The Silver Bear (Ulverscroft) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Derek Haas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2009 | Series: Ulverscroft

"The intense psychological portrait of a hitman--the anti-Jason Bourne--as he stalks his prey from Boston to LA. He wants you to know him, maybe even admire him, but only for his excellence in his craft. Perhaps he was even born for it. ""A natural killer,"" his mentor--a middleman named Vespucci--said he was. He proved it with his first professional hit: a Fifth Circuit Court judge in Boston, executed with a sheet of Saran Wrap in the stairwell of her own courthouse. He's proved his merit often, usually with a Glock semiautomatic, but he's improvised too, with his bare hands, the heel of a shoe, knives, even a sewing machine. He is the consummate assassin, at the top of his form, immune to the psychological strains of his chosen profession. He is what the Russians call a Silver Bear. He calls himself Columbus. It's the name Vespucci gave him, ten years ago, when he discovered a dark, new world of fences, clients, marks, jobs, jack. Not that his real name meant much to him anyway. He never knew his father or his mother, a prostitute who became dangerously involved back in the seventies with an earnest young congressman named Abe Mann, then a rising star in the Democratic Party. The magnetic Abe Mann has since become the Speaker of the House. He is currently running for the Democratic nomination in an exhausting presidential campaign, weaving his way across the country. Columbus is not far behind. But as he pieces together his past and prepares the seamless assassination of his mark, the criminal underworld he has always ruled begins unraveling violently around him."

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Screenwriter Haas's debut features a darkly compelling narrator. When a young hit man who refers to himself as Columbus learns his next job is to assassinate presidential candidate Abe Mann, Columbus is not taken aback so much by Mann's national prominence as he is by the key role Mann once played in Columbus's past. Soon Columbus realizes that those behind the plot appear to be setting somebody else up as well—himself. The suspense builds as Columbus goes about his business, all the while detailing his accomplishments, his acuity, his nerve, his intelligence. Then he does something so unlikely that the reader immediately realizes that whatever the author intended, this is a narrator too unreliable to listen to, much less trust. Still, those looking for a downbeat political fable during the current election season may be satisfied. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

He’s known only as Columbus, and he’s a contract killer. He lives only in the present; his past is a horror, and only a whimsical God controls the future. In his narrow world, he’s a star, what Russian criminals call a silver bear; he never fails, and he seems immune to the stresses of his work. But his next job will be his toughest. Kill the Speaker of the House, who is also a leading presidential candidate—and Columbus’ father. Columbus narrates his own story, alternately describing his preparations to kill and a tragic youth of abusive foster homes and juvenile detention. Much of the book is engaging, and the body count is more than adequate, but ultimately The Silver Bear strains credulity too many times (e.g., in scenes of Columbus’ recruitment into contract murder and in the number of times he is shot but still makes his getaway). But foreign rights have already been sold in England, Italy, and Germany, and this one is likely to attract a lot of attention. Not a bull’s-eye, to be sure, but still worth a look. --Thomas Gaughan --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print Books Ltd (June 2009)
• ISBN-10: 1847827039
• ISBN-13: 978-1847827036
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Derek Haas is the author of the bestselling novel THE SILVER BEAR and its follow-up COLUMBUS. The third book in his Silver Bear series, DARK MEN, is out now. Derek also co-wrote the screenplays for 3:10 TO YUMA, starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, and WANTED, starring James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, and Angelina Jolie. He co-wrote and produced THE DOUBLE, starring Richard Gere, Topher Grace and Martin Sheen. He is the creator of the website popcornfiction.com, which promotes genre short fiction. His short story, "Shake," was bought by Bruckheimer Films. Derek lives in Los Angeles. Interact with Derek and other fans at http://derekhaas.com, follow him on twitter at popcornhaas, or facebook friend him.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping read, July 31, 2008

By 

James Olmstead "james Olmstead" (Chico, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Silver Bear: A Novel (Hardcover)

What a great read !! Slimmer version of most other books with similar theme, and much better written. I was right there with all the characters...I couldn't put it down. Allow plenty of time to read straight through so you stay in the moment.
Bits of Ludlam/Westlake/Block but much more powerful
Hope the author writes more..I am looking forward to that

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I, Hitman, July 24, 2008

By 

Mr. Mean (Glendale, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Silver Bear: A Novel (Hardcover)

Tautly written, cleverly structured and continuously suspenseful, "Silver Bear" is a memorable, auspicious debut that confirms Mr. Haas as a multi-talent, and that at long last, he can finally shed that Brandt albatross from around his neck.

Kidding. Just read it.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5+ for sure!, August 6, 2008

By 

Ana Lorenzana - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Silver Bear: A Novel (Hardcover)

If you're looking for a compelling and exciting read with unexpected twists, you've got to add The Silver Bear to your must-read list! Haas' assassin's tale does not fall into expected cliches, and the main character is more than a stereotype. Columbus is complex and drives the story blurring the distinction between what we want to hate and love in a human being. It's a look into a world that both repels and attracts, regardless of our convictions. Plus, the ending sets the stage for more from first-time novelist Haas.. can't wait for it!