Killer Instinct

By: Joseph Finder

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Jason Steadman is a thirty-year-old sales executive living in Boston and working for an electronics giant, a competitors to Sony and Panasonic. He's a witty, charismatic guy who's well liked at the office, but he lacks the "killer instinct" necessary to move up the corporate ladder. To the chagrin of his ambitious wife, it looks as if his career has hit a ceiling. Jason's been sidelined.

But all that will change one evening when Jason meets Kurt Semko, a former Special Forces officer just back from Iraq. Looking for a decent pitcher for the company softball team, Jason gets Kurt, who was once drafted by the majors, a job in Corporate Security. Soon, good things start to happen for Jason—and bad things start to happen to Jason's rivals. His career suddenly takes off. He's an overnight success. Only too late does Jason discover that his friend Kurt has been secretly paving his path to the top by the most "efficient"—and ruthless— means available. After all, as Kurt says, "Business is war, right?"

But when Jason tries to put a stop to it, he finds that his new best friend has become the most dangerous enemy imaginable. And now it's far more than just his career that lies in the balance. A riveting tale of ambition, intrigue, and the price of success, Killer Instinct is Joseph Finder at his best.

*San Francisco Chronicle
** Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Audio edition includes an exclusive bonus interview with Joseph Finder and Malcolm Gladwell, bestselling author of Blink and The Tipping Point!

©2006 Joseph Finder (P)2006 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC.

Critic reviews

"[A] masterful business thriller....Readers who enjoy movies where you have to fight the urge to shout 'Stop! Don't open that door!' will love this one." (Publishers Weekly)

"Steadman's 10-month ride from complacency to terror is filled with...thrills and chills." (Booklist)

VERY ENTERTAINING

What did you love best about Killer Instinct?

THIS IS AN INTRIGUING STORY SET IN A BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT.IT KEEPS THE LISTENER INTERESTED ALL THE TIME,AND SCOTT BRICK'S PERFORMANCE IS A PLEASURE TO LISTEN TO.

DISAPPOINTING

First I will say that I loved Joseph Finder's first book "Paranoia." It was one of my favorite audiobooks. I liked "Company Man." It was interesting but not as much fun, nor as fast moving as Paranoia.

This third book was just passable. I was never bored, but never really involved, either. And I often felt the lead character was too slow on the uptake.

Overall, I was disappointed, and do not recommend the book. (Though it's not terrible.)

By the way, I'm listening to "The Faithful Spy" right now, and it's fantastic.

It is entertaining- not great- but entertaining

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Not to give away the critical moment in the first few pages of the book

Did Scott Brick do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes

Do you think Killer Instinct needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, nothing to follow- story ended

Pretty good!

A different kind of suspense/thriller. Part "single white female" with "The firm" mixed in. The characters were really interesting and the plot was well paced. Definitely recommend!

great book

great book, kept me listening all day. I like all of Finders books.

Good, not great

This was a good read, but not a great one. In the thriller category, I thought it relied too heavily on the main character doing things he should have known not to do. He's a guy who gets smarter as the book goes, but he's not as dumb as he would need to be to make the decisions he makes. Nice use of the corporate sales environment.

A lot of fun

I don't expect highbrow literature from this genre, and this may not be the best book Finder has ever written. Some of it is implausible but the characters are well-defined and the action is consistent. It's a genial, fun, dangerous fling and just what I wanted from a book of this type.

This is so good.

Love the way Joseph Finder write. You get
very involved either the characters. Well done by Scott Brick too. Looking for another if
Finder’s books.

Not as good as Paranoia

The book was interesting but I did not become as engaged as I did reading his masterpiece - Paranoia (which I highly recommend). Scott Brick's narration was of course wonderful as always. If you just like hearing Scott Brick's narration as I do, then I think you should buy this audiobook.

Very good

I really enjoyed a look on the inside of Sales Production force and intensity required to succeed in the profession. I thought the characters were well formed and I could really feel the stress they experienced to stay on top. I had mixed emotions about Kirk. I loved him and hated him right until the end. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy a look inside the corporate world and the problems that occur.