The Killing Kind by Chris Holm

Mulholland Books, 320 pages, $26 (release date - 9/15/15)

Chris Holm has turned from writing about collectors of souls in his intriguing fantasy/pulp series to this straightforward thriller.

There are hitmen galore in “The Killing Kind.” First is the original hitman hired to do what hitmen do. Then there is the hitman hired by the potential victim to protect him against his potential killer. Then there is the hitman who is hired to find the hitman who is hitting hitmen. Clear?

Michael Hendricks makes his living, although he has been officially declared dead, by convincing people that they are about to be whacked and wouldn’t it be worth their while to hire him to kill the hitman? Alexander Engelmann is an elegant, sadistic, European psychopath who is hired by The Mob to find the man who is killing some of their most effective hired guns. Special Agent Charlotte “Charlie” Thompson is the FBI agent who is no longer thought to be crazy for believing that there is a hitman hitting hitmen. Without knowing exactly who Michael is, she calls him her “ghost.” She’s usually a step behind everyone else, but, really, she can’t catch all the killers before the explosive denouement, can she?

“The Killing Kind” adheres to the thriller scenario pretty well, and the hitman hitting hitmen schtick is clever. For better or worse there’s nothing too deep to slow the story down and nothing to stop you from enjoying this read either.