Killer Instinct
"Jason Steadman is a thirty-year-old sales executive for a major electronics company. 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." "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...
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The latest "high octane thrill ride"* from the international bestselling "CEO of Suspense"— hailed by critics as "perhaps the finest of the contemporary thriller novelists"***San Francisco Chronicle** Pittsburgh Post GazettePublishers WeeklyIn Finder's newest business thriller (after Company Man), Jason Steadman, a middle-management salesman for an international electronics firm, befriends mysteriously well-connected tow-truck driver Kurt Semko and suddenly finds himself on the fast track to the executive suite, thanks mainly to the misfortunes of others. When a suspicious Steadman confronts Semko, his benefactor turns into a deadly foe who threatens to kill him, his wife and newborn baby. Finder's informed view of the dark side of the corporate world is deliciously devious and he is shrewd and witty enough to provide his likable hero with a particularly credible weapon against the seemingly omnipotent opponent: his salesmanship. Steadman, the narrator of this terrifying tale, is blessed with the gift of gab, and Scott Brick, one of the busier audio book performers, smoothly adjusts his delivery to the novel's carefully crafted patter and pacing. This includes quick shifts of tenor and tone to give voice to the self-confident sociopath Semko, Steadman's level-headed but needy wife, and his disgruntled and pink-slip-prone co-workers. Finder has created first-class material, but here it's Brick's impressive pitch that makes the sale. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin's hardcover. (Reviews, Mar. 13). (May.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Killer Instinct\ \ By Finder, Joseph \ St. Martin's Press\ Copyright © 2006 Finder, Joseph\ All right reserved.\ ISBN: 0312347472 \ \ \ Chapter One
\ From Barnes & NobleThe Barnes & Noble Review\ We've all seen the catchy business titles -- Victory Secrets of Attila the Hun, Patton on Leadership, The Art of War for Managers, et al. -- but in Joseph Finder's corporate thriller, the kill-or-be-killed philosophies expounded upon in those types of books are taken to a deadly new level: one where business really is war.\ \ Jason Steadman is a mild-mannered corporate executive working for a Boston-based electronics firm called Entronics. His idea of danger is going to bed without brushing his teeth, but when a fender-bender introduces him to a tow truck driver named Kurt Semko, his entire world is turned upside down. Lacking the killer instinct to close the big deal and ascend the treacherous corporate ladder, Steadman befriends Semko -- a former Special Forces officer who did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan -- and soon begins picking up invaluable advice from the enigmatic man. Because of Semko's help, Steadman is promoted; in return, the exec hooks up his newfound friend with a job as a corporate security officer at Entronics. But Semko's continued "help" involves some highly unethical -- and eventually murderous -- activities; and when Steadman tries to put a stop to them, he is forced to find out if he really has the killer instinct… \ \ Readers will find it virtually impossible to put Killer Instinct down until the very last page. Finder seamlessly blends the intelligence and intrigue of financial thrillers à la Peter Spiegelman and Stephen Frey with an underlying dark foreboding similar to a Dean Koontz or Peter Straub novel. Well written, witty, and wildly explosive, Killer Instinct is easily one of the best thrillers of 2006 -- Stephen King meets Tom Peters. Paul Goat Allen\ \ \ \ \ Publishers WeeklyIn Finder's newest business thriller (after Company Man), Jason Steadman, a middle-management salesman for an international electronics firm, befriends mysteriously well-connected tow-truck driver Kurt Semko and suddenly finds himself on the fast track to the executive suite, thanks mainly to the misfortunes of others. When a suspicious Steadman confronts Semko, his benefactor turns into a deadly foe who threatens to kill him, his wife and newborn baby. Finder's informed view of the dark side of the corporate world is deliciously devious and he is shrewd and witty enough to provide his likable hero with a particularly credible weapon against the seemingly omnipotent opponent: his salesmanship. Steadman, the narrator of this terrifying tale, is blessed with the gift of gab, and Scott Brick, one of the busier audio book performers, smoothly adjusts his delivery to the novel's carefully crafted patter and pacing. This includes quick shifts of tenor and tone to give voice to the self-confident sociopath Semko, Steadman's level-headed but needy wife, and his disgruntled and pink-slip-prone co-workers. Finder has created first-class material, but here it's Brick's impressive pitch that makes the sale. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin's hardcover. (Reviews, Mar. 13). (May.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.\ \ \ Library JournalFinder's (Company Man) latest corporate thriller takes place in an electronic company's Massachusetts sales office. Sales executive Jason Steadman faces problems at home and on the job. His pregnant wife wants him to become more ambitious, but Jason's boss doesn't think he's aggressive enough to become district sales manager. An automobile accident brings former special forces officer Kurt Semko into Jason's life. Kurt was once part of the Detroit Tigers' farm system, so Jason soon recruits him for the company softball team, then lands him a job with the firm's security department. Suddenly Jason's coworkers suffer a series of mishaps that hands the manager's position to Jason, placing him in the middle of a messy reorganization. Jason suspects his new friend is ruthlessly assisting in his advancement, forcing a confrontation that endangers Jason, his wife, and their unborn child. Finder follows the basic plot line of his previous book, but his settings and characters provide an excellent feel for the high-pressured corporate world. Narrated excellently by Scott Brick, this book is recommended for all audio collections, especially those with fans of corporate thrillers.\ —Stephen L. Hupp\ \ \ \ \ Kirkus ReviewsThe corporate jungle continues to be more perilous than the Evil Empire ever was in this latest suit-eat-suit thriller from former spymaster Finder (Company Man, 2005, etc.). Everything would have been fine if Jason Steadman hadn't driven his Acura off the road while he was on the cell phone with wife Kate, and if Kate hadn't been so anxious for him to get ahead at Entronics, where as district sales manager he sells plasma TVs. Thanks to Kate's urging, he applies for a promotion to a management position. And thanks to his new acquaintance, tow-truck-driver Kurt Semko, he has the secret weapon to make his rise unstoppable. At first Jason thinks he's just putting a ringer on the Entronics softball team (Kurt is one mean pitcher who nearly turned pro). Then he thinks he's just doing Kurt a favor when he urges the Entronics security chief to hire him despite his dishonorable discharge from Special Forces. Then he thinks he's just a lucky guy as his career takes off like a rocket. Jason's competitors for the management job miss crucial sales appointments. Their computers go down at the worst possible moments. Important prospects who've refused Jason's sales pitches are suddenly queuing up to sign on the dotted line. His success is crowned by new cars, a better address, even a fancy pram for the baby he and Kate thought they'd never have. Even at birth, that baby could probably tell where this is all heading, especially with the help of Finder's subtle signposts (old buddy to Jason: "You've gone over to the dark side"; sadder but wiser Jason to Kurt: "Just one more time"). Wait for the inevitable movie, which will at least boil Finder's predictable thrills down to two hours. First printing of250,000\ \ \ \ \ From the Publisher\ "This thriller is engaging from the opening lines and doesn't let up until the surprising end. Scott Brick narrates flawlessly… Brick maintains tension and builds nonstop suspense. This great performance is a perfect fit for the writing."--AudioFile on Paranoia--Winner of AudioFile's Earphones Award for truly exceptional presentations\ "Scott Brick, a seasoned reader, knows just how to keep you on the edge of your seat with this one… Good "Company" for a long road trip." --AudioFile on Company Man--Winner of AudioFile's Earphones Award for truly exceptional presentations\ "There's a new John Grisham in town!" --People Magazine (Critic's Choice) on Paranoia\ "Jet-propelled…weaves a tangled and ingeniously enveloping web…[with] a killer twist for the end." --The New York Times on Paranoia\ "A built-for-speed thrill ride." --Wall Street Journal on Paranoia\ \ \
