The Enemy (Victor the Assassin Book 2)

Another good read. Lots of moving parts to keep track of, making the closing of the contract confusing if you haven't kept your ducks in a row. A harrowing ending.

I don’t know why this series isn’t better known. These books are gripping and intense. They are well written, clearly well researched, and very entertaining. I’m looking forward to the third book.

The action was good, the story was good, but the characters! Oh lord every other page you were adding a new character and it really became hard to keep up with who was who. Like seriously I found myself going back time and time again through the book trying to figure out who I was reading about this time.

I have to admit to being a bit of an 'espionage, super assassin' novel junkie. There are certain authors who are on my list of automatic purchase when they publish a new book. Brad Thor, Lee Child, Marc Cameron, etc. Tom Wood just got put on that list.Both this book and the one before were some of the best I've read of the genre. I read both back to back so I'm not going to distinguish one versus the other. Both were well written with interesting characters and plots. I really enjoyed how the protagonist starts out as someone who you're prepared to dislike but twists in the opposite direction. Even better, if I spotted any stupid mistakes, they were few and minor. I'm still laughing about the Sig Sauer revolver with a safety in someone else's books. Anyway, both of his books were engaging and not quite the easy reads that some other authors publish.

The flaw I found unacceptable was the one in which the target (Victor) of the highly trained, intelligent and efficient Israeli team bound his hands in front of him instead of behind him while in a sedan flanked by only one operator with a gun who happened to be distracted for a second, and thereby overpowered not only him but the entire team and driver riding in the car! I don't know much but I'm not totally dum.

I am a very big fan of Tom Wood. The Enemy is story full of action, intrigue and a very accomplished assassin. Victor, who was a freelance assassin, has been given another assignment by his handler the assistant director of the CIA. Unfortunately Victor can't plan his hits like he is accustomed to doing. Instead is sent out into action with only a few days or less to accomplish his job. Being careful and not making mistakes has helped him to keep his identity a secret, but his new handler does not care about this sends him head first into a dangerous situation. Now Victor is being stalked by another assassin who wants to kill Victor and also has concerns regarding his new boss. Will he survive this mission or will this be his last.

Victor is now working for the CIA, and thrust into the turf war between to arms dealers. When Victor attempts to complete an assignment, he discovers a third party is interested in the transaction, and they are from Israeli intelligence. So now, in addition to attempting to carry out his assignment for the CIA, Victor must also avoid the attentions of the Kidon, the secretive group of Israeli assassins. Wood spins a complicated tale, but is incredibly faithful to be realistic, rich in detail, and never in a hurry to move the story. He trusts the reader to be able to follow a complicated plot line, with competing interests, and various characters. These are highly interesting and satisfying novels. Wood is an accomplished author.

I read a lot, mostly while working out etc.... I have to admit,that most of the books I've read lately are dreck, consisting of terrible implausible writing. I'd put 90% in that category. Some are so bad that I just don't bother to finish them.I'm happy to say that this series, so far has turned out to be the exception to this. Well thought out plot. Plausible characters and enough high tech info to make it interesting. Keep up the good work!

The Enemy, Tom Wood's follow-up to  The Hunter  and once again featuring professional killer Victor, is in many ways an excellent thriller. The plot unfolds with Swiss watch-like precision but at the same time remains interestingly unpredictable, with numerous unforeseen twists and turns to events. Those events remain within the realms of plausibility without the need to skimp on the action. Characterisation is solid and individuals' behaviour and motivations remains realistic. The action is clearly written but punchy and exciting. The technical details feel accurate and well researched.Why then only three stars? Because, despite all its strengths, The Enemy remains a book I admire for its technical prowess but can't say that I really enjoyed and there's one reason for that, the character of Victor himself.Yes, he's a highly competent assassin but as a central protagonist he's decidedly lacking. He's not charismatic enough for me to forgive the fact that he's essentially just a cold blooded killer and turn him into a first class anti-hero. Equally there's no 'conflicted-killer looking for a way out/redemption' arc to generate sympathy for him or humanise him. As a result the book leaves us with no-one to really empathise or associate with. Yes, I could appreciate the stakes Victor found himself playing for, but because I didn't really care for the character I wasn't invested in whether or not he survived. At least in the Hunter he was in the company of an innocent civilian caught up in a dangerous situation, giving the reader someone to identify with and genuinely root for.The result is that The Enemy becomes a slick, well crafted thriller but one that is almost entirely soulless and that makes it difficult to really love. The Hunter

Victor is back...Tom Wood burst onto the scene last year with his debut novel `The Hunter'. Introducing a new anti-hero in Victor, an assassin for hire, `The Hunter' was a lesson in action thriller writing. Following such an excellent debut is no easy task.After the explosive first chapter however, any worries about Wood living up to the high standard he set last year disappear. From the first page, it's clear you're in safe hands. Wood has an innate sense of how to tell an intricate story, with the plot strands weaving together to create an expansive story set in a number of different countries.Now, for a little confession...I generally dislike books in this genre. But, in the same vein of my enjoying Matt Hilton's series of Joe Hunter books, Tom Wood has created an incredible way of telling this kind of story, which allows a reader to suspend their disbelief throughout. You'll go with Victor on his journey, wherever it takes you, purely due to the fact Wood is a quite mesmerising writer. His prose is sparse yet absorbing, with an excellent knack for description and detail which never intrudes on the story.More aspects of Victor's personality are revealed in 'The Enemy', his intelligence coming to the fore in this tale. Always one step ahead of his enemy, there's a reason why he's stayed alive for so long. On the surface, he's an evil man. Killing without emotion or reason. Yet, you can't help but root for him as he becomes the target, which is a real skill with this type of character., `The Enemy' firmly puts Tom Wood at the top echelons of his genre. Great characterisation, complex yet eminently readable, and so suspenseful, it will keep you up all night turning the next page until the end. This was a joy to read, and I can't wait for the next instalment.

It's the same kind of repetitive and overly convoluted plot as the previous book. The CIA are all corrupt psychopaths who want to kill everyone to cover their tracks. Anybody from the Middle East or Eastern Europe is a crazed fanatic. I gave up 70% through. It's not an enjoyable book and it's far to easy to put down.

To describe this book as unputdownable is simple an understatement.The unpredictable action just never stops. Victor the assassin somehow comes across as a likeable guy in an unlikely job.He is either on the threshold of life and death as he pursues his targets, or in the same position as he is pursued by an understandably angry swarm of human hornets whose nest he has just stirred up.The description of the action in the field is nail-biting, the double-crosses keepcoming,and Victor needs to be full of surprises if he is to survive, leave alone meet his objectives.Victor has been compared with Jack Reacher. I enjoyed the first few Reacher novelsbut eventually abandoned them, as Reacher does not seem to possess a soul.Even an assassin needs a soul to make him human, and thereby someone we fellow humans can identify with, despite the job. Whatever,I hope Tom Wood continues with the Victor novels. Thanks to Tom Wood for releasing his books on Kindle.

The first in the series kept me on the edge of my seat, right until the last page. This book, however, took the chair away so many times that my heart was in my mouth all the way to the end. The plot twists and turns like a bent corkscrew, while the action was so fast paced that I could feel the bullets coming at me. The author placed me by Victor's side every cut and thrust of the way, not knowing what lay behind the corner. This book is a seriously good read. But be careful, someone may be watching...