Assassin (Hawke Series) [Abridged, Audiobook, CD] [Audio CD]

Ted Bell (Author), John Shea (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 2006 | Series: Hawke Series (Book 2)

In an elegant palazzo on the Grand Canal, an American ambassador's tryst turns deadly. In the seamy underbelly of London, a pub-crawling killer is on the loose. And in a storybook chapel nestled in the Cotswolds, a marriage made in heaven turns to hell on earth. Isolated incidents? Or links in a chain of events hurtling towards catastrophe? So begins Assassin, the tour de force thriller that heralds the return of every terrorist's worst nightmare, Alex Hawke. A shadowy figure known as the Dog is believed to be the ruthless terrorist who is systematically and savagely assassinating American diplomats and their families around the globe. As the deadly toll mounts inexorably, Hawke, along with former NYPD cop and Navy SEAL Stokely Jones, is called upon by the U.S. government to launch a search for the assassin behind the murders. Hawke, who "makes James Bond look like a "slovenly, dull-witted clockpuncher" (Kirkus Reviews), is soon following a trail that leads back to London in the go-go nineties, when Arab oil money fueled lavish, and sometimes fiendish, lifestyles. Other murky clues point to the Florida Keys, where a vicious killer hides behind the gates of a fabled museum. And to a remote Indonesian island where a madman tinkers with strains of a deadly virus and slyly bides his time. Hawke must call upon resources deep within himself. He must enter a race against time to stop a cataclysmic attack on America's most populous cities and avenge the inexplicable and horrific crime that has left him devastated.

Editorial Reviews

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio on CD Value Priced; Abridged edition (July 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597373664
• ISBN-13: 978-1597373661
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,664,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

My life has entered a brand new and exciting chapter. In addition to publishing a new thriller, PHANTOM, next March, I have been elected a Visiting Scholar at Cambridge University, UK. I hold this position at the University's Department of Politics and International Studies. We are a primary resource for the Intelligence Community as well as high level government connections. I was also honored to be named Writer In Residence at Sydney Sussex College here at Cambridge. My college was founded in 1596. I am working on a new novel, the 7th in the Alex Hawke series of spy thrillers. The new thriller will be rooted in Cambridge espionage traditions (the university is over 800 years old) and deal with the looming threat of China's ascent to world dominance. I also plan to write a 3rd installment in my series of historical novels for young people, the Nick McIver Time Adventures published by St. Martins. My Alexander Hawke novels are published by Harper/Collins. Life here at Cambridge is extraordinary, as well it should be as it was recently voted the #1 university in the world. There is certainly no lack of intellectual stimulation and even the most casual conversations with fellow scholars are a wonder to me. As are the amazing architecture and ancient customs. I often feel I'm living in a Harry Potter movie.

PHANTOM, will be published on March 20th, 2012. It is about the next revolution in warfare, cyber war, and the impact that artificial intelligence is having, not only on the military, but on all aspects of human life. I believe the book breaks new ground in the thriller category and hope my fans and new readers have half as much fun reading it as I did writing it!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A taut, well-crafted thriller?, August 13, 2005

By 

Griz (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Assassin: A Thriller (Hawke) (Mass Market Paperback)

I'll have to say I'm confounded by some to the so-called 'literary' reviews I've read for this book. Poorly written? It is one of the most carefully written books of the genre I personally have ever read! It is written with the authority of someone who clearly knows what he is doing, never labored or tentative. Unlike the paper-thin characters who inhabit most of these cookie-cutter spy books, the inhabitants of this one leap off the page alive and full of humor and wickedness. This book feels like a seamless performance, a fictive dream that keeps you turning pages long into the night, hoping you don't wake up. Some of these puffed up critics have been reading too much Clancy. Sure, he knows where the men's rooms at the CIA are, but give me a break. All I know is, it's been a long, long time since I've been so completely immersed inside a well-crafted thriller. Maybe that's the problem with some of these readers--they stumble across something that's not exactly like what they're accustomed to and it sends them into an absolute tizzy.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fast-paced action-adventure thriller, July 15, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Assassin: A Novel (Hardcover)

American Ambassador to Italy, Stanfield goes out for a late drink after a tryst with his mistress, but is killed by a smart missile that specifically targeted him. Alex Hawke and Dr. Victoria Sweet exchange "I Dos" when a sniper kills the bride. In Saudi Arabia, American Ambassador Butch McGuire drops dead from having his internal organs fried.

Secretary of State Consuelo de Los Reyes asks the grieving Hawke to join Jack Patterson on investigating the assault on the United States diplomatic corps. Hawke agrees. However, in the meantime in Maine a female teen babysitter slaughters Deirdre Slade and her two preadolescent children; the victims are the loving family of a diplomat.

The Sweet killing evidence points to Cuban exile Scissorhand while the ambassador murders look like the work of bin Wazir. Though he prefers to go to "Little Havana" to confront Scissorhand, Hawke lets friends handle that while he tries to stop further assassinations from occurring even as the intrepid ambassador to France Duke Merriman dies from phosphorus fire.

ASSASSINS is an exciting action-packed and nonstop tale starring a terrific series of heroes and an even better band of killers. The story line is chilling in many ways as the assassins are pretty women who one would never suspect as killers yet their loyalty is to bin Wazir or his superior, his father-in-law the Emir, a believer in a Moslem only world. The satirical spoofing of the first novel (see HAWKE) never occurs, as this is more of a straight shooter. The dual plots come together although the Sweet murder seems overkill and pale vs. the more clever kills. Action-adventure readers will enjoy this testosterone vs. estrogen thriller.

Harriet Klausner

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Totally disappointed!, November 21, 2004

By 

R. Baumgartner "a penny saved is still just a... (Durham NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Assassin: A Novel (Hardcover)

I also bought this book based on Glenn Beck's hype of it and am now considering ending my Insider account with him. You can't tell me Glenn really thought this book was great. And to tell all of his listeners everyday for the last coulpe months how incredible this book is - what a joke. He's a total sell out. Maybe someone who has never read another book in their life might find these characters interesting, or the story line thrilling - but honestly it read like a bad Steven Seagal movie made into an even worse book.