Grant Fletcher is definitely a man I'd want on my side in a fight. This story puts him in the middle of a turf war between those who would grab power by any means and those who would stop them by any means. I'd place my bet on Fletcher any day!

It always blows my mind how action charged all Grant Fletcher books are and I'm the one you'll never catch watching an action movie. So it surprises me that I love Fletcher and his 'antics' so much. There seems to have been a lot of thought put into every move, punch and kick and its super interesting to see that mind work before he throws that punch. I mean I know how unrealistic this probably is but I think that's what draws me more to these books the perfect mix of realism and fantasy make it believable. Just about!

Third Kill has an amazing plot and so very different. I do not prefer reading about gang wars and cartels etc so I put off reading this book for a long time. But the theme surprised me and took to a place I didn't see coming so I quite enjoyed reading this book. I loved certain scenes from the book where Fletcher weasels his way out of an IMPOSSIBLE situation. Like there was no way anyone would get out. But he did! Offcourse I knew he would because we were not at the end yet and there was quite a story left to tell. But the sheer brazeness and not ti forget determination and grit amazes me. EVERYTIME. The characters were great and something unique. I can't wait to read about his next adventure.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and John Ryder for the arc!

When you’ve got a female assassin rampaging around the casinos of Vegas, leaving bodies and blood in her wake, what do you do? That’s right, you send in your unofficial fixer Grant Fletcher to eliminate the problem. Sounds easy right? Wrong! This assassin, the Mantis as she’s known, is very elusive, no one has ever seen her face, a ghost in the night. Will Fletcher and his trusted handler Quadrado succeed?

In this third outing for this duo, they have more that the Mantis to deal with. The local FBI contact Thomson is more than put out that reinforcements have been called in, highlighting his lack of progress. His actions more than once made me question his loyalties and more than once in the book, I wanted to recalibrate the sensibilities of Thomson. A total and utter dickwad!!

I love the relationship between Quadrado and Fletcher. As this pair have spent more time together they’ve got to know each other better. But every so often, Fletcher does surprise his female counterpart which keeps her on her toes as they scour Sin City for their target. The question is, will they catch her before she catches them? She’s a woman on a mission not wanting anyone to stand in her way!

Yet again John Ryder has created a cracking thriller which sent me hurtling round a city I’ve never been to before but I felt I was there in the midst of the action. The chase was tense, building to one almighty climax that left me breathless. Bravo Mr Ryder 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Another stupendous thriller that explodes with thrills and chills from the first few paragraphs. An nearly invisible assassin that can fade away keeps not only Fletcher on the case but us as readers. I wanted to know more and more as the case progressed and she proved to be ever more elusive. The tension just kept pulling me further and further into Fletcher’s world as i was rooting for him to succeed. Fletcher is a ruthless killer that we do know from previous books but he has a moral compass that prevents him from killing without good cause. For him to be on the trail of someone who kills for pay and seemingly pleasure does not sit well with him. Fletcher is a clinical thinker and we get to share his thought processes as the investigation takes off and he starts to see clues that others didn’t. He is a great investigative all action hero whose books just pulse with adrenaline packed pages.

Third Kill by John Ryder
A Grant Fletcher Thriller #3

Another action-packed, fast-paced, thrill ride of a story that pitted Grant Fletcher against an amoral deadly killer. Another great addition to the series.

What I liked:
* Grant Fletcher: a lethally trained military man with a solid moral compass. He loved his wife, puts his daughter first and takes his work seriously. He exerts only the amount of force required to get the job done while using his excellent deductive and strategic skills in the process.
* Zoey Quadrado: handler for Grant, smart, tenacious, dedicated, interesting and intriguing, has a new boyfriend we might hear more about in the future, wonder about why/how she was brought in to work with Fletcher.
* Wendy: Grant’s daughter, off to college soon, accepting, knows some of the score, would like to hear more about her in the future.
* That Fletcher is not perfect – though nearly so.
* The relationship between Fletcher Quadrado – collegial and supportive with mutual professional respect.
* The way the two work the case
* Not knowing who to trust
* Learning gradually more about the Mantis’s operations, backstory, etc.
* Wondering if Fletcher will ever get out from under Sotero’s thumb.
* That the bad guys were dealt with and the good guys survived to fight another day.

What I didn’t like:
* Knowing that there are people in the world as evil as those in this story
* Having to wait for the next book in the series.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

Third Kill by John Ryder is the third book in the Grant Fletcher series. An all action, adrenaline inducing series that I have loved from the first book.
This time we see former Royal Marine turned mercenary Grant Fletcher in Las Vegas with FBI handler and agent Zoe Quadrado sent to Las Vegas to stop a killer called Mantis who is steadily killing all the crime bosses and anyone else who just happens to catch Mantis's eye. Fletcher and Quadrado have been tasked with taking the Mantis out before Mantis can take anymore innocent lives. As is well documented we all know crime bosses prefer to do their own 'sorting out'. Can this duo find and neutralise Mantis in time?
What follows is an explosive, action packed, and really addictive story. Fletcher is not really there willingly as he has been 'influenced' shall we say? By the FBI to work clandestine black-ops for them. Quadrado, to all intents and purposes is his handler. Together they are one hell of a team. I was so into this book, I was holding my breath at times and I am so sure my blood pressure was going up! I do like these two characters and the fact that Fletcher isn't bound by FBI rules and Zoe is, creates an interesting duo. Fletcher is definitely a larger than life character who has his flaws, and we see them along the way. I find the character development is excellent. We see it in the way they work together and it makes it more realistic.
If you love a story that won't stop bringing action, drama, intrigue, mystery and danger, along with the twists and violence you would expect when mercenaries, FBI, crime bosses and assassins are involved, pick 'Third Kill' up. In fact, pick all three books up! They are all excellent reads.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the copy of the book.

This book is fantastic!

From the moment you open the book it's action packed and fast paced.

The story was well thought out and kept you on your toes from beginning to end.

Can't wait for the next books in this series!

This is the 3rd book of the Grant Fletcher series.
Grant Fletcher has been sent to Vegas by a shady government agency. He has one job: find the killer, and stop them before more people die. Stop them, by any means. He is assigned to work with Special Agent Quadrago. Together they are to take down the killer, a woman called The Mantis. She has no qualms on who she kills or the age or sex of people.
I like Grant Fletcher, he is a bad ass that will take down the bad people no matter what means he has to use. I also liked agent Quadrago and I felt they worked well together, even if they didn't always agree on things. I did not like Quadrago's boss. He was an arrogant jerk as far as I was concerned.
This book was fast paced and full of a lot of adventure. I read this in 1 sitting.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC.

I’d thoroughly enjoyed the previous two books in this series so jumped at the chance to read this one – and I’m so happy I did! This is another enthralling page turner in which ex-military Grant Fletcher is sent with FBI agent Zoey Quadrado to Las Vegas to stop the killer nicknamed the Mantis who is steady annihilating the city’s crime bosses along with any one else who gets in their way. Grant is coerced into helping with the threat of imprisonment for himself and bribed with rewards for the daughter he loves and Quadrado acts as his ‘handler’. Get ready for a dangerous mission, with mixed levels of support from official government agencies, the crime bosses adamant they can sort it on their own whilst turning on each other and it all taking place in a city where the odds are against you unless you’ve an ace up your sleeve…..

What an intriguing, edge of your seat read this proved to be. Uncovering the motives for the murders, the perpetrator(s) involved and finding a way to stop them is proving impossible for the local authorities so how can Grant stand any chance? His unorthodox thinking, military skills and personal expertise are key to his success and he’ll need to call on all of his training to help solve this one.

It is a fast paced story with well developed characters, packed with adrenalin inducing incidents and full of surprises. Fletcher really is a killing machine but he’s also highly intelligent, resourceful, daring and caring – something of an enigma, but definitely someone you’d want on your side and not against you. If you enjoy thrilling, action packed reads, don’t miss out on this one (or the earlier two!).

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy of this book which I have voluntarily read and honestly reviewed.

Third Kill is book three in the Grant Fletcher series by John Ryder (aka Graham Smith). First Shot and Final Second are the first two and as always I would recommend reading them all..

Viva Las Vegas baby!! Vegas is on my bucket list of holiday destinations and the setting of Third Kill. There is a relentless female assassin named The Mantis who is picking off the gangsters who run the major casinos.

The female of the species is definitely deadlier than the male on this occasion. The Mantis shows no mercy and innocent bystanders are caught up in her path of death and destruction.


Grant Fletcher is tasked with tracking her down and ending her killing spree. Once again he is joined by his handler FBI agent Zoey Quadrado – this duo are a delight to read and they balance each other out perfectly.


The action in Third Kill is non stop and I raced through the pages as the tension built higher and higher! I predict plenty more adventures for Grant and Zoey in the future and look forward to reading them all.

Thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book via Netgalley and for letting me take part in this tour. I really enjoyed the first two books In this series and couldn't wait to see what Grant Fletcher's mission was going to be this time. While this is the third in the series you could read it as a standalone but would get a better experience if you read all three books.

This book is action-packed and extremely difficult to put down. Grant and Zoe get themselves into quite a few situations that you struggle to see their way out of. On more than one occasion I thought well there's no way they are getting out of this alive. Grant and Zoe continued to surprise me with their escapism skills but they were still very realistic in the way that they do escape. As insane as the world of Las Vagas and its crime gangs are it still felt like something that could happen.

Grant might have been hired for his skills as a marine but there's a lot more than brute strength and quick reactions to him. He is very good at analysing the situation around him and working out a game plan. Not many can do that and I like this about Grant. He isn't the kind to just shoot for the sake of it he will only kill if it's absolutely necessary. Don't think him a fool though if someone needs putting down Grant will do it.

Zoe is still a little green when it comes to killing but she has good instincts and will do what is necessary I think Grant has seen more and while it obviously still affects him he has worked out a way to process this. Zoe is still figuring out how to live with what she has to do.

John kept me on the edge of my seat, eagerly turning page after page and before I knew it I almost at the end. I was so engrossed I hadn't noticed how late it had got, way past my bedtime let me tell you! I don't know if there will be more to come from Grant Fletcher but I really hope there will be. I love the way his brain works and I'm not quite ready to let Grant and Zoe go yet.

Grant Fletcher has been hired to stop a dangerous killer. Eliminate them if necessary. Accompanied by his FBI handler, Special Agent Quadrago, Grant becomes all things to all people in order to infiltrate the Vegas casinos with hopes of flushing the killer out.

The killer is a vigilante. The ones murdered are certainly not model citizens by any means. Yet, murder is murder so the killer must be stopped. This action packed novel by John Ryder is filled with powerful characters, danger and tension at every turn. The killer has been identified as female and is called The Mantis. She is highly skilled and has always managed to evade capture. While killing nefarious gangsters, unfortunately innocent bystanders have also lost their lives. This fact makes things personal for Grant and increases his desire to get the job done.

Grant is an unusual protagonist in crime thriller novels. He does not shirk from using any means necessary when it comes to working the cases he is assigned. Quadrago is the perfect counterpart to keep Grant focused on the case at hand all while helping him maintain his humanity. Third Kill is a fabulous read, filled with tension from beginning to end and delivers a riveting conclusion. I am definitely eager for more books in this exciting series.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Third Kill is the third instalment in the Grant Fletcher series, set in Sin City, and written under one of Graham Smith’s multiple pseudonyms. Former Royal Marine turned mercenary, Grant Fletcher is about to embark on his most dangerous and daring mission to date in another blisteringly fast-paced, high-stakes outing. Having moved from his native Great Britain to The United States, the inimitable Fletcher is then coerced into working for the FBI and taking on clandestine, invariably dangerous missions as a member of black ops. FBI Agent and handler Zoey Quadrado and sought-after Fletcher make an inscrutable couple who are difficult to overpowering boast a superb mission success rate. Their latest mission is to travel to Las Vegas, Nevada, away from the remoteness of the countryside and into the city - sin city to be exact, by their surreptitious and enigmatic (sometimes) superior known as Soter, who little do they both know is actually director of the FBI. Their task is to put a halt to a ruthless assassin and wily con artist known as Mantis, after the fashion in which they ceaselessly pursue their prey. Lately, Mantis has been sighted in LV just as the gangsters at the head of the largest casinos in the area are being bumped off and that can be no coincidence. While Soter is not usually the type to get his knickers in a twist about the killing of these nefarious types of businessmen he does have a problem with the fact that innocent people are being murdered in the crossfire between those on opposing sides of the law.

Soter determines that Fletcher's unique skill set and steely determination make him the perfect asset to locate, identify and neutralise Mantis in the shortest time frame possible, given the lives of normal citizens that have frequently ended in devastation. To make the objective even more problematic, the only two things they know for certain about Mantis is that she is a female and she is acutely and overwhelmingly good at murdering her targets before escaping. But Fletcher and Quadrado can forget about enjoying the encouragement of the local FBI chief, who begrudges their presence in what he deems his active investigation, and the gangland bosses and crime kingpins themselves, who are being picked off one by one, who would prefer to mete out justice by taking the law into their own hands and becoming judge, jury and executioner. Can the pair find the Mantis before she strikes again? This is a compulsive, scintillating and incredibly addictive action thriller, which from the opening page sets out its stall for the nail-biting, adrenaline-pumping investigation to come with enough drama, intrigue, mystery, danger, twists, red herrings, well-executed fight scenes and an adeptly woven narrative. Fletcher is a likeable protagonist, as is Quadrado, and their dynamic together is a superb and successful one. It promises to be hard-hitting, pulse-pounding and absolutely gripping and it totally delivers. A riveting and rollicking good read. Highly recommended.

Action packed, fast paced read.

Fletcher is sent to Vegas with Agent Quadrado to stop a deadly female killer taking out casino bosses. The deck is stacked against him dealing with local law enforcement as well organized crime and gangs.
Full of great characters and lots of action made for a real page turner. I really like Fletcher, a mercenary with a great analytical mind, integrity and morals. It's great how the relationship between Fletcher and Quadrado develops from her being his handler to being more of a partner, though she knows when to stand back and let him do his thing.  I look forward to see what they get up to next.
Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Third Kill' by John Ryder.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for John Ryder, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 28th April 2021.

This is the second book I have read by this author. This is the third book in the 'Grant Fletcher' series but can be read as a standalone. I have previously read the second book in the series 'Final Second' which I enjoyed and would recommend.

I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis. I am also a fan of John's previous book and if this is half as good as his previous books it is sure to be great. It also stated in the synopsis that 'Fans of Lee Child's Jack Reacher, Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne and J.B. Turner’s Jon Reznick will love the Grant Fletcher series.' I am a huge fan of the 'Jason Bourne' series so am looking forward to see if it lives up to this. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of a prologue and 78 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in Las Vegas, USA 🇺🇸.

This book is written in third person perspective with the main protagonists being Grant Fletcher and Zoey Quadrado. The benefits of third person perspective are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.

This book is extremely well written with fantastic vivid descriptions that really set the scene for the reader. The synopsis and cover as well as the title suited the storyline perfectly.

The storyline is action packed and fast paced. What I really enjoyed and found unique about it is that John uses a female assassin which is extremely rare. I love the fact that not only the perp is female but one of the lead characters is also, being female myself I love seeing such large female leads in books. There's plenty of crime, murder, mystery and suspense to keep the reader on the edge of their seats. The setting being different from his second book 'Final Second' and also his first book 'First Shot' bith of which are set in small town settings was a good move, especially with this one being set in Las Vegas. There was so much going on, as there actually would be, to keep the atmosphere alive and realistic. John definitely brought the city that never sleeps alive in this action packed book. As previously mentioned this book is the third in a series but can easily be read as a standalone, any events spoken about from the previous books are explained in just the right amount of detail to allow new readers to this series understand what has happened whilst not going too much into it to be repetitive for those who have read the previous books.

I really enjoyed meeting Grant and Zoey again along with some new characters. They are both larger than life, realistic and each have their own strengths and weaknesses. They work perfectly as a team as even though Zoey is with the FBI and Grant isn't restricted by law it is intriguing to see how they work together as well as individually. I also enjoyed seeing how their relationship has developed since 'Final Second' and am looking forward to reading the next in the series to see how it continues to grow. Fletcher is definitely a force to be reckoned with and I would hate to get on the wrong side of him!! I'm looking forward to meeting him and Zoey again in future books. I also enjoy how knowledgeable both Grant and Zoey's characters.

Overall an action packed crime thriller that will keep you guessing throughout and biting your nails in suspense.

Genres covered in this book include Mystery, Thriller, Suspense and Action amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Lee Child's 'Jack Reacher' series, Robert Ludlum's 'Jason Bourne' series and J.B. Turner’s 'Jon Reznick' series.


347 pages.

This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

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Third Kill is (funnily enough) the third book in the Grant Fletcher series about a former Royal Marine living in the US who is coerced into undertaking dangerous and deniable black ops missions for the FBI. John Ryder is the pseudonym of British author Graham Smith who has three different crime series; I’ve only read the Beth Young books, which are excellent.
These are action thrillers featuring a Jack Reacher type tough guy, but so far the plots have been varied enough not to feel like carbon copies, and the pairing with FBI agent Zoey Quadrado creates an enjoyable dynamic that prevents it from being all macho nonsense. While each book stands alone, you’d definitely appreciate the characters more if by reading the series in order.

Fletcher and his handler Zoey have been sent to Las Vegas by their mysterious overlord Soter, (who unbeknownst to them is the director of the FBI) to stop a remorseless assassin known as the Mantis, who has been taking out the gangsters who head some of the city’s major casinos. While Soter wouldn’t normally worry about bad guys being eliminated, innocent people are being killed in the crossfire of retribution, and he decides that Fletcher’s special skillset is required to identify and neutralise Mantis - but all they know is her gender and that she is very, very good at killing. The local FBI chief resents their intrusion into his case, and the criminal potential victims would rather solve it their own way, so Fletcher and Zoey are on their own in what will prove to be their most dangerous case yet.

These are well written fast paced adventure stories with an interesting and highly intelligent hero who is unafraid of violence, but who analyses all the angles before every fight, just like Reacher. I’m very sure the similarities are deliberate, as this series seems to be designed to appeal to Reacher Creatures tired of the formulaic nature of the most recent Child books.

I often find I actually prefer thrillers set in the US by non-American authors, because they don’t feature all the casual mentions of institutions, personalities and pop culture references that often pepper the narrative of books by American authors that I’m constantly having to Google. Yes it’s educational (sort of) but it takes me out of the flow of the story. On the other hand, Britishisms like rubbish instead of garbage creep in which can be equally jarring, but this is a minor quibble. Overall I would recommend this if you like this genre and I look forward to more from Mr Ryder.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC which allowed me to give an honest review. Third Kill is published on April 28th.

Las Vegas isn't usually the place for a quiet laid back vacation but you don't go there expecting gun fights in the streets and casinos. Unfortunately for Grant Fletcher that's exactly why he's been sent there. Following instructions left by their occasional boss, the very secretive Soter, to sort out a volatile situation before the entire city descends into anarchy, Fletcher and his partner, Quadrado, have no idea who they are up against but for them that means the odds are pretty good.

With a hostile local FBI field office and secretive casino owners hindering their tentative first steps the body count continues to rise as their prey seems to revel in their murderous spree. Worryingly, as Fletcher and Quadrado begin to get closer, it becomes apparent they are being watched by a killer who knows exactly why they are there placing them high on the list of future targets

Once again John Ryder has written a breathtaking, heart-stopping, thriller this time pitting Fletcher against an almost invisible killer intent on wreaking chaos in the casinos of Las Vegas. The action never stops even though there is a lot of explanation as is usual in these books. Normally annoying in this series the way Fletcher and Quadrado disassemble the information, secrets, and body language of those in their sights is fascinating and enlightening.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. These books get better and better and are immensely enjoyable.

Third Kill is the third? book about Grant Fletcher by John Ryder. This one was so good I actually woke up and had to read it to the end. I just had to know how it would go. The only thing about this series so far that bothers me is that Grant is told over and over again that if you do this mission we will not prosecute you for murder. How many times are the mysterious Soter going to use that line. This time Fletcher and FBI agent Quadrado is sent to Las Vegas to find and kill the assassin known as The Mantis. Supposedly a female and very good at her work. When our heroes reaches Vegas the deathtoll is over thirty people. This is by far the best book in the series and I'm looking forward to the fourth one already. I must thank @netgalley and @bookouture for giving me this great book. and of course #JohnRyder for writing it. Highly recommended

Thank you to John Ryder, Bookouture,and NetGalley, for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.
Third Kill is the 3rd book in what is fast becoming an eagerly awaited series by John Ryder, which is the pseudonym of British author Graham Smith, who writes the excellent Jake Boulder series, and the DC Beth Young police procedural series. Both well worth checking out. Would love some more of those series as well.
Somehow this is even more action packed than the first two in the series. This book is set in Las Vegas, away from the from rural settings of the first 2 books. The mission this time is to find and take down an extremely skilled female assassin known as The Mantis, who is picking off Casino (gangland) bosses, with little thought to any civilian’s, caught in the cross fire.

Grant Fletcher is a man with a past. He has a strong moral compass, but he’s not afraid to demonstrate his darker side when needed, although he draws the line at harming the innocent, and any unnecessary killing. Once again he is teamed with Zoe Quadrado, his FBI agent “handler”. We start to learn more about Quadrado in this one which is good.

One of the things I enjoy most about this series is that as violent as Grant is, deep down he is an analytical man. You get to experience his thought processes, options and his reasoning as he analyses the situation in front of him.

Once again this is a fast paced, tense story, with loads of action, some very close calls and such an exhilarating conclusion. I thought this eries couldn’t get any better, very happy to be proved wrong! Book 4 please soon.

Third Kill, by John Ryder, is the third book starring Grant Fletcher and the first book I've read by Ryder. But it won't be the last. It's always tricky starting a series with multiple previous books because a backstory wasn't included or the author wanted the books to be read in order. Then you are lost and have no idea what is going on. Luckily, Mr. Ryder provides enough backstory to catch the reader up while not bogging down the story. And what a story it's is. From the opening page it grabs you and doesn't let go. Fletcher is a great character who seems to be a combination of Jack Reacher and Jason Bourne. The story is unique with great characters and Ryder is able to keep the tension throughout the book. Mr Ryder has a new fan and I'm looking forward to reading the previous books.
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing Third Kill.