L'Assassin [Hardcover]

Peter Steiner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 22, 2008

From the critically acclaimed author of Le Crime, published in hardcover as A French Country Murder, comes this electrifying sequel featuring former CIA operative Louis Morgon and his partner-in-crime-solving, Jean Renard, the gendarme of their small French village.

Louis Morgon is living a quiet life of good food, good wine, and good friends. When his house is burglarized, he thinks nothing of it. But the burglar and the motive for the burglary are not as simple as they seem. And the consequences of the seemingly trivial break-in will lead Louis and his loved ones to the end of the earth---and quite possibly to the end of their lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

American expat Louis Morgon has lived quietly for three decades in a small town in the Loire River valley, painting and tending his garden, but as L’ Assassin begins, his life is about to change. His longtime lover, Solesme, is dying of cancer, and a clumsy burglar has stolen his lawnmower. The 67-year-old Morgon soon realizes that the burglary was the beginning of a plot to brand him a terrorist; the architect of the plot, he also realizes, is Hugh Bowe, his former mentor. Even Morgon’s grown children are at risk, and his only ally is the lone policeman in his small French town. Thwarting Bowe takes Morgon to three continents. This unusual suspense tale generates the building tension associated with such classic international thrillers as Day of the Jackal, and it vividly evokes the more tranquil pace of life in both small town Provence and a Breton village. Add to that a handful of richly drawn characters, and you have a novel with appeal for both political thriller fans and anyone who enjoys international fiction. --Thomas Gaughan

Review

Raves for Peter Steiner’s Louis Morgon Thrillers

“Unforgettable . . . combines elements of Agatha Christie and Robert Ludlum.”
---Bookreporter.com on Le Crime

"Literate crime thrillers don't get much better than this."
---Publishers Weekly (starred review) on L'Assassin

“A talented writer . . . Steiner keeps us fully engaged [and] guessing. He unpeels his characters like so many onions, one layer at a time, [and his] protagonist is refreshing. A wonderfully vivid book about the solitary, sometimes bitter landscape of spycraft. It's a slam dunk!”
---Washington Times on L’Assassin

“A fantastic novel, at once a gripping political thriller and a complex mystery tale.”
---David Brooks, author of Bobos in Paradise, on Le Crime

“A pacy, engrossing thriller that is also a touching examination of the impact of terrorism and counter-terrorism on the lives of those involved.”
---Robert Goddard, author of Into the Blue, on L’Assassin

“Le Carré and Deighton fans will welcome Steiner’s engaging first novel. The scenes in small-town France capture the atmosphere and pace of life there wonderfully.”
---Publishers Weekly on Le Crime

“A page turner---like a good Alan Furst or Graham Greene novel.”
---The Washingtonian on Le Crime

“A rare phenomenon, a beautiful crime novel. When I realized what it was, I read it more slowly to make it last.”
---Thomas Perry, New York Times bestselling author of Nightlife, on Le Crime

“A riveting murder mystery.”
---France Today on Le Crime

“A wonderful read . . . a fresh perspective on the international thriller. Louis Morgan is a marvel, mixing a fierce intelligence with moral complexity. Cool writing, exotic locales, and a plot that keeps you guessing until the end.”
---Olen Steinhauer, author of Victory Square, on L’Assassin

“Steiner sketches such a rich life for his tiny town that he makes you want to get on the next plane.”
---Chicago Tribune on Le Crime

“Captivating . . . This is a novel for anyone who enjoys good writing, not just those who love a good mystery. Readers will find it difficult to concentrate on anything but finishing it. Then the tale will linger long after the last page is turned.”
---Tampa Tribune & Times on Le Crime

“Le Crime est superbe.”
---Jim Fusilli, author of Hard, Hard City

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (July 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312373422
• ISBN-13: 978-0312373429
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,330,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

PETER STEINER was born and grew up in Cincinnati. After the University of Miami and the Free University of Berlin, and then after serving in the army in Germany, he got a PHD. in German literature. He taught at Dickinson College for eight years, but left teaching to become an artist and cartoonist. For the next twenty-five years he made his living as a cartoonist for The New Yorker and many other publications. He created the cartoon "On the internet nobody knows you're a dog," the most reproduced cartoon The New Yorker has ever published. In the late 1990's he began writing novels, at first for his own amusement. Then his first novel, A French Country Murder was published in 2003. His second followed in 2008; his third in 2010. He lives in Connecticut and spends a good part of each year in rural France, where all three of his books take place. He divides his time between writing and painting. His paintings can be seen on his website, plsteiner.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars top rate thriller, July 24, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: L'Assassin (Hardcover)

After leaving the CIA former field agent Louis Morgon lives with his beloved Solesme Lefourier in rustic Saint-Léon sur Dême, France. However his contentment is shattered when the love of his life informs him the cancer is back, terminally this time. A break-in to their house is easily resolved by Louis' friend police officer Jean Renard who arrests petty incompetent criminal Pierre Lefort for the burglary.

Pierre is easily convicted as he left enough evidence for an amateur sleuth to find, Louis ponders whether the thief purposely did so and if yes, why. Although he suspects a greater game afoot, Louis remains ignorant of what is going on partially because he is emotionally distracted by Solesme's cancer. However former U.S. Secretary of State Hugh Bowes is aware of everything. The break-in is the beginning of a diabolically clever scheme to get at Louis initially through people he cares about, his best friend the cop and the love of his life to help set up the bigger scene. Revenge is such sweet sorrow for the victim as Bowes arranges for Louis' former associates to find solid proof that Morgon now works for bin Laden.

This direct sequel to A FRENCH COUNTRY MURDER is a top rate thriller as the brilliant wicked Bowes works his revenge for Morgon's destruction of his seditious successful life at a time when his enemy is emotionally distraught. Fans will relish this exhilarating clever cat and mouse game as Bowes manipulates the anti terrorist crowd even better than Karl Rove could ever accomplish; insuring that the CIA and their espionage cohorts to go after his chosen target. This is a one sitter thriller as the hero is the mouse that roared, but the odds remain he will be rendition.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Grudge Carried To Extremes, September 13, 2008

By 

David Donelson "Author of The Dynamic Manager... - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: L'Assassin (Hardcover)

Louis Morgon is an intriguing hero, a former CIA operative living in a small French village who really just wants to be left alone. Unfortunately, he once got crossways with Hugh Bowes, a former U.S. Secretary of State who carries a grudge a long, long way.

What seems like a minor burglary at Morgon's country house turns out to be a scheme mounted by Bowes to make American anti-terrorists believe Morgon is allied with Osama bin-Laden. The suspense builds as Morgon uncovers the outlines of the plot in increasingly-frightening detail while the CIA brings its big guns to bear on him.

While Morgon and his friend, local gendarme Jean Renard, unravel the diabolical plan, his lover Solesme Lefourier struggles with terminal cancer. Their poignant relationship serves as the perfect counterfoil to the nastiness coming his way from Washington, DC. It's a fast-paced novel of intrigue that reflects the dangers of our modern, terrorism-obsessed society.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds: A Novel of Scandal, Love and Death in the Congo

4.0 out of 5 stars Much better than the cover, September 3, 2008

By 

Skraeling (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: L'Assassin (Hardcover)

For those lucky enough to have read Peter Steiner's first novel, they can continue the story with "L'Assassin." His characters are anything but stock, the plot anything but predictable. Steiner writes with an ease and polish that keeps the story moving as the characters themselves keep moving in pursuit of their ends.