The Enemy (Victor the Assassin Book 2)

Victor is one bad ass dude, very lucky too. Great action with a good pace and a plot that adds many twists and turns. Even a few surprises. Well worth the money this series of books has been great in the two I have read so far.

Too wordy -- somethings could be said in a paragraph rather than pages, plus too descriptive of all the guns -- that goes on and on -- probably a good book for veterans!! That's is where I will donate them when I am finished....

A truly mesmerizing . . . a powerful, forward-driving plot and lots of brutality. I loved it, and I know why I consider this author one of my favourites.

To reveal more, particularly details of a hair-raising climax, would be to destroy the reader's enjoyment, but like the rest of this first-class piece of action work, it's ingenious and delivered with all the subtlety of a kick in the teeth.

Victor is just a great leading character, a rogue but a likable rogue and he matchs all fiction characters around at the moment.

Tom Wood fills the books with great strong characters, great plot and sub plots, tension, huge shocks, great details, it is like being on a rollercoaster ride, the whole book that is so hard to put down that travels around the globe with details of so many different countries.

I can only say to you, read this book, read ALL his books.

The story was excellent, the characters were well developed, but there too many characters or players in the game to where I got lost of who's who in the crime spy world. I listened to this in audio and the narrator was awesome. Good tone, speed of reading, clarity, etc. The story was a little hard to follow and the fight scenes over the top. Need to tone down on the super-human capabilities. There are plenty of plot twists, gun fights, fist fights, torture, etc. to keep the reader interested.

Victor the ultimate assassin.
Superb is the best word to describe Tom Wood’s masterful assassin action thriller The Enemy. Meet Victor assassin extraordinaire, a combination of Mitch Rapp, John Rain and Jack Reacher! A solitary man of impeccable ethics and finely tuned skills, who operates in the shadowy world of assassin for hire. Currently engaged by the CIA in an elaborate plot to destroy two of the world’s largest illegal arms dealers, Victor is tasked to set the competing syndicates against each other by assassinating key figures in both organizations. A deliciously intricate plot, it all goes terribly awry and Victor soon finds himself apparently abandoned by his CIA handler and being hunted by both an Israeli Mossad Kidon squad and another CIA clandestine hunter-killer Spec Ops “A” team. The realistic action come fast and furious as Victor finds himself boxed in on all sides. He must use ALL his skills to find a way out—If he can.
Character development was excellent. The first book in this series, The Killer, is hard to find but Mr. Wood does an excellent job of educating the reader on who Victor is. The next book, The Game, is due out now and will, I’m sure, further develop Victor. I did enjoy his complex relationship with his CIA handler as it was used to help define just who and what Victor is. Victor is a multifaceted character who gives The Enemy exquisite depth and brings the novel alive. By the end of the novel I found myself rooting for Victor to defeat those sent to kill him.
No gratuitous language, violence or sex. Just lots of well done and very believable covert action. Victor’s complex relationship with a high class prostitute is very illuminating of his character and personality and gives the reader insight into just who Victor really is. He is very similar to the John Rain character in Barry Eisler novels.
5+ star must read recommend. Tom Wood is the new Vince Flynn (R.I.P Vince) and although Mitch Rapp is gone Victor lives. As Rick said in Casablanca (paraphrased), “Tom Wood, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”

This is a sequel to Hunter (Victor the Assassin), but if you haven't read that book it doesn't matter too much: all you need to know is that our "hero" Victor is an assassin who usually operates as a lone wolf but who is required to undertake some jobs for a clandestine CIA operation. As in the first book, we learn very little about Victor other than that he is cold, ruthless and very, very good at what he does. That doesn't stop the character from winning the reader over.

The book develops quickly with lots of action and there is also plenty of detail about weaponry and the various locations which give it a terrific sense of realism. Whilst the plot is engaging enough, what I particularly liked was the insight given into the way that an assassin operates. The (dead exciting) ending sets it up nicely for another instalment, which I look forward to.

There are a number of writers mining similar territory: Sam Cain, Mark Greaney, Vince Flynn - but I think Tom Wood is the best in the genre. If you like the Bourne movies, I think it's a pretty safe bet that you'll like this book too.

Tom Wood is back with another fast-paced thriller featuring assassin-for-hire Victor, and the good news for anyone who has read the previous book, The Hunter, is that it has the same qualities of taut, vivid, descriptive writing combined with tense explosive action, espionage and conspiracy in colourful Asian and European settings. If you haven't read the first novel however, it won't matter either, because we're more or less back to scratch at the start of The Enemy. That comes at the cost of there not being any real character development - you'll get to the end of this book also and still not know much about Victor's personality other than his abilities as an amoral assassin - but the compensating factors of the novel being an extremely well-written conspiracy thriller more than make up for that.

If there's one thing you will quickly find out about Victor however, it's that as an international assassin-for-hire of the highest reputation, he may be an unquestioning tool to be used by higher powers to further their own agendas, but he's nobody's fool. He knows that in this business you need to look after your own back, and you don't take unnecessary risks. Victor has however reluctantly had to put aside the security of his lone-wolf status in order to fulfill an obligation that sees him working under contract to the CIA. Unofficially, of course. Victor asks no questions, but it soon becomes obvious that there is a pattern to the hits he is being asked to carry out - all of them involving major criminal international arms dealers - at very short notice and in highly risky circumstances that he would never normally accept. Victor however has proved himself capable of looking after himself in the past, and that proves to be the case here, when things inevitably don't go exactly according to plan.

There's a direct simplicity in the titles of the Victor books that reflects the single-minded approach of the writing, but there's also a certain amount of ambiguity in them that is characteristic of the subject and the more complex motives at play. In The Hunter, it wasn't always clear who was hunted and who was the hunter, and it's the same with The Enemy. In this line of business, it's not always possible to tell your friends from your enemies, and allegiances can be easily bought. If it's difficult to gain a grasp of Victor as anything more than a highly intelligent, amoral killing machine, he's a perfect reflection of qualities needed to survive in the world he operates in. Whether you want to look for anything deeper in the work, or whether it's even there, Tom Wood depicts this world of covert foreign policy activity and international conspiracy with meticulous detail, and he plots it with thrilling pace and conviction. Placed alongside the ever capable and intriguing Victor, the reader gains a great view of it all, and is undoubtedly in safe hands.

5*+ Brilliant! Over the years Victor the assassin has been hired by many groups around the world to take care of those on their hit list. He does this with a great deal of planning and acquiring all the right weapons to do the job with proficiency and expertise. Victor is at the top of his game. However, the CIA has snagged him, and if he wants to remain a free independent they have demanded in no uncertain terms for him to assassinate three major top gun runners. There is plenty of fast action, fast paced, and never a dull moment from the first page to the last. ‘The Enemy’ is an exceptional spy thriller novel and one of the finest espionage books out there. Highly recommended!

The Killer was superb, The Enemy is an excellently executed and superbly written sequel. The Game is out in November and without a doubt will be another marvel. Attention to detail, very plausible and believable developments and twists set Wood's novels apart from many others. "Victor's" novels are equally matched with Kaplan's "Scorpion" and Greaney's "Grey Man" series. While Andrew Kaplan has been around for a long time and his first Scorpion story dates back 20 years and then picks up in the 21st century with the last three installments, Tom Hinshelwood (Wood) and Mark Greaney are relatively new authors and all three have the same gift of delivering the story narrative in a precise and taut style, not overly meandering and wordy a.l.a DeMille or vintage Clancy. These guys are the new future of the genre.

After his last job Victor is working with the CIA, he has 3 people to kill are all people that deal with guns and other war items, Victor is told who to kill and when it to be done, one of the people to be killed has a group of people watching and taping everything that is going on in the hotel room, there get Victor voice and face on one of the cameras but there go in and get caught and shot by Victor, the book has lots of action and Victor now has to watch his back because of the group that he had killed.
he tries to kill someone on the list and finds him self being hunted by another group of people that are out to kill him,
there is so much going on in the book but as you get near the end it all get together, there is a great twist near the end which you don't expect can't wait to start the next book The Game

I do love this series.
Victor is really, really good at his job. The books don't just say, "Victor is really good at his job" and leave it at that. There are so many things that he does that most people would never think about. I am greatly impressed that the author put so much time and thought into every move that Victor makes and specifies why.
I plan on reading everyone of these books.

Kindle Edition, published March 13th, 2012
Hachette Digital

There's a huge difference between being a triggerman and being someone's triggerman.
Victor is understandably upset about the CIA holding him on a leash, but there's not
much the former freelance killer, now employee of the month can do about it. Three
kills and you're free to go. That's what his handler promised him.
He hates a rush-job, much can go wrong, but even Victor couldn't have foreseen the
international hornets' nest he's about to step on. No one to turn to, no one he
trusts - will Victor come out on top or end up six feet under?

Does a reviewer lose credibility when rating three books by the same author five stars in a row? I had to ask myself this question, because after his debut novel The Hunter and in-between short story Bad Luck in Berlin, Wood once again wowed me into stunned silence with his latest release The Enemy. My take on this: Not when one can back the positive verdict up with a good explanation. Well, here is mine:

No way am I going anywhere near the story, for it would without a doubt spoil something for you. That statement alone should tell you how complex and multidimensional a web of characters and plot lines the author has woven. Just a vague mention to give you an idea of what to expect; I counted five major players on the field, including Victor himself. I use the term player (singular) loosely. It took a while to bring the links connecting them to light, and that's among the many aspects I loved about this read. It kept me wondering; kept me guessing and thus my eyes glued to the pages.

On this level of multilayered writing you always run the risk of inconsistencies, but let me assure you, Wood knew exactly what he was doing. How can I be so sure?
I took a long, hard look: [Insert picture of mindmap here-unfortunately the store doesn't allow that]

Every aspect of this story oozed with confidence and the more chapters I read the clearer it became that no matter how many twists and turns the reader encounters, in the end, Victor was bound to arrive at a specific point. I didn't even want to guess at it, and instead, let the main character take me on a ride full of surprises, shocking revelations and much a*s-kicking. Did I mention a*s-kicking?

The writing excels at its attention to detail as well as the fast-paced flow that carries the characters and plot. The joy Wood must've felt writing expressed itself in the words he chose. Gripping, graphic, first-rate!

Victor as the antihero leaves Barry Eisler's John Rain in the dust. The suspense reminds me of action a la Vince Flynn. In your face, but without the "Mitch -R-e-p-u-b- Rapp" political message of the same nature. Victor is a hands-on kind of guy! In terms of thorough research, Wood is on his way to Daniel Silva's sphere. We're talking carefully selected and effectively presented details about settings (all over the globe), toys (Victor's preferred choices of weapons) and pre-emptive measures (detecting surveillance). I couldn't put this book down! You've heard that one before? It's true. I fell asleep with my Kindle next to me and was three seconds away from a heart attack when the battery decided to die on me the following day at 96 %. Seriously, I was about to pop a freakin' vein. It was that good.

Nothing is as it seems. Better scribble that on your palm. You'd think I've learned my lesson by now (Bad Luck in Berlin), but Wood did it again, throwing me off balance in the span of one - as in the first - chapter. Forget about being eased into the story, think cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine. I was so sure about what's going to happen, just to be surprised at the unexpected turn of events. You just never know what the author is up to. Awesome!

The book had the right amount of plausibility to be unsettling and scary, and the perfect amount of implausibility to entertain the heck outta me. This formula works exceptionally well for me and my particular tastes (it has in the past with his other work, too), however, that doesn't mean this thriller is just more of the same. Far from it! You may recognize the writing style, it also gives you the opportunity to catch up with an old friend (Victor is back!), but the story is what makes it so unique. I am glad the blurb didn't give much away.

On to the man of the -h-o-u-r- novel: There's depth to the character. Full stop.
Maybe I'm reading too much into it, or imagining things, but I felt the enormous impact his involuntary working arrangement with the CIA had on Victor's psyche (much more so than in Bad Luck in Berlin). He was difficult to understand before, this time around...wholly unpredictable. I followed him to the edge and back (Would he really? He wouldn't! Would he?). What an incredible showdown! Maybe the best I've read so far (and I've read a lot).

Wood puts the thrill back in thriller.
When is book #3 coming out? Not sure I'll survive the wait.
5 brightly sparkling stars (I can't give 6 after all) to
The Enemy by Tom Wood.

Beware of Spoilers!
A few of my favorite quotes for those of you who are interested:
° "He blended into the background, seldom seen, rarely noticed. Unremembered."
° "...he seemed just like them - flesh and blood, skin and bone - but he also knew that that was where the similarities ended."
° "You have to dream to have nightmares..."
° "...preferred to conduct it with as much legality as could be illegally purchased."
° "He won't like it. - If he stamps his feet, we'll remind him who his daddy is. - And he'll like that even less."
° "For the things I have done I know the devil saves a place for me in hell. So when I am to burn, what does one more sin matter?"

Without a doubt, Tom Wood is a really good writer and his main character, Victor the Assassin, reminds on, just a little, of Lawrence Block's Keller. Unfortunately his publishers cause a great deal of confusion. His first book, "The Killer" was published under the name Tom Hinshelwood, rather than Tom Wood. His new book, "The Game" was previously published under the name "The Enemy," as the store correctly points our, in spite of the fact that the cover of "The Game" stipulates that it is the first time in print. His book "The Hunter" was a retitling of "The Killer." Unfortunately this kind of thing is not uncommon, but it really is confusing. All this aside, he is an author that shoud be more widely read and enjoyed, but be careful not to buy what is essentially the same book twice.

This book is outstanding. I enjoyed it from page 1 to the end. I just hope this author doesn't turn around and name it something else and release it again like his last one. Wood is a good author and I enjoy his books. Keep them coming.

This author is fantastic. He gets what action readers are looking for. Great plots, interesting characters, and locations we will never visit. My only fake complaint is that Victor in addition to killing just about everyone he meets is also killing my sleep. it is so hard to put these books down. Buy this book

If you want to learn about sophisticated firearms, read this book. if you want to learn about CIA covert operations, throw this book in the trash. It is pure nonsense. I wonder why the author chose to target CIA as the doer of bad deeds and not MI 6?