Assassin (Hardcover)

~ David Hagberg (Author) "Yevgenni Anatolevich Tarancov was called the Tarantula because of the gargantuan web he'd spun over all of Russia in the past five years..." (more)
Key Phrases: special police commission, extra spare tire, armored train, Nizhny Novgorod, Soviet Union, General Yuryn (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In the world of spy and counterspy, heroes and villains have long memories and may bring their personal battles to the political and military playing fields. Thus, Hagberg's series hero, Kirk McGarvey (last seen in High Flight, LJ 9/1/95), finds himself facing some relatives of his earlier targets when he accepts an assignment to assassinate Tarankov, a hard-line Communist in Russia. Some of the old Soviet bears (Yeltsin, Gorbachev) are still alive, but Russia is spiraling downward. Merciless, ambitious, and well equipped, Tarankov is conquering the country city by city. McGarvey works his way across Europe, but his best plans may be foiled by the well-meaning intervention of his beloved daughter and his French mistress. Assassin is a cut above the competition, mostly because of Hagberg's gift for description, the rapid-fire plot, and the complex nature of his hero. Recommended.?Elsa Pendleton, Boeing Computer Support Svcs., Ridgecrest, Cal.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

This is Hagberg's twenty-fifth novel, counting the ones he wrote as Sean Flannery. Assassin is his sixth thriller featuring Kirk McGarvey, a former CIA agent whose specialty was assassinations during the cold war. Nearing 50, McGarvey now lives in Paris, where he stays in shape by running and swimming daily. Meanwhile, in Russia one Yevgenni Tarankov is close to coming to power; his goal is to return the nation to communism and rule as a despot. Tarankov must be assassinated by a foreigner, and McGarvey reluctantly accepts the assignment. There are some minor subplots and revelations (McGarvey learns that his parents were not spies for Russia but were set up), but the novel deals with Hagberg's usual good guy^-bad guy encounter, death being the final result. There's a little sex and gore and lots of action, the perfect formula for the perfect thriller. George Cohen

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 383 pages
• Publisher: Forge; 1st edition (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031285028X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312850289
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,145,802 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clancy and Brown Fan Adds New Author to His List, April 15, 1998

By	Robert Packtor ([e-mail]) (USA) - See all my reviews

This is the first Hagberg book I have picked up, and based on the references to previous books about McGarvey, I will be hounding the local librarian to get all of the previous Kirk McGarvey books soon. I enjoyed the brisk plot with the intertwined subplots that only served to add to the main plotline, rather than detract from it. After reading this book, I feel that I 'know' the main character, even without reading the previous adventures of Kirk McGarvey. This is somewhat of an accomplishment (although some of the more experienced McGarvey fans may have found the character references tiring). The book was an exciting read until the very end, when I feel that the author abruptly wrapped the main plotline. It's almost as if the author noticed the page count and then decided to get out of the book as quickly as possible. However, even this annoyance does not budge me from my rating of a 10. I now have three authors on my personal 'watch list'

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but not his best work, August 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Assassin (Kirk McGarvey Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Assassin is a difficult book to get into, the hook is not as enticing as it could have been, so it took me several weeks of picking it up to take the hook. Once it got to the point and the action started I had trouble putting the book down. The introduction of McGarvey's daughter I though was an interesting touch and I enjoyed the rest of the book. I thought the end was a bit anticlimactic with the two villains not putting up the fight I probably expect from fictional villains. Over all not the worst read but not his best work.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not exactly a page-turner, January 2, 1999

By A Customer

I got this one for Christmas and read it on the plane ride home because it was only slightly more entertaining than the inflight magazine or the guy sitting next to me. Where to start? Two-dimensional characters, implausible plot (how hard is it really to destroy an armoured TRAIN?!!), outrageous coincidences, a hero I couldn't have cared less about, silly and misinformed integration of the Internet into the plot, the list goes on. Its unfortunate because I think the author was onto something good by writing about the dangers of another Stalin emerging from Russia's current crisis.