an unarmed journalist and threatens to kill him, it’s because the journalist is an asshole and deserves it.
This kind of copaganda happens throughout the book. If a cop has a chance to shoot somebody and hesitates, they die. Alternatively, if they DO shoot somebody, it’s always the right call and should never be questioned. Anything a cop does is morally acceptable because all cops are beyond reproach, and when they break the law, they do so because the law is wrong. Here’s actual dialogue between Hunt and one of his cop buddies:
Hunt: “I’ve got a favor to ask.”
Other cop: “You got it.”
Hunt: “It could be dangerous and illegal too.”
Other cop: “But is it honorable and will it serve justice?”
This is not just ends justifying means, it’s GOALS justifying means, and it’s honestly a chilling insight into how cops see themselves as above the law and beyond criticism.
Importantly, this twisted morality also undermines the premise of the book. The fun of a plot like this is that when the cop has to break the law to get his daughter back, he has to go against not only his own morals, but his buddies back on the force who are, you know, still trying to enforce the law. The rogue cop finds himself stripped of his usual resources and has to come up with creative solutions, while dodging the innocent agents he’s essentially betraying.
Not so in this book. Because cops are perfect in this world, Hunt never questions his own actions. He never has a moral crisis. Furthermore, Hunt’s cop buddies unquestionably side with Hunt. They don’t try to stop him in any way, they even give themselves up and let him incapacitate them. A lot of them, like in the convo above, actively help him, so he’s not even stripped of resources.
It’s not just gross this way, it’s boring.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2018
Unbelievable debut! Pierce Hunt belongs in the ranks of Mitch Rapp, Court Gentry, Dewey Andreas, John Wells and Scott Harvath. Be sure to make some time to read this adventure. It is definitely a one sitting book read. I couldn't put it down.
January 15, 2019
Action packed
A real page turner. Lots of action and special forces brotherhood. It's a quick read, with excitement on every page. Hunt's daughter is kidnapped along with the original target. He's calling in his "brothers ", and not so likely former enemies to help.
A real page turner. Lots of action and special forces brotherhood. It's a quick read, with excitement on every page. Hunt's daughter is kidnapped along with the original target. He's calling in his "brothers ", and not so likely former enemies to help.
January 9, 2019
I got this as a e book from net galley. I enjoyed reading it. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. I hope to read more books by this author.
February 7, 2022
Enjoyed this one.....
Want to read
December 6, 2021Pretty good thriller, what was lacking was even a modicum of humour which is found in a lot of my favourite thriller writers.
August 6, 2019
Simon Gervais has a resume that reads like many protagonists in your favorite novels, starting his career off as a junior infantry officer, he received extensive training in advanced recon and small-unit tactics. Once his service to the military was complete, he went on to use that specialized training as a federal agent, serving as a drug investigator, then rising through the ranks and with that gaining more experience, he was selected to be part of an anti-terrorism unit. With this unit he deployed to various countries and collaborated with local teams to hunt terrorists from such places as; Israel, The United Kingdom, Germany and France, to name a few.
Simon has written three novels and one short novella in his international best-selling Mike Walton thriller series. With Hunt Them Down, he starts a new series with protagonist Pierce Hunt, a former Army Ranger (RLTW) and current DEA special agent.
Hunt Them Down starts off with action and prejudice almost instantly. Action in the form of a DEA fire team prepping to take down a known drug cartel associate in Chicago and prejudice because along with this team, is a wet behind the ears, LEO hating, self-righteous reporter eager to win himself a Pulitzer prize. When this asshole reporter decides to live stream the entire thing from start to finish, the bad guys get wind of it, because this is 2019 and everyone is connected. When all is said and done, there is a dead DEA agent after a brutal shootout in the streets of Chicago. Our new protagonist, Pierce Hunt is one pissed off team leader, this anger and his actions gets him much respect from his LEO colleagues worldwide, but also suspended without pay for six months.
Once his suspension is up, he reports back for duty in a new city he was assigned, Miami. Meeting his new boss, it’s apparent his transition back to work was going to be a quick one. We learn that what made Pierce Hunt a star amongst his colleagues is his first successful undercover mission, which took two years to complete. It ruined Hunt’s real life and we learn later his work ruined other lives as well. His role or I should say, a way into the cartel as an undercover agent was through love. The end result was a known Cartel leader ending up in prison. This cartel leader decided to cut a deal with law enforcement and agreed to testify against others, basically using the DEA to do his dirty work for him and get rid of the competition. Pierce knows this, but the DEA needed a win and they would do anything they can to achieve some good press.
The other cartel leader, known as The Black Toska is vicious and blood thirsty with vengeance on her mind due to some brutality she was faced with as a young child. That vendetta and her aspirations to be the biggest drug smuggler, human trafficking advocate, even hinted at offering her services to middle eastern terrorists. Nothing is off limits with this cartel leader at the head of the table. Including kidnapping children in order to exact her revenge.
If getting ambushed, shot at, watching his fellow LEO members executed on the streets of Miami isn’t personal enough, things get really bad when The Black Toska forces Pierce to abandon all civilized manner and go on the hunt. Having made himself a promise long time ago that he would never let himself get that brutal again, describing his past and learning why he joined the DEA and separated from the Army, having gone against his command to rescue one of his teammates that had been taken as a POW. What we learn is that Hunt is as dedicated to his fellow team mates as he is to his family back home and when that family is threatened, absolutely nothing will stop Pierce from exacting revenge, rescuing those closest to him, and killing all the bad guys, which is described in spectacular vivid detail. The type of details only those authors who have lived that lifestyle have the capability to capture.
Simon Gervais brings a new series to the thriller community that is going to be an annual must read, Hunt Them Down is out in the wild and available in hardcover, e-book, and audio. Pick it up, you will not be able to put it down. I read it all in two sittings. Simon’s follow up, Trained to Hunt is available to pre-order and will be out, September 24th, 2019. After reading Hunt Them Down, I can’t wait to get my hands on his next Pierce Hunt novel.
Simon has written three novels and one short novella in his international best-selling Mike Walton thriller series. With Hunt Them Down, he starts a new series with protagonist Pierce Hunt, a former Army Ranger (RLTW) and current DEA special agent.
Hunt Them Down starts off with action and prejudice almost instantly. Action in the form of a DEA fire team prepping to take down a known drug cartel associate in Chicago and prejudice because along with this team, is a wet behind the ears, LEO hating, self-righteous reporter eager to win himself a Pulitzer prize. When this asshole reporter decides to live stream the entire thing from start to finish, the bad guys get wind of it, because this is 2019 and everyone is connected. When all is said and done, there is a dead DEA agent after a brutal shootout in the streets of Chicago. Our new protagonist, Pierce Hunt is one pissed off team leader, this anger and his actions gets him much respect from his LEO colleagues worldwide, but also suspended without pay for six months.
Once his suspension is up, he reports back for duty in a new city he was assigned, Miami. Meeting his new boss, it’s apparent his transition back to work was going to be a quick one. We learn that what made Pierce Hunt a star amongst his colleagues is his first successful undercover mission, which took two years to complete. It ruined Hunt’s real life and we learn later his work ruined other lives as well. His role or I should say, a way into the cartel as an undercover agent was through love. The end result was a known Cartel leader ending up in prison. This cartel leader decided to cut a deal with law enforcement and agreed to testify against others, basically using the DEA to do his dirty work for him and get rid of the competition. Pierce knows this, but the DEA needed a win and they would do anything they can to achieve some good press.
The other cartel leader, known as The Black Toska is vicious and blood thirsty with vengeance on her mind due to some brutality she was faced with as a young child. That vendetta and her aspirations to be the biggest drug smuggler, human trafficking advocate, even hinted at offering her services to middle eastern terrorists. Nothing is off limits with this cartel leader at the head of the table. Including kidnapping children in order to exact her revenge.
If getting ambushed, shot at, watching his fellow LEO members executed on the streets of Miami isn’t personal enough, things get really bad when The Black Toska forces Pierce to abandon all civilized manner and go on the hunt. Having made himself a promise long time ago that he would never let himself get that brutal again, describing his past and learning why he joined the DEA and separated from the Army, having gone against his command to rescue one of his teammates that had been taken as a POW. What we learn is that Hunt is as dedicated to his fellow team mates as he is to his family back home and when that family is threatened, absolutely nothing will stop Pierce from exacting revenge, rescuing those closest to him, and killing all the bad guys, which is described in spectacular vivid detail. The type of details only those authors who have lived that lifestyle have the capability to capture.
Simon Gervais brings a new series to the thriller community that is going to be an annual must read, Hunt Them Down is out in the wild and available in hardcover, e-book, and audio. Pick it up, you will not be able to put it down. I read it all in two sittings. Simon’s follow up, Trained to Hunt is available to pre-order and will be out, September 24th, 2019. After reading Hunt Them Down, I can’t wait to get my hands on his next Pierce Hunt novel.
January 6, 2019
This was a great read Gervais wrote a fast paced thriller to my liking. I can only say that I hope the next one is only half as good then he will be among my favorite authors.
For everyone who likes action, heroes and non stop page turning I strongly recommend this.
For everyone who likes action, heroes and non stop page turning I strongly recommend this.
March 11, 2022
Really wanted to like this book but sadly found it served to many cliches. Was like reading a diluted version of so many standard American hero books.
Ex-military, bit of a bad boy, Father to a Daughter, ex-wife - like they all do.
Just wasn’t for me.
Ex-military, bit of a bad boy, Father to a Daughter, ex-wife - like they all do.
Just wasn’t for me.
January 5, 2019
I couldn’t put this book down. It reminds me of The Gray Man and John Milton series. I am looking forward to reading the next installment!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 570 reviews