A Hired Kill continues from where A Clean Kill left off, with Mann's ARTEMIS team pursuing the remnants of a cartel-based serial killing Triad. During their mission, the team discovers that the New Mexico facility is a training center for a network of for-hire terrorist cells in the U.S., to be leased out to the highest bidders by a reconstituted True America from the Black Flagged series.

New readers are advised to read A Clean Kill first, as knowledge of that book is assumed in A Hired Kill. Readers of A Clean Kill will benefit from a good memory.

I am new to Steven Konkoly but I really enjoyed this fast paced, military meets vigilante read! Very feasible in today's political climate, and the author’s background shines as he orchestrates this amazing plat-by-play! I couldn't stop reading the second half!

I highly recommend to all looking for a read in to military/police thriller genres. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

Another great read from Steven Konokoly in the Garrett Mann series. Lots of action and intrigue. Great story, great pacing, and great characters. Can't wait for the next book in the series. #AHiredKill #NetGalley

If you want a solid thriller, don't look any further. Steven Konkoly is your man. A Hired Kill is the second book about FBI agent Garrett Mann and it continues where the first one A Clean Kill ended. I must tell you that Konkoly delivers, he has surprised me with every book I've read so far. He is so solid a writer that if I see his name on a book I will read it. This one is so filled with both action and suspense not to forget an intriguing plot so fileed with twists you will end up looking over your shoulder to see where the story took you. I will recommend this book and series to all that can stand my ravings. I must thank Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for letting me read this advance copy of a book that hits the stores in the end of May this year.

A Hired Kill is book 2 in the Garrett Mann series, and picks up right where book 1 ended. Mann and his team of “misfit” FBI agents are hot on the trail of a serial killer with ties to a shadowy conspiracy organization bent on disrupting the upcoming US elections. The action is fast and furious in this one, as top level FBI directors are targeted for assassination, and Mann’s team is under siege from cartel hit men. The continued plot in book 2 is more clearly explained, as are the roles of the various characters and organizations involved, which was all a bit muddled in book one, making this a much more enjoyable read, as the combat scenes, while a little over the top, are thrilling and tense. The loose ends are nicely tied up as well. Highly recommend reading the first book in the series though. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A pulse pounding and adrenaline spiked sequel to the first book in the series (A Clean Kill). A wonderfully crafted story; action packed with plenty of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat right to the last page. I can’t wait to see where the author takes us next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer who provided me with a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

The plot had potential, with high-stakes moments and a strong focus on FBI agent Garrett Morgan, but I found the story a bit hard to follow at times. The overuse of acronyms and an overwhelming number of characters made it difficult to stay engaged, especially for readers jumping in without having read the first book.

While there are some standout moments, the lack of depth in character development and the somewhat predictable twists held it back from being great. It’s a solid read for fans of military-style thrillers, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this book. Since this is the second in the series and I had not read the first installment, it was a little confusing to start, but it got better as I continued. A great finish. Worthwhile and recommended.

A Hired Kill is a must-read for fans of edge-of-your-seat thrillers with complex plots and compelling characters. If you’re a fan of high-stakes action, intricate conspiracies, and protagonists who are as tough as they are relatable, this book is for you. Konkoly expertly weaves together elements of crime, suspense, and political intrigue, delivering a story that’s as thought-provoking as it is exhilarating.

I enjoyed this continuation of FBI agent Garrett Morgan's story. I did read the first book in the series. I could see that if you did not read the first novel, you might be confused. However, this is an action-packed story, so if a fast-moving plot is important to you, you should enjoy reading how Garrett Morgan solves this case.

Garrett Mann has assembled a nearly off-the-books team of FBI experts along with some Mexican law enforcement to do a deep dive into the drug and human trafficking trade across the southern US border. They answer only to an Assistant Director of the FBI who runs interference for the team any time someone gets a whiff of their activities.

They’ve learned about an underground training facility in the New Mexico desert (originally built by the CIA for training purposes). The raid results in the death of dozens of cartel types who’ve been training Mexican natives as sleeper agents on how to blend in. A lone survivor tells them of a coming action in the Sacramento area.

Mann takes his team to Sacramento. Reinforced by local and state law enforcement, they surround a mansion in a gated big-bucks community. While the home is empty, it’s not a walk in the park. The property is heavily mined. The house is wired to its foundation with explosives. All of it triggered remotely once agents are on the property and inside the house. Someone knew they were coming and were watching for the perfect time to detonate. Dozens upon dozens of law enforcement agents were killed.

The hunt for the cartel leaders behind all this is now massive. California, Sacramento, and the FBI are frothing at the bit to administer some serious revenge. It’s up to Mann to keep all in line to track down who is responsible and, importantly, the obvious presence of leaks. some to the highest levels of federal law enforcement.

The key to finding the bad guys lies deep within the mind of the survivor who is doing his best to work out a deal to save his own skin despite his own pro-cartel history.

Now this is what we at MRB live for. Slam bang, gnashing of teeth, speed of light plotting and action. Believable (somewhat) characters with righteous motivation. Just keep a notepad handy to keep track of all the acronyms and initialisms tossed around. Konkoly has a long history of writing mysteries and thrillers. Two earlier titles were favorably reviewed by MRB (by moi). Wouldn’t be a stretch to want to expand into his other titles. One never knows.

I had not read a Steven Konkoly book before so was very open minded as to how it would go!

On the whole I enjoyed the book, with a couple of reservations. It was very fast paced and action packed, story moved quickly but there were a lot of acronyms which wasn't easy to keep up with, also a lot of characters and trying to keep them organised in your mind, again wasn't an easy task..

It probably would have helped to have read the previous books, I don't think it is a true stand alone, as there are quite a few referrals to previous events.

At that start of Chapter 19 there is an error when a cigarette should have been stubbed out, but is actually written as snubbed out.

I loved this! What a thrilling read! The characters were real, well described and the plot pulled you along at a rapid pace. A true page-turner, I loved the thrill of the chase, the reveal of the secrets and the overall spythriller vibe. Well done!

A Hired Kill is a fast paced FBI story with several twists and turns. Garrett Mann is a experienced agent who gets his own way frequently but now he has to face superiors who may be his undoing. A Hired Kill is the second book in the Garrett Mann Series by Steven Konkoly.

The book starts with the macabre discovery of an underground training school in NM where only one student has survived annihilation by whoever runs the facility. Interviews of the survivor reveal that the original intent is to train students to infiltrate the US and behave like ordinary Americans. Even the students are never told why.

The story becomes very fast paced from there. The agents are searching for a serial killer who has been active enough that many of the agent have a personal issues with thi criminal. It turns out that crimes involve many high level official and Mann has his hands full trying to separate the good from the bad.

There are too many characters in the book and it is impossible for me to identify each new character as they are introduced. For this reason I find that the story to just too confusing to enjoy.

I recommend this story to people who like FBI and government agency stories but forewarn you that it will take work to follow the storyline. I give this novel 3 on 5.
I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for providing me with a digital copy of this novel. I give the review voluntarily.

This is a fast-paced, action-filled adventure featuring Garrett Mann as the leader of a mismatched team of not very rule-abiding FBI agents and Mexican ex-different-forces that find themselves involved in a plot much bigger than they initially expected.

This is the continuity of the previous book in the saga, A Clean Kill. Having not read the first one, I was thrown into the dynamics of a group of characters with many names that were initially hard to keep track of. However, some of them grow on you page by page.

It really is an action thriller, with a little heart that I would have liked it a bit more explored. What I liked the most is the delicate balance Mann and Serrano had to maintain. They had mutual respect and admiration, but duty intertwined with the pact they had made, and they had to dance around that sense of betrayal that strains their relationship. I would have liked a bit more exploration of that personal side.

Apart from Mann and Serrano, there were a few characters that I really liked, such as James or Gupta, their ways and characters had something special that ticked. The rest… they were too many to follow, although Konkoly has a way to take you in the right direction, but it’s hard, they are too many.

Overall, it was a well-paced action thriller.

After really liking the first in this series I couldn’t wait for another action packed ride. If I had sum up the overall tenor of the plot, it’s even more adrenaline spiked throughout than the first. Garrett Mann and his team confront multiple threats. His boss, FBI Deputy director O’Reilly, has covered their occasional coloring outside the lines methods. She’s not able to protect them now while fighting for her life. The team (ARTEMIS) is up against conspiracies that reach far higher into powerful people and places than they could foresee. The serial killer they’d encountered in NM is up to new deadly games. Everything you’d want in a thriller is covered in this plot. The characters are strong, devoted, committed and determined. The conspiracies and government agencies are all at play. The hardest part is keeping up with the numerous alphabet agencies involved. It was another complex operation that kept me reading far too late at night.
Thomas & Mercer (via NetGalley) provided an Advance Reader Copy of “A Hired Kill” Garrett Mann #2, by Steven Konkoly, publication expected 05/13/2025. These are my honest personal thoughts and opinions given freely without compensation.

Another action packed, riveting novel with Agent Mann and crew following the leads to take down AXIOS. This book was a great follow up to the last, and tied up most of the loose ends. Cata and her team of Mexican enforcers were a major part in taking down the enemy, but what will happen to them when the mission is finally put to rest? I can't recommend this series enough for those who love a great political thriller.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was unable to finish this book. I got caught up in the multiple layers and different organizations and couldn't make sense of it. I decided to move on after about 10% done. It is likely a very good book but wasn't for me.

This is the second book in the Garrett Mann series and it continues as we follow Special Agent Mann and the ARTEMIS team as they try to catch a prolific serial killer - the last of three killers that were working for the Juarez Cartel.

This book actually takes a turn in that Mann and team discover that they have actually found themselves in the middle of a quite different scenario and things are vastly more important than they realized. There are some SERIOUS consequences to the security of the US involved and they do not realize the potential consequences until it is too late.

This is where things get a little bit complicated. While this is the second book in this series, new characters are introduced into this storyline - characters who readers of Mr. Konkoly's other series are already familiar with. Unfortunately, it is confusing to have the addition of so many new characters as some are added to Mann's team, some are on Serrano's team and others are the ones we knew back from the Ryan Decker and Devin Gray series. I HAVE read all of those books and I was still unsure at times who was who. I will admit though, I enjoyed seeing Audra, Gupta and some of their gang back on the board.

This book is extremely fast paced and is full of action, combat and off the reservation type behaviors as Mann and his team realize that doing things "by the book" will only get them killed. While this typically could be labelled as a police or FBI procedural book, in a way it is as far from that as you can imagine because almost every action the team makes is against current policy and most times against the law and could get all of them arrested. But, then again, when people are trying non-stop to kill every single member of your team - and succeeding more times than not - well, being as unconventional as possible begins to look like the smart thing.

Since there is so much action, there is not a lot of character development in this series. While I really do like Mann as an MMC, I still do not feel like I REALLY know him other than the fact that he is a rogue type agent. He and the others feel very one dimensional and I think that is why there is not a lot of emotional investment on my part when someone on their team is killed. I just didn't know them well enough to feel that as a loss, and I think that is the one thing that held this book back.

This book ends with a bit of uncertainty on whether or not they were successful in eliminating the threat. The individual storyline for this book is settled and that part closed, but I think that we are going to learn that while they might have closed one chapter, there is a completely different element still out there. Maybe?

Thank you to NetGalley and to Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone. This book will be out for publication on May 27, 2025.

If you like action with lots of shoot-outs, then this is the book for you. Unfortunately it wasn't for me. I really tried to like this book, but it was one shoot-out after another, followed by discussion between (numerous) characters. The action scenes were really well described and pacy, but the plot could do with some more depth, development and explanation. The storyline and project codewords were all rather confusing. The story was also rather protracted and long.
I also found the number of characters in the book just too many to keep up with. So many were introduced at once, and then there would be more new characters in a following chapter. I finished the book but must admit it was a struggle, just not for me this one.

Honest review in return for eARC