Book Reviews and More: Set to Kill - Declan Finn

Saturday, 4 February 2023

Set to Kill - Declan Finn - Convention Killings Book 2

Set To Kill

Convention Killings Book 2

Declan Finn

ISBN 9781534946040

ASIN B01M8PKWD2

I have read 27 books by Declan Finn and 26 of them in the last 8 months. I have greatly enjoyed books in three other series. This is one of two in the Convention Killings series that I am aware of. These were published a decade ago. Both the Saint Tommy and the White Ops series are greatly entertaining, and I cannot wait for the Pius trilogy of 5 books to be back in print. I am now working through his back catalogue. The first story in this series, It Was Only On Stun!, was a very entertaining story, it had a fan fiction feel, but also a bit of a spoof and homage. The description of this story is:

“After the events of "A Pius Stand," Sean A.P. Ryan has spent the last year in Italy, keeping his head down and his mouth shut. But now, he has been brought out of his exile for one big job: security at the world's largest science fiction convention, WyvernCon. His mission? To keep the peace between two factions warring over the "coveted" Hubble Awards -- the Tearful Puppies and the Puppy Punters. Even though Sean has a bad feeling about it, he takes the job, expecting a relatively quiet weekend. Unfortunately, Sean soon learns that he has a bounty on his head. Every bounty hunter and mercenary within shouting distance of the internet is descending on the convention, each of them set on killing him. And his enemies list is long enough to cover half the free world, and most of the world still in chains. If that wasn't bad enough, the first casualties of the War of the Puppies happen at the convention. Could it have been one of the Puppies, who are all armed and dangerous? Or could it have been one of the Punters, who claim pacifist tendencies, and fanatical devotion to their cause? With the bodies piling up, and the attacks becoming more frequent, Sean has to discover who wants him dead, and who the true Puppy killer is, before all of WyvernCon goes down in flames.”

There are different covers for book one in this series, one matches style and design of this book). I am not a fan of those covers. But the Red Shirt coloured cover with a name sticker feels perfect for the series and this one should have been a Gold Shirt.

This story was just as entertaining as the first in the series. It is easy to figure out who some of the characters are meant to be in real life. And the franchises presented and the conflict at cons between franchises and fandoms is well written. I believe this is the seventh volume Finn published, and there were 6 between the first in this series and this one. From my reading of this one some of that information is alluded to in this volume. As is the author and events of A Pius Trilogy. The number of subplots yet again exceeds even the novel Clear and Present Danger, and the number of characters Piers Anthony’s Bio of a Space Tyrant series. There are so many characters, so many plots, and at the centre of it all Sean Ryan. Sean is back doing a convention because the pay check has made it worthwhile. He call sin friends and allies and is determined that no one will be collateral damage because of the contract on his life. The ending of this story and how Sean turns the tables on the person who took out the contract on his life is like a precursor to Tommy Nolan. Sean and his descendants appear in other books and series, and they are excellent.

This was a greatly entertaining story with numerous twists and turns! I was really impressed with this offering from the pen of Finn. It is a great read, and it leaves you wanting more. Another volume from Finn’s masterful pen that I can easily recommend!

Saturday, 4 February 2023

Set to Kill - Declan Finn - Convention Killings Book 2

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