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Rating: 
Summary: Needs more action, less talk
Review: A hired killer known as JJ finds that someone in a government agency that employs him has ordered hits on various persons with whom he is involved. He suspects that he is on the list, too, and sets out to find and eliminate its author. The book starts out well but bogs down in pages of rumination and conversation, as JJ tries to extract information of various sorts from those he believes will lead him to his ultimate prey. This sort of escapist yarn needs to move a lot faster to keep my interest, and I finally set it aside about three quarters of the way through. I didn't even read the last page to see what becomes of JJ.
Rating: 
Summary: charming, complex killer
Review: He was earning a history degree when he veered one hundred and eighty degrees off course to become a free lance hit man. He works for a secret service organization in Great Britain but always knows he could accept employment elsewhere. His latest assignment is to kill Dave Bostridge, an American in a Russian hotel.
Two years later, J.J. aka William Hoffman is plying his trade when something unexpected happens, the predator becomes the prey. Everyone in his organization is being killed and J.J. doesn't know why. Ironically, it is at the Vermont bed and breakfast inn of Mr. Bostridge's family that JJ begins to get a glimmer of what started two years ago and is supposed to end with his life.
Surprisingly enough, J.J. isn't a character that will turn readers off but an enigma that the audience will want to figure out. The plot is basically simple and easy to follow but it is the characters and how they interact with J.J. that make PEOPLE DIE a very unusual and refreshing tour. Kevin Wignall has talent to create an anti-hero that will live on in the audience's memory. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: What can I say about Kevin, he honored me!
Review: I happened to meet the writer 4 years ago during an english course in England. In those times, I assume that "JJ" was already living in his mind and I have been delighted by the result. I enjoyed the novel, and i liked the way that Kevin seems to trully understand the thin line between being a professional, even if you are a killer, and acting humanely.
Kevin, hope to be invited to your second hit again.
The Real Lo Bello.
Rating: 
Summary: An Exciting, Intelligent Spy Thriller - Very Well Written!
Review: I recently read Kevin Wignall's "For The Dogs: A Novel," and was so impressed that I picked up his first book, "People Die." Although not as good as the last effort, "People Die" is certainly worth 4 Stars and makes for an exciting and unusual read. It is an extremely well-written, fast-paced, edgy, spy thriller, with a bit of satire thrown in.
William "JJ" Hoffman is the epitome of a professional. He's more-or-less a consultant in that the work he does is free-lance. And he has earned a reputation for himself as one of the best in his field - the business of assassination. His top clients include the CIA and M-16. He quietly and competently does the job, with no mess or complications. He is discreet and keeps his nose clean. As a matter of fact, some of his colleagues have actually said that if they had to be targeted for death, they would prefer JJ to make the hit.
His last job, in Moscow, was the execution of an American businessman - a supposedly devoted family man found in bed with a teenager who appeared to be a prostitute. JJ was mesmerized by the beautiful and exotic young girl and allowed her to escape. Her image, her presence, will remain with him throughout the novel. When she left the hotel room, she carried a package with her. Fast-forward two years. JJ is in Paris to contact his primary handler. He finds the man dead in his home library, brutally murdered. As Hoffman professionally scans the murder scene, he gets a sense that this is not just an isolated killing. Something is terribly wrong. It turns out that JJ has every reason to be paranoid. Apparently his network is being downsized - drastically. And he is a prime target. He has no idea who to trust, especially after a very close and trusted friend tries to kill him. Wignall leads the reader through a maze of twists and turns, where nothing is as it seems. And then the author seamlessly ties everything together in a breathtaking conclusion.
The character of "JJ" is extremely well developed. He is not just a man of action, as are many primary characters in suspense thrillers. There are periods where he becomes extremely introspective, especially when everyone he used to trust is dead or trying to kill him. He wonders how he ever became an assassin and if it is too late to lead a more balanced life. He has become marginalized - disconnected from his family and old friends. He finds himself isolated - totally alone. This darker, more melancholy theme gives the novel more depth than the traditional genre book.
I discovered a terrific writer when I read "For The Dogs." He doesn't disappoint with his 1st book either. I can't wait for his third. Kevin Wignall is an author whose work I highly recommend.
JANA
Rating:
Summary: a good quick read and a promising debut
Review: JJ is an assassin for hire. He kills quickly, cleanly and efficiently. It is very surprising, therefore, when he finds himself the target. Many of his former friends become his enemies as he tries to discover who wants him dead and why.
The novel starts off quite impressively. JJ is an interesting character and following him around keeps the pages turning. For the first half of the book, the pacing is brisk as JJ looks for clues where none exist and the body count piles up. Then, after traveling to the US, the author slows everything down and turns the second half into an introspective work as to why JJ does what he does for a living. We, in essence, go from a highly charged thriller to a psychological suspense novel. It almost appears the author couldn't make up his mind. The book is quite a slim volume so there is little time for too much more of a slowdown. A good quick read and a promising debut.
Rating:
Summary: a good quick read and a promising debut
Review: JJ is an assassin for hire. He kills quickly, cleanly and efficiently. It is very surprising, therefore, when he finds himself the target. Many of his former friends become his enemies as he tries to discover who wants him dead and why.
The novel starts off quite impressively. JJ is an interesting character and following him around keeps the pages turning. For the first half of the book, the pacing is brisk as JJ looks for clues where none exist and the body count piles up. Then, after traveling to the US, the author slows everything down and turns the second half into an introspective work as to why JJ does what he does for a living. We, in essence, go from a highly charged thriller to a psychological suspense novel. It almost appears the author couldn't make up his mind. The book is quite a slim volume so there is little time for too much more of a slowdown. A good quick read and a promising debut.
Rating:
Summary: A tight thriller that falls to sentimentality
Review: Overall, PD is perhaps one of the best genre novels I have read in the past six months. In terms of writing quality it has nothing to envy any book usually considered "literature." The author accomplished both a minimalist approach with no fat, virtually no repetition of useless information, and deep character development while at the same time moving ahead with a plot that could have been open ended. Unfortunately one pivotal character, "Ed Holden" comes across as not believable within the world that the protagonist "JJ" lives, ruining a carefully constructed atmosphere. To make things worse, its gritty, matter-of-fact tone yields to a Spielberg-type of sentimental ending that attempts to "redeem" the protagonist. Quite disappointing and a bit enerving to be taken for a salty ride only to be fed some candy at the end (author could learn a few things from the great masters of noir i.e. Dashiell Hammett, et.al. who never betrayed their fictional universes).
Rating:
Summary: already a classic
Review: Overall, PD is perhaps one of the best genre novels I have read in the past six months. In terms of writing quality it has nothing to envy any book usually considered "literature." The author accomplished both a minimalist approach with no fat, virtually no repetition of useless information, and deep character development while at the same time moving ahead with a plot that could have been open ended. Unfortunately one pivotal character, "Ed Holden" comes across as not believable within the world that the protagonist "JJ" lives, ruining a carefully constructed atmosphere. To make things worse, its gritty, matter-of-fact tone yields to a Spielberg-type of sentimental ending that attempts to "redeem" the protagonist. Quite disappointing and a bit enerving to be taken for a salty ride only to be fed some candy at the end (author could learn a few things from the great masters of noir i.e. Dashiell Hammett, et.al. who never betrayed their fictional universes).
Rating:
Summary: already a classic
Review: This is a great book. It's a thriller about a hitman on the run - basic stuff, but handled by Wignall with a master's touch. JJ is one of the most memorable leading characters I've seen for a long time and his thoughtful observation of the death he delivers so cold-bloodedly lifts this well above the level of most cosies and crime capers. I can see how some people have doubts about the end (I happen to think the author hits it perfectly) but even if you would have preferred a different ending, this will at least leave you thinking and live on in your mind. How many books can you say that about?
There's bound to be a movie, given how visual this is and how strong the central character is, so read it now, before Hollywood gets to it.
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