Get ready for Killing State by Judith O’Reilly– an addictive read and one that feels all too real…
The plot:
What if the person you’re ordered to kill is the woman you want to protect?
Michael North, assassin and spy-for-hire, is very good at killing bad guys. But now his shadowy bosses at the dark heart of the British government has ordered him to kill an innocent woman – and North can’t bring himself to do it.
The woman is Honor Jones MP, a rising star in Westminster politics. She has started asking dangerous questions about the powerful men running her country. The trouble is, Honor doesn’t know when to stop.
And now that he’s met her, neither does North…
Imagine The Bodyguard, but with a lot more violence
Let’s start with the beginning of Killing State, because that makes sense. The first two sentences were just BOOM in your face, and there was no hope of putting it down after that.
As I was making my way through this book, I did question why North was sooooo out to protect Honour, but it made more sense as the story developed, and boooy, when the story developed, it got real, 0 to 100 style.
The detail in this book is insane; I could picture everything, and the author has not held back in description, making some parts beautiful, and other parts harrowing.
The chapters are relatively short, so it makes for a quick read despite its length. It’s definitely a page-turner; intrigued matched with the action makes it unputdownable and gives a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ type of vibe, which I LOVE in books.
I really loved how the characters were portrayed in Killing State – there were some I just loved to hate, but others I adored, and I changed my opinions so much when it came to the two main characters. I really doubted their moves and opinions in some parts, but that made it all the more exciting for me. Where was the book going to go? Who was going to die next? WHY are you doing that?
There were no questions left unanswered, and I’m surprised because due to the different levels of this book, I thought that some of the characters may have been forgotten about, but they weren’t.
It felt very ‘real’ to read (although I seriously hope not). It’s as if O’Reilly knows something we don’t know… I can really imagine this being a BBC mini-series, which I am 110% down for, so I’m getting straight on that. Imagine The Bodyguard (BBC, 2018), but with a lot more violence.
As you reach the end, there is a note to readers saying that North will return in another book, which I am so very glad to hear. It’s released in December 2019, which I feel is slightly too long for my little heart to handle, but I’m excited for it nonetheless.
An incredible crime fiction/ thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Killing State, Judith O’Reilly, RRP £14.99 (hardback); Book Depository
Pages: 477
Publisher: Head of Zeus Ltd
Genre: Crime Fiction/ Thriller
