The series is good, but Assassin's Run wasn't quite up to the mark for me.Took a while to get into the story, although the action did pick up towards the end. A fast read for the holiday.

You can't go wrong with Larsen's books. He writes strong, well-scructured thrillers. Fans of Baldacci, Vince Flynn, even James Rollins should enjoy this one.

"Assassin's Run" eBook was published in 2018 and was written by Ward Larsen (https://www.wardlarsen.com). Mr. Larsen has published ten novels. This is the fifth in his "David Slaton" series.

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in contemporary Europe and North Africa. The primary character is former Israeli assassin, David Slaton.

Slaton, his wife, and young son have disappeared, or at least they thought that they had. While sailing along the coast of Italy, they are surprised when Anna Sorensen, a pretty young CIA agent seeks them out. A Russian Oligarch has been assassinated by a sniper nearby. Slaton was a sniper for Israel and now word is that the Russians are looking for him as the shooter.

Sorensen convinces Slaton and his wife that their safest action is for Slaton to help identify who the assassin actually is. Reluctantly Slaton agrees and before long he is deep into the investigation. It soon becomes clear that the Russian Oligarch was somehow plotting with two others. Together they are behind some kind of smuggling operation connected to Saudi Arabia. There is more there than a simple smuggling operation though. Slaton and Sorensen must stay alive, discover the plan and try to stop it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 9.5 hours I spent reading this 358-page thriller. I liked the characters in this novel. Slaton is a strong lead that is easy to like. The plot is good and not obvious. The novel reads well as a stand-alone read even though it is the fourth in the series. The cover art is OK, though I think it could have been better. I give this novel a 4.5 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/. 

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I enjoyed Assassin's Run by Ward Larsen so much that I went to the public library to find more of his books. Sadly though there were no ebooks at my library. I liked this book because David Slation, a former Mossad assassin working with Israel is also a dedicated family man. The CIA tracks him down on his small boat with his wife and 2 year old child.. They describe a dangerous situation and request his help.He gives it once he is reassured that his family will be safe. The rest of the book describes his dangerous adventures as he tries to keep the world safe and if necessary kills people.

This took a little while for me, personally, to engage with - for me there was a too-heavy weighting on the background description and not enough emotional involvement in the opening chapters. Perhaps a little more dialogue may have engaged me more. However, as it developed, my enjoyment increased and I found Larsen's writing gripping, with a few added elements that made this quite compulsive - I shall definitely read more novels involving David Slaton and recommend this to those who like espionage thrillers.
Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan for this copy.

Great book. A story of a former assassin who has quit the game who is pulled back into the game agains his will. More of a thinking man’s sniper rather than someone who can kill 10 guys within scratch. Look forward to more from the author

David Slaton keeps getting better. In this episode of Ward Larson’s excellent series, our hero may have met his match. With a background story taken right from today’s headlines, Slaton must deal with both seen and unseen forces. Already looking forward to the next adventure.

I love a good thriller and Ward Larsen just gets better and better with hi
s David Slaton series this time putting our so called retired assassin in a hunt and seek match with someone who may be an even better marksman than him.....or is he? Seems like something else is going on behind the scenes and it's up to David to find out what.

Non stop action and a great ending!

This book is expected to be released in August, 2018.

Slaton is back and boy has he still got it. This is one of my favorite series because of the realism and grittiness employed by Ward Larsen. It's not about having a main protagonist that beats 5 people to a pulp, dodges bullets and does things that suspend belief. Those kind of books are dime a dozen. What you get here is a cerebral and realistic take on a spy genre that showcases how the action would actually unfold. It delves into Slaton pysche as he balances the need to protect his family with his need for his former life and country.
The plot mirrors the real world scenario of falling oil prices, especially with US shale production and Iran keeping the oil prices down and how this can cause people to take desperate measures.
I cannot wait for the next installment!!