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Killfile

September 22, 2016

It's Burn Notice meets Psych with just a hint of Jack Bauer for zest. How much better can you get?


I blame Crystal for this one. A while ago this email showed up in my inbox exhorting the potential brilliance of this book. I’ve never considered by myself a mystery fan, but I do enjoy a good thriller every now and then. Since this one fell solidly into the thriller category I decided to give it a whirl. 
And then it whirled me right back!
Killfile is pretty much nonstop action from the beginning to the end. It twisted this way and that – sometimes I caught it, sometimes I didn’t, but all twists were enjoyed.  I thought I would just fly through it quickly, but the book has some depth and it will take you a little bit to your way across the pages. I wish I could have done it in one setting, and you don’t know how close several people came to being punched when they interrupted me and made me stop reading. Oy! I’m telling you. Oy!
So our main character G Calen’s his way through life with the generic moniker, John Smith. He’s ex-Special Forces, and he can read minds. Not in a Miss Cleo-psychic way. Somehow he is physically able to mind meld with people (eat your heart out, Spock) and can make them see things or share their deepest darkest secrets. This talent comes in handy when one of the richest men in the world, Mr. Sloan, hires him to wipe the mind of his former protegee who allegedly stole his secret algorithm, which is the basis for his billion dollar empire. Of course, he’s given a beautiful and capable assistant in Kelsey, an employee of Sloans who comes along to supervise. 
Guess what? Hijinks ensue. No spoilers here, though.
So thanks Crystal* for the recommendation. This is one of the most exciting books I’ve read in a long time. Crystal is also the purveyor of the Killer Thrillers Book Club. This group meets on the first Thursday of every month from 12-1 at the Main Library. If you like thrillers like this one, definitely check out the Killer Thrillers Book Club. Their next meeting is October 6th, when they are going to discuss Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. That’s two weeks away – you’ve still got plenty of time to get that read and join in the fun.
Killfile is the first book I’ve read by Farnsworth, but I have a feeling it won’t be the last. He also has a series about a vampire that has to protect the president. I think I’m going to check that out next.
Happy thrilling…not killing…
:) Amanda
* Crystal is now 4 for 4 on personal recommendations. These include Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden series, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, and another Killer Thriller past favorite, Michael Connelly and his Lincoln Lawyer, in addition to Killfile. Seriously, you gotta check these out.

 

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Amanda

Amanda is a classically-trained pianist who loves to read. Like any good librarian, she also has two cats named after Italian cities. Amanda spends her free time sitting in Nashville traffic, baking, and running the Interlibrary Loan office at the Nashville Public Library.