John Brownlow Books In Order
Book links take you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.Publication Order of Last Man Standing Books
| Seventeen / Agent Seventeen | (2022) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
| Assassin Eighteen | (2023) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Publication Order of Screenplays Books
| Sylvia: The Shooting Script | (2003) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
John Brownlow
John Brownlow is a screenwriter, filmmaker, and novelist. Born in Lincoln, UK, after he studied English and maths at Oxford he produced and directed over a dozen documentaries for British TV.
During the early 2000s he turned to screenwriting, and he wrote “Sylvia”, a film about Sylvia Plath, which starred Daniel Craig and Gwyneth Paltrow. He also wrote “Fleming”, a TV series about Ian Fleming’s work in wartime intelligence, and the TV adaptation of “The Miniaturist”, the best selling novel by Jessie Burton.
He found documentaries to be tricky to make because you have to stick with what actually happened, and not what you wish had happened.
Working on documentaries he’d hear all of these stories that he couldn’t use for the film they were making but were still interesting. He wound up with a mind filled with these stories that he wanted to use for something. And editing the films together gave him an understanding of narrative that he didn’t have before.
At one point, he tried writing a novel. However it was so bad that he tucked it away into a drawer and it will never see the light of day.
The pandemic came to him, and this story came to him, which he had pitched as a movie several times without any success. He knew that he had a good story, and he already had the introduction down, which appears in the novel exactly how he originally had it. This was the first time that he had three months to write something, without needing to ask anybody’s permission to write it.
Once he started writing it, he realized rather quickly why nobody had bought it as a film. John realized that he had not quite thought this story through all that well.
He picked the number seventeen, because it’s a number he just happens to like. It’s also a prime number. It always pops up when he thinks of a number.
John has written a lot of spy thriller scripts, and has a ton of spy thriller stories in his head. But nobody wants to tell just yet another spy story. But with Seventeen, he could string them out, and tell about Sixteen or Two’s story and create a universe. This is something that has never really been done in a spy or espionage series, sharing characters through different stories.
He wanted to do a fun spy story, because spy stories have gotten rather grim in recent years. He also wanted to interrogate some of the spy thriller cliches found in spy stories. John wanted the character to be much more of an everyman that came from nowhere, without the background of being in the Navy SEALS or Army. Seventeen doesn’t have any particular skills or abilities.
He hit a point with Seventeen where he didn’t like the character. He found the guy to be a jerk, and this was why the story didn’t work as a script. Seventeen was shallow and didn’t have anything redeeming about him. John was unsure to continue writing a book about somebody he didn’t like. This line came into his head that Seventeen’s mom’s name was Junebug. It was here that he wanted to know where this character came from and more about the guy. Right then, it all came together and you want to know more about this character. This saved the novel, for him.
“Agent Seventeen” is the first novel in the “Last Man Standing” series and was released in 2022. You will never know his name. But you will not forget his number.
Behind the events you know are these killers that you do not. When diplomacy fails, these are the ones that gear up. Officially, they do not even exist, however every government in the world uses their services. They have been saving the world, and your ass, for a century now.
Sixteen people have done this job before him. He is seventeen. The most feared assassin in the entire world. However to be the best there is, you must beat the best. His next target is going to be Sixteen, just as one day Eighteen is going to hunt him down. This is a dog-eat-dog world and it gets pretty lonely at the top. No one gets to stay for too long. However while they are here, all that matters is that they win.
Cinematic, visceral, and wildly addictive, “Agent Seventeen” is going to keep you on the edge of your seat and live long in your memory. Up until Eighteen comes along at least.
“Agent Seventeen” was a Richard and Judy Book Summer 2023 Club Pick.
The novel keeps readers on the edge of your seat through such a roller coaster ride of high octane action which builds to an explosive finale. Fans of the novel found that this reinvents the hitman novel, as it is a cinematic rollercoaster ride, filled with some authentic emotion and high octane action. The tension here bursts right off the page, and John is a master of suspense.
“Assassin Eighteen” is the second novel in the “Last Man Standing” series and was released in 2023. Seventeen is just waiting for somebody to kill him. And tonight would be a fantastic night for it.
Agent Seventeen, who is the most infamous hitman in all of the world, has quit. However whomever wants to become Assassin Eighteen has to track him down and kill him first. So once a bullet hits the glass just inches away from his face, he knows who fired it, doesn’t he?
Turns out that this sniper is not the hardened killer that he was expecting. Instead it is Mireille, this mysterious silent child that was abandoned in the woods with these instructions to pull the trigger. Seventeen, while reuniting with his spiky lover (named Kat) must protect Mireille and learn who it was that sent her to kill him and why.
However the road that he must travel is littered with corpses. And the answer, when it does finally come, is going to blow everything that Seventeen believed he knew.
Book Series In Order » Authors »
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Having read quite a few novels of this particular genre, I was blown away by both books. The Orphan X series is my all time favourite, and I really enjoy Victor The Assassin. I really hope the author continues with this character, and in my opinion, X and Victor need to watch their backs.
I just finished Assassin 18 and, once again, LOVED it! I can’t wait to see what comes next. Thanks for a fun ride!
Agent Seventeen was the first from this author. I was a bit disappointed in the heavy use of the “F” word.
I LOVE Agent 17. It was gritty, fun and action packed. I look forward to the rest of The Last Man Standing books. Keep writing. You have a fresh way with your characters and its a joy to read your books!
Looking forward to the next novel and many more. Thank you.
I loved this book; really fast paced and exciting. Will immediately track down the previous novel “Agent Seventeen”. What I want to know is will there be more in this series? I certainly hope so. Well done!