Seemed like a novel that was written without much logic or background. Disjointed with many loose ends and "you've got to be kidding me" sequences

I've read nearly all of Coonts' novels and would call myself a tepid fan of his work. Coonts can range from absolutely terrific to pretty bad. "The Assassin", however, is the first Coonts novel I've ever set aside without finishing. In fact, I gave it up at page 75.

Why?

Because there is not a smidgen of credibility in the book. Coonts draws on recent headlines for his plot line and that becomes a part of the problem. Coonts uses the 2006 murder of Alexander Litvinenko with Polonium-20 as the weapon. Not a good thing to do since anyone who followed the news of that truly unique act knows that Coonts is simply borrowing it for the story. There is no credibility to Coonts' back story. To be believable, Coonts should have invented his own narrative from the same base.

The main characters, Jake Grfton and Tommy Carmellini, are back again - and frankly they have beome threadbare. Grafton, the retired Admiral and intelligence czar, was at one time a formidable character. Now, frankly, his dialog bounces mercurially from all-knowing to stuck on stupid. Carmellini, who speaks to us in the first-person while everyone else uses third-person, needs help with his sex addiction. The plot device of a privately financed, government executed campaign against Muslim terrorists is unbelievable from the very first words describing it.

The Abu Qasim character, supposedly the world's most feared terrorist, whom no one can identify by sight is - here's that word agsain - unbelievable. His alleged daughter, who is now a French socialite (and, of course, rich and stunningly beautiful) is also unbelievble.

All of this mind numbing, silly nonsense comes in the first 62 pages. Then Coonts unloads on his technically literate audience with the introduction of Robin Cloyd. The stereotyped description is enough to cause teeth grinding: "Robin was a technical genius, a tall, gawky young woman who lived in jeans and sweatshirts because the rooms where she spent her working life were filled with computers and heavily air conditioned. She also wore glasses, large, thick ones . . . "

Coonts needs an advisor. Being intelligent and even a "geek" doesn't mean you look weird. Also, most people who do what are soon described as Robin's work, would not be in a computer room. Coonts obviously doesn't understand what computer networks are all about.

Within moments, however, Coonts goes from awful to horrible. Robin is described as a "data-mining exert who had been working for NSA. She had been temporarily transferred to the CIA and assigned as Jake's office assistant." Office assistant? Coonts obviously is clueless as to what data-mining is, which he demonstrates in the very next sentence: "One of the many things she did for the admiral [presumably including coffee fetching?] was to hack her way around the Internet, which was, of course, illegal."

Of course, Coonts doesn't know what hacking is. Coonts doesn't know what the word Internet means. Coonts not only doesn't know what he is talking about, he insults those who do.

Coonts has his "office assistant" on a moment's notice "hack" into the computers of the three of the richest people in the world, all leaders of large businesses. No problem. Takes only a few seconds. Nonsense.

But Coonts keeps right on going. Having cracked these systems in seconds, Robin isolates their email accounts, saying "They're using a fairly sophisticated encryption code . . ." Of course, she cracks it in seconds.

You can get free encryption programs that are essentially invulnerable to cracking. Coonts is not only apparently unaware of that, but thinks everyone else is to.

At that point, I lasted another 13 pages as the plot and characters went from dumb to dumber.

This is not Coonts at his prime. Far from it, this is Coonts approaching rock bottom. Avoid this turkey.

Jerry

I'm a fan of Coonts and I've tried to like this book. It gets off to a great start and the overall concept is good, but the writing takes an experimental twist that I can't warm up to. The reader is in the dark for far too much of the narrative.

Jake Grafton, whom Coonts's readers have come to know over many novels, is a distant and cold enigma. Tommy Carmellini is presented in the first person while the rest of the book is in the third person. Characters are introduced just long enough to make us want to know them better (a sniper team in the Hindu Kush, an undercover agent hiding in Rome) but then killed off before we develop sufficient attachment for their deaths to mean anything.

I tried. This one just left me cold.

The Assassin is a great action thriller. Stephen Coonts is excellent at keeping his readers hooked in to the plot. The second half of the book is absolutely relentless action whereas the first half sets it all up nicely. All the plot points drop into place emphatically.
Well recommended if you like political/action/violent thrillers.

As an avid audio listener and having read all of the reviews I couldn't wait to hear this novel. What a disappointment - a good book spoiled!
Whoever did the review for Audiofile must have listened to a totally different audio book than I did. Suffice to say that I do not agree in any way with this review. In my opinion this has to be the most dull, boring and monotonous narrative I have ever listened to.

A good read - though not his best - Tommy getting a little soft, doubts arising in his mind, he needs a tougher response and a little more rebellion

Excellent reading, however at times you will wonder-Wil there be any characters left in the last chapter??

Fast read..

Stepen did a good job writing about the savageness of the Jihad and what lengths they will go to torture. Personaly, Neil Rosenthal's Dead Heat was much more of a thriller. Coonts brings his book alive at the end, otherwise I was able to put it down at anytime, unlike Dead Zone that kept me glued to the story the entire book
Rob Knapp, St. Louis

It has been far too long since we've been blessed with a novel from Stephen Coonts. The arrival of THE ASSASSIN not only heralds that the wait is over but also decrees that it was well worth it. Coonts, keeping everyone happy, brings both Tommy Carmellini and Admiral Jake Grafton back, and throws in Abu Qasim, their most deadly nemesis, for a showdown with the ultimate prize at stake.

Readers of his previous work, THE TRAITOR, will recall that Qasim, a cunning al-Qaeda leader, barely escaped with his life at the conclusion of that novel. The premise of THE ASSASSIN is that a small group of private citizens --- influential and wealthy captains of industry and politics --- decide it is time that Qasim and his circle of influence be taken off the board once and for all, and put their might and majesty behind a plan to do just that. The President of the United States gives an invisible blessing to the plan, placing Jake Grafton at their disposal. Grafton in turn sets Carmellini loose, an act that ultimately puts him into contact with Marisa Petrou, a seductive Frenchwoman of Carmellini's intimate acquaintance who may or may not be Qasim's daughter.

All initially goes well, until members of the cadre behind the hunt for Qasim are murdered, one by one. It becomes obvious that there is a traitor in their midst. But who could it be? Grafton and Carmellini have to find out, and quickly, for they soon learn not only that are they on the list but that the President of the United States is as well. Qasim is every bit the equal of Grafton and Carmellini; he is a seemingly unstoppable force of nature who is as calculating and cunning as any adversary who they have ever faced, either singly or together. Qasim, who always seems to be at least two moves ahead of his adversaries, appears ready to achieve all of his goals as THE ASSASSIN approaches a conclusion that will challenge your ability to turn pages fast enough to keep up with your reading.

Coonts shows absolutely no sign of slowing down in the interim since his last novel. Balancing the action between Carmellini and Grafton is a brilliant strategy --- Grafton is far too good a character to stay in the background for long --- and, although Carmellini does the heavy lifting consistent with his youth, it is Grafton's age and guile that carries the day here. His excellent characterization, however, takes second chair to his masterful plotting and pacing, not to mention the surprises that he lobs at the reader, all the way to the end of the book, and beyond.

From its inception Coonts's work has been infused with a real-world sensibility --- AMERICA was so prophetic that when the events described therein actually occurred, I had to read it over again --- and THE ASSASSIN continues that bold tradition. If you want a strong dose of reality with your fiction, then Coonts and Grafton are what you're looking for.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

I have read all of Mr. Coonts books this one just as good as all of the other ones. He is one of the all time great writers and one of my favorites.I hope he does not run out of stories with the admiral and Tommy.

but tough to swallow. Our hero survives too many times to be credible. If our security is this easily breached, it would be over by now.

The plot is interesting, but the author digresses a lot into historical/ political details and/or personal agendas. The digressions detract from the reading. I found myself skimming some parts to get on with the action. The action picks up in the later half, although some of it is a little improbable. The main character, at some points comes across as a blundering oaf. And trained gunmen sleeping on guard duty probably get what they deserve.

I also had a problem with some of the connect-the-dots not connecting. I never could determine how that restaurant chef fit into the plot. It seemed like the author started out on some line, then abandoned it.

Overall, the novel is readable, but it is not one of the best novels of the year and is unlikely to win any awards. I doubt that I will buy any future novels by this author.

I have read all of his fiction books and enjoy the exploits of Tommy Carmellini. That said, Jake Grafton makes more bone headed decisions than his history as a clever character deserves.

He keeps critical information from Tommy while entrusting him to protect his wife and daughter? Then callously puts his family in the line of fire, ...twice? What? to heighten suspense? There were no CIA agents that could wear a wig while the family visited friends in Florida? Saucer was more plausable.

Since when did Tommy become a protective agent, while many around him who CAN hit a target at 25 feet are dropping like flies? [Yes our enemy is vicious, but that does not in turn make us stupid]

I would recommend the book, but found previous venues for Tommy more believable.

Another great suspensful action packed novel from author Stephen Coonts. Could barely put it down. Was pleased to read that Admiral Jake Grafton returned and was featured in this book. Really missed him in Stephen's recent works. Am looking forward to his next novel.

The plot is interesting, but the author digresses a lot into historical/ political details and/or personal agendas. The digressions detract from the reading. I found myself skimming some parts to get on with the action. The action picks up in the later half, although some of it is a little improbable. The main character, at some points comes across as a blundering oaf. And trained gunmen sleeping on guard duty probably get what they deserve.

Overall, the novel is readable, but it is not one of the best novels of the year and is unlikely to win any awards.

I am a private pilot and I got turned on to Stephen Coonts work by a fellow pilot on a fly-in to Mulege, Mexico. The guy said "I have never read anything like it". It was his first book "Flight of the Intruder" and it was about A6 Intruder pilot Jake Grafton in Vietnam which I bought and read in 1987. Stephen Coonts was a A6 pilot in Vietnam and the air operation descriptions were unique in depth and realism. I agreed with my fellow pilot's assessment and I have read and collected in my library every book Stephen Coonts has written since. Now 21 years later I just finished reading his "The Assassin" and Jake Grafton is a retired Admiral working for the CIA. Jake is the boss but the guy in the trenches doing the dirty work is the loyal but slightly rough around the edges Tommy Carmellini. This is a book about the good guys going after the bad guys and vise versa with the object of killing the enemy. On the way to the conclusion there is a lot of action but the book does not get side tracked with trashy episodes. I hope someday he writes another flying novel but I enjoyed The Assassin very much.

Bob Axsom

A follow-up to The Traitor follows the poisoning murder of a prominent Russian dissident whose demise reveals the work of a traitor, forcing special agent Tommy Carmellini to track down a seductive Frenchwoman with possible ties to escaped terrorist leader Abu Qasim. BT.
Stephen Coonts wastes no time establishing the plot in his latest international thriller. A fast-paced feel good thriller from one of the masters of this genre. I found the different narratives, not as distractions, but as a nice change of pace.

From inside: "The Islamic jihadists want to destroy civilization. They reject religious freedom and the right of others to live as they choose. They want to deprive us of our right to think. In the name of a bloodthirsty, vengeful, merciless god, they are trying to drag the people of the earth back into a new dark age". Admiral Jake Grafton

Owen Winchester is killed by a roadside bomb while serving in Iraq. His father Huntington Winchester a billionaire, decides to retaliate against
the forces of terrorism. He forms a vigilante group composed of wealthy friends to combat the forces of terrorism, Simon Cairnes an American banker,Oleg Tchernychenko a Russian oilman,Wolfganf Zetsche a German shipping tycoon,Jerry Hay Smith an American journalist,Rolf Gnadinger a Swiss banker,and Isolde Petrou a French banker pool their resources to
wage war against terrorists.Winchester asks the President for the name of
someone the lead this vigilante army. The President sends Jake Grafton.
Grafton assembles Special Forces,and other soldiers to make up this group.
Their number one target is Abu Qasim. Abu Qasim learns the names of the business leaders who are after him. Qasim starts killing business leaders and Grafton starts killing terrorists.This turns into a worldwide battle.
The action goes until the end. Grafton is joined in battle by Tommy Carmellini. This is a very exciting book that you should read,

I found the book engrossing with very likeable and familiar characters, and an intriguing plot that precipitates from the real world. Coonts' skill with literary device and plot development make this one of the most interesting action thrillers that I have read recently. I recommend this and all books by this author. Thank you, Mr. Coonts.

This represents the first novel by Coonts that I have read. On the objective side, I am not a fan of changing narratives. I believe it adversely affects the fluidity of the reading. The dominant character is done in first person. He is a young intelligence operative who muses through thoughts that sound as though they came from an older person(say someone of Stephen Coonts age).
Criticisms aside, the writing is very good and the suspense is even better. I admire, even gravitate to writers that do not stand on politically correct ceremony. This book is an overt, no apologies look at a religion that is responsible for many of the world's woes. The blending of real-life characters,(would-be dictator Putin), as well as real-life events(the poisoning of a Russain operative) with Coonts fiction creates a more realistic story line.
I would not consider it a waste of time or resources to read other work from the author. This, in fact, would probably make for an entertaining movie. However, Hollywood is more interested in trying to make the intelligence agencies out as the bad guys. Some of us are chanting the media mantras in goose-step fashion, homeland security compromises my civil rights, or "Change we can believe in".
It is our common human struggle and our peripheral distractions that marginalize the insidious lunitic fringe and when our distractions include Hollywood fantasy, we are all the more ripe for manipulation. On the fiction side(because art does imitate life), it is novelists such as; Silva, Thor, Rosenberg and Coonts that will help to move the discussion back where it was just after 9/11. So if the movie producers are interested in reality(and profit) then explore the likes of this novel and its ilk.

This represents the first novel by Coonts that I have read. On the objective side, I am not a fan of changing narratives. I believe it adversely affects the fluidity of the reading. The dominant character is done in first person narrative. He is a young intelligence operative who muses through thoughts that sound as though they came from an older person(say someone of Stephen Coonts age).
Criticisms aside, the writing is very good and the suspense is even better. I admire, even gravitate to writers that do not stand on politically correct ceremony. This book is an overt, no apologies look at a religion that is responsible for many of the world's woes. The blending of real-life characters,(would-be dictator Putin), as well as real-life events(the poisoning of a Russain operative) with Coonts fiction creates a more realistic story line.
I would not consider it a waste of time or resources to read other work from the author. This, in fact, would probably make for an entertaining movie. However, Hollywood is more interested in trying to make the intelligence agencies out as the bad guys. Some of us are chanting the media mantras in goose-step fashion, homeland security compromises my civil rights, or "Change we can believe in".
It is our common human struggle and our peripheral distractions that marginalize the insidious lunitic fringe and when our disttractions include Hollywood fantasy, we are all the more ripe for manipulation. So if the movie producers are interested in reality(and profit) then explore the likes of this novel and its ilk.

This represents the first novel by Coonts that I have read. On the objective side, I am not a fan of changing narratives. I believe it adversely affects the fluidity of the reading. The dominant character is done in first person narrative. He is a young intelligence operative who muses thoughts that sound as though they came from an older person(say someone of Stephen Coonts age).
Criticisms aside, the writing is very good and the suspense is even better. I admire, even gravitate to writers that do not stand on politically correct ceremony. This book is an overt, no apologies look at a religion that is responsible for many of the world's woes. The blending of real-life characters,(would-be dictator Putin), as well as real-life events(the poisoning of a Russain operative) with Coonts fiction creates a more realistic story line.
I would not consider it a waste of time or resources to read other work from the author.