Sometimes, when one goes to a horror movie, one wants to scream "Don't go into the dark room, something horrible is going to happen." I found myself saying this to Alex, a retired Detroit detective, as he pursues the serial killer who is has a personal vendetta against him. The detective format is all about the hunt for the killer. Hamilton is very good in giving his readers that doggedness to find the serial killer and the reason for the killer's interest in Alex. However, Alex McKnight should be more insightful, should be more intelligent, should use his training more in this hunt. Too many hints were not followed. Maybe this was to make the reader seem more intelligent. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing a free electronic copy of this work.

G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Dead Man Running. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Having read the two Nick Mason books for NetGalley, I was excited to see Steve Hamilton's name come up once again. As I like to be surprised regarding the premise and plot of novels by authors that I regularly read, I requested Dead Man Running. I was not aware that the novel features Alex McKnight, the main character in Steve Hamilton's other series. Alex is a former cop, trying to live the quiet life in a small town in Michigan, where he is a fugitive recovery agent. This well established character has a long history, but the author really does not go into enough of his background in this book. Because the character development was established in the novels that came before, I felt like I was dropped into the action part way through.

The major plot line of the book is regarding a suspected serial killer, who requests Alex's presence before he will divulge the location of a missing woman. Taken to the man by the FBI, given no choice in the matter, Alex has no prior knowledge of Martin T. Livermore. When it all goes horribly wrong, will Alex McKnight be able to do what the FBI cannot and capture the killer? Tainted by the killer, will Alex fall further into a trap or will he be able to figure out the reason his involvement was required?

I was not blown away by Dead Man Running, as the pacing was surprisingly slow for a thriller such as this one. This novel did not spark my interest in the character and I would probably not go back and read the previous books. Readers who have prior knowledge of Alex McKnight may enjoy getting back in touch with the character.

A phone call from his former wife and another one from an Arizona profiler send series hero Alex McKnight on a journey from his home on Michigan's upper peninsula into the deranged mind of jailed serial killer Martin Livermore, who will only tell the former Detroit cop where to find his latest victim while she's stil alive. But McKnight has never met or heard of Livermore, and by the time he's figured out who he is and why he's gunning for him, it's almost too late to save the woman he once loved.
This is a solidly paced, well written entry in Hamilton's popular series and should appeal to readers who haven't previously meet Alex McKnight as well as those who have.

I have been a fan of Steve Hamilton forever. His first book in the Alex McKnight series wowed me. This was every bit as good (and worth the few years wait). In this book, Hamilton takes McKnight out of his element in the Upper Peninsula to chase down a fugitive from his past. Full of exciting twists and turns (and more action than usual in a McKnight story) as well as a diaboloical villain, I loved this!

I've always enjoyed Steve Hamilton's Alex McKnight series, this is probably his best yet! I really enjoyed it and the villain was about as evil as they come! It was very hard to put this book down. I highly recommend this book.

This long awaited Alex McKnight book was a different from his previous escapades and if you're not particularly bothered by the ravings of a depraved serial killer you will enjoy this book. It is harsh and gritty and not your usual P.I. book from master storyteller Steve Hamilton.

While this is a very good book, an Alex McKnight book it is NOT. What makes this series extra special is the setting and the cast of characters. Agree with some of the other reviewers that i could plug in any character into the lead role and this still be a very good book. But to me, without the normal setting and the characters we have grown to love over the years, this was no Alex book.
Hamilton still produced a book that could have been five stars, but because he put this into this incredible series and tried to pass it off he only gets four stars from me.

Alex McNight, former cop and private investigator, is drawn into a serial killer's net when the murderer refused to talk to anyone but him.. He cannot figure out why as he knows of no connection between them. The story ratches up when Livermore escapes police custody and leads McKnight on a dangerous chase which will end with only one survivor. The Livermore character is especailly creepy and smart! I look forward to reading more of Hamilton's books..

This novel was pretty much from the fallen from favor cop vs the serial killer outline. However; the story is well conceived, the characters are well developed and the plot, although predictable, retained my interest and kept me reading long into the night. Thanks to Steve Hamilton, G P Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this advance copy of “Dead Man Running”.

I have been wanting to read a book by Steve Hamilton for years. Every time I go to Mackinaw City or Mackinac Island I see his books because they are based in Michigan. I just never picked up one of his books so when I saw this one up for review I thought now was my chance.

This was a very quick read, I think simply because it was so fast paced and I couldn’t put it down.

I really enjoyed the overall story-line and Alex’s quest to find Livermore. I couldn’t figure out the connection between the two until right before Alex did, I started having my suspicions.

Livermore is one messed up dude, very disturbing and we get in his head, a very dark place.

If you like face paced thrillers this book is for you.

A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley.com. All opinions are my own.

Finally, Steve Hamilton has written another heart pounding Alex McKnight book! With so many plot twists, it is Impossible to see where the book is heading. This is a propulsive, hard to put down book! just perfect for an end of summer read.

Wow. Literally could not put this down!!! A driving fast paced story, with compelling multidimensional characters,. A retired and damaged cop, a serial killer. A connection.
Takes a while to figure what that might be, but no false red herrings here.
Steve Hamilton is an excellent writer. I have read The Second Life of Nick Mason, but have not read any of the books in this series. This was my first exposure, so I can’t wait to read the full series.
Really great read!

This was a thriller I would love to see on the screen! Alex McKnight, retired police officer, is pulled into a serial murder case by the perpetrator himself, who insists that he will speak to no-one but him about the women he has killed. The strange thing is, despite Livermore's ability to relate numerous events in his life, McKnight has no idea who Martin T. Livermore is! What becomes frightfully clear is that Livermore is a brilliant and cunning killer. And he maintains that all will be revealed to McKnight in the end. Helplessly, McKnight watches as FBI agents are killed by explosions and at close range by Livermore and is enraged by his continued killing of women as he leaves a trail of blood, one state to the next, like bread crumbs. A trail that leads to someone from McKnight's past he still cares deeply about. Someone he will risk everything for to save. Absolutely riveting!

This book has been reviewed on Amazon and Barnes and Noble as well as the sites linked below.

DEAD MAN RUNNING (Alex McKnight #11)
By Steve Hamilton

This was my first time reading this series. It was fast paced and suspenseful and even though it is #11 in the series it can be read as a standalone. A man and wife are away on a cruise when the man checks his home security system with cameras and videos. The man notices on his computer screen that something is off about his living room being too bright. He had closed the living room drapes and the sunshine is pouring in. Upon closer inspection on the video he notices the front door is left wide open. This alarms the man so he scrolls through more video footage and he is shocked to see a dead woman lying on the bed in the bedroom. The FBI get the video footage and they see a serial killer they have been profiling return to the bedroom with the dead woman and recognize him and capture him.

The Behavioral Analysis Unit in the FBI can't get this man to talk but he writes down two words on a piece of paper which are Alex McKnight. They fly Alex who used to be a police officer but is now a fugitive hunter to Arizona. He becomes a person of interest but Alex has no idea who this serial killer is or why he has been connected to this case. The serial killer tricks the FBI into telling them he will lead them to where the five dead bodies of the women are hidden. The FBI and state troopers and a few prison guards are ambushed in a remote area. The serial killer kills everybody except Alex McKnight. Why did he kill all of the law enforcement and leave Alex alive?

To find out that answer keeps you turning the pages. It becomes a game of cat and mouse as Alex tries to catch the serial killer. This was a bit dark for me but fans of serial killers and murders will love this one.

Thank you to Net Galley, Steve Hamilton and G.P Putnam's Publishing for providing me with my digital copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Alex McKnight thriller series by Steve Hamilton keeps rolling with DEAD MAN RUNNING. In this installment, serial killer Martin Livermore engineers his own capture only to refuse to speak to anyone except McKnight. Yet, McKnight doesn’t know the killer, has no connection to him. Or does he? Brought by the FBI from his isolated, calm existence in Michigan’s UP and seated before the killer, McKnight still can’t tease out a connection. But Livermore has a plan. To save another victim, he is taken by McKnight and a team of FBI agents to a canyon, where the imperiled young woman is supposedly being held. Livermore’s explosive escape leaves the agents dead, McKnight injured, and Livermore on the run. McKnight must then pursue the most dangerous and diabolical killer he has ever faced while attempting to uncover the thread that binds them together. Fast paced, convoluted, and breathless, this story will raise your pulse and your hair. Highly recommended.

DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly thriller series

DEAD MAN RUNNING: An Alex McKnight Novel
Steve Hamilton
Putnam Books
ISBN 978-0-57444-3
Hardcover
Thriller

DEAD MAN RUNNING heralds the return of an old friend. We haven’t seen Alex McKnight in awhile. Author Steve Hamilton has been concentrating recently on a different and equally compelling (while very different) series involving a dark and brooding character named Nick Mason, and hopefully we will see more of him in the future. DEAD MAN RUNNING, however, is required reading whether you are a fan of McKnight or only know Hamilton through his Mason books. The reason for this is that it is Hamilton’s best book to date by far.

Hamilton has always been a solid and dependable author. That said, DEAD MAN RUNNING meets and exceeds any reader’s expectations. McKnight, an ex-cop and occasional private detective living Michigan’s Upper Peninsula region, tends to stick somewhat close to home as a general rule. DEAD MAN RUNNING takes McKnight out of his comfort zone, and then some. The story’s beginning is one of the best of any book’s of this year. A couple from Scottsdale, Arizona are on a cruise when the husband, monitoring their wireless security online, witnesses a shocking tableau. It consists of a stranger walking through their home and a dead woman in their bed. Law enforcement is immediately notified, a trap is set, and the stranger --- the killer --- is captured. It almost immediately becomes fairly clear that the murder, who is a man named Martin Livermore, wanted to be apprehended. He is immediately connected to a number of similar murders, and drops a bombshell on investigators when he tells them that he has yet another victim who is not yet dead. Livermore promises to take the investigators to the location where he has the woman, who is in dire straits, but only if a former Detroit policeman named Alex McKnight is along for the ride. Arrangements are quickly made to bring the very puzzled McKnight from his home in Paradise, Michigan to the Maricopa County Jail where Livermore is being help. The reason that McKnight is perplexed is that he has no idea who Livermore is. He has never heard of him, doesn’t recognize him, and has not even the faintest recollection of having ever crossing paths or brushing up with him. Livermore, however, seems to know McKnight quite well, dropping hints of familiarity even as McKnight and a group of law enforcement personnel accompany him to a remote desert area where his latest victim is to be found. Things go dramatically wrong, however, and Livermore, with McKnight and an FBI agent in pursuit, begins a long trek across the country with Livermore taunting McKnight from afar and wreaking mayhem on just about everyone who crosses his path. Livermore has a serious grudge against McKnight and the reason for it when it is ultimately revealed is one that you will never see coming. There are also a couple of interesting twists in the final third of DEAD MAN RUNNING which enable Hamilton to ratchet up the suspense level to Mach Ten. And the ending? You won’t soon forget it, and it just might signal the start of a new development in the series.

DEAD MAN RUNNING is the real deal. Hamilton did his geographical homework while preparing to take McKnight to unexpected places (a small part of DEAD MAN RUNNING, interestingly enough, takes place two blocks from where my younger son lives), and it shows. The main attraction in DEAD MAN RUNNING, however, is Livermore, who is as inventive an antagonist as you may encounter this year. And should you not be familiar with McKnight before DEAD MAN RUNNING, never fear. Hamilton quickly envelops new readers into the fold with just enough backstory to quickly make the totally new seem very familiar. You won’t want to miss DEAD MAN RUNNING and you won’t want to put it down once you start reading it. Very strongly recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2018, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

It was a great book. What made it interesting was the mystery about why a killer only wanted to talk to a bounty hunter who lived in Upper Michigan.

At first I was worried about Alex McKnight not being in Michigan for this book. But it is great suspense and I loved it!

3.5 stars. I have been a fan of Steve Hamilton and the Alex McKnight books since A Cold Day In Paradise came out 20 years ago. I was a little disappointed that Paradise, Michigan only makes a cameo appearance this time, but, hey, it's Alex McKnight. Fast paced and suspenseful, from Phoenix to Grand Rapids, my only qualifier is that you read it quickly and don't overthink it because it does require a suspension of disbelief probably one too many times. Not that that will stop me from running out and purchasing the next Alex McKnight as soon as it comes out.

There is always a risk when an author takes his character out of his home base. Cork O'Connor out of Minnesota, Patrick Kenzie out of Boston and now Alex McKnight out of the Upper Peninsula. Steve Hamilton trades the winter of Michigan for the heat of Arizona with success.

A vacationer in the Mediterranean sees a crime in his home in Arizona. The suspect is easily caught but he will only talk to Alex. The question is why. As we follow his terrible killing spree which starts with his daring escape, Alex is hot on his heels. The chase leads us through St. Louis, Ohio and back to his home state to Michigan. Why does this killer haunt Alex, what is his ultimate goal?

Fast paced, taut and of course always well written. while I enjoy Mr. Hamiltons Nick Mason series, it's always good to come back to Alex.