Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Relentless: A Thriller
    Relentless: A Thriller
    Relentless: A Thriller
    Ebook361 pages5 hours

    Relentless: A Thriller

    By Simon Kernick

    3.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    The #1 international bestseller.

    One day Tom Meron, a happily married father of two who’s never been in trouble, receives a phone call that will change his life forever: his friend Jack Calley, a high-flying city lawyer, is screaming down the phone for help. As Meron listens, Calley is murdered. His last words, spoken to his killer, are the first two lines of Meron’s address.

    Confused and terrified, Meron grabs his children and hurries out of the house as soon as he can. It is only just in time. Within minutes, a car pulls up outside, and three men get out. It’s clear that they’re coming for him.

    And with his wife missing, an unidentified corpse in her office, and the police after him for murder, his life’s about to get a whole lot more interesting.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAtria Books
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781476706597
    Relentless: A Thriller
    Author

    Simon Kernick

    Simon Kernick is a Sunday Times #1 bestselling author and one of the UK’s foremost thriller writers. His twelve novels have been translated into more than twenty languages and have sold more than four million copies worldwide. He lives in London.

    Read more from Simon Kernick

    Related to Relentless

    Related ebooks

    Action & Adventure Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Shame Is Ever-Present When You’re Sitting in a Cell

      Oct 23, 2020

      Between a strained relationship with my family and the death of a good friend, I’ve struggled to feel like I’m worth something.

      5 min read

    • Article

      LOVE, Virtually

      Feb 16, 2020

      LOVE, Virtually
      5 min read

    • Article

      All Of Us Here

      Jun 4, 2020

      All Of Us Here
      6 min read

    • Article

      Habibi

      Jun 5, 2023

      Habibi
      11 min read

    • Article

      Speedboat

      Mar 24, 2022

      Nobody died that year. Nobody prospered. There were no births or marriages. Seventeen reverent satires were written – disrupting a cliché and, presumably, creating a genre. That was a dream, of course, but many of the most important things, I fi nd,

      14 min read

    • Article

      Come with Me

      Dec 1, 2022

      Come with Me
      12 min read

    • Article

      Begin Again

      Jun 14, 2022

      My grandfather came to live with me. There was nowhere else for him to go. What had happened to all his children? Death, decay, exile—I hardly know. My own parents died of pain. But I must not be too gloomy, at the beginning, or you will leave me, an

      6 min read

    • Article

      A Brief History of Violence

      Sep 10, 2020

      A Brief History of Violence
      8 min read

    • Article

      Monster

      Dec 1, 2022

      Monster
      7 min read

    • Article

      Caught Out

      Oct 2, 2022

      Caught Out
      9 min read

    • Article

      Haunted House Whodunnit

      Sep 20, 2023

      Haunted House Whodunnit
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Silhouette Artist

      Jul 25, 2019

      The Silhouette Artist
      6 min read

    • Article

      Hell Is A City in Texas

      Jun 14, 2021

      Hell Is A City in Texas
      10 min read

    • Article

      The Space Between Us

      Oct 9, 2019

      The Space Between Us
      8 min read

    • Article

      It Happened to Me…

      Jan 5, 2022

      I too have experienced ‘The voice of authority’ [FT410:75]. When I was younger, I had a romance that lasted about six months. At first it was terrific, then it wasn’t, then it ended. Nothing drastic. Several months later, I had a day off work. I had

      7 min read

    • Article

      Siphons

      Feb 6, 2020

      Siphons
      6 min read

    • Article

      In My Prison, Summer is “Ticket Season”

      Aug 30, 2019

      There isn't much that we can do here in a Level 5 maximum-security prison—which is where they send us unmanageable inmates, to seclude us even further. So I write, read, watch TV and occasionally look out my window, watching the prisoners from the ot

      6 min read

    • Article

      The Duplex

      Jun 9, 2020

      I moved to Los Angeles to sing. When was this? August? June? I was twenty-nine, and those were shapeless months, when the days blended together and I refused to pull them apart. My landlord was unusually close to her adult son. His name was Jeffrey,

      21 min read

    • Article

      While I Wasted Time in Prison, My Mom Died of a Broken Heart

      May 22, 2020

      With my hands in cuffs and my chin to my chest, my parole officer asked me, “Do you want to call your mom?” “I can’t—this would kill her,” was all I could say as I sat in the back seat of my P.O.’s car. Life Inside Perspectives from thos

      4 min read

    • Article

      Nothing To Fear

      Jan 26, 2021

      Nothing To Fear
      8 min read

    • Article

      Me & Davey Waters

      Jan 15, 2023

      Me & Davey Waters
      4 min read

    • Article

      After “The End”

      Oct 10, 2022

      I walked down the road with a hunched back and a wet cigarette in my mouth—the fire had died a while back. My hands were tucked into the pockets of my jacket, and my hair fell over my face, limiting my sight. But I wasn’t really seeing where I was go

      10 min read

    • Article

      The Bullet in My Arm

      Sep 6, 2018

      The Bullet in My Arm
      13 min read

    • Article

      Last Conversations With My Mother

      Jun 17, 2019

      Last Conversations With My Mother
      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Relentless

    3.5/5

    147 ratings12 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Author: Simon KernickPublished by: Atria BooksAge Recommended: Adult Reviewed By: Arlena DeanBook Blog For: GMTARating: 4Review:"Relentless" by Simon Kernick was some suspenseful, thriller- mystery crime read that kept me reading until the end once starting this read. This is a fast paced read that starts after a phone call and this read starts you in on a roller coaster ride. You will find this plot is very interesting in this well written script. I did have a few question that were not answered for me...but may be they will be a sequel? OK, this is how this starts out..."John Meron is at home with his two kids when he receives a call from his old college friend Jack, whom he hasn't seen in years. Jack is screaming for help and as John listens on in horror,he hears him being murdered in the phone. And he also screamed out one more thing - John's name and address..... he runs...and this story takes off...questions?...Who is after him John and what has happen to Jack? Why did John not call the police? Now you will find that this story alternates narratives between John and the Detective Inspector Mike Bolt. This is where I will say you will need to pick up this good read to find out what all is going on in all the twist and turns that will be presented in this 'seemingly unending conspiracy.' Be prepared to see lots of "shifting of loyalties and many hidden secrets that come out as this story gets deeper and deeper into the conspiracy" keeping your interest high in the read. The characters were all OK...nothing special about any of them from Tom,Kathy,Vanessa Blake, Jack, Mike(maybe some her), Tina Boyd and a few others that were there however, this author was still able to put together a fast moving good read and when it was all said and done...I felt like this was a good suspenseful, thriller-mystery crime novel that I would recommend to you.
    • 4/5
      I have a fondness for British crime authors - and Simon Kernick is one of them. He's perhaps not as well known as some of his counterparts in North America, but is worth checking out.Relentless starts off with one of my favourite hooks - an everyday guy thrown into an unbelievable situation.John Meron is at home with his two kids when he receives a call from his old college friend Jack, whom he hasn't seen in years. Jack is screaming for help and as John listens on in horror, he hears him being murdered in the phone. And he also screamed out one more thing - John's name and address.....His intuition says run and John does. He grabs his kids and is driving away when he sees a black car stop at his house ....Why in the world are they after him? Why did Jack give his address? What happened to Jack?"I saw from the clock on the whitewashed wall that it was five o'clock in the afternoon. In the space of two hours, my life - so ordinary, so mundane, so desperately missed - had been torn irreparably apart. Two hours earlier, I'd been a normal working man living a pleasant, easy life. Now...there were people after me for a reason I had no knowledge of.....What I didn't know was that this was only the beginning. Things, if you can believe it were about to get one hell of a lot worse."The story then alternates narratives between John and the cop on the case - Detective Inspector Mike Bolt from the National Crime Squad. Bolt has faced his own demons in the past and is forced to make some tough decisions on this case.Relentless has the feel of an action movie with loads of twists and turns that keep us on our toes throughout. The story is pure action with little character development. I did find the ending a bit of a disappointment, but the window is open for a continuation with these characters. Relentless was not the best of Kernick's books for me, but definitely provided some great entertainment reading. Fans of Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay would enjoy this author. To quote Coben "“Simon Kernick writes with his foot pressed hard on the pedal. Hang on tight!”
    • 5/5
      A really fast moving fabulous read. I just could not put the book down.
    • 2/5
      The hum-drum suburban life of software salesman Tom Meron is thrown into chaos one afternoon when an old friend rings him moments before dying horribly at the hands of unknown assailants. Within the next couple of hours Tom is accused of murder, his wife seems to be missing, he goes on the run from Police and has an alarming altercation with some very (very) bad guys. And then things get really dangerous.

      It's a fairly standard 'average guy's life goes to hell in a hand-basket' kind of thriller. The pace is speedy, swapping often between points of view to help create the impression there are lots of things happening at once and cramming lots of action into a short time span. Personally I find fight scenes and car chases a bit tedious in the written word and there quite a few of these but I skimmed over them without seeming to lose the gist of the story. The plot was pretty well constructed and logical although it did have some threads that seemed to be thrown in for shock value rather than adding much to the overall story.

      For me to get truly swept along for the ride that thrillers want to take you on there has to be an interesting character or two. I don't mind if it's good guys or villains but I have to want to find out what happens to someone no matter how ludicrous it turns out to be. Without this element I tend to pick fault with what would otherwise be forgivable plot discrepancies and the incredible happenings that are de rigeur for the genre. The largely under developed characters in Relentless did not offer me anyone to care about. All of them, heroes and bad guys alike, said and did things I didn't find natural within the circumstances of the story and the narrative often seemed at odds with their actions. Tom and Kathy were said more than once to be devoted parents but both of them managed to curl of for a good night's kip without once mentioning their children or, more realistically, trying to check up on them. People had just tried to torture, stab, shoot and blow he and his wife up but Tom assumes that the same bad guys wouldn't be able to unearth his children in a matter of moments. The villains in the story were more stereotype than individual character to me and now, only a few hours after finishing the book, I can't remember the main bad guy's name.

      Thrillers should be gripping yarns full of larger-than-life characters regardless of the subject matter (heck Michael Crichton managed to make the building of aeroplanes and edge-of-your-seat ride in Airframe) but this one missed the mark for me. The characters and setting were all a bit too generic for me to get caught up in it at all.

    • 5/5
      Another riveting read from Simon Kernick - once I started it I couldn't put it down. The Merons stumble into a situation they are completely unprepared for and in the process some unpalatable truths about their personal lives emerge as they literally flee for their lives and all those they hold dear are also threatened. Believable characters and fast-paced twisting plot, which keeps you guessing until the last page.
    • 3/5
      Typical thriller really, a pageturner and OK for a holiday read but I found it frustrating in parts - didn't think the characters were very well drawn and some of the writing was a bit clunky! It was also a bit predictable, I'd already guessed most of what was going to happen by halfway through.
    • 5/5
      The speed at which this crime thriller moves is 'relentless' fabulous read.
    • 5/5
      a great fast-paced book that keeps you up all night. Filled with plot twists and turns this amazing stand-alone thriller from Simon Kernick will keep you guessing till the last page.
    • 4/5
      What a cracking pace! This is a fast-moving thriller, action packed, a real page turner. Good holiday read although I found the ending a little disappointing - a bit overstretched in places. I would read more Simon Kernick.
    • 5/5
      This book is awesome! I actually read it in one sitting of 5 hours. Does getting coffee and using the facilities still count as one sitting lol. I thought the plot was fantastic. Reminded me of the film 'Phone Booth' in that he had to do the things he did to get away. I was never sure who was the good guy and who was the bad guy and to me that makes a good thriller. I did think two other characters would have some involvement, I don't want to say who as it may ruin the plot for someone, but I was surprised they didn't. Tom and Kathy Meron at the centre of this amazing thriller. We follow their journey but through the eyes of other characters as well, as their is another plot happening in the book as well. I was getting tired by the end, well I had been reading it for almost 5 hours by then, and I think I missed a bit of information which I'll go back and check (or ask someone). The characters are highly convincing and the narrative is excellent. From this read I will definitely be checking out his other novels.
    • 5/5
      From the moment I started reading I was gripped by the pace and the story. A little bloodthirsty in parts but all well fitted with the story. Detective Bolt was a likeable character and the story believable. I'm sure this wont be the last Kernick book I will read.
    • 5/5
      Wow – a brilliant thriller with a pace as frantic as its title. From the first page, where Tom Meron receives a panicked phone call from an old friend, the pace never lets up until the climax.The moment the call is finished, someone becomes determined to kill him, and Meron’s life is thrown into turmoil: as he desperately tries to discover why he has been targeted, it becomes evident the killers believe he has something they want. The problem is that Meron doesn’t have a clue what it can be.Matters become worse when his wife disappears, and as he attempts to find her, finds himself facing a knife-wielding stranger. He escapes, only to be immediately arrested for a woman’s stabbing. But things get even worse when he is eventually released: he is immediately abducted by the true killer. Before he can be tortured, though, one of the killer’s associates helps him escape. He claims to be an undercover policeman, but is he genuine, or just another person after the same mysterious item? Meron begins to wonder if he can even trust the police. DI Mike Bolt becomes involved after discovering that the apparent suicide of a High Court judge was actually murder, and that it’s somehow linked with what is happening to Meron. Bolt uncovers a paedophile ring and a series of murders that were intended to keep it hidden.Meron is eventually reunited with his wife, and they work together to uncover what is happening. Just as they find what the murderer has been looking for, their children are kidnapped, and they are forced to hand it over. But DI Bolt helps them discover the truth, and it is he who brings the chase to its final conclusion.The only bad thing to say about the novel is that its climax occurs about ninety pages from the end, and the story seems to fizzle out after that. This slightly spoils the “feel” of the book, but overall it is still a great novel which, until that point, has awesome pace and provides a brilliant read.In summary, Relentless is a complex story with plenty of surprises and a frantic pace for all but the final chapters - a highly recommended thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed.

    Book preview

    Relentless - Simon Kernick

    S/abook_preview_excerpt.html}ۖq@/~nYֲױYC&=Z|޲B$Ћr_rbLdU7-3*\23.;"v|͗_u/寚/~)|/˧&Nõ[f}3qѷnK]t1.ť&~zlۚB'X{ӹ5pWz~jk^b:<$pI}܆݋=p;p7]ۇ7uMX䵗G~klm<\Os^5 Cㆋ/Fc{7˺ܟ]'ː5~[|R~w] q>ݟ_nXfʋ~wW$߷C le]N~$ii05l@E_8xY"&7`#blsCx..1_gף-3Ə>,_D0 }!c[־Y䪃 n oegauvҊw1}/ˍ|l>Ȧ~38PMdMw\ C'y|:pa_?KfK<G~*Y[);ks̅Q~ J~R/Q 1H1n|Df!kdqpaH?EOr&/1|Jk11n 6N'[;Aj: N_>! 8e>6]EdŧEΨ kceR('wm:HoQf%r$+m7Ͳ^N4f1R.|8._{2A~)>)n"n10<4(oGZ? #lZ;xi<ۋ#m@YfE{A^lDŤ"MF,6&jbaZVݿV@eT0=Iq(MM ܭMqس뚴uчG6)riW,aǻ~G~{Rr%81+ͼ,<|(iy/)|s5<])b6:^-tYOby@QygY?v: Bsg01b:]vqtjrRٳM^$ O_S!7: wͰ-@1k\B7COHW$ qq[xWwPE]eԊxae9o8ӟ=F+Ӷ*AtM ҍ[1;W_r^` P &ܒ!y|͓ԅРc;-]lAZO /\}prbtՏZ` !4ld88.faGw=^n|$0F^I,5nTёAT:AZqg5f@]<111"+| =enVZW NMPH{ʹ(/AVPGEY}'o]EӝvW{Y3pP<M{ķ<-W*k6qZC+;e\<(=_~ePKASpMdQŀgC S)yQ̼_ۀpvWba:e R;'X&Fܗ'1;svxSd+E -Zo"=y -Kn $L3eL<l5D`GE8$ׄ{O+q9fGk@7ԝcxa$ .A1(a=т0$!:?#M'pȓz_LSݠ"q{h HG؞ Ҥ6( Đs E,)|g ](pL<הBx?KD a<& oJyʢ3.][QHFy7s7X@ܢCq}ϢGδbkNrG=嵩O`O(PcF&|%귳ꉖMBu7u0糇8`O@^:B/w@@=ΜQ57qgb+Ӄ x!X_,(a꣘k3MtaYP\,)(7^󕢼|q6ϸ>sm70 "CU Ff`i}~^5l\'+D95\䧗 ^qZ~μ6Ѱ"DQIx UK,Fd䠺 S-K̮y]gP L#ܔ%1_EůլiZr4v6#55~z5/p h!><{?\"RA2gCj;({Qo:kzuq^Z̨k>n-D:&} qAgbg~Cy<^Wi줟!5Ҫ2}:/1L*̺#bEo.'-·!gtѕ{=xD ϩQ#|7YB\*hhEUH9 v@! yx5L00?PP]","'m./ыL[t(TUviKRNq`p\x  d%HA,'//o0T=g bcAMb7|d .לq 񙼅EkwY&BNrI tVڎ*(JT?PP[kA33Qӊo4^ϓP44YͣuZQZf14 I3 zG0hMzt{`B5,챩Uw3;'lׂdĬ\+@즁.f=4bΟ*uVc8/nyeqY#/_;<^z  ޯ-9.lpt p4 ;|\ځ""MvB 'M5zgIɻos6!,x>TuKBl. Z1mfO\ ft@ n7;|DN :u0 _ )_X@Lha߄Ȱ-%{bV{"BV,|?:^P0ʏBœkTߊEI,HLa@*ng:}yK IZ#ž zi *iShV@|h\DCq ~ra,7hHY^6x곦4|PZ *h5S_)(棕;f7#6m ZWq*Q\G T2 -8mEHsIQD0!H=W <]&̹ɛHK[w .i5%3XAs(b裚+uN]*Ī~ > 'X']+C?aτH2A$,@Fn%~dcF-u&py_@ 0:P/<2 d5oxI8qΛBDȵLhpvn^*Yb糉9yXĘ/c]M0~y %]Mj5/oP)voR$y̿: *BRF iYͽE!&)Qx,n-WvvQ!CyԬJ6x@\|\!M~0^  v7xl%7B97p;>diWX=' !ǭ0E* n>=Eu&jmVA0J.!ӽW%4eއb3K"}{51@EQ"IyN>6G-$[곹=d25AZ|ݫ$r[Ymt##E-U1A=lV HO kqge2m](5*LަH9(BO;VJ<\lK4+=MS:\*mʓQ)$m`3ǷR¯@"jͪ#.I,Mw(q6ZɋL$Jdgx6Ԣ9Jx]la!s:eդqghRBA1ecJpWբ%E|Րkl F|ɓ)69mg/vlvKe; T1)L[ZBV$s+ }4S۞5_KY-_IQshȲJH3 Mz^JqASz4m6d625 5,VX[v#ߛI [~C@yCްZ&Aƒ-bX[&ztsJ˼SHWnK02F(ٔRR΍.Yhe@'Q H>]Y2#35Bӌ+Z+߸u~ mMvv'_ ^@h:^u{]pn-eGMhTO TP*dEr;^BW^T`]Ww$Of%9:D}G0?ӻJ?w tGFWui1qX95;58;1jćS*WvMq0 2SKrv? 5C)*+|A FftLgQt-pvQ(p ͈T_"ӷ=<0k1*#!lvV9 wAfyd@|+8* bxzWy`KR%UՅ9n0 ܄A\L^dz$n [y$ >}.dЈ  /x|_TB,EiK< EEMl ee#7`2>u&o`YCG/yRHY]O581[(2YwV*߸$h:}mz00&|a HP,BJX4)V}tu4֖ͬ4l&U-=axR_LζX9wV4)jpp:^B/\cT>yo\$2Yò|aW7Cy7bBu,^Ț,8ZvKE-D@*;$$kJ|!3,.Ӷc_'Ƴ+ƴ {,gedY&^}RwT0R0!Wfti~uo#i$Qdț"1t`@`5fz-Ek/iNoF˦7E1(QkAx0WV-d%]ܑ)_G%_KxI(@uOth1h璄@mJDwu\2'm]-/h]3IE!/aZU . X+7?l`ўJP6[U}CD٣zM̪ȆU&&āJ2EJo^o^rc.C t~#&~3[ +ONH oM ۻz;mbf-,G[٨ANIbFʮⴹ1nrZ߭tL,gy .ˡal(v\nȒOVS8茟OV(h&*M>"cA@2[o﭂Jٳw|]Iz2 & s5꓉4u<؇^KX݄¬/}_)a qw [Zx뵃 hj>zm @.?vӵ—ضL u%V.TFذ-/ %u땲O:";u٬E+BoM7)$f>?]8tD2] 7z4׿6|17 [JE!ZJ&W@vc4 ~)5ĐZXf  JWVڸ~pAJkce9vSgAk Rv{FMЮq 1Jy`uNatgZ}M#-3X5 n 2'[Ys)s9Bnr;n5KϏ >tHHT[ü``rޕ.-3e]6ZX-uqxsy/좈N\0ݻ5LWk@-ӹX~q T3K$q%&83 "]IϘۗpԫlb`IṘg[»vKU\k%ڴ!)\/1m#[~L I,U хR* &3wݷ}wl148ffW9#Weg][ %My\yYk $UYC=`Aou*n>FKR{FmH%2*,sż<ԘfWeC!uGir{kU ޖ؝9.< *@dݪ ݇@7z,iS5\MÖc=k49na!dجa>Qx>~ԸAKק. ߨ7xZo\Om&2`~Jvn nbbP!jō˨ xR=Цt2L7 sF<@>D^/Sy= gK:]UoǠ Y%x}sHͼzEDZRswyRY=-קYdx2:G?Et-垅t2X.{fM֕)y4܉տy~˄m2m( ,me "˜EQ)HTjTdP-T;Qe!S}.VTݞ1C. 1v{>EFU{⼴*)n' /(0UN6@kwhy?bҀ9̰HZ(iIFaJj\]%0kr#^ݦ[xўUOLI$+3P<43p5ry9 lM2f%~Am]xV.H*4.Sa p6ݭĝO?y1%&oV!Ra1j)9w`$h~ }N:cCC0hGLZ"NvfD|K슮e"_3S%ا*PR uiKctƵ`8,i@V9#~`&=I &?ƃ3tm0;nwA9y@qGE+F8˽2EWD.ےrjcb46WLmM\n+rL,Y,ħ}Ll2]ђ?3.r<\&՜Mt+[K|1y~U;Ι2lSbP.?K3I=%sh5 'uYqb?#\`%!0 1:t\u]vj,SyYri@0t8IqB5$Ww4Mu U!q]TZGͷy_5}hӆ1!i3?kM/KI(sL@_rfoFh7OCSXq3&")w]g<0uԏS?,ؔj
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1