Customer Reviews

L'Assassin

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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

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

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.

Okay you'd think if a book is a sequel it would be mentioned but you could still dive in. But this book is a PART 2. It doesn't even pretend you haven't read the first book. In the first 25 pages the plot of Part 1 Le Crime is ruined. There are many references to the previous book but not in any context. Like "remember that guy I thought was a muslim"...well no, I didn't read the first book and why does it matter. Well written, nice setting, hero is a bit old to be believed...but please read the first book first and then this one...my $13 went down the drain.