Shaun Hutson Necessary Evil

Synopsis Shaun Hutson Necessary Evil:

"It was to be a routine job. Matt Franklin and his companions would rob the Securicor van. Simple. Until the job turned into a nightmare. Two of his men are shot dead and another is fatally wounded. But who is trying to wipe them out, killing not just them but their families too? How are the Government and the British army implicated? What lurks within a secret research establishment in the English countryside? Franklin has to find out. Finally, the only one left alive, he tires of being the prey and decides to become the hunter.

His quest will bring him into conflict with forces he cannot begin to imagine or understand, but he is driven by a need for revenge that overrides his fear.

Aided by a desperate detective, Franklin becomes embroiled in a series of events that lead to a terrifying climax in the London Underground, where he comes face to face with the answers he has sought ."

Shaun Hutson's recent novel "Necessary Evil" is a complete return to form for the 'Godfather Of Gore'. Obviously highly influenced by the recent events of terrorist attacks, Hutson delivers a powerful and compelling novel. From the very beginning, the reader is thrown into the fast-paced action with copious blood spillage on every page.

The tale moves around the main character Matt Franklin, who's career is that of a professional criminal. Hutson uses this to create a somewhat cliqued character who resembles a less lawful Sean Doyle (Renegades, White Ghost, Knife Edge, Hybrid). With action and plot twists pumped into each page, it's very difficult to put the book down once you start reading it.

Being a Hutson fan for many, many years now, I can safely say that this is one of his best novels to date. He has kept the energy and passion to shock and repulse his readers, creating this crossover between a thriller and a horror novel.

Running for a total of 468 pages, "Necessary Evil" is one of the longest novels he has written so far. Still, he manages to keep the tension mounting from early on in the story until the final dramatic conclusion. The novel does include a big flaw at the end involving compressed CO2 which Hutson believes is apparently flammable! However, this does not in anyway detract from the story, but will give the reader a bit of a chuckle.

Well worth picking up, especially if you've enjoyed previous Hutson novels.