Kill the Next One

Federico Axat

Dec 2016 · Sold by Mulholland Books

About this ebook

In this audacious psychological thriller where nothing is what it seems, a man facing death makes a life-changing choice that puts him—and the people he loves—in serious trouble.

Ted McKay had it all: a beautiful wife, two daughters, a high-paying job. But after being diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor he finds himself with a gun to his temple, ready to pull the trigger. Then the doorbell rings.

A stranger makes him a proposition: why not kill two deserving men before dying? The first target is a criminal, and the second is a man with terminal cancer who, like Ted, wants to die. After executing these kills, Ted will become someone else's next target, like a kind of suicidal daisy chain. Ted understands the stranger's logic: it's easier for a victim's family to deal with a murder than with a suicide.

However, as Ted commits the murders, the crime scenes strike him as odd. The targets know him by name and possess familiar mementos. Even more bizarrely, Ted recognizes locations and men he shouldn't know. As Ted's mind begins to crack, dark secrets from his past seep through the fissures.

Kill the Next One is an immersive psychological thriller from an exciting new voice.

Ratings and reviews

Ted McKay has a terminal brain tumor. While his wife and children are visiting her family out of state, he decides it is time to end his life. Putting a gun to his head, he prepares to pull the trigger. But the doorbell ringing interrupts him. A stranger offers his a deal ... if he will shoot a criminal who walked away from justice before he dies, and also kill another man like himself ... terminally ill and waiting to die, the next man on the list will take Ted's life. It would be so much easier for his family if he dies of a random killing rather than committing suicide. But is this really what happened? Did he actually murder two men? Why does he keep reliving certain moments of his life over and over again? This was like riding a roller coaster ride in the dark. It's such a well-written book ... the reader doesn't quite know what to believe. It's a look at a terrified man .. what he will and won't do. Is the brain tumor causing hallucinations? Does he even have a brain tumor? No spoilers here .. but I warn you ... beware of the possum. Many thanks to the author / Text Publishing / Netgalley who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

About the author

Federico Axat was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1975. His first novel, Benjamin, was published in Spain by Suma de Letras and translated into Italian. His second novel, El Pantano de las Mariposas, was published in 2013 and translated into Portuguese, French, and Chinese. Kill The Next One is his U.S. debut.