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As You Were: A Noir Thriller
Three targets left. Kill them. Kill all of them.David Bishop had a past before his time as a Special Forces Marine, but he has little memory of it. Now an assassin for a clandestine agency run by a ruthless woman known as The Director, David has one last mission to complete before he's free to live the peaceful life he's always wanted.One last mission, with three simple targets. Easy.But when David meets Kiara, a lonely shopkeeper whose bubbly personality hides a tortured past, his priorities suddenly change. Tempted by the possibility of a normal life with the girl of his dreams while haunted by ghosts from his nightmares, this final mission soon becomes more challenging than David expected. Is he capable of being the man Kiara deserves despite the darkness inside him?Can one ever truly be free from their past?With unsavory gangsters, crooked spooks and bloody violence, As You Were is a dark, noir crime novel about a man struggling to hold it together long enough to kill only the people he's supposed to.
204 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 29, 2020
6 people are currently reading
404 people want to read
About the author
D.M. Cox
1 book9 followersI've always been fascinated by stories, whether in movies or in novels, in poems or buried in a song lyric. I enjoy the pulpy, dark, sometimes tragic tales of love and hate, lust and revenge... of dreams that turn into nightmares, while good intentions crumble into broken promises. I love when an artist paints characters, not in the bright, definitive colors of black and white, but rather in shadowy shades of gray that force us to look at life differently.
I live in Michigan where I split my time between work, my kids and writing.
I live in Michigan where I split my time between work, my kids and writing.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 23, 2020
“𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵. 𝘒𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘒𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮”
Noir thriller is a genre that I don’t have a lot of experience with, but I’ve always been intrigued by its cool mystery and bygone-days charm. So when I got a copy of “As You Were” by D.M. Cox I was excited to dive in!
Briefly, the book is an ex-military-turned-secret-government-hitman named David. He just wants to live a normal life, and he’s told he can have it after one last mission. The problem is David is starting to fall hard for a lonely shopkeeper named Kiara and it’s interfering with his work. Also, the ghosts of his violent past are haunting him and it’s getting harder to tell what’s real and what’s not. Can he overcome his own darkness or will he succumb?
To be honest, I enjoyed this book more than I thought I was going to. There’s definitely elements of noir, but there’s also some dashes is horror and psychological thriller. The characters are all pretty interesting, and the inclusion of dark themes like suicide, depression, and PTSD added another layer to them. The melodrama, occasional hyperbolic writing, and slightly awkward dialogue threw me off some, but honestly a lot of that is part of the genre I believe. Though some cliche plot devices exist, and for awhile it feels like a season of Barry (not a bad thing), there is enough twists to make this one stand out. Several key moments I didn’t see coming, and the main character’s bloody attempts to escape his own hell kept me riveted! I won’t go into spoilers here, but the second half is particularly engaging, and the ending is fantastic!
Special thanks to author @_d.m.cox_ for this copy in exchange for an honest review! You can tell he’s really passionate about the genre. Oh, and the cover is so cool!
Noir thriller is a genre that I don’t have a lot of experience with, but I’ve always been intrigued by its cool mystery and bygone-days charm. So when I got a copy of “As You Were” by D.M. Cox I was excited to dive in!
Briefly, the book is an ex-military-turned-secret-government-hitman named David. He just wants to live a normal life, and he’s told he can have it after one last mission. The problem is David is starting to fall hard for a lonely shopkeeper named Kiara and it’s interfering with his work. Also, the ghosts of his violent past are haunting him and it’s getting harder to tell what’s real and what’s not. Can he overcome his own darkness or will he succumb?
To be honest, I enjoyed this book more than I thought I was going to. There’s definitely elements of noir, but there’s also some dashes is horror and psychological thriller. The characters are all pretty interesting, and the inclusion of dark themes like suicide, depression, and PTSD added another layer to them. The melodrama, occasional hyperbolic writing, and slightly awkward dialogue threw me off some, but honestly a lot of that is part of the genre I believe. Though some cliche plot devices exist, and for awhile it feels like a season of Barry (not a bad thing), there is enough twists to make this one stand out. Several key moments I didn’t see coming, and the main character’s bloody attempts to escape his own hell kept me riveted! I won’t go into spoilers here, but the second half is particularly engaging, and the ending is fantastic!
Special thanks to author @_d.m.cox_ for this copy in exchange for an honest review! You can tell he’s really passionate about the genre. Oh, and the cover is so cool!
June 18, 2020
Twisty Thriller
Interesting characters, plot twists , surprise ending. I was disappointed with the conclusion, and the bleak future of the protagonist, but that's NOIR for you.
Interesting characters, plot twists , surprise ending. I was disappointed with the conclusion, and the bleak future of the protagonist, but that's NOIR for you.
December 30, 2020
Kill them. Kill all of them.
When I asked my husband if he thought the government had the capability to place computer chips in peoples' brains to erase memories and provide them with "missions" he asked me why I was asking. I told him that it was part of the book I was reading, that the main character was an ex marine and would get called to do these super secret assassin missions. My husband said immediately, "You don't read books like that!" I replied with, the book drew me in because the guy, David, falls in love and doesn't want to live this life this anymore, and wants this contract to be his last one so that he can be normal and live a normal life. Although I am not usually a fan of any sort of government, ex government, military type of books, this is told in such a way that it is entertaining and makes you want to see what happens next. It is not a light fluffy read by any means and is pretty dark and gruesome, honestly, but definitely is an interesting read for sure.
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.
When I asked my husband if he thought the government had the capability to place computer chips in peoples' brains to erase memories and provide them with "missions" he asked me why I was asking. I told him that it was part of the book I was reading, that the main character was an ex marine and would get called to do these super secret assassin missions. My husband said immediately, "You don't read books like that!" I replied with, the book drew me in because the guy, David, falls in love and doesn't want to live this life this anymore, and wants this contract to be his last one so that he can be normal and live a normal life. Although I am not usually a fan of any sort of government, ex government, military type of books, this is told in such a way that it is entertaining and makes you want to see what happens next. It is not a light fluffy read by any means and is pretty dark and gruesome, honestly, but definitely is an interesting read for sure.
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.
July 12, 2020
Trigger warning: Veterans/PTSD.
This book packs a PUNCH, literally and figuratively. The basics of the story: David, a former Marine, now spends his life following the orders of the Director, having all the information needed for his current assassination mission uploaded directly to his brain through a surgical implant which also wipes his memory after each mission. Fighting his own inner demons and memories that refuse to stay buried, he makes the mistake of falling in love with Kiara, the woman who owns the shop below his apartment.
Unfortunately Kiara has problems of her own and when the two get together, bad things happen. Add Kiara’s free hand with mind-altering substances, and as the book progresses, David slowly loses his tenuous grip on reality.
A dark, gritty story full of violent action, haunting visions, and a slow descent into madness, with a final few chapters that had me tensing my stomach til it hurt, this intense bit of noir fiction is an outstanding debut novel for author D.M. Cox. A solid 4/5 stars.
Thank you to D.M. Cox for the free copy of your book in exchange for an honest review.
This book packs a PUNCH, literally and figuratively. The basics of the story: David, a former Marine, now spends his life following the orders of the Director, having all the information needed for his current assassination mission uploaded directly to his brain through a surgical implant which also wipes his memory after each mission. Fighting his own inner demons and memories that refuse to stay buried, he makes the mistake of falling in love with Kiara, the woman who owns the shop below his apartment.
Unfortunately Kiara has problems of her own and when the two get together, bad things happen. Add Kiara’s free hand with mind-altering substances, and as the book progresses, David slowly loses his tenuous grip on reality.
A dark, gritty story full of violent action, haunting visions, and a slow descent into madness, with a final few chapters that had me tensing my stomach til it hurt, this intense bit of noir fiction is an outstanding debut novel for author D.M. Cox. A solid 4/5 stars.
Thank you to D.M. Cox for the free copy of your book in exchange for an honest review.
February 15, 2022
David Bishop has been through a lot. He served in the war and seems to have severe PTSD, which isn’t helped by the fact that he’s still an assassin for the U. S. government. He wants out, he wants to be able to live a normal life and not have to kill people every time he gets a phone call. He wants to live the “American dream;” have a wife and kids playing in a front yard somewhere. And he can. He just has to complete one more mission first. Kill three more people, and he can live the life of his dreams. Everything gets complicated, though, when he finally meets the girl he’s been crushing on from the distance and finds out she likes him, too. Will he be able to stop killing? Or will he have to kill more to get the life he longs for?
This book is among the best thrillers I’ve ever seen or read ever. I’m still reeling from the ending, and I finished hours ago and had to wait until I got off work to write this review. I love Cox’s mind, and I can’t wait for more books by him.
This book is among the best thrillers I’ve ever seen or read ever. I’m still reeling from the ending, and I finished hours ago and had to wait until I got off work to write this review. I love Cox’s mind, and I can’t wait for more books by him.
July 17, 2020
This book was full of twist and turns! If you like war action this is it! It does mention PSTD which we know our veterans suffer with and the possibility of being normal and get back into society! A book to make ya conscious of what war heroes go thru and what their train of thought might be during being in an active war affair! As the perfect blend there’s romance who doesn’t love romance between caos! Definitely get your hands if you need a different type of book that’s dark and realistic!
January 12, 2023
A beautifully written book about a former marine with PTSD who’s now an assassin for a secret agency who longs for a new life. When he meets Kiara, he sees a chance. But how far is he willing to go to get it? Absolutely loved this book!
March 31, 2023
I loved the PTSD and derealization of all the characters.
Coming from a military veteran, I think it was written genuinely and more or less, precise.
The whole computer chip stuff was as jaded as it can be which is why this got 4 stars.
Coming from a military veteran, I think it was written genuinely and more or less, precise.
The whole computer chip stuff was as jaded as it can be which is why this got 4 stars.
July 12, 2020
good book
August 1, 2020
Title ⤵️
As You Were
Author ⤵️
D.M. Cox
Rating ⤵️
🌟🌟🌟🌟
Thoughts ⤵️
A cool, noir thriller.
As You Were
Author ⤵️
D.M. Cox
Rating ⤵️
🌟🌟🌟🌟
Thoughts ⤵️
A cool, noir thriller.
August 8, 2020
David
Oh my this was one messed up book.I never dreamed it would end like it did.poor David he just wants to be normal.sad
Oh my this was one messed up book.I never dreamed it would end like it did.poor David he just wants to be normal.sad
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews