When you're a hitman, one killing is pretty much the same as another. The method may vary, but essentially, you're going in, catching someone by surprise and sending them on to the great beyond. It's all in a day's work, actually, most of the time. But every once in a while, there's something unique about the kill, something that stays with you long after the event. That's what William "JJ" Hoffman discovers after assassinating David Bostridge while in Moscow. When he made the hit, Bostridge was in bed with a much younger woman. Normally, JJ would have offed her too. But there was something about her that stopped him from doing so. She looked at him with no fear, removed a package from under the bed and left with JJ doing absolutely nothing about it.Even a few years later, that hit stays with JJ. The people around him are being killed, and he finds that he is a target too. His girlfriend is murdered; his former contact is slaughtered—all indications are that JJ is next. Trusting in a man who is also under the gun, he stays in a bed-and-breakfast in Vermont. And unlikely as it may seem, the inn is run by Bostridge's widow who lives there with her son and daughter. Of course, JJ cannot reveal that he killed her husband; but he finds that against all odds, he likes this family, that they are good and decent people and that they like him in return. He knows that he is breaking one of the cardinal rules of his profession by becoming involved with a victim's family. As the book moves forward, JJ needs to determine why he is slated for elimination. Doing so involves him in some international intrigue, and he faces the likelihood that it may be his turn to die. All along the way, he murders anyone who poses a threat to him. People Die is an excellent debut novel. As might be expected given the profession of its protagonist, there are a lot of murders. JJ doesn't usually think twice about killing people; in most cases, it's somewhat of a necessity and he experiences no remorse about what he does. What is unexpected is how Wignall delivers us into the mind of the assassin. Although written in third person, the narrative is written in a way that provides the reader entry into JJ's introspective mind. I was a bit confused at the start of the book when various characters were discussed to whom I had not been introduced, but the book rapidly fell into place. There were several unexpected twists. The one thing that made the book stand out is the fact that JJ, in spite of being a stone cold killer, is not a psychopath. He actually does have a heart, and the reader hears his heartbeat running throughout the book. Excellent writing, dialog and pacing combine to make this book one you'll want to read, especially if you're a fan of noir.
The novel starts at such a breakneck pace that I never expected it to maintain the pace of the story. However, it hits the brakes so hard that I found it really jarring. When the story leaves a massive body count in Europe and heads to an idyllic New England inn, the tone changes with the pace, feeling like a completely different story.Writing about hit men is difficult. In many ways, the hit man as written is the construct of fiction and the movies. So to bring something new to the genre and character, an exploration into the moral impact on the character or even a search for some form of redemption is often the path. People Die is satisfied with accepting the hit man as just a guy who is a hit man. That would be fine, but he also kills a number of innocents along the way (usually unnecessarily). Without those bodies having any impact, the character gets closer to a cartoon. There's a little more telling than showing. And the assassin is so good at his job that, even though we know that people are out to kill him, there is never a point where we are concerned for his safety. I think that makes the book sound worse than it is. It might have caught me in a more critical mindset than the book deserves. It is a quick, fun read. And the pace of the first half is a blast. I'm definitely going to pick up another one of Wignall's books.
