Assassin: A Novel (Hawke)

From Publishers Weekly Experienced action-adventure readers know that it's almost never a good idea for their favorite heroic characters to get married. In the opening pages of Bell's fast and furious second novel featuring the large-living Alexander Hawke, the groom-to-be is having a case of nerves, and readers will find themselves uneasy as well. Sure enough, Hawke's intended, the lovely Victoria Sweet, is shot dead by a sniper minutes after the wedding ceremony. Meanwhile, America has been targeted by the nefarious Snay bin Wazir, known as the Dog for the curious doglike sound he makes when laughing, usually while throttling someone to death. Hawke is joined once again by his "merry band" of series regulars in stopping not only bin Wazir but in finding Victoria's killer, the infamous Scissorhands, risen anew from the pages of the previous Hawke novel. There's a huge cast of colorful killers in a conspiracy spanning the globe, and Hawke and company race from New England to Indonesia dodging bombs, poison and exploding shoes. Whether the novel is taken as a grown-up boy's book or a modern thriller, readers will be caught in the whirlwind of action and find themselves having a grand old time. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist In this sequel to Hawke [BKL My 15 03], which introduced readers to superspy Alexander Hawke, descendent of a notorious pirate and a modern-day swashbuckler, our hero is recovering from a devastating personal tragedy. When the U.S. secretary of state comes to Hawke with a mission of utmost importance--someone is murdering American ambassadors and their families--he puts his emotions aside (or tries to) and takes off after the killer. Hawke is the kind of character somebody really should put in a movie: he is smart, resourceful, attractive--everything we want in an action hero. Bell is a nimble writer, and fans of the first Hawke adventure won't want to miss this sequel. New readers will be enthralled and will immediately track down the first novel in the series. The obvious comparisons to James Bond are only partly deserved; there is less of a cartoon element here. Fellow Britisher Andy McNabb's Nick Stone series is a better parallel. David Pitt Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved From the Inside Flap "ASSASSIN is the most highly imaginative thriller to come along in a long while. Ted Bell can really, really write." --James Patterson "An international political thriller of the highest order. Intrigue you can sink your teeth into and a secret agent who takes you into the danger zone with a ballsy wit that had me hooked." --Vince Flynn "Fascinating characters, a hairpin plot, and wonderfully talented writing. ASSASSIN is what you get when you pair a great story with a great writer." --Brian Haig "Hawke is the kind of character somebody really should put in a movie: he is smart, resourceful, attractive - everything we want in an action hero. Bell is a nimble writer, and fans of the first Hawke adventure wonx92t want to miss this sequel. New readers will be enthralled and will immediately track down the first novel in the series." --Booklist "I love to read books from authors like Clancy, Ludlum, and Flynn. Ted Bell, the author of ASSASSIN, is in that league. His research is so amazing you'd swear the events in the book actually took place. And here's the scary part--they could.... If you're going to read just one suspensefull-thrilling-emotional roller coaster-spy novel this summer, you've got to read ASSASSIN by Ted Bell.... Make sure you clear some reading time on your schedule... you will not be able to put ASSASSIN down." --Glenn Beck Read more