Hunter by Robert Bidinotto
OMG, it's a book review. *gasp* I know! I DO still read for fun and not just for work. Well, my last book review was Mockingjay back in July. I have read several books since then, just haven't reviewed them. Meh.
I found this book on Amazon during Christmas. They ran a deal on Kindle books and slashed a ton of new books to 99¢. I read through many of them to find the ones I thought I would really like, rather than just snatching a bunch of them because they were cheap. I'm really going for more quality this year, rather than the sleazy paranormal romances.
Hunter by Robert Bidinotto - ★★★★★
Two people, passionately in love.
But each hides a deadly secret.
He is a crusading vigilante, on a violent quest for justice.
She is tracking this unknown assassin, sworn to stop him.
Neither realizes the truth about the other.
And neither knows that a terrifying predator is hunting them both...
From its first gripping pages, HUNTER takes you on a nonstop thrill ride: from the top floor of the CIA, to the marbled corridors of Capitol Hill...from the posh hotels of downtown Washington, to the city's mean, violent streets. It introduces a colorful new hero for our time--and a dazzling heroine every bit his equal.
A spy mystery...a crime thriller...a passionate romance: HUNTER is a genre-bending novel unlike any you've read. Deviously plotted, filled with vivid characters, and propelled at a breakneck pace, it's a tale as memorable for its provocative ideas as for a rousing climax that has readers cheering.
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This is a relatively new release--and the author's first work of fiction, as far as I can tell. For the 170-something 5-star reviews it has, I was surprised to see about 25 1-star reviews. And there's not much in-between. You either love it or you hate it. And most people love it. I did. Despite the very cheesy "book description".
It's a vigilante thriller with bits of romance. No black costumes and fancy gadgets though, a la Batman. Just guns, clever disguises, and numerous aliases with appropriately-chosen names, e.g. Edmond Dantes. "Hunter" has been trained, but you don't find out how until Part 3, so the major mystery is: Where did this guy come from, and how the heck did he get so vengeful?
But despite the things he does, I LIKE HIM. A LOT. I want Annie to trust him. I don't want him to get caught, and I was up at 2 & 3 am this morning, hungrily turning pages to get to the end. And it does 'end', though I found out (after following the author on Twitter) that it will be a series. Hmmm... As much as I liked it, I think it had too much of an ending to be a successful series. I would definitely read the others, but I'm afraid I would go into them expecting to be somewhat let down. Hopefully Bidinotto will pleasantly surprise me.
If you're a fan of early-release or criminal rehabilitation programs, this probably won't be your favorite read. It may even make you angry. The author is very clear that he doesn't agree with those kinds of programs. He's made a career writing (non-fiction) investigative crime articles. It's very black and white for him. He believes such programs put hardened criminals back on the streets to kill again. Period. Prisons should not resemble resorts, and in the notes at the back of the book he explains some of his research into the prison system. Towards the beginning of the book there's a memo that our main character reads while he is visiting a prison that was apparently taken word-for-word from a real memo posted at a real prison. I must say, I felt some righteous indignation that my tax dollars might be used in such a frivolous way.
You might say this book is very political. Many 1-star reviewers used the word "preachy". I didn't find it to be so. But then, I agree with most of the ideas and opinions the author seems to hold, so naturally I didn't take issue with it.
I found this book on Amazon during Christmas. They ran a deal on Kindle books and slashed a ton of new books to 99¢. I read through many of them to find the ones I thought I would really like, rather than just snatching a bunch of them because they were cheap. I'm really going for more quality this year, rather than the sleazy paranormal romances.
Hunter by Robert Bidinotto - ★★★★★
Two people, passionately in love.
But each hides a deadly secret.
He is a crusading vigilante, on a violent quest for justice.
She is tracking this unknown assassin, sworn to stop him.
Neither realizes the truth about the other.
And neither knows that a terrifying predator is hunting them both...
From its first gripping pages, HUNTER takes you on a nonstop thrill ride: from the top floor of the CIA, to the marbled corridors of Capitol Hill...from the posh hotels of downtown Washington, to the city's mean, violent streets. It introduces a colorful new hero for our time--and a dazzling heroine every bit his equal.
A spy mystery...a crime thriller...a passionate romance: HUNTER is a genre-bending novel unlike any you've read. Deviously plotted, filled with vivid characters, and propelled at a breakneck pace, it's a tale as memorable for its provocative ideas as for a rousing climax that has readers cheering.
-----
This is a relatively new release--and the author's first work of fiction, as far as I can tell. For the 170-something 5-star reviews it has, I was surprised to see about 25 1-star reviews. And there's not much in-between. You either love it or you hate it. And most people love it. I did. Despite the very cheesy "book description".
It's a vigilante thriller with bits of romance. No black costumes and fancy gadgets though, a la Batman. Just guns, clever disguises, and numerous aliases with appropriately-chosen names, e.g. Edmond Dantes. "Hunter" has been trained, but you don't find out how until Part 3, so the major mystery is: Where did this guy come from, and how the heck did he get so vengeful?
But despite the things he does, I LIKE HIM. A LOT. I want Annie to trust him. I don't want him to get caught, and I was up at 2 & 3 am this morning, hungrily turning pages to get to the end. And it does 'end', though I found out (after following the author on Twitter) that it will be a series. Hmmm... As much as I liked it, I think it had too much of an ending to be a successful series. I would definitely read the others, but I'm afraid I would go into them expecting to be somewhat let down. Hopefully Bidinotto will pleasantly surprise me.
If you're a fan of early-release or criminal rehabilitation programs, this probably won't be your favorite read. It may even make you angry. The author is very clear that he doesn't agree with those kinds of programs. He's made a career writing (non-fiction) investigative crime articles. It's very black and white for him. He believes such programs put hardened criminals back on the streets to kill again. Period. Prisons should not resemble resorts, and in the notes at the back of the book he explains some of his research into the prison system. Towards the beginning of the book there's a memo that our main character reads while he is visiting a prison that was apparently taken word-for-word from a real memo posted at a real prison. I must say, I felt some righteous indignation that my tax dollars might be used in such a frivolous way.
You might say this book is very political. Many 1-star reviewers used the word "preachy". I didn't find it to be so. But then, I agree with most of the ideas and opinions the author seems to hold, so naturally I didn't take issue with it.