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Loading... Hard Dog To Killby Craig Holt
No tags None No current Talk conversations about this book.  CathyGeha | Apr 10, 2018 |  no reviews | add a review
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A mercenary's journey into the darkness of his own heart. "The novel can be nightmarish in a thrilling way, but Craig's treatment of the Congo is sincere."--Eleven PDX Stan Mullens is an American mercenary in the Congo who sees himself as a good guy with a bad job. Stan's self-assigned mission to protect his longtime brother-in-arms, Frank, takes a serious hit when their boss sends them on an unsupported mission into the jungle to track and kill Tonde Chiora, a former company employee accused of stealing vital mining technology. As their mission takes them deep into the violent heart of the Congo, Stan soon discovers that his victim hasn't done anything to warrant being murdered. And as he struggles to survive the jungle, his enemies, and Frank's random acts of vicious stupidity, he finds himself increasingly drawn in by the innocence and optimism of the man he is supposed to kill. With his enemies closing in and his friendship with Frank falling apart, Stan has to make a dangerous choice between his old loyalties and his new friends. Maybe hardest of all, he has to make peace with the realization that despite what he's told himself all these years, he is not one of the good guys. Winner of the Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medal for Suspense/Thriller! "[A] twisting plot with questionable allegiances, strange characters, and dangers everywhere . . . dramatic and fascinating."--Mystery Suspense Reviews "Fast, enjoyable and well written . . . compelling characters with their dark side and dark secrets."--Man of la Book No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyRatingAverage: (4.5)
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Wikipedia in English
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Traveling through the Congo with two men who have been “killers” for ten years was…interesting…very interesting indeed… Stan Mullins and Frank Giordano met early in their military days and became inseparable. Frank has saved Stan a number of times and though Stan, the narrator, doesn’t mention it my guess is that he has had Frank’s back numerous times, too.
The two men have seen much violence and dispensed death to many but Stan has perhaps retained more of his humanity than Frank has. I do wonder what was in the letter Frank received that turned him into the colder version of himself that he displays throughout this book. Anyway, the two men are off on a journey to find one man for their employer and bring him in but their encounters on the way include many adventures. They interact with a variety of Congolese; face danger that slithers, flies, walks on two and four legs, slithers and explodes; lose friends and interact with one another and others in ways that were at times uncomfortable to read.
The book is violent. Many people are killed. Miseries are described. Politics are alluded to. Friendship is explored. Humanity is displayed. Inhumanity is experienced. Greed is a given. The future of a mercenary is broached. And by the end of the book I understood the relationship of Frank and Stan a bit better realizing that war creates warriors who kill – killing dehumanizes and becomes easier – some killers lose sensitivity – some people who kill still have possibilities. I also realized that soldiers must have a different kind of “friendship” than civilians. I would like to know what happens in the future and wonder if Stan will appear in future books.
Thank you to NetGalley and WildBlue Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4-5 Stars (