I've stumbled across "Games of the Hangman" by accident and was hooked by the non-stop action. Now 5 years later, I stumbled across "Rules of the Hunt" and am enjoying, once again the very dangerous adventures of Hugo Fitzduane. Indeed looking forward to reading the "Devil's Footprint" (look for my review). Mr. O'Reilly's prose is straightforward and clear with a very tight plot. The characters come to life and the action sizzles. Not for the weak of heart. Terrorism is a very real threat that Mr. O'Reilly brings to light in all it's dark reality.

Our Hero Fitzduane thought his war with terrorism ended with the defeat of the hangman but in the world of international terrorism nothing is forgotten! He and his family are targeted for death by the hangman's sadistic lover,a female japanese terrorist.Fitzduane must take the battle to her on her own tuff which is Japan.This novel gives us scenic and very bloody tour of Japan as our hero battle terrorists, yakuza(japanese gangsters) and lethal betrayal in his own ranks.Another great atmospheric spy thriller!

All of Hugo Fitzduane's adventures stand by themselves, and this one is a must read. Everytime this guy writes a book - it gets better and better than the last one! I can't wait for book 4:Satans Smile. Do yourself a favor and get into this well told novel that packs it all for all people young and old, male or female.

This book came with high praise and I was expecting something that would keep me glued to my reading chair for hours. Somehow that did not happen.

Yes, there is a lot of action, but apart from the final showdown (I won't say what it is, but what a great idea !) I wasn't really gripped. The villain gets lucky to many times for my taste and the book drags on for too long in the middle. I mean, if the good guys are preparing to catch the bad guy and you're only halfway through the book, it's quite obvious that things will not go as planned.

The last hundred pages are brilliant, but it took me awfully long to get there and I was ready to give up a couple of times in between.

I should probably mention that I don't like reading Tom Clancy either, so maybe it's just not my kind of genre.

Move over Tom Clancy - O'reilly blows you away! For you folks whom like Clancy and all the authors like him - just stop and read any of this authors work and you will see superior writing than all the rest! Hollywood wake the hell up and make this into a movie! This makes Die Hard look sleepy.

For people who like a good thriller, which keeps you occupied for a while and thinking afterwards this is it. The story has a realistic sense to it and the characters come alive. This is the first, and the best of three written about the same main character, but the other two are not far behind. I had to buy this book again, because sombody who liked the book as I did stole my first copy.

If I was 14 years old I MAY have enjoyed this book. In fact I think it WAS written by a 14 year old. Really stupid and in my opinion poorly written.

Unless you enjoy a military novel with some mediocre melodrama thrown in for good luck. I was mightily impressed with 'Hangman' and thought 'Rules' to be adequate, but the 'Devil' seemed to leave all of the intrigue and suspense back in Fitzduane's castle in Ireland. The next one will probably feature Hugo chasing The Hangman's former accountant into outer space to recover his lost tax statements. I'm likely being too harsh, but I really wish O'Reilly would spend some time give his great character the kind of plot he deserves. Enough with The Hangman already. S P O I L E R The Hangman died in the first book. Please let him and his schemes (and former associates/lovers/housekeepers) stay dead with him and try writing another story for Hugo.

This was a very good attempt at doing a sequel. The Hangman's girlfriend attacking Hugo because Hugo killed her lover. Hugo's pregnant wife is kidnapped by the Japanese woman and her gang of terrorists while Hugo is a Fort Bragg. She is then taken to Mexico where she is held hostage at an installation called the Devil's Footprint. Of course it becomes the duty of Hugo to rescue his wife and defeat the forces of evil.Of course Hugo will come through.This book has good action sequences but all in all fails to come through.You can buy it but take your time reading it.