Insidious plot thrills and chills in unusual business setting!Knowing we like "thrillers", a friend passed along an advance reading copy of Finder's pre-release seventh novel, "Killer Instinct"; and sensing an unusual setting, we dove right in. We were quickly rewarded with a story not only to which most of us can relate, but one that turns ever more dark and mysterious as the lively, inventive plot proceeds. Our hero is Jason Steadman, a high-achieving salesman for a high-tech plasma TV company, who at first seems little more than a typical upper middle-class suburban yuppie who has transcended his modest roots to fashion a successful career. When Jason has some car trouble and needs a tow, he is befriended by the truck driver, Kurt Semko, who seems fascinated with Jason's work situation. Soon he is giving Jason "advice" on everything from how to beat out his colleagues for a promotion to how to topple his competitors to land big sales deals. Jason in turn gets Semko, an ex-Special Forces officer (though mysteriously dishonorably discharged) a security job at his firm. When Jason begins to suspect that Kurt's "help" has turned to outright criminal actions, as they say, the plot thickens incredibly. Now that Kurt is an insider, he can tap phones, video comings and goings, and gain the knowledge to track Jason's every move. Semko even ingratiates himself with Jason's ambitious wife Kate, and for a while we weren't quite sure where that might head as an interesting sub-plot. When the good deeds finally include murder, Jason has to use every trick he can think of to turn the tables on his buddy Kurt, who by the end of the tale has our leading man himself in his gun sights. "Instincts" is a fun, suspenseful read. The author manages to spin a clever yarn and keep the action coming to sustain momentum, yet relate his story in a manner which endears us to our protagonist. Finder's impressive knowledge of corporate skirmishes and multi-national company politics educates and entertains; and more than a few readers will recognize from their own experiences some of the skullduggery that goes on in business. Adding a bit of murder and mayhem to that mix results in a most enjoyable novel, a "corporate thriller" if you will, with some realistic and often humorous family relationship stuff thrown in for good measure. In all, we'd say this latest Finder is quite a find!
Read as an audiobook. Not entirely enthused about about the narrator - he was the voice for a couple of Brad Meltzer books I bounced off of. Personally, I find that he makes the main characters sound whiny, which is hard to overlook.Not sure what to think about this book - quite a bit different from the police and detective thrillers which I'm used to and prefer. The book revolves around Jason, who is trying to sell plasma TV's in a cutthroat corporate world and finds nearly everything going his way. He comes from a working class upbringing, his beautiful and gorgeous wife is dethroned upper crust - she wants the big house and fancy cars and $2800 baby pram. It's when things begin to look up that Jason realizes he's getting a bit more "help" from a new friend than he anticipated. Things begin a steady spiral around the drain the higher Jason climbs the corporate ladder. His wife is having a difficult and tenuous pregnancy, a co-workers starts to question how Jason got where he was, and as events unfold, Jason begins to realize just how much of an enemy a friend can be. A very slow moving thriller, a main character who makes stupid decisions, and ultimately left me bored rather than engaged. I set the audiobook aside with two disks (maybe three?) to go listen to something else and I'm not sure I'll pick it back up again.As of today (9/5/14), DNF.
Do You like book Killer Instinct (2006)?
Ever since Paranoia, Mr. Finder's work has been getting progressively worse. Paranoia was a niche, new and exciting. The prospective of corporate espionage, high-tech spying, survival of the most devious, it was a great concept, an exciting new story (as I read it I could almost smell the movie popcorn, the upcoming blockbuster). But then came Company Man, with its disappointing tale and unbelievable characters. And now - Killer Instinct. What happened, Mr. Finder? Commercialization got in the way? Was it the need to publish, to produce another moneymaking novel without honoring our intelligence? Why write if your characters would be bleak and simpleminded? Why produce a story if it will be as regular as a patient on a fiber diet? Where are the exciting unforeseen circumstances? What happened to eeriness, unpredicted behaviors, risky yet credible propositions? How come your novels are getting worse instead of better? Why the all foreseen Hollywood ending now? Think over these questions and make the right choices in your next book. But keep in mind, it's hard keeping the fans if you produce frequent nonsense. I don't recommend this one. Try `Paranoia' or check out Grisham or Patterson's books instead.
—Simon_Cleveland_Ph.D. Simon_Cleveland_Ph.D.
Jason Steadman is a thirty-year-old sales executive living in Boston and working for an electronics giant, 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.Killer Instinct is a tension-filled psychological thriller. This is one of only a hand full of books I could not put down. I read it in record time and highly recommend it. Semko is the worst kind of enemy to have. Great book, fantastic characters, good plot!
—Tiffunee
Rating is really a 3.5. After reading a review of Finder's latest book, "The Fixer," and being unfamiliar with his writing I thought I'd read one of his earlier books to see how I felt about him. The plot of "Killer Instinct" appealed and I did enjoy the book. I found the author's efforts to keep the action moving actually hurt the book; there was more detail on the "action" and not a lot of information on the thinking that went into the characters' actions. I did enjoy the book though and look forward to reading "The Fixer."
—Suzanne
