hunters
The Hunter's Prayer
The Hunter's Prayer
a.k.a. For the Dogs
a.k.a. For the Dogs
"For the Dogs" was Kevin Wignall's third novel and was published in the USA in 2004 (due to the poor sales for his first two books, both Kevin and his agent decided not to offer the book in the UK and it wasn't published there at the time - but see below!).
Inspired in part by "The Nibelungenlied" (the epic German poem which was the basis for Wagner's "Ring Cycle") and partly by Jane Austen's "Persuasion" (both books actually appear in the text), this is the story of Ella and Lucas. Ella is touring Italy with her boyfriend, unaware that her entire family has been murdered, that her father's business dealings are questionable, and that someone is about to attempt to kill her. Lucas is a retired hitman, keeping an eye on Ella as a favor for her father. He saves Ella from her would-be killers, but a complex dance ensues, with Ella determined on revenge, and Lucas equally determined to leave that life behind, to reconnect with his former girlfriend and the daughter he's never known.
The book was very well received with the critics and attracted a lot of movie interest. A very loose adaptation was filmed under the title "The Hunter's Prayer" with Jonathan Mostow directing, Sam Worthington playing Lucas, and Odeya Rush as Ella. It was released in 2017.
"For the Dogs" was published by AST in Russia in 2010, in Poland in April 2012 and in Germany in April 2013. As "The Hunter's Prayer" it was republished by Thomas & Mercer (Amazon Publishing) in 2015, as a paperback and an e-book across the English-speaking world. A French version appeared in 2019.