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"** Jason Steadman is a thirty-year-old sales executive living in Boston ands 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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"THIS IS SIMPLY ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ.The lead character is both real and witty- and Kurt Semko is one of the best written villians ever. There are a host of supporting characters who are also picture perfect. I did not want this book to end!!!!!!!"
— Rick (5 out of 5 stars)
“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 presentationsScott 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 presentationsThere's a new John Grisham in town!
— People Magazine (Critic's Choice) on ParanoiaJet-propelled…weaves a tangled and ingeniously enveloping web…[with] a killer twist for the end.
— The New York Times on ParanoiaA built-for-speed thrill ride.
— Wall Street Journal on Paranoia" It was a page turner that I enjoyed but certainly nothing memorable. "
— Steve, 2/10/2014" Page-turner? Yes. Thrilling? Yes. High quality? No.. Not witty neither. So...mixed feeling. "
— Noam, 1/25/2014" Scott Brick does another great job narrating this audio book, but the story itself is fairly predictable, though somewhat enjoyable. "
— Robert, 1/7/2014" 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, 12/19/2013" Lover the bonus interview snippet with Malcolm Gladwell at the end. "
— Karen, 12/11/2013" I've become quite a fan of these Finder books. They're very contemporary. Actually, this one was a little chilling in how closely it captured current day corporate politics. Kurt was a superb villain. Quite addictive. "
— Herzog, 11/28/2013" Was a little slow going to start, and abrupt with the end, but it was masterfully written! "
— Alexsis, 11/22/2013" Suspenseful page-turner. Liked the twist at the end. "
— Shae, 10/8/2013" Short story, could have used more background. "
— Tldougherty, 5/20/2013" 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, 5/14/2013" Good suspense novel. Read it over the weekend as snow flakes continued to fall! "
— Mary, 3/7/2013" Meh.... Lousy ending. It was like this entire book was ripped from a movie on Lifetime. I was disappointed. "
— Beanse, 12/24/2012" I enjoyed this read "
— Mary, 12/16/2012" 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, 11/1/2012" I couldn't put it down. "
— Gail, 10/24/2012" Very good! Even though the synopsis gives you an idea of what is going to happen in the book, it was still kept me wondering how it was all going to end. "
— Wendy, 11/24/2011" 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, 11/22/2011" good, good, good. "
— Paige, 9/8/2011" This was a good audiobook read by Scott Brick which we listened to while on a road trip. It had tense situations and good characters. One was a little over the top in what he could accomplish, but this was a good corporate thriller. "
— Cecelia/Ceil, 7/20/2011" Better than the last which was pretty good. John Grishamesque. "
— Tom, 7/4/2011" 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, 7/29/2010Joseph 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.
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.