Leopards Kill

By Jim DeFelice

Book Overview

A journey into the hell that is the War on Terror--a" Heart of Darkness" for the new century. Former Army Special Forces soldier Jack Pilgrim has it all - big bucks, a successful security business with plush government contracts, a beautiful wife. Then Pilgrim's partner, Merc Conrad, goes missing in Afghanistan with a chunk of government cash and most of the company's assets. The CIA threatens to throw Pilgrim in jail if he doesn't find Merc and return the money. Pilgrim knows his business--and his extravagant lifestyle--are on the line, but Merc saved Jack's life three times while they served together in the Army in Afghanistan. So Jack owes him. Big. Determined to find Conrad, Pilgrim returns to Afghanistan. The country in chaos as the US prepares to pull out. Pilgrim follows Merc's trail to the border area of Pakistan; with every step he seems to descend deeper into a Dantesque hell. Rumor has it that Conrad has fielded a guerilla army and is hot on the trail of Osama bin Laden. The further into the uncharted border zone Jack Pilgrim goes, the larger the legend of Merc Conrad becomes. Warding off insurgent attacks and pockets of terror cells, Pilgrim's odyssey into the Afghan badlands has him questioning his own reality, and the closer he seems to get to Conrad, the more peril he faces. If Jack Pilgrim wants to get out of Afghanistan alive, he may need Merc Conrad now more than ever.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765352915
• ISBN13: 9780765352910
• Release Date: November 2009
• Publisher: Forge
• Length: 374 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.1" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Intelligent Thriller

Who says thrillers can't be deep? This had me biting my nails and thinking at the same time.

Excellent adventure tale! Give us more!

Well written, spell binding adventure. There were a few slow moving flashbacks describing the main character's relationship with his wife, but all in all well worth the read. Reminded me somewhat of the search for Col.Kurtz (Played by Brando) in Apocalypse Now.

Packs more punch than Popeye on steroyds!

Let's face it. Jim DeFelice never disappoints. But with LEOPARDS KILL, and protagonist Jack Pilgrim, Mr. DeFelice reaches new heights of action and suspense. While previous DeFelice novels have kept me on the edge of my seat, this one forced me to go out and buy a new chair. Not only is this writer a master story teller, he is among the best at creating characters who will live in our minds forever. (Personally, I think the characters Bozzone and Blitz deserve their own novel.) Buy this book. Then put aside some time, because you will not be able to put it down.

A SHANGRI LA OF MAN-MADE HELL

LEOPARDS KILL is a crackerjack thriller with more on its mind than just blowing things up. Jim DeFelice uses his Afghanistan setting as a metaphoric hell to put his new character, soldier of fortune Jack Pilgrim, through his paces. As Pilgrim advances further away from civilzation in his quest to find his missing partner Merc Conrad, his humanity dwindles away until finally all that is left is the essential urge to survive at any cost. The book climaxes in a Shangri La of man-made hell that stayed with me through the long hours of the night. Fred Rosen, author, There But For the Grace of God: Survivors of the 20th Century's Infamous Serial Killers

action-packed thriller

In Afghanistan, CIA agent Mercury "Merc" Conrad is on a black ops assignment when he suddenly vanishes off the radar screen. The CIA would ignore a lost agent because the brass believes in minimizing damage to avoid an international incident. Besides which those in the cold understand the risks they take. However Merc also has two million dollars that the agency wants back so they decide to send someone in. Former Special Forces soldier Jack Pilgrim volunteers to rescue Merc as he owes the man for saving his life three times. Jack treks into the most dangerous part of Afghanistan where outsiders never venture in a quest to locate his buddy. Every step is filled with danger as no one welcomes the American intruder. You don't know Jack if you are a thriller fan and pass on this action-packed tale that starts off at hyperspeed and never slows down until the final confrontation. Besides one harrowing incident after another that fully tests Jack's capabilities to survive, his occasional asides on his and Merc's mortality as he does not expect to survive this ordeal and his muses on divided loyalty add depth to him. However, LEOPARDS KILL is first, second, and nth action, action, and more action. Harriet Klausner