This was initially going to be a 4 ⭐ for me as I was reading. Then I got to the final quarter or so of it and it took some turns I was REALLY not expecting that amped it up for me. Not to mention a particularly satisfying and terrifying end to one of the baddies or was it.....???

So far favorite by him

This novel is about a man who receives a prison sentence for a crime. On his transfer he is captured and thrown into the New York subway tunnel system where is he the prey of hunters. If he escapes he gains his freedom.

This novel was an excellent read and can be classified as a thriller. The author did a fantastic job with the atmosphere and I loved his use of the tunnel system. His description of this setting really brought it to life. I also loved his portrayal of the characters as he gave each one a distinctive personality. I esp. liked the character Jagger as the author provided his backstory and it fit in with how he acted today. There were enough twist and turns to keep the reader engaged and if you are planning to read this book the last page is terrific and a wonderful way to end this novel.

The only negative aspect I had with this book was sometimes to drive the plot the author had a scene that was just too coincidental. At times these scenes were a little too convenient. That is the reason I did not give this a higher rating.

If you are looking for a thriller with a good hunt storyline with surprises I would recommend this novel.

I didn't realize that I had listened to the abridged version until after I was done, which suddenly made sense as to why I occasionally thought I had missed something. However, despite that I did enjoy this book.

Well... it was campy, cheesy, slightly predictable, sometimes nauseatingly sentimental, and over the top... but I liked it.

Chalk this one up to a guilty pleasure. The Manhattan Hunt Club tells the story of a young man who is falsely accused of a heinous crime and finds himself in the clutches of an affluent club who have dangerous plans for him. This club gets their thrills by hunting humans in the tunnel systems located under New York City amongst the homeless population. I thought the modern spin on 'The Most Dangerous Game' was neat and the location unique also. There is some satisfying "rat-a-tat-tat" and some wonderful conspiracy-based ideas about a city's powerful citizens being involved dark secrets.

I found the main characters to be clichéd and the dialogue sometimes offensively stupid. Just as an example the mother of the main character constantly saying all problems encountered are "God's will". "God's will" this and "God's will" that. Come on.

This is my first John Saul book. I picked this one because I heard it was more on the mystery/suspense side rather than supernatural. I was satisfied and would recommend it to those who enjoy cheesy-twisted TV shows.

Great book to read, difficult to put down. Enjoyed it very much, some parts are tricky, but than so is life.

MHC doesn't really cover any new ground with it's 'hunting humans for sport' approach. What is does do though, is add a new twist on the hunting ground (i.e. under a city), ensure there are several entwined plot-lines and pop in a few twists to keep you on your toes. MHC is an enjoyable action horror tale, lacking in the suspense of Saul's supernatural works of his early career, yet offers a compelling enough tale of one man's terror, against an undefinable enemy. It's easy going and keeps your interest right up until the end. Recommended, although it's lack of originality won't make it a book to remember.

This was an entertaining read. Although there were a few obvious plot points, there were also a few unexpected twists that kept it interesting. Overall, a suspenseful and gripping tale. I was particularly enthralled with the details revolving around the transient population and the subterranean citizens. Definitely worth the reading time.

Summary: Jeff COnverse is a college student. He lives in a small Manhattan apartment. He is engaged to a pretty young girl, Heather, Jeff has his whole future a head of him until he tries to stop a mugger one night on the subway.

The next thing Jeff knows is that he's accused of attempted theft, attempted rape and attempted murder. The woman he has tried to help thought he had been the one that violated her and she had said so in the Hospital and later in the courtroom.

Even though Heather and his Father had been absolutely sure it wasn't true, just a horrible mistake, Jeff had been convicted of the crime and sentenced to a year in prison.

However, before he gets to serve his year in prison fora crime he didn't commit, he is transferred and the van he is being transported in suddenly is hit and blows up. But before the vehicle catches fire he is pulled out and led down deep into the underground passages into the subway and sewer system.

Very quickly, Jeff discovers that his apparent rescue was nothing more than a kidnapping. Once he's presumed dead the craziness truly begins.

Five men. Men that were highly respected and admired as much as they were feared, liked to play a game. They had even made a club. The One Hundred. And in the club they called "The Manhattan Hunt Club".

Lead by a woman who's job was to speak for the homeless of the city. A woman who was fueled by pain and anger by the loss of her daughter.

And now Jeff Converse would become their next prey. He had been taken deeper and deeper still, into the maze of the sewer underneath New York City. He had been told the rules: You make it out and you live. You don't, and you die.

But this new victim that the M.H.C. Has chosen is much smarter than anyone of them had expected. Smart enough to kill the hunters that stalk him and make the woman that had started it all, the real victim. He escapes, barely, with his life and is reunited with his fiance. They have a son and Jeff decides to take him to the apartment where he and Heather had lived so many years ago.

He meets Jiny there. A friend he had made in his most desperate time, five years ago. She had been the one that had seen what happened that night on the subway. She had not realized who he was until she met him again later.

She had told him that she knew the person that had mugged the woman and knew Jeff was indeed innocent.

She had searched for him in the tunnels of the sewers and had helped him escape. After the ordeal that occurred under the subway they had remained friend sna he had given her his old apartment and encouraged her to get back in school.

Now, five years later, with his son Randy he had come to see her one last time, before she headed off to college.

They chatted a bit and then him and his son headed back to the subway and towards the rout that would take them home.

But, while entering the terminal to the train that they wanted to board Jeffery Converse had spotted a familiar face. A face of a woman, though badly scarred now, that had turned her back o him when he had needed help most.

Miss Eve Harris. The woman who had started the M.H.C. and who had chosen him for their deadly game of cat and mouse.

And as their eyes met and he noticed the rags she wore, it was him who turned his back on her.

The thought had remained in his mind if the club was still in action, but maybe seeing her dressed as a bum. A homeless person. Like the one's she had made to rally against him and the other hunted people down in the sewer, just for a little cash. Maybe he supposed now that the game had finally ended. Or maybe, they had just found a new leader and more members.

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. Very high pace suspense. From the very first page you had to be hooked. Though different than his older style of writing that I enjoyed very much, this one surprised me and I would surely recommend it.

One of Saul's best books.

Jeff Converse is falsley convicted of attempted murder. While being transferred to prison, the van is involved in an accident. He is declared dead but in reality he has been led into the underground tunnels beneath Manhattan. And he is being hunted by the elite members of the Manhattan Hunt Club.

There is quite a lot of set up in the book but hang around for the last ten chapters. Good stuff.

Creepy concept, but intriguing.

This is an updated retelling of The Most Dangerous Game, where that story took place in the woods this story takes place beneath the Manhattan subway tunnels. The hunters are the elite, and the hunted are convicted killers. The killers are paying the homeless to be the protectors of the game. The game has always only hunted one person at a time, but now they decided to put two killers together in the game. The killers are Jagger a serial killer that mutilates bodies and Jeff a college student convicted of rape and attempted murder to a woman in the subway, there's doubts in his case by his father and girlfriend, but the woman is sure it was him.

What I liked in this story: The character of Jagger, he's a psycho but he was well rounded where the psychosis was explained enough, and you knew certain situations were going to cause problems. The way Jeff's crime and how it was set up with doubt. There's one really big twist with one character that was really well set up.

What I didn't like: The hunt takes too long get started, we don't ever really get to know hunters, some are due to the surprise, but the other's it would've helped to get their insight. I feel like it should've been more enclosed. I felt with the influence they could've closed it off more.

I enjoyed this but I liked Brain Child more. John Saul's writing always has some good surprises, and this one was no exception. This was the first Saul book where there was no supernatural element that I read.