I'd not read the earlier books in this series but I understand why it has so many fans. It's fast paced, well plotted, and just twisty enough to keep you guessing. McKnight, in the role of the tired/damaged/expert is chasing Martin Livermore, in the role of the evil serial killer. While this might seem like a story you've read before, this isn't. The settings are great, the action good, and the characters well drawn. How they relate to one another is something you'll have to wait for. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. No spoilers but this one is a good read, especially for fans of the genre.

I did something with this book that I don't remember doing before: I read till the link between the murderer and the investigator was revealed and then quit. It's hard to explain why, but I found I wasn't interested in what happened after that. Perhaps this is unfair to Steve Hamilton and Alex McNight, there really is nothing wrong with the story or the writing. I have enjoyed Alex McNight books before. Maybe it was the jumping between two POV (Alex and the killer) and the third-person narrative. I have become less tolerant of this style over time. Or maybe the link, once it was revealed, was simply too tenuous. In any case, I was not drawn in.

Not to say that it won't thrill you. The writing is good.

Despite a somewhat preposterous premise, Hamilton manages to pull off yet another pulse-pounding thriller. Don't look too closely and enjoy the ride on yet another terrific Alex McKnight adventure.

Oh. My. Stars. This book starts fast and never lets up. I have enjoyed others of the Alex McKnight books by Steve Hamilton, but this one is spectacular. Do you want to read something you cannot put down? This is the book for you.

Alex McKnight, a former Detroit police officer, has lived in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula near the small town of Paradise for twenty years. A criminal in FBI custody in Arizona refuses to cooperate without the presence of McKnight. The FBI picks up Alex and flies him to Phoenix where he confronts the criminal; a man who is a complete stranger to him but who seems to know everything about McKnight’s life. Creepy. And it gets creepier.

I don’t like spoilers, and I normally do not give any, but for this book I especially do not want to give the game away. Hamilton is a master, and this book is a masterpiece of plotting and tension. I tried to not read “Dead Man Running” after ten o’clock because I wanted to be able to go to sleep!

I highly recommend “Dead Man Running.” Other books may be described as a thrill-ride. This one is like the highest, fastest roller coaster you can imagine, and what a ride it is.

4.5 stars, actually.

Admittedly, I've read only two books in this series, but they were good enough to make me a fan of former cop Alex McKnight. That familiarity made me doubly happy to be approved for an advance review copy from the publisher (via NetGalley). And once again, I wasn't disappointed. In fact - save perhaps for the knock-down, drag-'em-out ending involving almost super-human feats - this is my pick of the litter so far. It was so good, in fact, that I kept reading all the way through a nightly episode of "The Rachel Maddow Show" (well, okay, with one eye on the program); that should convince those who know how much of a news junkie I am that I'm telling the truth about how much I liked the book.

Anyway, this one starts off with a [figurative] bang as a vacationing homeowner watches a live video from the security cameras he installed in his bedroom back home. Not too long of a story short, they catch the perp - a presumed serial killer named Martin T. Livermore - who refuses to talk to anyone except Alex, who's now contents himself working for Superior Bail Bonds in Paradise, Michigan. Hot to trot (or at least get some kind of confession out of Livermore), the FBI agrees to bring Alex in. But when he meets Livermore, he has absolutely no idea why the guy sought him out; there's no readily discernible connection between the two men, nor does there seem to be any among all the other five (at least) women Livermore has brutally murdered over the years.

Once in Alex's presence, Livermore not only admits to the heinous crimes, but promises to take him and an FBI crew to the place he's stored his victims' bodies. Livermore isn't exactly trustworthy, but the lawmen agree, albeit reluctantly, that there's no other way to find the bodies - all women. What happens next, though, proves them dead wrong; clearly, Livermore not only can't be trusted, but he's intent on playing some kind of head game with Alex to reach some kind of end that is intended to be the end of Alex.

Will Livermore emerge triumphant? Assuming as I read along that this book doesn't mark the end of the series, I was on the edge of my seat but not too worried about Alex's life. But why the killer wants to get Alex remained a mystery almost to the aforementioned action-packed end, making the book almost impossible to put down till then. I must point out one other tidbit made this book more interesting to me - that some of the scenes are set in two of my favorite places on earth: Columbus, Ohio (go Bucks!) and Michigan's scenic, secluded Upper Peninsula. All in all, this is a stellar entry in the series, and yes, I'm already looking forward to the next installment.

Dead Man Running is a fast paced thriller. Steve Hamilton has written an Alex McKnight book that is hard to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin, and GP Puntnam Sons for an advanced read in exchange for this review.

Alex McKnight is back! Serial killer offers to cooperate with FBI only if they bring in Alex McKnight. Alex has no clue who this suspect is and why he wants him. Soon, Alex finds himself chasing the killer.

Fun Fact: I’ve never read this series before. There’s some background info provided about Alex. I think the book is fine without having read the others, but you’ll probably like the book more if you have read the others!

I found this to be a solid thriller. I’m not too into those books where we go into the serial killer’s point of view, but this time around, it provided some insight. I might go back and read some other Alex McKnight books now.

3 1/2 stars

After a wait of 5 years and 2 books in his new Nick Mason series, Steve Hamilton has brought back Alex McKnight in DEAD MAN RUNNING, the eleventh book in this excellent series, one of my favorites. This book starts in a more typical third person style when Jack Thompson, checking his security cameras while on vacation, sees something unusual in his home in Scottsdale, Arizona. This eventually leads to the FBI believing they were seeing serial killer Martin T. Livermore. The FBI is surprised that Livermore was not careful and even more surprised when Livermore was captured returning to the Thompson’s home. Upon his capture, Livermore says he will only talk to Alex McKnight.

The FBI does not understand the connection and neither does Alex when they come to get him at his home in Michigan when the book returns to the first-person perspective more typical of books in this series. Alex reluctantly agrees to go to Arizona to meet with Livermore and upon meeting him, still is unsure of the connection. Eventually, Alex will get to understand the connection and work to stop Livermore from ever killing any more women. This exciting and gripping book adds to the great list of excellent Steve Hamilton Alex McKnight books. I hope we will see more in this series.

Although I’d certainly recommend starting at the beginning of this series, Steve Hamilton does a good job in providing the main back story about Alex McKnight so that this book could be read without having read the prior books, especially since the other minor recurring people in this series are not key to this book. The scenes at the Glasgow Inn and those between Alex and Vinnie were minimal in this book and that was a little disappointing after all this time waiting for the new book in the series. (I expressed similar feelings when Misery Bay was published in 2011 after a similar 5-year wait.)

Not like his other books in this series. Disappointed. Also not the same Michigan area setting you have come to known to love was missing.

10/5 stars

Blog review to occur on release date. Review posted on Goodreads at this time. Will be placed on Amazon on release date.

Review:

10/5 Stars!

Steve Hamilton proves once again why he is on my top 3 list of living American mystery writers with his Alex McKnight series. This series is in the top 3 of all series I recommend to readers in ANY genre.

Dead Man Running came out swinging in page one and the pulse-pounding, WTH "twistedness" of the crimes didn't stop til the end. I love when a book keeps me guessing and Hamilton managed it. Hamilton's character development and keeping McKnight fresh was perfect and the story woven kept me guessing. This story reverts frequently back to the beginnings of the McKnight series.

This book was so good that I tried to force myself to pace myself to savor each morsel not knowing when I would get my next McKnight book. I failed.

McKnight is a highly character driven series. Do yourself a treat and read the entire series. I promise you that I am not steering you wrong. This book was NUMEROUS years in the waiting and it was worth it. I am hoping we just don't need to wait this long again.

Full blog review to follow closer to publish date. Arc from publisher for review.

Here's one I really loved. It's a series about Alex McKnight, a former Detroit city police officer who moved to the upper peninsula and has worked as a private investigator, among other things, while renting out cabins he and his father built when they were young. As with other series, you have to wonder how many crimes/murders can happen in the U.P. (or Minnesota, or Cabot Cove Maine, etc...) and for this installment, author Steve Hamilton used a rather unique way to bring our hero into a brand new environment. A serial killer in Arizona, upon capture, will only speak if Alex is in the room. The FBI has no idea who Alex is, and can only assume he's complicit with the killer. The plot moves quickly and it is well into the book when the connection is revealed, and it's a surprise. Naturally there are a few things you need to take on faith along the way, but nothing that distracted me too much. As I said, I love the series and this book is now among my favorites in the series.

(2 1/2). I think I have read one other book in this Alex McKnight series. This is a pretty good page turner. Lots of action, a really nasty bad guy, and a story that works very well until a pretty over dramatic ending. A nice, short diversion.

The serial killer in this thriller is both brilliant and totally wacko, and obsessed with Alex McKnight, a retired police officer who featured in some of Hamilton’s earlier books. After his latest gruesome attack, he allows himself to be caught, and insists he will only talk to Alex.

The FBI brings Alex from Paradise, Michigan to Scottsdale, Arizona, although Alex has no idea who this man is.

The killer, Martin Livermore, is a robotics engineer, and DNA tied him to all the women tortured and killed in similar ways in a number of states in the west. But what ties him to Alex?

Evaluation: The pace and tension will keep you riveted, but I am hoping the story isn’t realistic. (Ha ha, at every author’s panel I’ve attended, crime authors say they get the same comments, and reveal that in fact, they get their ideas from the news. Frightening!)

I have written before of my dislike for “inside the mind of a serial killer” books—those with chapters told from the point of view of a mass murderer. It didn’t take me long to realize that Steve Hamilton’s Dead Man Running was such a book, and had it not been for the fact that I’ve read everything he’s ever written, I would have stopped right there. But this is the first new Alex McKnight novel in five years, so of course I was going to finish it.

This book is extremely different from others in the McKnight series (Dead Man Running is #11). For one thing, the cover seems to indicate that it takes place in the snowy Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where McKnight lives; however, most of the action is set in Arizona and a handful of other non-U.P. locations. And as mentioned above, Alex’s first-person chapters alternate with ones about the serial killer he’s chasing.

The book’s premise is great: the killer is caught, and when he’s taken into custody, he says he’ll only talk to one man: McKnight. The thing is, Alex has no idea who this guy is and why on earth he is asking for him. A couple of FBI agents fly to remote Paradise, MI, to get McKnight and bring him to Arizona. There’s a ticking clock, since the killer says he’s left a woman tied up and alive, and he might be willing to reveal where she is before she dies of thirst.

Once Alex comes face to face with the killer, Martin Livermore, it turns out this mystery man knows almost everything about McKnight, down to his minor-league batting average. Their connection is finally revealed well into the book, and I thought it strained credulity a bit.

Hamilton is indisputably a fine writer who knows how to create high-octane suspense, but Dead Man Running is just not the type of book that I personally enjoy; it doesn’t feel like an Alex McKnight mystery. Instead, it reminded me quite a bit of Red Dragon, the Thomas Harris serial killer novel that scared me silly when I read it as a young adult. As I made my way through Dead Man Running, I found myself having to pause every few chapters and look at cute animals on my favorite Instagram accounts in an effort to wipe the images of graphic violence and brutality out of my mind.

Dead Man Running is the latest book in the Alex McKnight series by Steve Hamilton. Dead Man Running is a stand alone story. I have read all the McKnight books and feel this is Mr Hamilton's best one yet. Difficult to put down, edge of the seat moments, and there will come a time this book is impossible not to finish. I was given an early copy to review.

Wow! This has it all, a flawed hero, the usual authorities, a serial killer who makes those of Thomas Harris look tame and a plot complex and well written enough to encompass them all. When new Alex McKnight adventures come around (and based on the ending I am sure there will be more) I will be reading them. Thanks to Net Galley and Putnam for an ARC for an honest review.

Full disclosure, I am a HUGE Steve Hamilton fan, especially the Alex McKnight series. And it's been
5 years since we've gotten a new one. So you can imagine my excitement when I was granted an ARC for this new one. I was given the book on Monday and devoured it that same day. Hamilton does not disappoint.
I find Alex to be such a compelling protagonist and the usual setting of the Michigan Upper Pennisula is intriguing. If I have any quibbles about this latest book, it's that it takes place largely outside of Michigan and we don't get to spend much time with regulars Jackie, Vinnie and Leon. I have looked forward to every new Hamilton book since I discovered him many years ago and this one has not changed my mind.

I hadn't read an Alex McKnight book in years, but my memory of them is that they weren't as violent as this one was. That's not a criticism! The story of murderous Martin Livermore and his connection to Alex was a great, suspenseful read. The outcome of his seemingly easy capture was ingenious and unexpected. Getting inside the mind of a psychopath is always fascinating, and this one bears comparison to Hannibal Lecter in some respects. An intense read, but well worth it. Highly recommended.

Another superb Steve Hamilton book! He continues to show that he's an author at the top of his game. Well worth the read!

One of the last things a man did before he and his wife went on a Mediterranean cruise was set up a security camera at their house. Maybe it seemed a little paranoid, but better safe than sorry, right?

When he's finally able to log on for the first time, his fears are unfounded—wait, why does the living room seem brighter than when they left? Did the front door just open? He watches, aghast, as an intruder enters their house and heads up to their bedroom. While he readies for the intruder to steal his wife's diamonds (which he didn't let her bring on the cruise), he is utterly unprepared for the woman's body on their bed. Not to mention what the intruder does to the body...

The intruder turns out to be Martin Livermore, a gifted scientist who is the suspect in the abduction and murder of at least five other women. The FBI has been hunting him for a while, but he's never been this sloppy before. When he is apprehended returning to the vacationers' home for another encounter with his latest victim, the feds feel victorious, but they can't help but wonder why it seems as if he was trying to get caught this time.

Livermore once again gets the upper hand, when he refuses to speak to anyone but Alex McKnight, a former police officer and private investigator from the small town of Paradise, Michigan. McKnight has no idea why Livermore has involved him, can't figure out any connection to this murderer whatsoever. But Livermore knows too much about him, and Alex is a crucial part of a tangled, dangerous plot that Livermore is about to put in motion.

With each action, Livermore ups the stakes, and as Alex races to figure out why the murderer has drawn him into his schemes, the danger continues to grow, and it threatens to affect him in places he'd never expect. How do you catch a criminal mastermind who has targeted you, who taunts you with his crimes, and knows your every step before you take it? Alex faces off with a relentless killer, and only one of them can survive.

In a veritable sea full of thriller writers, Steve Hamilton is the real deal. He's one of the rare breed of authors in this genre who can write pulse-pounding action scenes while creating characters with depth, characters you root for and care about. Every time I read another one of his books I say the same thing—I cannot understand why he isn't a household name, because his books are far superior (a little Michigan humor) to many more popular authors.

It was great to have Alex McKnight back again, but I definitely missed Paradise, and Vinnie, Jackie, and Leon. Still, it was good to see Alex have to leave his comfort zone and try and figure out his connection to Livermore. While I don't love villains who are always one step ahead of everyone else, and who can always outsmart law enforcement, Livermore was one creepy character who made me shudder. (His diversions were pretty dastardly.)

Dead Man Running is a prime example of a writer at his peak. If you've never read any of Hamilton's books, you don't know what you're missing. Whether you read his Alex McKnight series, his newer series featuring Nick Mason, or one of his standalone books, you'll see this is an author whose name you should see on books being read everywhere you look. Hopefully someday the world will catch on to what I've known for years—Hamilton is one of the best.

NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and First to Read provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!