Assassins Anonymous

by Rob Hart

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Step one: admit you're a serial killer. Step two: believe a power greater than yourself can help you stop killing people. Step three: obsess over this new book.

“The best kind of thriller. . . . Suspenseful, sentimental, and ultimately redemptive, Assassins Anonymous is a can’t-miss novel.” — S. A. Cosby,  author of All the Sinners Bleed

In this clever, surprising, page-turner, the world’s most lethal assassin gives up the violent life only to find himself under siege by mysterious assailants. It’s a kill-or-be-killed situation, but the first option is off the table. What’s a reformed hit man to do?

Mark was the most dangerous killer-for-hire in the world. But after learning the hard way that his life’s work made him more monster than man, he left all of that behind, and joined a twelve-step group for reformed killers.

When Mark is viciously attacked by an unknown assailant, he is forced on the run. From New York to Singapore to London, he chases after clues while dodging attacks and trying to solve the puzzle of who’s after him. All without killing anyone. Or getting killed himself. For an assassin, Mark learns, nonviolence is a real hassle.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593717400
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	06/11/2024
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	100,602
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Rob Hart is the author of The Paradox Hotel, The Warehouse, and the Ash McKenna crime series, and the co-author of Scott Free with James Patterson. He’s worked as a book publisher, a reporter, a political communications director, and a commissioner for the city of New York. Hart lives on Staten Island.

Editorial Reviews

★ 05/13/2024

A legendary assassin joins a support group of murderers hoping to cure themselves of their addiction to violence in Hart’s nail-biting latest (after The Paradox Hotel). Mark, who works under the moniker the Pale Horse, has kept his murderous impulses in check for months, but his progress is threatened when he’s attacked after a meeting of Assassins Anonymous. His Russian assailant stabs him in the chest before stealing a notebook with the names of everyone Mark plans to atone to. With the help of his former medic, Astrid, Mark recovers from his injuries. When his apartment is blown up a few days later, Astrid joins him on the run, and the pair head to Singapore, where Mark hopes to track down an old contact and ferret out whether his ex-employers in U.S. intelligence are out to get him, or if someone connected to a former target has come for revenge. Mark’s continued efforts to stay “clean” from violence provide welcome humor to the otherwise breakneck proceedings. Strong characters and rattling suspense lift things further above par. Hart remains a formidable rising talent. Agent: Josh Getzler, HG Literary. (June)

Publishers Weekly

A firstCLUE Book of the Week

“Assassins Anonymous is the best kind of thriller. A kinetic river that moves inexorably forward to a soul-stirring conclusion. Rob Hart has asked the questions I feel we are all afraid to answer. Can we ever truly change? And if we do, can we ever truly forgive ourselves? Suspenseful, sentimental and ultimately redemptive, Assassins Anonymous is a can't-miss novel.” —S.A. Cosby, author of All the Sinners Bleed

“Absolutely wonderful! From concept to execution (so to speak!) Assassins Anonymous sets the standard for smart, compelling, nonstop crime fiction—all told in the resonant voice of a natural born storyteller. I read Hart’s book in one sitting and I am positive you will too. Bravo!” —Jeffery Deaver, author of Hunting Time

“Rob Hart’s Assassins Anonymous isn’t just a great, brutal, action-packed hitman story—it’s a simmering character study that digs deep into what it’s like to struggle with addiction. Few books can balance being a thrilling page-turner and heartfelt personal saga, but Hart makes it look easy.” —Alex Segura, author of Secret Identity

“Hart’s latest wears its myriad cinematic influences on its sleeve. Escalating stakes and precisely choreographed action sequences keep the pages turning… Bombastic whiz-bang fun.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Assassins Anonymous is hilarious and irreverent without ever falling into the trap of being ridiculous. With his dry sense of humor and self-deprecating nature, Mark is a fantastic narrator. Add to that some global intrigue and a dash of romance, and this novel is an immensely satisfying read.” —Publishers Weekly (starred)

“In a novel packed with explosive fight scenes and non-stop action, Rob Hart has written a fresh, thoughtful and surprisingly self-aware lead character in former assassin Mark, who’s trying to start a new chapter of his life. Assassins Anonymous has an emotional center I didn’t expect in a book about a professional killer. As a long time fan of Hart’s, this is one hell of a ride, and certainly his best book yet.” —Jennifer Hillier, author of Things We Do in the Dark

“This book is fast, brutal, and slick—an adrenaline cocktail with a double espresso chaser. So good I wish I’d written it first.” —Deanna Raybourn, author of Killers of a Certain Age

"If John Wick was more of a talker, you'd get Assassins Anonymous:  the ultimate assassin's assassin who's not afraid to grapple with the issue of morality" —Alma Katsu, author of Red London

"As a devoted reader and writer of assassination, conspiracy and black-ops thrillers, I can say without hesitation that Rob Hart has knocked this one out of the park. A perfect mix of unforgettable characters, realistic action, wry humor, and unpredictable twists.” —Steven Konkoly, author of the Devin Gray series.

“A high-speed thriller that manages to burrow deeply into [an assassin’s] past and present—and the future he dreams of. A wild and hugely entertaining ride."—firstCLUE

“Page-turner of the decade! I promise you won’t be able to put down this fantastic novel once you start reading. Assassins Anonymous is an instant classic.” —David Heska Wanbli Weiden, author of Winter Counts

“Hart continues to entertain and thrill.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

2024-04-05
A former assassin fights to remain retired.

Mark is good at killing. After honing his skills as a Navy SEAL, he became an infamous hitman known as the Pale Horse, taking freelance gigs while also working for a clandestine deep-state organization dubbed the Agency. Then, last Christmas, something happened that caused him to quit cold turkey. Thanks to Assassins Anonymous, a support group designed to help people like him transition into a new way of life, Mark is just days away from receiving his one-year chip when a Mohawk-sporting Russian with prison tattoos jumps him, stabs him in the side, and flees. Mark manages to make it from the Lower East Side to the Bowery, where a black-market trauma surgeon named Astrid patches him up, but when he returns to his West Village apartment to retrieve the cash to pay her, he finds the place in flames. He ducks into his favorite local haunt to collect himself, only for the bartender to pass him a note from his Russian attacker that reads simply: SHE’S PRETTY. With Astrid now in danger, Mark has no choice but to bring her along on his desperate quest to uncover who wants him dead and why. Despite Mark’s insistence that “being an assassin is nothing like John Wick,” Hart’s latest wears its myriad cinematic influences on its sleeve. Escalating stakes and precisely choreographed action sequences keep the pages turning, but a slew of increasingly gonzo twists skew the tone toward camp—a vibe underscored by Mark’s droll yet angsty first-person-present narration. Though Hart often mistakes quirk for character development, the scenes Mark shares with his fellow recovering murder addicts impart some nice emotional resonance, helping to ground the tale and lend it heft.

Bombastic whiz-bang fun.

Kirkus Reviews