The Kill Clause

by Gregg Andrew Hurwitz

Book Overview

One father's vow to avenge his daughter's death becomes a fight to save his own life - THE KILL CLAUSE firmly places Gregg Hurwitz in the pantheon of great thriller writers. The series that started it... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060530391
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: HarperTorch
• Length: 576 Pages
• Weight: 0.63 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 1.1" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

A White-Knuckle Thriller

In a compellingly emotional opening to the book, Tim and Andrea Rackley are faced with the news that their 7-year-old daughter has been horrifically murdered. Their heartbreaking grief and despair is captured in a few powerful pages and gives us the motivation that drives Tim for the rest of the book. To add to their misery, the man who committed the murder is allowed to walk free thanks to a loophole in the legal system. As a highly trained Special Forces officer turned Deputy Marshall, Tim has the power and the opportunity to exact any form of revenge he chooses on his daughter's murderer, but refrains from doing so when he learns that an accomplice may have been involved. Meanwhile, his marriage is being ripped apart as Tim and Andrea try to come to terms with the loss of their daughter. Just when it looks as though the marriage is beyond salvation and after he quits his job, he is approached by a man offering him a chance at some measure of revenge, luring him in with the possibility that he will also get a shot of finding the mysterious accomplice.Essentially, what Tim is asked to do is join a group of vigilantes, calling themselves The Commission, who are aiming to serve their own justice on criminals who they consider have escaped penalty due to shortcomings in the legal system. Of course, Tim accepts and the action takes off from there as candidates are assessed and their fate is decided, with the penalty to be meted out by Tim.This is a tremendously fast-paced book that highlights the way in which severe emotional situations can skew the judgement of even the most level-headed thinkers. I had a great time reading this book, finding it both thought provoking and white-knuckle thrilling.

Far above and beyond the usual vigilante thriller!

As others have already seen to it, I won't rehash the major plot points of the book. To summarize: Deputy U.S. Marshall Timothy Rackley loses his daughter then his job, prompting him to take extreme measures to see justice done. Your basic formula for almost any vigilante cop thriller, right?Not so. Not this time. Gregg Hurwitz takes a common premise and does some remarkable things with it. While there is at least one major plot twist that many readers will sniff out far in advance, the writing, the pacing, and the characterizations in this book are exceptional. It takes a certain talent to weave intense morality plays into all the equally intense action.Be warned, however, this is not light reading! The violence and brutality is conveyed with gut wrenching skill.The book grabs you early and does not let go. Highest recommendation.

From Start to Finish - A Winner

The Kill Clause is about that dirty little thought some of us have when some one does something really bad to you or others and then gets away with it through a quirk of fate, a loophole in the law or some other maddening reason. In this case the young daughter of a US Marshall (Tim Rackley)has been brutally murdered. The perpetrator is quickly caught and in a chilling confrontation with Rackley, alludes to the possibility that he was not acting alone. Through mishandling of the investigation, arrest and entry of the perps house by the police, he goes freeand it is not long after that Rackley is contacted by a member of The Committee. The Committee is a vigalante group who plan to right wrongs such as has happened to Tim. They all have a story to tell about how they have been victimized by "the system" and they have developed the ability to investigate potential miscarriages of justice and if they decide that the case warrants it, to carry our vengance. Rackley is the missing link to their plan. They need an executioner. How he is turned from a law enforcement officer to a vigilante enforcer and how he deals with this contradiction in his life and his continuing investigation in to who killed his daughter is compelling reading that you will not want to put down. If you are looking for a mind twister and a book that will make you think, this is about as good as it gets.

A great read

An excellent work of fiction. This book will keep you interested page after page. The characters are so well written you will be certain you know them from somewhere. Nothing more needs to be said. Buy it!

Gripping and compelling, you won't be able to put this down!

Not usually given to superlatives, let me start this review by stating that Gregg Hurwitz' 4th novel, "The Kill Clause" is the best book that I've read in the past year! The plot takes off like a rocket from page one and never loses steam. The story revolves around the brutal murder of the young daughter of law enforcement officers, Tim and Dray Rackley. As the Rackley's deal with a parent's greatest nightmare, things become even worse when the alleged murdered is set free because of a violation of his 4th Amendment rights during his arrest. Tim is so distraught over this turn of events, that he considers taking the law into his own hands. As he comtemplates this action, Tim is approached by an unusual band of vigilantes known as The Commission. Each member of The Commission has suffered a great personal loss along the lines of the Rackleys. And, in each of their cases as well, the perpetator has gone free because of some legal technicality.Without giving away too much of the plot let me just say that the anguish that Tim feels over the loss of his daughter pales in comparison to the guilt that he begins to feel as he becomes the hit man for The Commission. This very human story tests the depths of many emotions, especially the relationship that a husband and wife have to deal with after a loss of this magnitude. Hurwitz has done another outstanding job with his character development in this novel. The members of The Commission are unique in their own fashion and extremely interesting. There were a number of scenes throughout the book that I read at a blur because the action was so intense. Numerous graphic scenes definitely make this powerful book one that is not for the faint of heart.Bravo to Mr. Hurwitz on his latest creation and attention all Hollywood execs: This would make a dynamite film! The screen play is practically written already. I can't wait to see what Hurwitz writes next!HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!