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Mark Chisnell
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The Defector (Janac's Games #1) Kindle Edition

by Mark Chisnell (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.7 out of 5 stars 107 ratings
What will you do, when it's you or them?

This is the dilemma at the heart of this breathtaking psychological thriller - can Martin Cormac turn his back on his ruthless past as a dealer, a major city player, and do the right thing? Not when he's looking for answers in a succession of sleazy dives...

One night, Cormac gets caught trying to chat up the bar owner's girlfriend and soon needs rescuing. Unfortunately, his white knight is anything but - Janac's a big-time drug baron with a psychotic urge to test people to the limit, and if possible... over it.

And soon Cormac is running from more than his past, he's running from the most dangerous game he will ever play.

The Defector was a #1 Thriller on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.de.

This is what people said about the Random House and HarperCollins editions:

‘An excellent drug-smuggling thriller.’
The Bookseller

‘This is a remarkable thriller – chillingly violent, full of tension and with a very original ending.’
Publishing News

‘New British fiction writer Mark Chisnell will have to go a long way to top his debut.’
Bristol Observer

‘A fabulous and brilliantly written story.’
Peterborough Evening Telegraph

And from the book blogs:

'I really enjoyed this book, it's a tense action thriller with a great psychological edge.'
Booked Up

'Well plotted and as smoothly written as anything else I’ve read lately.'
Kindle Obsessed

'If you’re a fan of fast-paced psychological thrillers, you’ll love The Defector.'
JulieW8.com

'I finished the book over an hour ago and my stomach is still in a small knot. Decompression could take a while.'
Let’s Book It

'It was a pleasure to read a thriller in which some of the conflict was physical, some romantic, and some took place on the battlefield of competing philosophies.'
Reading Review
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  1. Book 1 of 2
    A Janac's Games Thriller
  2. Print length
    323 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    22 Sept. 1996
  6. File size
    1.7 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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There are 2 books in this series.
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Product description

About the Author

Mark Chisnell grew up in a small town on the east coast of England. The town was dominated by the rise of the oil industry and the decline of shipbuilding and fishing. Mark has been a professional sportsman and also won awards as a broadcaster and for his non-fiction accounts of maritime adventure. He's written for some of the world's leading magazines and newspapers, including Esquire and the Guardian. One of his greatest personal achievements was hitch-hiking to Mount Everest base-camp in Tibet. In Trainers. Mark had thought he'd have a future as a marine engineer, that was until he picked up a copy of Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. The cover said it would change the way the reader felt about the world and it changed Mark's perception about his life and where he wanted to go. He learned that books can change people's lives and that he wanted to write one. He wanted to write many. Mark began by writing about the sport in which he won three world championships, and subsequently won plaudits and recognition for his adrenaline-fuelled and suspenseful accounts of round-the-world racing. When he moved to fiction, he used his experiences as a sportsman and his background in broadcasting and journalism to weave chart-topping tales filled with intrigue, danger, romance and characters that take the reader on an incredible page turning journey. Mark currently lives in Europe with his wife and son.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004NBZE76
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 22 Sept. 1996
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.7 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 323 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 2 ‏ : ‎ A Janac's Games Thriller
  • Customer reviews:
    3.7 out of 5 stars 107 ratings

About the author

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Mark Chisnell

Mark Chisnell

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Mark Chisnell has spent over thirty years working across diverse areas and topics. He’s written five novels and eleven non-fiction books, been translated into five languages and topped sales and download charts in the USA, UK, Germany, Italy and Spain. He’s sold a movie option to Working Title (Producers of Hi-Fidelity, United 93 and a lot more) for one of the novels, and won a non-fiction book award from Sportel. He has written on technology, travel and sport for Esquire, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph and many others.

Mark has also developed technical solutions to complex problems in marine electronics, hosted a broadcast event that won the Royal Television Society's Best Live Event award and won three sailing world championships. He’s sailed and worked with seven teams in yacht racing’s America’s Cup, and currently works as Rules Adviser to a British Cup team, a partnership between the Mercedes F1 team and four-time Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie’s sailing team.

Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
107 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's storyline intriguing, with one mentioning it's a gripping novel about choices. Moreover, the writing style and pacing receive positive feedback, with customers describing it as well-written and fast-paced. Additionally, they consider it an enjoyable holiday read that entertains them. However, the character development receives mixed reactions, with some praising the great characters while others find them utterly characterless.

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27 customers mention ‘Storyline’19 positive8 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline of the book, particularly its psychological games and suspenseful plot that keeps readers engaged until the end.

"...and continues through the sequel, but this is really a gripping novel about choices and and not hard work to get through...." Read more

"...The theme was subtle and interesting; I didn't think it needed quite so many punch-ups. I might be being stingy. I look forward to The Wrecking Crew." Read more

"...hard to sympathise completely with him but on the whole this is a realistic read and has a lot of detail about yachting...." Read more

"...The Wrecking Crew was a much better book, with Janac still playing games, but to further his criminal career rather than just to watch people die...." Read more

16 customers mention ‘Enjoyment’16 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable, describing it as a good holiday read, with one customer noting it's a great start that carries you along.

"...The writing is fluent and once in, you are hooked. The great start carries you along until the end even if the finish is abrupt and a bit lame...." Read more

"A pacy and enjoyable holiday read lifted above the run-of-the mill thriller by the clever connections between the villain's preferred style of..." Read more

"Really enjoyed this book and its basis around the prisoners dilemma. What a read this makes!..." Read more

"What a great read,my only problem was I couldn't put it down when I had a bed time read, then hours later realised I had to get up in a few hours...." Read more

8 customers mention ‘Writing style’8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book.

"...The writing is fluent and once in, you are hooked. The great start carries you along until the end even if the finish is abrupt and a bit lame...." Read more

"...The book starts of well, it is well written, but the characters are a little wooden and lacking in, well, character...." Read more

"...It appeared to be well enough written and it wasn't strewn with errors, which is something I particularly abhor...." Read more

"...this book came to be on my kindle must have been a freebie it was an ok read nothing spectacular" Read more

6 customers mention ‘Entertainment value’6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining, with one mentioning its sailing elements and another noting its mind games.

"...also bought Dead(ish) by Naomi somebody which was quirky, short and interesting but not what I would call a proper book. This was...." Read more

"...For 99p, it is an OK bit of escapism. I've also bought the second in the series - but it has moved down the reading pile" Read more

"This involves mind games, drugs, sailing & the beginning was quite interesting & fast paced, but then it became more about the sailing & gaming that..." Read more

"...The sailing elements were also entertaining and well done. The writing style wasn't too bad but it was quite clichéd...." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Pacing’3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, describing it as fast-paced.

"A pacy and enjoyable holiday read lifted above the run-of-the mill thriller by the clever connections between the villain's preferred style of..." Read more

"...storyline with strong action and believable characters which whips along at a fast pace, occasionally letting up to give the reader a short respite..." Read more

"...mind games, drugs, sailing & the beginning was quite interesting & fast paced, but then it became more about the sailing & gaming that I realised..." Read more

6 customers mention ‘Character development’3 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the character development in the book, with some finding them great while others describe them as utterly characterless.

"...What a read this makes! Janac is a truly horrible character and one to look forward to reading more of in future instalments by this..." Read more

"...author weaves an intriguing storyline with strong action and believable characters which whips along at a fast pace, occasionally letting up to give..." Read more

"...The book starts of well, it is well written, but the characters are a little wooden and lacking in, well, character...." Read more

"...Secondly, the characters who are utterly characterless. It's good to love a character or hate a character, but to feel completely indifferent?..." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Ian
    5.0 out of 5 stars If you are new to kindle this i a great way to start
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 May 2011
    Verified Purchase
    I just bought my kindle and the first conundrum is what do I buy? Free books are a nice way to start and the classics within that have a feelgood factor. I suspect that like most people I tried the top 100 to see what was there. And what a gem this turned out to be! I also bought Dead(ish) by Naomi somebody which was quirky, short and interesting but not what I would call a proper book. This was. If you like a crime thriller this will hold you, entertain you and just about keep you going. The 5* rating I have given this is for the first 70% of the book. The sailing passages that come later are probably neither for sailors nor for non-sailors and it seems to be a theme that gives comfort to the author and continues through the sequel, but this is really a gripping novel about choices and and not hard work to get through. The writing is fluent and once in, you are hooked. The great start carries you along until the end even if the finish is abrupt and a bit lame. I just bought the sequel at 69p despite the disappointing finish. There's enough there to keep me going. I'll report back to say if it is worth continuing with this author or dropping, but as a free book defector is a 9/10.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Kevin Warrington
    3.0 out of 5 stars Could be better
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 October 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I bought this as it was cheap and wanted to add some holiday reading to my Kindle. The book starts of well, it is well written, but the characters are a little wooden and lacking in, well, character. The whole story seems a little far fetched - but it is a work of fiction and you couldn't exactly describe James Bond stories as exactly believable, could you?

    The first three-quarters of the story is good reading and I felt engrossed in it. However, ther end rather falls apart. It is almost as though the author didn't know how to end and it seemed to me to be summed up in the expression "and then with one bound, we were free" - something that I was taught at school many years ago never to do...

    For 99p, it is an OK bit of escapism. I've also bought the second in the series - but it has moved down the reading pile
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  • Ms. J. Jones
    4.0 out of 5 stars Co-operate or defect? No choice on board a racing yacht
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 July 2012
    Verified Purchase
    A pacy and enjoyable holiday read lifted above the run-of-the mill thriller by the clever connections between the villain's preferred style of villainy (mind-games) and the choices we all need to make between selfish and socially responsible attitudes to life. Unlike some other reviewers I particularly enjoyed and admired the sections set on board a stripped-out racing yacht - a setting where co-operation is a must. This is a thriller with something more to say. The only reason I held back from the fifth star was an occasional sense of mismatch between the intelligence of writer and that of his central character. The theme was subtle and interesting; I didn't think it needed quite so many punch-ups. I might be being stingy. I look forward to The Wrecking Crew.
    One person found this helpful
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  • areader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping book, great characters
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 June 2011
    Verified Purchase
    Really enjoyed this book and its basis around the prisoners dilemma. What a read this makes!
    Janac is a truly horrible character and one to look forward to reading more of in future instalments by this author.
    Martin, the 'hero' in the book is a flawed character and like other reviewers have said makes it hard to sympathise completely with him but on the whole this is a realistic read and has a lot of detail about yachting.
    Download this and you won't be disappointed.
    One person found this helpful
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  • RS
    2.0 out of 5 stars I have tried to like this book - I really have!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 September 2011
    Verified Purchase
    I downloaded this book almost five months ago when it was on free offer.

    The story is primarily centered on Martin Cormac, a burnt out high flying British currency trader who fled to Thailand. He's then dragged into the world of drug trafficking and dealing after being rescued from a bar room brawl by Janac, a major drug dealer. Janac is very much a control freak and is heavily into playing mind games, particularly the Prisoners Dilemma.

    I have tried to like this book - I really have! However, after getting off to a good start, I became more and more disinterested and had to force myself to continue reading it. In fact, I abandoned it a number of times to read something else!

    I've tried to work out exactly why I wasn't keen on it but I'm struggling to identify anything specific. It appeared to be well enough written and it wasn't strewn with errors, which is something I particularly abhor. The storyline should have fitted fairly snuggly into the type of fiction I enjoy so it should have appealed; yet it fell flat after I'd got about 30 per cent through the book.

    I think perhaps for me the problem was it just dragged on and really did not succeed in sufficiently holding my attention.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • JBP
    5.0 out of 5 stars What a read!
    Reviewed in the United States on 9 May 2013
    Verified Purchase
    As I've said in at least one review of Mark Chisnell's books--I haven't read a "bad" one yet. In fact I find them to be excellent reads, fast paced, and in Janac's games and ways he becomes more insane than he was in The Defector (Janac's Games #1). He still has his "morality" games going and Janac is the perfect modern pirate though if that remains the same I will not say! Read the book and thanks for your hard work on your great novels!
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  • +or-
    4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect novel for the Kindle
    Reviewed in the United States on 27 May 2011
    Verified Purchase
    The Defector proved to be a somewhat exciting and well put together nautical thriller written by Mark Chisnell, who is a successful journalist and sailor as well as fiction author. I was unfamiliar with Mr. Chisnell prior to the offering (free at the time of my download) from Amazon for the Kindle, but I must say that this action packed novel is worth a paid admission. The first half of The Defector had me entranced and eager to continue reading, but the middle slowed down enough for me to find myself critiquing his writing style instead of flowing with the content of the written words. At that point, I thought the dialogue which was otherwise very well written, became sluggish and unrealistic for the circumstances of the story. The narrative moved along, but the words halted me at times. An advantage to reading this on the Kindle is the ability to investigate the meaning of a word using its dictionary, and I found myself using it for words not typical in American English and some nautical terms. I am a sailor, so most words were familiar and I was drawn in to the sailing chapters, but there were a few terms which are not typically used in the US and it was easy to decipher them immediately using the dictionary. The characters were well defined for the most part and I found some more interesting than others, but that's a good thing. It was difficult for me to understand the attraction of Kate, the sole female leading character, but perhaps any female could have done since this novel was clearly written with the conflict between men as fulcrum, the woman being the sort of vessel by which to separate the men. In a story that travels the globe, Janac, the villain, introduces Martin, the hero, to a game of Prisoner's Dilemma which Chisnell has described as, "the central metaphor for our interpersonal behaviour." For his very successful illustration of the Prisoner's Dilemma in The Defector, I would rate this book with 4 stars. Because of the moments of floating rather than propelling the story forward, poorly defined female character and occasional moments which led me to think, "Yeah, right," I've deducted a star. As a whole, I liked this novel and have already recommended it to others. I'm very pleased to have been introduced to Mark Chisnell and appreciate also having the teaser for his next novel included with the Kindle version of The Defector.
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  • Park Ave
    3.0 out of 5 stars Good until the terrible ending
    Reviewed in the United States on 13 May 2011
    Verified Purchase
    "Denouement" noun: the final resolution of the intricacies of a plot, as of a drama or novel. From Dictionary.com.

    Anyone who has seen "The Return of the King" understands what too much denouement means. The interminable final reel of Peter Jackson's film remained true to the interminable final book of Tolkien's series. Too much "final resolution," as the characters flew into the sunset, were crowned, rode into the sunset and finally sailed into the sunset. How many times could one book or movie end?

    "The Defector" is the polar opposite of my above example. Climax hits on one page, followed by a half-page epilogue. That's it. This good (not great) book, which had held my attention for 93% of the file, was suddenly over. The author might as well have written "then we got away and got on with our lives" right after leaving us on a cliff at the climax. I was baffled then disappointed, paging back and forth, looking for more. Instead, the final 7% was a preview of the next book in the series as (presumably) the antagonist finds another couple to terrify.

    Too many plot lines left hanging, too many motivations left unexplained, too many "why?" questions remained in my head after reading this book. I was very happy with the first 92% and thus give 3 stars. The problem was I thought the remaining 8% would answer these question and tie up the loose ends. Instead, nothing. Like writing a sentence without
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  • Joey
    5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book that's free
    Reviewed in the United States on 26 May 2011
    Verified Purchase
    This was a gripping read. The villain is reminiscent of the Joker in The Dark Knight...brilliantly twisted and sick.
    As "Park Ave" stated, the ending was probably the book's weak point, but it was still a 5 star book for me.
    Also, as "Carol Devine" said, this would make a great movie. I couldn't help but imagine this as a movie as I read.
    This book will make you think.
    It's free and it's a good book; can't hurt to get it.
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  • Frenchiemama
    2.0 out of 5 stars Drags On
    Reviewed in the United States on 8 June 2011
    Verified Purchase
    This book starts out great. Lots of action and intrigue but by the mid way point it really started to drag on. Sorry to say but I didn't finish it....I became real bored and didn't want to waste anymore time on it. It's still on my kindle and I may one day finish it.
    Report

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