The second novel in Matthew Quirk's John Hayes thriller series.
As with the first novel in the series (and all of Quirk's other novels), DEAD MAN SWITCH is fast-paced, engaging, and entertaining. In this novel, Hayes is brought back into covert ops to investigate a series of deaths of undercover agents.
Another fast-paced thriller, that will grip you from the start. Recommended for anyone who's a fan of fast-paced, action-packed thriller fiction.

Great characters in interesting situations and a non-stop plot makes this a very compelling mystery and a wonderful read. I definitely want to see more books with this cast in the future.

Cold barrel zero was good but this takes you from one coast to the other under the threat or some would say soon to be fact of the bad guys in our own country looking for retribution. You will enjoy the moves and smell the gunfire so enjoy!!

DEAD MAN SWITCH
Matthew Quirk
Mulholland Books
ISBN 978-0-316-25923-1
Hardcover
Thriller

I’m pleased to see the return of John Hayes and Cold Harvest in DEAD MAN SWITCH, the latest novel by Matthew Quirk. Hayes, introduced in 2016’s COLD BARREL ZERO, is cut from the similar though by no means identical cloth of other Special Ops members; the difference here is that Hayes --- a member of Cold Harvest, the most secretive and skillful teams operating at the behest of the United States government at its highest levels --- hides in plain sight, is generally regarded as a traitor. His actual status is known only to those at the highest levels of government. It makes life extremely difficult for Hayes but also allows him access to enemies of the United States which he would not otherwise have.

This is illustrated dramatically in the opening pages of DEAD MAN SWITCH, where Hayes has inserted himself into a secretive group which has tasked itself with hunting down and killing all of the members of Cold Harvest. Hayes’ key to the inner sanctum is his knowledge of the identities and location of the team members. A sudden and unexpected intervention, however, turns things upside down for Hayes, but confirms that Cold Harvest has been targeted. Members of the team are already being terminated through a series of seemingly unrelated incidents which appear to be accidents but which, in Hayes’ mind, are anything but accidents. A diabolical plan is then set in motion to gather all remaining members of the team into one place --- the city of New York --- where they can all be removed in one fell swoop. Hayes knows that something is going on but isn’t sure where the plan is coming from, even as suspicions fall upon Claire Rhodes, an assassin trained by Hayes himself. Rhodes for her part believes that Hayes is, indeed, a traitor and that she would be doing the country a favor by taking him out. There are any number of twists and turns which take place before the ultimate truth is revealed, but by that time things are already irrevocably set into motion, not only against Cold Harvest, but also against the country. Things quickly come to a head as it no longer becomes a question of whether the plot against Cold Harvest and the United States will be carried out, but whether who, if anyone, will survive it.

DEAD MAN SWITCH is a one-sit read which hops from one action-filled vignette to another from first page to last. As exciting as most of DEAD MAN SWITCH is, the last quarter of the book is a no-brake roll against the guardrails, as the team tries to decide who is doing what to when there is absolute no time for reflection or digestion, and one member in particular is the subject of a revelation no one will see coming. Author Quirk has in interviews denied any special ops background, relying instead on deep research. Certainly, however, the elements which comprise DEAD MAN SWITCH and which make the ultimate situations more interesting certainly seem to have infused with real world occurrences in places that most of us would never go by choice. Quirk, who has achieved well-deserved critical and commercial acclaim for his previous work, will hopefully see fit to return to the world of Hayes and Cold Harvest for a long time to come. Recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2017, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

I had high hopes for this book following my reading of "Cold Barrel Zero" early last year.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R1QP2F1P26RU9K/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

Unfortunately, "Dead Man Switch" is interchangeable with loads of other "kill off the spies" stories. Here the bad guys track the good guys to their homes and kill them and their families. Gruesome and not very believable, as the good guys blithely attend their buddies' funerals and then drive straight home, leading the bad guys to them. The attempt to build a strong female character is admirable but she does not carry the story.

I received a review copy of "Dead Man Switch" by Matthew Quirk (Mulholland) through NetGalley.com.

I honestly didn't realize this was book 2 when I picked it up, but I was immediately engrossed in this story and couldn't put it down.

Full of action and twists! A great read!

"The wilderness of mirrors"

I enjoyed this offering by author Quirk quite a bit more than the first book in the series - COLD BARREL ZERO. It was much easier to follow the storyline, had less characters to keep track of, and had a solid ending.

"36 men and women belong to Cold Harvest, a small group, gathered from the U.S. military’s classified special operations units and the CIA’s paramilitary forces. They were kill teams, in essence, run as independent contractors with no official relationship to their home government. They pursued the gravest threats to national security in countries, most of them American allies, where the U.S. would never be allowed to perform lethal missions. They were a last resort."

And now there was a group out to get rid of the Cold Harvest members and so far are being successful at their endeavors.

John Hayes, who was in the first book of this series, is still trying to fight the good battle even though his reputation is in shreds. He thought he could live like a regular person, enjoying his wife and daughter, but duty calls and he always feels the obligation to respond. So he heads out, trying to protect the remaining Cold Harvest members.

Fast paced, with a major twist in the middle that I definitely did not see coming, this is a spy/action thriller that I highly recommend.

I received this book from Mulholland Books through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.