Forced to Kill

By: Andrew Peterson

Narrated by: Dick Hill

Bravery. Honor. Sacrifice. These are more than mere words to trained Marine sniper Nathan McBride. He’s never backed away from danger, and he’s not about to start now, even if it means confronting the cold-blooded interrogator who tortured him to the brink of death more than a decade ago.

When a mutilated body is discovered in a remote Utah lake, it ignites a chain of events that forces Nathan to face a dark chapter from a past he’s worked hard to forget. Could his Nicaraguan enemy be active again? On American soil? The evidence is clear, but the stakes are higher than Nathan can know. In a showdown that will test Nathan’s understanding of justice and mercy, he’ll have to make a life or death decision that has the potential to expose and destroy people at the highest levels of government.

©2011 Andrew Peterson (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"An absolutely bone-chilling thriller. Equal parts Stephen Hunter and Thomas Harris. Imagine Bob Lee Swagger going after Hannibal Lecter and you will have only scratched the surface of this intensely exciting novel. Forced To Kill will haunt you long after you read its last brilliantly plotted page." (Brad Thor)

WORTHY FOLLOW-UP TO "FIRST TO KILL"

Would you consider the audio edition of Forced to Kill to be better than the print version?

I don't know why Audible keeps using this question it it's Guided Review format. It assumes that LISTENERS are also READERS. Although there may be people who enjoy both formats, I am not one of them. I've read 5 books a week since age 6 and was very happy when audiobooks came out. I was able to continue indulging in my passion for books via the audio medium.

Who was your favorite character and why?

As before, I like the main character, Nathan McBride for his calm demeanor under pressure and his frailties as a man after the horrendous capture and torture he endured years ago.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I am a big Dick Hill fan and I usually give him an automatic 4-5 stars, no matter how crappy the book is. However, I was a bit disappointed in his performance here. All of the characters - except the non-American Latino men - sound alike or so similar that it's difficult to distinguish them. Especially since the author or the producer of the recorded version doesn't use "He said" or "said Nathan" in long dialogue portions which is something that I've always found to be distracting from narrators who are able to make each character have his or her own sound. Here, Mr. Hill is very lackadaisical in his performance. Characters sound different from one scene to another and even change in the middle of a sentence. And the females are just awful. FBI Special Agent In Charge Holly Simpson sounds like she just sucked on a helium balloon as does her subordinate agent Mary Grangeland. Plus the two women sound exactly the same. They are depicted as competent, brave, good looking and sexy, yet Dick Hill has them sounding as if they look and sound like Daffy Duck!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It's not that kind of book. While the torture sessions are very disturbing, I knew what to expect in choosing this genre. My only reaction was a wish for a "do over" in my life so I could be a rogue ex-CIA Special Ops sniper assassin like Court Gentry in Mark Greaney's "The Gray Man" audiobook series.

Any additional comments?

If you like this kind of book, definitely check out Mark Greaney's "The Gray Man" audiobooks. In his covert assignments assassin Court Gentry does more than this book's Nathan McBride and his partner Harvey Fontana put together.

Why Dick Hill?

3 stars for the story but 1 star for Dick Hill. I am not sure why Dick Hill though? Our hero is a young man but Dick Hill sounds like a man in his fiftees. That is not a true reflection of the story. Also, where is the kindle version? I read First to Kill and loved it, "read" being the operating word, not listen.

Love these books

These books bring you into the world perfectly; living the lives of the characters and feeling their pain. I like Vince Flynn, James Rollins and Brad Thor and while it is just slightly different (being based in the US) it is just as good. The narrator is just as excellent. Makes the book worth listenting to again.

I approve

Well Written, great reader goes to Dick Hill, he bring out the story in a real life way that make this book great to listen too. The story lead up to the climax then bring you back down with a smooth landing that make you wonder what the next book by Andrew Peterson will take you. I listen to his other book before this one: First to Kill, great story there too.

Fun story

Enjoyed the story. Andrew Peterson is a good writer. There are three books in this series. I liked the first two the best. The third book is a builder for future stories.

Fast paced, I listened to all three in one gulp. Fun.

1st in the series is good, 2nd is even better

I found this series, having gone through several similar genres and looking for something new. This one is even better than the first, containing several intense and captivating action sequences and enough good storytelling and character development to satisfy.

If you enjoy Lee Child's Reacher, Mark Greaney's Gray Man, Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp, Alex Berenson' s John Wells, and many of Baldacci books you will enjoy this series.

Some of main characters can be similar, tall, middle-aged tough guys, ex military or CIA, loners with issues, but if that is what you like, so what, and they are different enough, no one author invented the character type, enjoy.

Good Series

Any additional comments?

I really like the characters in this series. I generally stay away from anything that Dick Hill reads because his style gets under my skin from time to time. Somehow this series his style isn't that irritating to me. Good stories with what seems like a lot of good knowledge about things like sniper tactics.

Lot's of action. Ruined by poor narration.

Imagine a movie version of this thriller and doing the casting.
The lead, Nathan McBride would be a lot of fun. (John Wayne?) A bit late now.
Hollywood's elite action men could all give it a go. ( Maybe not Tom Cruise, Nathan McBride is 6ft 5".)
A different story when it comes to the leading lady / love interest ("Holly"- tough guy Nathan McBride's girlfriend) 'A real looker' according to the author. She would be harder to cast. Carol Channing is the voice Dick Hill used for her and it sort of ruined the whole story for me. She's in her 90's now so I don't think she'd be too active, bless her. The voice was so comical it was very hard to take seriously. I found it hard to maintain my belief in the plot or storyline. This, along with some very poor 'serious acting' in the dramatic scenes when NB decides that good wins out over evil near the end, and a distinct lack of breath at the end of any long sentences ( I hope I'm wrong but I think Mr Hill needs to see a doctor.) mean I won't be buying any more audiobooks with his narration, sorry.

As for the characters and plot, they were good enough, but when you can't believe in the characters, the battle is lost. To his credit, Nathan McBride and Harve, his sidekick, were gritty and believable. So was the despicable Latin torturer. Well done for those voices Dick. It must be hard to do women's voices without sounding daft I suppose, so I sympathize somewhat. I'm prepared to give a little bit of license when it comes to getting women to sound 'sexy' or feminine when you have a voice that sounds like gravel in a bucket, but this was akin to using a Mickey Mouse voice or sucking on Helium before she spoke. In audiobooks it's so important not to have the characters sound ridiculous Not a consideration in the print form. Unconvincing to say the least.

To sum up: Not one of the best Nathan McBride books. My recommendation? Skip this one unless you simply have to read them all.

Humanity v. Beast

The conflicts between characters, let alone within McBride himself, kept this an interesting listen. I loved all the top dog intrigue of who was clean or dirty.

A very good read!

I very much enjoyed this book as it made you feel like you were there with them.