The Assassin

By: Stephen Coonts

Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris

Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

In this tale of high drama and nonstop action from perennial best-selling author Stephen Coonts, Al Qaeda links up with a renegade Mafia chieftain to threaten America with an unimaginable scenario of terror.

In the finale of Coonts' previous novel, The Traitor, the ruthless and brilliant Al Qaeda leader who nearly succeeded in blowing up a meeting of the Group of 7 in Paris slipped the noose and escaped. But Abu Qasim has another trick up his sleeve: he has a plan to hire a well connected Mafia capo to destroy the electric substations that service New York, plunging the city back into the early 19th century. The price? One billion American dollars is hard to turn down.

The CIA soon learns that something is up, and a worried president sends his best - Jake Grafton and his secret weapon, Tommy Carmellini. Tommy is soon up to his eyes in beautiful women as he tries to piece the deadly puzzle together. With bombs ticking and bullets flying, Tommy meets an old flame, beautiful Russian agent Anna Modin. This time she's got a gun. And a list.

©2008 Stephen Coonts (P)2008 Macmillan Audio

Great story

Loved it. Have been a Coonts fan since Flight of the Intruder. He doesn't disappoint.

I wonder what it would be like

If you enjoy football this is a great book. All of us at one time or another would like to know what it would be like to kick the game winning field goal. Stefan Fatsis does an outstanding showing the business and real side of pro football, at the same time competing as a kicker. He gives you the view from the inside of training camp, not just observing it as a writer, he got to live and experience pressure a player feels. I will listen to this book again.

An okay story

The story is just okay, nothing to peak your interest...just a middle of the road. The author seemed to write by a cookie cutter foremat for spy storied and employed any outside the box thinking. Other than that if you are bored and have nothing else to read, and you don't mind having to restart the story because you tend to nod off or day dream while the reader is reading this might be a book to listen to while you sleep. When you wake you'll have a completed book

Disappointing

I have enjoyed the other Jake Grafton/Tommy Carmalita books. In this one however, there is too much idle talk and the suspense is created almost exclusively through the stupidity of the protagonists. Every time the suspense builds they do the dumbest things. No plan, no situational awareness and Tommy gets distracted at every wrong moment.

Fantastic!

Another excellent novel by Stephen Coonts! great pacing and definitely a page turner. Lots of action and intrigue along the way and several surprises. Carmellini and Grafton are a great pair of characters. I started with The Russia Account and Liberty's Last Stand then started at the beginning with Liars and Theives. Working me way through and can't stop listening and reading. Cool to see some foreshadowing in characters in the early books of things to come much later on. He definitely had a big picture in mind when he started these character arcs. Coonts is an excellent writer and I highly recommend!

great book

Hang onto your seat till the very last word. Great suspense and fast moving. Audio was great and the narrator was superb. Highly recommend this book to anyone. Great listen.

Even better than the Traitor

What did you love best about The Assassin?

Tommy is the luckiest man alive in some respects, and that gets a little over the top after he's shot three times and the next day is fighting the bad guys - could have at least a few days in the hospital to recover - but the rest of the story and characters are fun and exciting. The plot with Marisa keeps you guessing.

Koontz tells you what the bad guys are thinking so some parts are like watching Titanic since you know the end - but better than Titanic you don't know if Marisa is really the good guy or bad guy until the very end.

It feels like Koontz wanted to go one way but ended up going another at the very end - but maybe that's because he had the idea for the next book just then.

Looking forward to the next one.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Is Marisa good or evil. Selfish or Rightous. You find out, but boy Koontz keeps you guessing. Kept me wanting to listen.

Have you listened to any of Dennis Boutsikaris’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Dennis was solid once again, his range didn't improve much but he did keep things interesting and I could listen for hours without getting bored.

Excellent performance

Good enough story, but the narrators performance was excellent. Really made the Character of Tommy Carmellini come alive.

Good story…said wow a couple times

I like both the story and characters…bring more.
I’m moving on to next book.

Coonts does it again

Great job Mr. Coonts. I really like Mr. Boutsikaris as a narrator as will. He brings life to Grafton and the others.