Editorial Content for Jack's Boys
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Reviewer (text)
Award-winning author John Katzenbach has been producing top-rate thrillers for decades. In fact, three of his more popular works were turned into the hit films Just Cause, Hart’s War and The Mean Season. Now we are treated to what may be his most outstanding novel yet. At over 600 pages, JACK’S BOYS does not waste a spare word and will hold you in suspense and terror until the final page is turned.
Here we have not one but five serial killers who operate under the moniker Jack’s Boys. Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta and Easy have adopted common military names to protect their anonymity and are known only to each other. They meet regularly in a chat room called Jack’s Special Place, where they share their exploits and support each other in their individual hunts. Jack’s Boys are scattered across the country and occasionally partner up on special missions, which they record for future analysis and enjoyment.
"I can only hope that Katzenbach receives some much-deserved award consideration for what easily will be one of my favorite books of 2024."
Early on, we see a bored police officer somewhere in France horrified when he receives the photo of a mutilated corpse that obviously had been tortured. We soon learn that Jack’s Boys, in one of their more playful moments, secretly hacked into a random law enforcement site to show off one of their many trophies. The group is named after the infamous Jack the Ripper, who, like them, was never caught. So imagine their shock and subsequent anger when an outsider hacks into one of their sessions.
Using the online name socgoal02, a high school student named Connor searches the dark web for information on committing a murder. His mother was killed by a drunk driver, and he wants the perpetrator, who is already out of jail, to pay. Connor is being raised by his grandparents, a Vietnam vet and an ICU nurse. While visiting Jack’s Special Place, Connor mocks Jack’s Boys and behaves in a generally insufferable manner, making him and his girlfriend, Nikki, instant targets for their vengeance.
Jack’s Boys see themselves as killers for the new millennium. As such, they combine their skill sets to easily track down Connor and Nikki. It is decided that Bravo will do the actual killing of the two teens, which, of course, will be recorded live for the rest of the Boys to enjoy. Charlie really wants to take down Nikki as he is a teacher in real life who targets young girls. Easy just wants to be involved and is in Massachusetts where Connor lives to introduce himself to the kill party.
However, it all goes terribly wrong, and it isn’t long before Jack’s Boys loses two of its members. The other three reconvene in person and plan a Christmas Eve attack on Connor and Nikki, which is so thrilling and suspenseful that it may be one of the best fight scenes I have ever read.
JACK’S BOYS needs to be made into a streaming series. The mix of classic serial killer lore, Jack the Ripper history, and modern use of the internet and social media makes it a can’t-miss read that no one will ever forget. I can only hope that Katzenbach receives some much-deserved award consideration for what easily will be one of my favorite books of 2024.
Teaser
Connected through a secure internet location, five serial killers communicate in a unique chat room they have named Jack's Special Place in homage to their ultimate model: Jack the Ripper. And so they are Jack's Boys. They delight in each other's crimes. They relish in taunting police around the world with odd clues and deep confusion --- the modern version of the Victorian-era killer they emulate. They feed on each other's killings and think they're untouchable. Until one day they are hacked. Two teenagers are fascinated by the world of the dark web, where they accidentally stumble upon Jack's Boys in their private space and immediately mock them. This triggers a landslide of anger and revenge as the killers decide to teach the teens a lesson in humility and respect for their betters.
Promo
Connected through a secure internet location, five serial killers communicate in a unique chat room they have named Jack's Special Place in homage to their ultimate model: Jack the Ripper. And so they are Jack's Boys. They delight in each other's crimes. They relish in taunting police around the world with odd clues and deep confusion --- the modern version of the Victorian-era killer they emulate. They feed on each other's killings and think they're untouchable. Until one day they are hacked. Two teenagers are fascinated by the world of the dark web, where they accidentally stumble upon Jack's Boys in their private space and immediately mock them. This triggers a landslide of anger and revenge as the killers decide to teach the teens a lesson in humility and respect for their betters.
About the Book
Five serial killers.
Known only to each other as:
Alpha. Bravo. Charlie. Delta. Easy.
Connected through a secure internet location, encrypted and concealed, a unique chat room they have named Jack's Special Place in homage to their ultimate model --- the one killer they hold in the highest esteem:
Whitechapel, London. 1888. The infamous murderer remembered in dark history as Jack the Ripper.
And so they are Jack's Boys.
They delight in each other's crimes. They relish in taunting police around the world with odd clues and deep confusion --- the modern version of the Victorian-era killer they emulate. While the original Jack sent letters to Fleet Street papers, they send pictures and online boasts and insults. In this fashion, they feed on each other's killings, a private community of death. Arrogant. Conceited. Untouchable.
Or so they thought.
Until one day they are hacked.
Two teenagers, lying on their bed at home. Boyfriend and girlfriend. Slightly disaffected, each with their own issues --- but deeply in young love and equally fascinated by the world of the dark web, where they accidentally stumble upon Jack's Boys in their private space.
Whom they immediately mock.
This triggers a landslide of anger and revenge as the killers decide to teach the two teenagers a lesson in humility and respect for their betters. And caught up in this web of death are the teenage boy's grandmother and grandfather --- an ICU nurse and a former college admissions counselor with his own hidden, murderous history, an ex-Marine, Viet vet, still haunted by his time in that conflict.
When the five killers emerge from their shadows, this odd band of young and old will have to find a way to expose them. Or defeat them. Or save their own lives.
Audiobook available, read by Bradford Hastings
