Killer Instinct, Joseph Finder
Killer Instinct, Joseph Finder
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Killer Instinct
A Novel

Author: Joseph Finder

Narrator: Scott Brick

Abridged: 12 hr 20 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/16/2006

Synopsis

Jason Steadman is a thirty-year-old sales executive living in Boston and working for an electronics giant, a competitors to Sony and Panasonic. He's a witty, charismatic guy who's well liked at the office, but he lacks the "killer instinct" necessary to move up the corporate ladder. To the chagrin of his ambitious wife, it looks as if his career has hit a ceiling. Jason's been sidelined.

But all that will change one evening when Jason meets Kurt Semko, a former Special Forces officer just back from Iraq. Looking for a decent pitcher for the company softball team, Jason gets Kurt, who was once drafted by the majors, a job in Corporate Security. Soon, good things start to happen for Jason—and bad things start to happen to Jason's rivals. His career suddenly takes off. He's an overnight success. Only too late does Jason discover that his friend Kurt has been secretly paving his path to the top by the most "efficient"—and ruthless— means available. After all, as Kurt says, "Business is war, right?"

But when Jason tries to put a stop to it, he finds that his new best friend has become the most dangerous enemy imaginable. And now it's far more than just his career that lies in the balance. A riveting tale of ambition, intrigue, and the price of success, Killer Instinct is Joseph Finder at his best.

*San Francisco Chronicle
** Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Audio edition includes an exclusive bonus interview with Joseph Finder and Malcolm Gladwell, bestselling author of Blink and The Tipping Point!

About Joseph Finder

American thriller author, Joseph Finder, was born in 1958 in Chicago, IL. His family lived in Afghanistan and the Philippines in his early years. His family returned to the US, where they lived in Washington (state), and in New York. Finder attended Yale University where he graduated with honors, and received a Master's Degree in Russian Research at the Harvard Center. He taught with the Harvard faculty, and says he was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency, but declined their offer and decided to write instead.

His books include Paranoia, Company Man, The Fixer, Killer Instinct, Guilty Minds, and Power Play. Two novels, High Crimes and Paranoia were adapted to film.

He was a founder of the International Thriller Writers, and he also serves on the Council on Foreign Relations. He now lives in Boston, MA.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Razvan on May 03, 2025

The same kind of Finder's books. I've guessed the final after no more than eighty pages. Technical, somehow alert and easy to read, but I don't like too much the characters, who make me feel embarrassed because of their poor behavior. I mean Jason, his wife and her family, otherwise I've should go fo......more

Goodreads review by Denisse on February 12, 2021

2.5 ⭐️ “Lo único que cuenta es el número de veces que lo consigas. Cuantas más veces fracases Y sigas intentándolo, más veces lo conseguirás.” Jason trabaja en una empresa que se dedica a la venta de pantallas LCD. Es un vendedor nato, carismático y con mucho futuro en su carrera. Un día tiene un ac......more

Goodreads review by Simon on July 20, 2009

Ever since Paranoia, Mr. Finder's work has been getting progressively worse. Paranoia was a niche, new and exciting. The prospective of corporate espionage, high-tech spying, survival of the most devious, it was a great concept, an exciting new story (as I read it I could almost smell the movie popc......more

Goodreads review by David on August 23, 2013

It is really hard for me to give a book FIVE stars. This one worked for me on so many levels and the twist at the end was something I should have seen coming, am kicking myself for not seeing, but I love it when I miss something like that. The story is about a salesman who is not getting ahead. He h......more

Goodreads review by Marius on May 01, 2010

A readable corporate thriller about a sales exec who makes a new friend in Kurt (ex Special Forces), who turns out to have rather interesting and problematic ideas about friendship. Mixed in with this is the highly-charged corporate sales environment (complete with ludicrous self-help programs), sch......more

Quotes

“This thriller is engaging from the opening lines and doesn't let up until the surprising end. Scott Brick narrates flawlessly... Brick maintains tension and builds nonstop suspense. This great performance is a perfect fit for the writing.
” —AudioFile on Paranoia, Winner of AudioFile's Earphones Award for truly exceptional presentations

“Scott Brick, a seasoned reader, knows just how to keep you on the edge of your seat with this one... Good "Company" for a long road trip.
” —AudioFile on Company Man, Winner of AudioFile's Earphones Award for truly exceptional presentations

“There's a new John Grisham in town!” —People Magazine (Critic's Choice) on Paranoia

“Jet-propelled…weaves a tangled and ingeniously enveloping web…[with] a killer twist for the end.” —The New York Times on Paranoia

“A built-for-speed thrill ride.” —Wall Street Journal on Paranoia

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