The Survivor by Andrew Reid

About the Book:

Fired and walked out by security on his first day at his new job in New York City, Ben Cross thought his day couldn't get worse. But he couldn't be more wrong. Getting on the 1 train headed uptown, Ben starts receiving text messages from an anonymous killer, showing that they've already killed someone, then pointedly killing another as they got off the train to prove they aren't bluffing and to ensure Ben follows orders. But Ben wasn't picked at random—he has a history that no one is supposed to know.

At the same time, A NYPD detective, Kelly Hendricks, is on punishment duty with the transit police. The first one on the scene after the first murder, she gets on the train to find out what is really going on.

Switching rapidly between Cross and Hendricks, as the hijacked 1 train heads from South Ferry to 181st, the secret to the killer lies in Ben's own history—why he's been targeted and punished.

My Review:

This book did not grab me. The premise seemed rather unreasonable to me and I had difficulty continuing reading. There is action but the whole novel felt flat. I did not like how Reid portrayed the female officer with NYPD. I was also put off by some graphic scenes. While I do like thrillers, this one just did not do it for me.

My rating: 3/5 stars.

About the Author:

Andrew Reid was born in Scotland and worked as a research scientist in the US and the UK. He now teaches and lives in Stockholm with his wife, three children, and two cats.

His previous novel THE HUNTER was published in the UK and Commonwealth in 2018. THE SURVIVOR is his US debut.

Minotaur Books, 328 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)