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Killer Instinct: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.02) - 1,384 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Jason Steadman is a thirty-year-old sales executive living in Boston and working for an electronics giant, a competitors to Sony and Panasonic. 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 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, as 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. *San Francisco Chronicle ** Pittsburgh Post Gazette Audio edition includes an exclusive bonus interview with Joseph Finder and Malcolm Gladwell, bestselling author of Blink and The Tipping Point!
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"A readable corporate thriller about a sales exec who makes a new friend in Kurt (ex Special Forces), who turns out to have rather interesting and problematic ideas about friendship. Mixed in with this is the highly-charged corporate sales environment (complete with ludicrous self-help programs), scheming rivals, an ambituous wife and machinations from the corporate suite. Shades of Macbeth. The audiobook was very well read by the excellent Scott Brick, to whom I would listen even if he was reciting a catalog of lawnmower parts."
— Marius (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“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
Awards
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Winner of the 2007 International Thriller Writers Award for Best Novel
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A 2007 Barry Award Nominee for Best Thriller
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
Killer Instinct Listener Reviews
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" One of the better industrial espionage books yet; interesting setting. "
— Louis, 2/13/2014 -
" This was a great read. I got really intense near the end. I'm from NH and this story took place in the Boston area. I enjoyed the fact that I recognized all the places talked about in the book. "
— Jay, 2/11/2014 -
" Great book, fantastic characters, good plot! This was the first book of his I've read and I will definitely be reading more! "
— Brandon, 1/30/2014 -
" Pretty decent and entertaining. I felt like I could predict most of the book which is why I give it a three. I did like the plot though... and though it sounds a little twisted I enjoyed the revenge on Jason's rivals. "
— Lynn, 1/29/2014 -
" I really enjoyed this book, the characters were well developed, and the plot had plenty of twists that keep it interesting until the very end. Finder did a great job with this book, and I look forward to reading another. "
— Jim, 1/28/2014 -
" This is one of the best book I've read written by Joseph Finder. Its fast pace, the characters are three-dimensional, the plot is suspenseful. "
— Ricca, 1/27/2014 -
" Not quite as memorable as Paranoia. At least it has a better ending where the hero takes matters into his own hands to stop the bad situation. But not quite as intense. "
— Kendar88, 1/24/2014 -
" Very fast read..predictable but interesting "
— Sheryl, 1/15/2014 -
" This book was a slow starter, but then got me going. I thought it interesting how easily people can be manipulated and not know it. Of course the good guy figures it out. "
— Sue, 12/23/2013 -
" Just okay for me. Didn't feel the "hero" character really earned it. But it was a decent thriller. "
— Emily, 12/13/2013 -
" Not as good as Paranoia, which was also by Joseph Finder. Read that instead if you want a quick corporate thriller. "
— Aaron, 12/7/2013 -
" New author for me...good book. I was annoyed at first because the jacket review told the plot too many important details, and the prologue seemed to give away the ending. But the author has a good writing style, so I pursued it, and was not disappointed. "
— Joanne, 11/25/2013 -
" This was much better than I thought it would be. A great corporate thriller. Almost reminded me of Grisham's "The Firm." "
— Kirk, 11/15/2013 -
" I enjoyed this read "
— Mary, 11/12/2013 -
" Loved it. Suspenseful. "
— Jeff, 10/4/2013 -
" Finder gives you the ending at the very beginning and even with that information I found it nearly impossible to get from point A (the beginning) to point B (the end). I really enjoyed this read and have thus moved on to the next Finder book. "
— Justin, 1/24/2013 -
" Lover the bonus interview snippet with Malcolm Gladwell at the end. "
— Karen, 11/30/2012 -
" Slow start, worth the wait! "
— Barbara, 11/12/2012 -
" Was a little slow going to start, and abrupt with the end, but it was masterfully written! "
— Alexsis, 11/1/2012 -
" good, good, good. "
— Paige, 5/15/2012 -
" The character development was so enimic. I hated the wife, did not care for Jason either. The plot just seemed so unrealistic. In my opinion it is fine to have one or two outlandish characters, but this was beyond the pale. I put it down early. Bleh! "
— Lizzie, 5/3/2012 -
" I enjoyed this book although there were moments I wanted to slap a character or two but so goes life. "
— Swanbender2001, 12/28/2011 -
" Michael Connelly, you finally have some competition! "
— Lynn, 7/14/2011 -
" An absorbing and compelling tale of corporate corruption at the higest level. It builds slowly and relentlessly, developing character and plot...but at times too much detail. Good weekend read. "
— Walter, 5/27/2011 -
" Good suspense novel. Read it over the weekend as snow flakes continued to fall! "
— Mary, 5/17/2011 -
" I don't ever want to work for that company!! "
— April, 4/27/2011 -
" I enjoyed this book although there were moments I wanted to slap a character or two but so goes life. "
— Swanbender2001, 4/3/2011 -
" Not quite as memorable as Paranoia. At least it has a better ending where the hero takes matters into his own hands to stop the bad situation. But not quite as intense. "
— Kendar88, 3/27/2011 -
" Good suspense novel. Read it over the weekend as snow flakes continued to fall! "
— Mary, 3/6/2011 -
" I agree with Fortune:"At long last someone has done for executives what John Grisham did for lawyers."<br/>I really like John Grisham. "
— Dad, 1/27/2011 -
" Great story; lots of action "
— Walter, 12/6/2010 -
" I really enjoyed this book, the characters were well developed, and the plot had plenty of twists that keep it interesting until the very end. Finder did a great job with this book, and I look forward to reading another. "
— Jim, 10/20/2010 -
" I think this dragged on a little in the middle, but the twist at the end caught me entirely by surprise. "
— Ddindfw, 8/20/2010 -
" One of the better industrial espionage books yet; interesting setting. "
— Louis, 8/1/2010 -
" very nice one. i am surprised by how much Finder knows about corporate world and sales process. <br/>I like to read more by now. "
— Asad, 7/29/2010
About Joseph Finder
Joseph Finder is the author of numerous New York Times bestselling novels, including. His novel Killer Instinct won the International Thriller Writers’s Thriller Award for Best Novel of 2006. Other bestselling titles include Paranoia and High Crimes, both of which became major motion pictures. Born in Chicago, he studied Russian at Yale and Harvard. He was recruited by the CIA, but decided he preferred writing fiction. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
About Scott Brick
Scott Brick, an acclaimed voice artist, screenwriter, and actor, has performed on film, television, and radio. He attended UCLA and spent ten years in a traveling Shakespeare company. Passionate about the spoken word, he has narrated a wide variety of audiobooks. winning won more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards and several of the prestigious Audie Awards. He was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine and the Voice of Choice for 2016 by Booklist magazine.