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A review by danubooks
An Honorable Assassin by Steve Hamilton
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A lethal assassin who operates in ever-shifting shades of grey.
Nick Mason made a bargain a while back in order to be released from federal prison 20 years early, and it was one he soon regretted. While he was free from a prison cell he was now a reluctant assassin for Chicago crime lord Darius Cole, knowing that if he did not do what he was ordered to do Cole would have Mason’s ex-wife Gina and daughter Adriana killed. When he finally killed Cole Mason thought he could leave that life behind, but found out that Cole was but a mid-level player in a much larger organization, one which had no intention of losing Mason’s services. He now finds himself in Jakarta, Indonesia, and within hours of his arrival he is expected to kill Hashim Baya, an independent sponsor of terrorism known as The Crocodile. Mason has a local team to support him headed by Torino (who doesn’t want Mason around,), Luna who acts as his spotter and back-up, and Farhan his driver and guide to navigating the unfamiliar culture. With little data provided and no time with which to formulate a plan it is little more than a exercise in suicide, but with a combination of skills and luck Mason survives the first aborted attempt and must make another. The head of the organization is determined to have Baya eliminated, and with Gina’s and Adriana’s lives hanging in the balance Mason has no option but to keep trying to get to Baya and kill him, but Baya remains a step ahead at each turn. Working in an unfamiliar territory with limited and often faulty intel with a support team whom he is unsure he can trust, and having attracted the attention of an Interpol investigator who has his own reasons to want Baya dead, Mason can only take one step after another to remove Baya from the board in time to save those he loves from horrible deaths….even if he himself dies in doing it.
The third in the Nick Mason series, An Honorable Assassin is a fast paced thriller tracking an anti-hero who is out of his element as he seeks to kill a man he doesn't know for reasons he doesn’t understand. His lethality is a commodity co-opted by an organization with far-reaching influence, and when he asks for answers is told that, “The bullet does not ask the gun why it was fired.”. Luna, who is another useful tool that the organization has under their control, tells Nick to stop clinging to a code of honor….she gave up long ago. But his love for Gina and Adriana gives him the strength to fight on, and while he has blood on his hands that he might never be able to wash away he does try to do some good along the way. Fans of Gregg Hurwitz, Mark Greaney and Harlan Coben should give this book and the preceding two titles in the series a try. Readers of author Steve Hamilton’s Alex McKnight series will find this a departure from those books, but a worthwhile read nonetheless. With a troubled but engaging protagonist, settings that veer between glamorous and squalid, and villains who really need killing, An Honorable Assassin delivers a terrific story. Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for allowing me early access to the latest thriller from an accomplished author.
Nick Mason made a bargain a while back in order to be released from federal prison 20 years early, and it was one he soon regretted. While he was free from a prison cell he was now a reluctant assassin for Chicago crime lord Darius Cole, knowing that if he did not do what he was ordered to do Cole would have Mason’s ex-wife Gina and daughter Adriana killed. When he finally killed Cole Mason thought he could leave that life behind, but found out that Cole was but a mid-level player in a much larger organization, one which had no intention of losing Mason’s services. He now finds himself in Jakarta, Indonesia, and within hours of his arrival he is expected to kill Hashim Baya, an independent sponsor of terrorism known as The Crocodile. Mason has a local team to support him headed by Torino (who doesn’t want Mason around,), Luna who acts as his spotter and back-up, and Farhan his driver and guide to navigating the unfamiliar culture. With little data provided and no time with which to formulate a plan it is little more than a exercise in suicide, but with a combination of skills and luck Mason survives the first aborted attempt and must make another. The head of the organization is determined to have Baya eliminated, and with Gina’s and Adriana’s lives hanging in the balance Mason has no option but to keep trying to get to Baya and kill him, but Baya remains a step ahead at each turn. Working in an unfamiliar territory with limited and often faulty intel with a support team whom he is unsure he can trust, and having attracted the attention of an Interpol investigator who has his own reasons to want Baya dead, Mason can only take one step after another to remove Baya from the board in time to save those he loves from horrible deaths….even if he himself dies in doing it.
The third in the Nick Mason series, An Honorable Assassin is a fast paced thriller tracking an anti-hero who is out of his element as he seeks to kill a man he doesn't know for reasons he doesn’t understand. His lethality is a commodity co-opted by an organization with far-reaching influence, and when he asks for answers is told that, “The bullet does not ask the gun why it was fired.”. Luna, who is another useful tool that the organization has under their control, tells Nick to stop clinging to a code of honor….she gave up long ago. But his love for Gina and Adriana gives him the strength to fight on, and while he has blood on his hands that he might never be able to wash away he does try to do some good along the way. Fans of Gregg Hurwitz, Mark Greaney and Harlan Coben should give this book and the preceding two titles in the series a try. Readers of author Steve Hamilton’s Alex McKnight series will find this a departure from those books, but a worthwhile read nonetheless. With a troubled but engaging protagonist, settings that veer between glamorous and squalid, and villains who really need killing, An Honorable Assassin delivers a terrific story. Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for allowing me early access to the latest thriller from an accomplished author.