Title: Kill or Die (The House of Killers #2)
Author: Samantha Lee Howe
Published on: 29th May 2021
Genre: Mystery and Thrillers
Kill or Die is the second book in Samantha Lee Howe‘s The House of Killers trilogy.
Michael Kensington is living a life of disgrace after learning he was the mole in MI5. He was a sleeper agent at The Network, a notorious group of spies led by Andrew Beech, Michael’s biological father. Neva, another agent at The Network, helped Michael learn his true identity. Michael is back at MI5 but is given a desk job with minimal access to files.
A passenger aircraft goes missing but the media is unaware of it. MI5 investigates the missing plane. Meanwhile, a decomposed body of a young woman is found in a residential area – she was an air hostess at the airlines whose plane has gone missing. Neva is interested in the missing aircraft. She contacts Michael but he refuses to help her. But when Michael learns there is more at stake than just a possibly hijacked aircraft, he and Neva must work together and expose The Network.
It’s kill or die right now, Michael. No one is safe. Not unless we go to ground, and I mean really lose ourselves.
My gosh! What a fantastic addition to the series! Thrilling, spine-numbing and completely engrossing. This is exactly THE kind of book that needs to be made into a TV series.
Kill or Die isn’t your usual spy story. Double agents are plenty but this is no cold war! Nor is it a competition between two powerful countries. A school where children are trained to be assassins and sent to work at various organizations; they are sleeper agents until activated. Activation involves a ‘code word’ which when spoken turns the agent into an assassin.
Michael is licking his wounds of disgrace. In The House of Killers, Michael learned he’s one of the students of the notorious spy group The Network. His parents were not, in fact his biological family. Mia, his twin, is in reality, a sister from another mother. And Uncle Andrew, is Michael and Mia’s biological father!
Neva, the seductive assassin and Michael share a bond. She helped him realize he was the mole at MI5. Michael ended up confessing to his colleagues about his real identity – the poor thing was shocked but felt confessing’s the right thing to do.
After Andrew Beech’s death, The Network dissolved. The members are now competing to be the next leader of the notorious group. Neva wants to hunt down every single member of the group and kill them, especially her parents for giving her away (when she was a child) to The Network.
Beth, Michael’s colleague, plays a major role in the story. She and her husband of many years are now separated. She finds love again in the handsome medical examiner Elliot. In the second half of the story, we see Michael and Beth working together. Then there is Ray, Michael’s boss. Another good guy who wants to destroy The Network for good. Mia and her husband Ben play a major role in the latter half of the story.
The spotlight is on The Network and its members. I really loved the new characters and the role they play in this story. The twist is mind-blowing. I never saw it coming! We have a shocking revelation at the end of the story and I cannot wait to see how things are going to end for Michael and Neva – the next book will be the final one in the series.
Samantha Lee Howe is a master storyteller. Absolutely fantastic writing and excellent character development. The suspense is sure to keep one on the edge of their seat. I was hooked on to the story until the end. This series is surely going to be one of the best spy thriller series out there! I highly recommend you to read this book.
Many thanks to Bethan Morgan and One More Chapter for the ARC.
The Book Decoder 
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