I didn't realise this was part of a series but I feel the backstory was handled well enough for that not to matter too much. I'd probably have benefitted from having read the previous installment at least but I still enjoyed this. It's fast paced, explosive and full of twists.

"Assassin Eighteen" by John Brownlow is the latest installment in an ongoing series that, for some readers, may be starting to feel a bit tedious. While the author continues to deliver the same signature elements that fans of the series have come to expect, such as intriguing characters and intricate plots, there is a sense of familiarity that might not be as engaging for long-time readers. For newcomers to the series, this book might still offer an enjoyable entry point into the world created by Brownlow. Ultimately, "Assassin Eighteen" maintains the series' core strengths but may leave some craving a bit more innovation or development in the storyline.

You can probably still hear my heart pounding after finishing 'Assassin Eighteen', I dont think I've ever read a book so packed full of adrenalin-fuelled chapters and escapes that are far too close for comfort,

Picking up almost exactly where 'Seventeen' finished, 'Assassin Eighteen' finds Seventeen living a quiet life out of harms' way in the remote American countryside; he hasn't killed anyone for a year and is planning on staying that way. But trouble comes to find him, and within pages, he has been lured out of his ultra secure home by a small girl who is aiming right for him. He has no idea who Mirielle is, or why she's been sent to kill him - but the good news for us readers is that he's back in action as he has to find out what's happening and what it has to do with him. Plot twist after plot twist follows as Seventeen chases the truth around the world, calling on all his shadiest connections and contacts to find out who is behind the original hit and what it means. He reunites with Kat, ex-lover turned barista; the two of them are the bravest most foolhardy characters I think I've ever read about.

So far, so good - and the book is a brilliant thriller chock full of gun chases, unlikely escapes, double crossing, triple crossing, hired heavies, vehicles I've never even heard of - so this is definitely a book for you if you that's your thing. What elevated it for me was the background stories to a lot of the characters; they were given time and space in the book to tell their tale. There are sections about Boko Haram, about American white supremacists, the Chinese famine, so many additional elements and I would read a story about all of them if John Brownlow was writing it.

Fantastic nailbiting jawdropping awe-inspiring = go grab a copy!

“Seventeen”, the first book in this series, was a rather good “cat and mouse” thriller featuring two top assassins. So, I was very much looking forward to this follow up.
Our assassin is off the grid in semi-retirement and hoping to be left alone. But an oddly botched attempt to kill him brings his past firmly back into focus.
We learn about his past as an elite killer and the complications that can bring and how he is going to have to use his skills once again. Not only that, but he will need help from unexpected quarters.
It’s good stuff, elements of the “Victor” and “Nowhere Man“ series can be detected, but the author retains his very own take on the shadowy world of assassination. Lots of action here and it’s great fun.

Having read the first book in the series, I was keen to read this sequel and it did not disappoint. We re-join seventeen after he has quit as an infamous hitman where he is on the look out for his wannabe successor, eighteen. When he is targeted, the would be assassin is not who he expects, and this leads him on a journey to discover who sent the assassin and why. This once again was a mostly fast paced, complex but well thought out plot which keeps the reader guessing. There are a number of tense, high energy scenes throughout the book and good use of flashbacks to seventeen's past as the story unfolds. This was a compulsive and enjoyable read with an unexpected but satisfying conclusion. I look forward to reading more by this author. Thanks to netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the opportunity to read.

Another fast-moving and hard-hitting thriller.

Following the events of "Seventeen", our hero hitman has quit the business, while knowing that whoever wants to become Eighteen must track him down and kill him. So when a bullet narrowly misses him, he isn't surprised. Until he finds out who the shooter is.

Without allowing the reader to even take a breath, we're landed in a frantic chase to save lives, uncover plots and settle scores. As the body count rises, and the odds drop, Seventeen faces difficult choices. The story sufficiently fleshes out key characters to make the reader invest in their fates, and there's enough tech and tradecraft to keep thriller fans engaged. While the author does a good job of filling in the back-story, readers would benefit from reading the previous book first.

Unsurprisingly, given the author's day-job, like the last book, "Assassin Eighteen" reads like a film script - fast moving and split into scenes, and is just begging to be made into a film. It's not a criticism - the story moves swiftly along, and there's enough drama amid the action to make this a fine read. It's not such a strong contender than the first book, but fans won't be disappointed.

I enjoyed 17 a lot and was excited to receive 18.

It’s still fundamentally a good read but I don’t think it compares favourably with the first in the series. I know that characters such as there are able to withstand extreme violence and come up with solutions to the most unlikely scenarios, but this time I just felt that all the issues were even more implausible than before. Super-hero is not really what I was expecting.

The character development of some of the subordinate players was interesting so I hope that in number 3 of the series Mr Brownlow might expand that aspect and rein in the action hero elements just a tad.

Despite the above, the book held my interest and I look forward to reading more.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Bond/Bourne/Reacher-like action thriller.
Enjoyed getting straight back into this every time I picked the book up.
Full of action, fast-paced and a suitable number of characters to keep track of without slowing the action down.
I didn't realise this was a sequel until coming to write this review, which tells me it doesn't matter if you haven't read the first book - stands very well on its own.
Many thanks for the ARC

A thrilling adventure of evil fighting evil, perhaps for the first time in our protagonist’s lifetime for an altruistic reason. Can he save a family member in imminent danger from being used as a tool to his whereabouts. Is he able to locate the unknown cover of a brilliant hacker with the skills set and knowledge to assist him in his search for information threatening world annihilation. Assassin 17 aka Mr Jones faces the most difficult task of his career in which failure is not an option. A beautifully written initial background lays the foundation for a series of events that escalate towards a conclusion worthy of any phenomenon. The reader can only gasp in horror at the bloodbath of carnage, havoc and devastation compounded by ferocious savagery required to destroy true evil. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I enjoyed the earlier "Assassin Seventeen" and so looked forward to reading this sequel. It carries on in the style of the first with it's huge body count with a lot of graphically described violence. There are enough references to the earlier book that those only reading this one will be ' up to speed'. Speed really applies to this story as it moves forward at a rapid pace as it journeys across continents.
There are lots of surprises and twists and turns on the way to an enormous nail biting climax.
It's well worth a read of this well written book, but readers be warned, it is violent.

3.5 Stars
Well-written thriller with plenty of suspense, fast-paced action and tension. The Jones character is obviously highly skilled and effective, but his brash personality can grate, whereas I find Kat to be a much more interesting and intriguing character. I found the back stories in the first half stopped the momentum of the present day events and several scenes pushed impossible situations a bit too far for me to suspend my disbelief. The ending was unexpected and demands a sequel. Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

This book does exactly what it says in the tin so if you like action thrillers you’ll definitely like this.
It seems to be the second in a series but although I hadn’t read the previous book it didn’t seem to matter as everything was explained by the author.
Agent 17 or Jones is a semi retired assassin who is suddenly targeted by a young child who carries a real weapon.
Once he has disarmed her he tries to work out what is going on and this is explained by flashbacks to a previous job he was on.
Meanwhile dead bodies mount up and the police seem to think Jones is responsible.
This is a fast paced action read which gripped me from the very first page. I was furiously pressing the page turn on my kindle to find out what was going to happen next and how it was all going to end.
Jones is a good hero, an assassin with a heart -he’s a bit like Jack Reacher or Bourne so if you like brave protagonists and relentless action without time to pause for breath you’ll love this.
There are one or two twists to keep the reader on their toes which was also great.
I’ll definitely look out for the next in the series as the final pages left me really wanting to find out more.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

Compulsive read - the story is incredible. - twists and turns - unbelievable ending - can’t say more or I will give away the plot.

This well crafted novel tells the story of one man’s quest to save the world and his recently discovered daughter from a religious fanatic intent on ending civilization. The highly anticipated sequel to Agent Seventeen.

What a rollercoaster from the first page to the last one . Compulsive reading. So many twists and reveals.
Don't know how to describe the book buts brilliant and I loved it.

17 has retired, who knows who 18 might be but they have to kill 17 to take their place in assassin line. Fast, almost non-stop action thriller with some conscience. Well-written but just not totally for me - too much action.. hanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Thanks first must go to Netgalley, the publisher and John Brownlow for the ARC of ‘Assassin Eighteen’.

I read Agent Seventeen a few weeks ago and was absolutely gripped, so when I saw this one on Netgalley I knew I had to have it.

Read it in one sitting, compelling characters, nice tie in to the first book, pacey plot. I absolutely raced through it.

Also really liked the ending and the potential set up for the next one!

If Jack Reacher was an assassin, recently retired but constantly waiting for the bullet which will kill him but launch the career of his successor then you're half way to imagining Agent 17. However, he's a Reacher on speed and steroids. So prepare yourself for action from cover to cover! Brought out of retirement by the bullet which didn't quite do for him, Agent 17 has to face a past, a past which is brought suddenly to the present by the girl with her curled finger on the trigger of the rifle which milliseconds earlier launched the projectile towards him in a fury of expanding gas. It seems both him and the girl are now the most hunted human beings on the planet and as blood is thicker than water, he does whatever it takes to keep his erstwhile assassin safe.
Possibly if I hadn't recently read Zero Kill (a similar action thriller), I would have scored Assassin Eighteen a full five stars but John Brownlow was pipped to the post. I would recommend the novel to anyone who likes never ending action in a list of countries that would make James Bond travel sick.

He is Agent Seventeen, “Jones“, a hunter tracking prey for pay, travelling in the dark, leaving no visible footprint but now he’s quit the hitman business. That is until a bullet hits window glass way, way too close to his face. Maybe it’s Eighteen who has taken the shot, he gives chase and what he discovers is not what he’s expecting. There in the woods is a young girl and the Wolves are circling. This silent child is Mireille and Seventeen reunites with Kat in order to protect her and find out who sent her and why. It’s no exaggeration to say that even in his wildest dreams Seventeen never imagines this scenario.

Phew and wow, what an introduction and the pace doesn’t let up until the very end. I really enjoy Seventeen and I’m just as engaged with this one as the author has the ability to write well crafted and immersive thrillers. There are some fantastic and well chosen settings which provide a superb backdrop to the increasingly tense drama. It’s exciting, exhilarating and scary at times, and although some scenarios are Hollywood/Jason Bourne worthy, at the heart of the plot lurks an all too believable and plausible threat that blows my socks off and gives all the fears. Seventeen is most assuredly up against it as he’s caught between a rock and a hard place and in the crosshairs of something huge. We see a conflicted side of his personality which is intriguing but overwhelmingly the desire to do the right thing. Kat is a terrific sidekick and you’d want her on your side any day of the week. The plot goes through highs and several lows, it’s a rollercoaster that keeps accelerating with multiple twists and turns, all told in a vivid and visual manner. As for that ending, that is unexpected but it also feels right.

Overall, if you like an action packed, high octane thriller that keeps you turning pages then this series is definitely for you.

With thanks to NetGalley, and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review .

Assassin Eighteen is an intense, suspenseful and thrilling mystery. I couldn't put this down with the mix of amazing plot and interesting characters. I also found all the twists shocking yet believable which added to the tense atmosphere of the book. Overall I think this will be a big hit for any thriller fans.