Hard Dog to Kill by Craig Holt

Traveling through the Congo with two men who have been “killers” for ten years was…interesting…very interesting indeed… Stan Mullins and Frank Giordano met early in their military days and became inseparable. Frank has saved Stan a number of times and though Stan, the narrator, doesn’t mention it my guess is that he has had Frank’s back numerous times, too.

The two men have seen much violence and dispensed death to many but Stan has perhaps retained more of his humanity than Frank has. I do wonder what was in the letter Frank received that turned him into the colder version of himself that he displays throughout this book. Anyway, the two men are off on a journey to find one man for their employer and bring him in but their encounters on the way include many adventures. They interact with a variety of Congolese; face danger that slithers, flies, walks on two and four legs, slithers and explodes; lose friends and interact with one another and others in ways that were at times uncomfortable to read.

The book is violent. Many people are killed. Miseries are described. Politics are alluded to. Friendship is explored. Humanity is displayed. Inhumanity is experienced. Greed is a given. The future of a mercenary is broached. And by the end of the book I understood the relationship of Frank and Stan a bit better realizing that war creates warriors who kill – killing dehumanizes and becomes easier – some killers lose sensitivity – some people who kill still have possibilities. I also realized that soldiers must have a different kind of “friendship” than civilians. I would like to know what happens in the future and wonder if Stan will appear in future books.

Thank you to NetGalley and WildBlue Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars ( )