The Medusa Protocol by Rob Hart Book Review

About the Book:

Welcome back to Assassins Anonymous, the only twelve-step group where joining can be deadly.

When Astrid, known in her assassin days as Azrael, stopped showing up to Assassins Anonymous, the group assumed her past had caught up with her. Only her sponsor Mark, formerly the deadliest killer in the world, holds out hope that she’s okay. Then, during a meeting, the group gets a sign, or rather, a pizza delivery. Is there another psychopath out there who actually likes olives on their pizza, or is Astrid trying to send Mark a message?

Meanwhile, Astrid wakes up in the cell of a black site prison, on a remote island. A doctor subjects her to mysterious experiments, plumbing the depths of her memory and looking for a vital clue from her past. She’ll do anything to escape, except…killing anyone. Hmm. Turns out it’s not easy to blow this joint without blowing anything, or anyone up.

My Review:

This is a sequel. I have not read the previous novel so the characters have an unknown (to me) history that formed their commitment to each other. We do learn more about one of them in this novel, however, Astrid. There are a number of flashbacks so we get to experience the events in her life that brought her to the current era. There is much action, almost in the superhuman vein. Both the heroes of the novel and those opposing them are quite skilled so the conflicts are exceptional.

The concept of the novel is interesting in that past assassins are reformed and trying to live a new way. I was surprised to encounter humor in this type of novel. The narrative is written in the present tense, something I always find a bit disconcerting. The flashbacks, while necessary to understand the background of Astrid, do break up the flow of the plot.

This novel is a good one for readers who would like unusual heroes and lots of action.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Rob Hart is the author of THE WAREHOUSE, which sold in more than 20 languages and was optioned for film by Ron Howard. He also wrote the short story collection TAKE-OUT, the Ash McKenna crime series, and he co-authored SCOTT FREE with James Patterson. His next book, coming from Ballantine, is PARADOX HOTEL. He lives in New York City. Find him online at @robwhart and www.robwhart.com.

G P Putnam's Sons, 320 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)