Monday, March 11, 2013

The Assassin Trilogy by Derek Haas


The blurb:
He calls himself Columbus. His real name never meant much to him anyway. He never knew his father, an earnest young congressman and rising star in the Democratic Party named Abe Mann, or his mother, a prostitute whose involvement with Mann would prove dangerous.

All Columbus cares about is his next target. A hit man who quickly made a name for himself as one of the best in his profession, you can be sure he'll fulfill whatever contract's been given him. Even if those who put out the hit have other plans in mind.

Review:
While The Assassin Trilogy is composed of The Silver Bear, Columbus, and Dark Men, it's best to think of them as just one book.  You'll want to read all three parts continuously.  I ended up reading them over a day and a night.

Columbus, our hero, has a distinctive voice and an interesting point of view.  As far as assassins go, he's sympathetic and likable.  Reading his back story, it's easy to understand how he ended up in his profession.  His status as a "Silver Bear" becomes admirable in its own way.  A Silver Bear is an assassin that accepts all assignments, delivers on all assignments, and never gives up.  They're rare and highly prized commodities.  I'm not sure what this says about me, aside from the fact that I overindulge in escapist fiction, but I've been reading quite a few novels with assassins as sympathetic heroes.

In The Assassin Trilogy, Derek Haas gives us action, unexpected plot twists, unusual characters, and strong writing.  It's escapist fiction at its most fun - light, witty and exciting!

ASIN: B005PRBB2Y - Kindle book $2.99
Publisher: Mulholland Books (June 12, 2012), 249 pages.
Review copy courtesy of Netgalley and the publisher.

About the Author:
In THE COLUMBUS TRILOGY, the first three novels by Barry Award-nominated author Derek Haas, Columbus squares off against the shadow of his father, Czech crime lords, drug dealers, a prostitution ring, and more, in three acclaimed suspense novels by a rising master of the genre.
In addition to his novels THE SILVER BEAR, COLUMBUS, and DARK MEN, Derek Haas also co-wrote the screenplays for 3:10 TO YUMA, starring Russel Crowe and Christian Bale, and WANTED, starring James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, and Angelina Jolie. His newest film, The Double, stars Richard Gere and Topher Grace, and is directed by his screenwriting partner Michael Brandt. Derek lives in Los Angeles.

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