The House Of Killers is the first in this new series by Samantha Lee Howe and doesn’t disappoint.
The book is based around the main character, Neva. This girl is ruthless and extremely cold for the female of the species. Neva has decided to turn against the people who trained her. This is an action packed thriller that didn’t let up throughout the book and kept me turning the pages long after I shouldn’t have done. This has been billed as similar to Killing Eve and Jason Bourne and I have to agree although I think possibly because I have read this instead of watching it on the tv I feel a greater depth to the characters. A great start to this series and it will be interesting where this will go in the following books.
I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me hooked from page one all the way to the last in just two days. A really fast paced thriller where a small MI5 unit hunt an elite organisation responsible for assassinations for both the private and government sector. Each of the assassins were destined and trained for their role since early childhood, but one of them seems to be looking to escape.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. This book was very good at the start, then it kind of dragged out a bit. Then got good again. I loved Neva’s character. Great storyline, I love to read spy, espionage and assassination books. You get sucked in to this book. One not to put down but can’t wait to for it to end just so you know what happens. Well worth 5 stars, great writing and reading.

I absolutely loved The House of Killers from the first page to the last.

Neva is a ruthless assassin who goes rogue against The Network for whom she works.

Michael is an agent for M15 in the special department entitled Archive.

As luck would have their paths cross and neither of them will be the same again.

Can they trust each other, can they trust anyone but themselves.

I cheered on both of them.

The action is non stop . The pages quickly turn.

The lights stay on : just one more chapter.

I am tempted to give a hint but I wont.

The House of Killers is the first book in a trilogy : can't wait. I will be first in line to read the next adventure or is it misadventure of Neva and Michael.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for an exhilarating read !

Bring on Book 2 !

This is a scary storyline and all the more persuasive for that. It seems to start with an ambitious young civil servant, Michael, promoted to a specialist unit of MI5. The unit is known as Archive. He knows that his preferment has been arranged partly by his godfather, Uncle Andrew, using his influence. The unit is aware that there is a sinister and very pervasive organisation called Network which seems to train kidnapped children to become assassins. Michael’s work causes him to come across one, Neva or is she
Anna? From there the story takes off in unexpected directions. The kidnapped children have their minds interfered with so they are not sure which personality is really them. That sounds and is strange but it is very well carried through in the story. They are removed to an institution which creates their willingness to kill, thus the title of the book. It becomes apparent that the key figure in Network is a Mr Beech. The challenge is to track him down and eliminate him. Michael is part of a small team tracking him but nobody can be assumed to be who they seem! This is a book of unexpected twists and becomes a compulsive read. I recommend it.

Enjoyed the author’s previous book ‘The Stranger In My Bed’ and the same easy style writing is here again in this the 1st in a new series
So what’s the series about? Without giving too much away a kinda modern day twist on assasins, espionage, traitors, mind control , MI5 all mixed together under the shady organisation called ‘The Network’ but bery different to the usual books that cover these topics
We met a goodie and a real bad baddie as they try to outwit each other and in doing so realise they may have more in common than they realised
Although as said the writing style is easy, relaxed almost, there are some real brutal moments and also some very tense chapters, takes a good author to be able to mix both and make it work
Repugnant characters alongside ones to really like, all scarily believable and all easy to have a ‘minds eye’ of throughout
It did have it’s far fetched moments and a couple of easy to spot future plot twists but as they were just a few of each did not deter from the enjoyment of the book
Looking forward to Book 2 in this very promising series start

8/10
4.5 Stars

This book was received as an ARC from HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was interesting to the max. Fans of Jason Bourne, Fugitive, and Fight Club will appreciate this book. One of my favorite books of all time is the Chemist by Stephanie Meyer and I think The House of Killers really blew that book out of the water with the action and suspense. I am a fan of having a female be the villain so to speak and have her outsmart the Agent making him think twice about his next move and I was surprised I did not scream out loud of excitement at some parts. Also, there were so many twists and moments of the unexpected that made me want to read on and never stop. This is definitely a book to read in one sitting and you will not want to miss what happens next. Samantha Lee Howe did a brilliant job choosing the language that is sure to keep the reader engaged and the last author I read to do that successfully was Stephen King so kudos Samantha! I can't wait to hear what our library community thinks and I am sure they will be even more excited than I am.

We will consider adding this title to our Adult Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

My thoughts about Samantha Lee Howe's Brilliant Hard-hiting Spy Thriller The House Of Killers, was truly magnificent, with its breathtaking suspense, that had me hooked from the very first page, blows you away, a serial killers obsession with an MI5 agent who has been hired to catch her was incredible. The two main  characters definitely stand out in this powerful spy thriller that is truly remarkable. Author Samantha Lee Howe not only she writes a powerful story, but the tension she brings between the two main characters is truly outstanding. The House Of Killers is the first book in the trilogy series, which is unique and brilliantly written, which deserves appreciation. The story of The House Of Killers begins were we see Serial killer Neva has been conditioned not to ask questions of the mysterious Network, to remain perfectly incurious and perennially cold-blooded.She must simply execute the targets they text her and live to bury the tale.But then she’s tasked with terminating a fellow assassin and glimpses her own future in her colleague’s fate. When she leaves flowers on the gravesite, someone notices. In come Agent Michael Kensington knows he’ll have his work cut out for him when he’s recruited by MI5 onto operation Archive to piece together patterns in cold cases and catch serial killer neva was just fantastic. An assassin obsessed with hell, a fugitive tortured by the secrets of her past, a woman destined to unthread him is going to blow you away. Take a bow Samantha, you have created a brilliant hard-hitting spy thriller, that not only it's an opening of a trilogy series, but one of the best thrillers I've read this year which is highly recommended. I can not wait to read the rest of the books in the trilogy soon. The House Of Killers is going to be big this year. I would like to say thank you to Author Samantha Lee Howe, Publishers One More Chapter, and Netgalley for giving me a chance to read and review this outstanding explosive thriller.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐💥💥💥💥💥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

The book I’ve been waiting for for years.
Ludlums Bourne crossed with Larsons Salander in a book with a nod to Jason Matthews’ Red Sparrow
Books like this just aren’t published anymore
Pilgrim came close but faded away. This book however stays strong from page one till the last full stop
A great story. A skilled assassin is beginning to realise she is not who she has always thought she was, in fact she was kidnapped at an early age and manufactured, along with others, into a heartless assassin, but she’s beginning to have feelings, she’s beginning to have memories, she wants out
Meanwhile a Mr Average working in MI5 thinks he’s onto an assassin that has been working in the U.K.
An unlikely, and accidental meeting between the two leads to an even more unlikely but still believable partnership being formed.
Brilliant

I don’t always find myself drawn in by spy thrillers. This one however had everything you would want in a read, and more. Spy networks, assassins, brain washing, budding romance, action, MI5. The good guys against the bad. But who is really good and who really bad? The lines get blurred fast and you find yourself brought along on a rollercoaster. It dips a little in the middle of the storyline, almost to let you catch your breath. It almost lost me. But then it picked back up fast. I won’t share any more on the story. All I will say is that I will be looking out for book two. I need to know what happens next!

3.5 stars rounded down.

This book was so frustrating! To start with I loved it, then it dragged, then I loved it again then...

Neva is a cold-blooded assassin, trained to umpteenth degree to obey orders and ask no questions. But when she has to ‘retire’ (kill) an older version of herself and that version fights back and they talk a bit, well, Neva’s conditioning starts to crumble. She starts to remember some of what they did to her. The Network. That shadowy organisation that controls everything Neva does. Until now.

Michael Kensington is an MI5 agent in a top secret group called The Archive. It’s all very cloak and dagger isn’t it? Michael and the Archive have been after a shadowy assassin for some time now. Michael and Neva meet, quite by chance, and there’s a certain something that is triggered. Michael wonders if she is the assassin he has been chasing but doesn’t turn her in. Neva wonders if Michael can help her take down the Network but doesn’t trust him.

The is a lot of cat and mouse chases going on here, both in the UK and in Europe. That part does get a little samey and could have been changed up a bit. Throughout the narrative we slowly learn how operatives like Neva were trained and brainwashed from a very young age. I don’t want to say any more about the plot but there are a few surprises in store, although I guessed most of them so it’s not that hard to work things out.

It was a good story that suffered a little bit by being patchy. Some parts were really riveting and others were quite slow. Neva was probably the only character I thought was fully fleshed out. The others were a bit thin. I believe this is to be a trilogy so there is opportunity to develop some other characters in future books. And I do want to read those other books. I did like the plot and the whole premise has a lot of potential. I would like to thank Netgalley, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and Samantha Lee Howe for providing a copy of the book to review. My opinions are my own.

Wow wow wow!! What a rollercoaster book, Michael is an agent for MI5 looking into the work of assassin's, Neva is one of those assassin's, when Michael comes into contact with her they form a strange bond that neither of them truly understand.
Neva wants out of the network, can Michael help her and who can they trust.
A big big twist towards the end which I honestly didn't see coming at all!!
This would make a brilliant film or series

Neva. A female assassin and a kick butt character!! What a combination!! I loved the plot and I hope the Author continues this fantastic spy thriller!!

This is an exciting spy thriller with plenty of action and great characters – the two main ones are Neva an assassin working for the ‘Network’ (the bad guys) and Michael who works for the ‘Archive’ – ostensibly the good guys. The book is structured to reveal the plot with each chapter revealed through their opposing positions.

At the beginning of the book we find Neva breaking away from the Network as her conditioning splits and reveals some suppressed memories. She confronts her handler and the situation ends up with the death of her handler. Shortly after this she meets Michael – and their lives continue to merge.

Very clever plot, obviously (I hope) purely fictional and presumably unrealistic (again, I hope) but it is exciting and a very satisfying read. Loved the characters and can only visualise Neva as Villanelle from Killing Eve. So, if that is your kind of thing – you really should read this excellent novel.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

Killing Eve which comes to mind when reading this book, with a ruthless Assassin, being chased by an MI5 agent. But once you begin the story it’s not killing Eve.

Neva is a beautiful young female assassin who breaks away from the shadowy organisation that has controlled her for all of her life, this is a suspenseful story. Neva is a trained killer, she takes out her targets with no questions asked. But when a new mark turns out to be another assassin who has retired, Neva experiences something new to her ‘emotion’. This sets of her quest for freedom, but that first means getting rid of her handler.

She gains the attention of MI5 and Michael Kensington, a driven MI5 agent who is following a trail of executions for his department. The Archive. Michael is attracted to Neva despite what he knows of her, can he trust her? Or will he be another of her victims?

This is perfect for readers of spy novels, espionage, action. With a female character that starts off as a cold closed off person, but as her story unfolds it’s all she has really known and as she starts to develop a bit you begin to warm to her, as she develops a conscience and a moral code.

There may be a few twists that are a little unbelieveable but it is a story and it works well. Keeping the plot flowing. This is book one of a trilogy.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #HarperCollinsUk and #OneMoreChapter for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair, unbiased review.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The House of Killers follows Neva, a female assassin, a ruthless cold assassin, with no past, who goes rogue against her own organisation who trained her to kill anybody, no questions asked. Shortly into this story she crosses paths with Michael, a loner with his own issues, who works for Archive a highly secretive part of MI5.

Each chapter is told from a different character’s point of view. For me this works well and helps maintain the pace. The book is action packed, with multiple threads and twists, that keep you on your toes. Each of the characters is well developed, with great voices.

This is the start of a trilogy book 2 and 3 scheduled for May and July 2021, I believe. I look forward to reading these.

I really enjoyed this book and I always think it’s a sign of a good book when I stay up far too late to finish it!

There is lots of suspense and maybe a little slow to start then the pace builds and the last third is very fast.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. #omcreads #TheHouseOfKillers #SamanthaLeeHowe

Wow, what a ride! Trained killers doing “a job” with no remorse or feelings until something not planned occurs. This book had me turning the pages needing to know what came next. I cannot wait for book 2 in the series.

Thank you NetGalley, author Samantha Lee Howe, and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for giving me a free Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!
5 stars
This book follows Neva, a female assassin, who decides to go rogue against the very people who trained her to kill the targets and ask no questions and Michael, an MIs agent, who becomes drawn into the murder cases that allow him to cross paths with Neva!
This book was an action packed read! I loved how the author allowed the readers to follow the different characters through their povs. There were so many treads that connected the characters and events to make for an amazing cliffhanging ending! The characters were giving great voices and depth! This book was such a great start to what I hope will be a good series! Overall, I would highly recommend this book to those who loved spy novels! I can't wait for the next book in this series!

What a fantastic spy thriller. Killing Eve meets Jason Bourne indeed!

As the story began, I thought this is going to be a Killing Eve-ish story where the killer is obsessed with the agent assigned to catch her red handed. But no! It's much more than an obsession or the lust for killing. The twists are mind-blowing; just when you think 'Ah! I knew it!", the twists are sure to prove you wrong.

I completely loved this book! I was hooked on to the story from page 1. I am looking forward to reading the next two installments of the series (this is the first book in a trilogy!).