The Killer

Victor the Assassin Series, Book 1

By: Tom Wood

Narrated by: Rob Shapiro

Length: 15 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Forget James Bond. Forget Jason Bourne. Forget Jack Bauer.

Meet Victor. He's an assassin - a man with no past and no surname. He lives alone. He operates alone. He's given a job; he takes out the target; he gets paid. He's The Killer.

Victor arrives in Paris to perform a standard kill and collect for an anonymous client. He completes it with trademark efficiency - only to find himself in the middle of an ambush and fighting for his life. Pursued by determined enemies, a woman too beautiful to be safe, and intelligence agencies from both sides of the Atlantic, Victor will soon discover there is nowhere left for him to hide...and no one he can trust. But he is every bit as ruthless as those hunting him. And Victor will find out who wants him dead and why - one corpse at a time.

©2010 Tom Hinshelwood (P)2013 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A superlative fiction debut.... Nonstop action that veers and twists from one ferocious gun battle, double cross, and betrayal to the next.... Thriller fans will be eager to see more from this bright new talent." ( Publishers Weekly)

Outstanding!

A hell of a story. The narrator infused the story with accents and vocal gestures that assisted me in visualising the plot.

Almost perfect...

Where does The Killer rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 50.

What other book might you compare The Killer to and why?

I haven't read many books of this type.

Have you listened to any of Rob Shapiro’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I am not certain if I have listened to Rob Shapiro before now. His was a very good narration: matter of fact, dispassionate, which suited the content. I would have preferred a faster pace in his reading, though.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

I thought this was a well-written book: interesting, attention-holding, and often suspenseful.
I agree with other reviewers who felt that the first half was the better half. Along with an intricately developing plot, the first half of the book revealed the assassin's careful application of the rules of his craft and the nature of his solitary life, which allowed the reader to develop a sympathetic connection with him. For some reason, the second half of the book was relatively shallow. And it was far too unrealistic that the paths of so many main characters converged at the same time and in the same place towards the end. I also felt that the book would have benefitted from a greater economy of words. I would have preferred fewer thoughts on the part of the characters, shorter descriptions inbetween conversations and action, etc. Many readers thought this was a fast-paced story. I disagree. I found myself wishing I could condense the story so that the end would arrive. Still, I liked The Killer enough to look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Good

Totally worth the credit, if you enjoy action and lots of killing well, we're all rooting for the killer. Narrator did make a few characters sound the same but not boring it dry.

great book

very easy to listen to while driving. I'm glad I found a new series to follow

Good first effort. Narrator needs work

Hate to repeat the subject line but a good narrator needs to be able to act out both a male and female voice. This narrator cannot. It takes away from the story. With that said, I would consider the next installment.

It's all about continuous action and suspense!

All six Victor the Assassin novels are in my Audible library and all take the listener on a wild ride. Victor, his only name, kills for money. He has no apparent conscience. He has no political cause and he has allegiance to no country or master. He operates alone. He operates anywhere and everywhere. Intelligence agencies in the US and Europe are after him. He is a bad guy! He is no Mitch Rapp who is a man with a cause and conscience. Yet the listener will find him almost impossible to dislike. Listening to this series is fun, but one must set aside Victor's lack of conscience. (I must admit I have some problems doing so.)

Tom Wood's Victor the Assassin series is a different kind of espionage series. This series is about action, suspense, and doing the seemingly impossible. In this first novel in the series he does Kill for money, but then he learns to others wish to kill him, so he tracks them down and kills them also.

Rob Shapiro narrates this series perfectly.

didn't expect to like it, but did

I bought this in one of the special offer deals (try the first in a series, kind of thing). this was the last one i listened to, and since all the others were some variation of crapola, i didn't expect much. i was pleasantly surprised.

i think the storyline benefits hugely from the narrator. he uses a kind of flat, staccato delivery, perfect for how an emotionless contract killer might actually think. the story is well developed, and paced well. i wish the one femail character ha had a tad more backbone and little less batted-eyelashes bs, but it wasn't so bad that it ruined her role. I'll buy book 2, so that says something.

Wow, the "view series" icon has me drooling....

What did you love best about The Killer?

...in anticipation for book#2. What I love best about this book is I have nothing negative to say about it. The action never stops and has me wishing I was there. I must admit perhaps the reason I loved the book so much was because my hopes were not very high that it would be on par with Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, Mark Greaney or Ben Coes. I cant help but feel Tom Wood is on his way. If this is your genre and you cant like if not love this book, then this isnt your genre!

What did you like best about this story?

I love a story that can make me wish for nothing but good fortune for a really bad person.

What about Rob Shapiro’s performance did you like?

There was nothing not to like. His performance was beyond adequate.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Indeed, thinking of changing career.....

Any additional comments?

Cant wait for book#2 in what I hope to be a long series.

I enjoyed this book

If you could sum up The Killer in three words, what would they be?

a must listen

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Almost all the book

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

Surprised at what the negative reviews said. I listen to it anyway and was not disappointed.

Wow, What A Great Book

I did not know what to expect when I started this book but soon found it to be a real thriller of the type that Vince Flynn, Ton Clancy, or Mark Greaney write. Victor is an assassin who gets trapped into a situation which is almost impossible to escape from. I am so happy to have discovered this series and look forward to reading the rest of the books in it. Congratulations to the talent of Tom Wood.