Why I liked BILLY SUMMERS

Billy Summers is one of the best novels I have read in recent years. Part mystery, part life-story, part love-story, part war-story, this novel has it all from beginning to end. The title character is a former marine sniper, now a for-hire assassin.

Not an attractive character, you might think. The reader, however, is drawn to him more and more as his story unfolds. For a start, he only kills ‘bad people’ – hit-men, murderers, abusers. And behind his ‘dumb self’ front, he is an astute reader of people and situations. He is also surprisingly literate, currently working his way through an Emile Zola novel. And he is compassionate.  The story centers on what is to be his final, and biggest-paying, kill.  He soon suspects he is being set up. He completes the job, ignores the escape route that has been prepared for him, and goes into hiding to wait for the cops to clear area. This is when he starts to write his own life history, some of which, such as his involvement in the Fallujah offensive, is recounted in gory detail. It is also when he encounters someone in desperate need of his help. Being Billy, he helps, even at the risk of jeopardizing his escape. Billy Summers is a standout story, and Billy Summers is an unforgettable character. 

Star Rating: 5 out of 5

Available on Amazon

Published by Scribner

August 2, 2022