normal as anyone, but with a secret so unimaginable that their very
existence is a threat to humanity. But times are changing and the
Firsts are eager to live openly and take their rightful place in the
world once again. The only thing stopping them is John, who has seen
the best and worst of all of mankind and knows that some truths are
best kept secret. He has kept his own life simple and unassuming
because he knows it’s the only way to stay out of the system and
under the radar of world governments, secret organizations, and
assassins alike. But when an old enemy shows up on the same day that
a beautiful young woman needs his help, John quickly finds himself in
the fight of his life against elite hit squads, ruthless psychopathic
murders, and a black-ops cutting-edge technology that was
specifically designed to track down him and other Firsts like him,
all while trying to unravel the mystery of this new woman in his life
without getting her killed and keeping her from killing anyone who
doesn’t deserve it. From the American Midwest to Syria and Paris,
John Smith is both predator and prey, but he can no longer survive on
his own, and so with the help of the only people he hopes he can
trust and more luck than he deserves, he faces down his fears and
takes on his enemies the only way he knows how: with everything he’s got.
stories published in the US and Japan. He was born in St Louis,
Missouri, in 1969, and grew up 30 miles southwest in High Ridge, MO.
He received a B.A. – English from the University of Missouri –
Columbia and an M.A. – Media Communications from Webster University
before moving to Wakayama, Japan, with his wife to teach English as a
Second Language to public school children for three years. Now back
in St Louis, he enjoys writing suspenseful, action-packed thrillers,
painting, traveling, and volunteer work for local literacy non-profits.
John Smith is a breed of special men called Firsts. They are stronger, faster, heal quickly, and live for many years. He has a bloody past and works helping Thirds, regular humans, to atone for his past. He learns that an old enemy has come to St. Louis from New York and is specifically looking for him. It seems that he has created software to track down John and others like him. Of course John see’s the problem with this ability and is not going to merrily go along.
On the same day he comes across a young woman called Sarah that is a First and going to experience her First Death. If the First survives the First death they come to their powers or they turn into monsters. But no woman has ever survived her First Death, until Sarah. John is drawn to the woman and wants to protect her. But he needs to make sure that she is the woman that the prophecy has predicted.
What follows is a race around the world trying to figure out how Sarah fits into this world and trying to keep the two of them alive from several groups that would like to end both of their lives.
This is an interesting story. It’s not really pretty at times but it does catch your attention and makes you keep reading to find out the nuggets of history for these people in this world. I am very curious about The Father and his origins, he reminds me of a horror monster in the classic sense that is out to eat, kill, and reproduce. I think it was a great twist at having those that survive the First Death run a chance of being potential monsters in human skin or monsters of our nightmares. And Sarah is a great addition to this crazy world that she has been thrown into.
This is a great story. It has a little bit of everything with some great fight scenes. This is a wonderful start to a new series and I can’t wait to read more about John Smith or other books from Glen Kenner.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
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