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Killer Instinct
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Product Description
But all that will change one evening when Jason meets Kurt Semko, a former Special Forces officer just back from Iraq. Looking for a decent pitcher for the company softball team, Jason gets Kurt, who was once drafted by the majors, a job in Corporate Security. Soon, good things start to happen for Jason - and bad things start to happen to Jason's rivals. His career suddenly takes off. He's an overnight success
Only too late does Jason discover that his friend Kurt has been secretly paving his path to the top by the most “efficient” - and ruthless - means available. After all, Kurt says, “Business is war, right?”
But when Jason tries to put a stop to it, he finds that his new best friend has become the most dangerous enemy imaginable. And now it's far more than just his career that lies in the balance.
A riveting tale of ambition, intrigue, and the price of success, Killer Instinct is Joseph Finder at his best.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #309084 in Books
- Published on: 2006-05-16
- Released on: 2006-05-16
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Hardcover
- 416 pages
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. At the start of this masterful business thriller from bestseller Finder (Paranoia; Company Man), Jason Steadman, successful salesman at Entronics, an electronics company that's right up there with Sony and Panasonic, drives into a ditch near his office outside Boston while talking to his wife on his cellphone. Jason befriends the tow-truck driver who comes to his rescue, Kurt Semko, an ex–Special Forces soldier, and recommends him for a position at Entronics. In gratitude, Kurt begins performing fiendish little jobs for Jason that boost his sales and fortunes with the company. But Kurt eventually goes overboard, and people begin to die. The likable Jason finds himself trapped in a battle with a scary, seemingly unbeatable foe that builds to a rousing and satisfying climax. The villains may verge on the cartoonish, but readers who enjoy movies where you have to fight the urge to shout "Stop! Don't open that door!" will love this one.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Bookmarks Magazine
Both Paranoia (2003) and Company Man (2005) captured the power plays implicit in the business world and put Joseph Finder at the top of the corporate thriller game. Killer Instinct doesn't disappoint. Finder, who convincingly portrays how salesmen close the deal in a cutthroat environment, focuses on character development: Steadman's wife, for example, is no Lady Macbeth but an empathetic character. Although the plot never suffers, a few reviewers called it more predictable and less intricately conceived than those of Finder's other books. Despite this criticism, Killer Instinct shows that "political thrillers and spy novels are tame compared to what goes on in the cubicles and offices" (South Florida Sun-Sentinel).
Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.
From AudioFile
It's hard to resist a business thriller in which the hero confidently assures he'll sell a bluff with "I'm a salesman, that's what I do." It's true Jason Steadman is a great salesman, but in the cutthroat business of a Boston electronics firm, he's too nice a guy. Scott Brick gets us inside this world with a smart and skillful pace and wickedly delivered corporate jargon. Jason makes a new friend whose "security" work takes an evil and deadly turn. He struggles to stay ahead of his friend-turned-foe. This skillful abridgment keeps the accelerator floored, and Brick keeps listeners gripping the seats. Brick and Finder have made a great team for the previous audios PARANOIA and COMPANY MAN, but KILLER INSTINCT is best-of-breed. R.F.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
Customer Reviews
White Collar Intrigue
Jason Steadman is coasting along in his mediocre sales job when his wife encourages him to pursue a promotion. He decides to go for it, even though the other two candidates for the job seem more likely to get it than him. Things really start to turn around for Jason one night, though, when he goes in the ditch and befriends the tow truck driver who comes to his aid. He invites Kurt Semko to join his company softball team, and then helps the disgraced ex-Special Forces soldier get hired in the security department where he works. Suddenly, Jason's rivals start suffering career setbacks while information Kurt helpfully provides Jason helps him close several deals, and his career takes off. It doesn't take Jason long to realize Kurt is using underhanded tactics not only to help him, but to harm his rivals. When Kurt starts really stepping over the line, Jason begins to realize that Kurt's insinuation into his life has gone dangerously deep, and he may pay an ultimate price for becoming Kurt's enemy.
It's fun to read a corporate thriller like this once in awhile, peopled by educated yuppies supposedly living the American dream. We get to scratch beneath the manicured surface to the sweat and desperation under the designer suits while getting a glimpse of just how cutthroat the civilized practice of doing business can be. This book also adds an element of danger for a page-turning read and ranks up there among the other white collar thrillers I have read.
Great twist
A very enjoyable book to read. Lots of twist and unexpected turns, a typical of Joseph Finder style. After this one, I am eager to read his latest...the Power Play.
Corporate chaos
Enjoyable story. Great plot. I like the twist about the police officer investigating Jason Steadman. In the end, he was a impostor cop. Joseph Finder got me on that one. He knows how to make that twist that takes us by surprise. There are lots of twist on this one. I like the characters on this one except the wife. She seems a little too out there. But as far as Jason and the other employee surrounding him, I thought they were all believable character. They were all after a promotion. Aren't we all?
