Member Reviews
Dawn T, Reviewer
This was a strange book for me. I kept expecting something else to happen or more to come.
The character, Eli, life is tragic and he seems to always be expecting more himself. So I'm not sure if I expected the book to end differently because of the title or what, but the title didn't make sense to me after reading the book. It's a good story. It kept my full attention all the way through. The characters were good and there was definitely things you absolutely didn't see coming or I didn't. I enjoyed the read, until the very end, which left me confused.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Don H, Reviewer
Mark Rubinstein is one of my colleagues although we’ve never known one another. We’re both psychiatrists and psychoanalysts, but he’s a real thriller writer and I’m only a wanna be novelist. His work has been highly praised by the best writers in the thriller murder mystery genre. However, I’m beginning to think that I’ve read too many murder mysteries., certainly more than one thousand of them. I found myself reading Assassin’s Lullaby and not being particularly impressed.
It seemed like an old story of an assassin, originally trained by the Mossad (sounds like Gabriel Allon in the Daniel Silva books), who is growing older (now 39) and is questioning the choices he's made in his life. It’s a kill or be killed existence, but how does he get out of the life. The author describes a hit man who has no presence in the data world. No one knows what he looks like or where he is from. He’s a language master and speaks multiple languages fluently and without accent. He makes his contracts through a dark web site, and he only deals with his clients by that means. Also, Rubenstein repeatedly makes the point that his protagonist, Eli Dagan, has already accumulated money to live comfortably for the rest of his life, so he really does not need to take another job. But, inexplicably, he does so. Yet, he denies being attracted by the financial arrangements which provide him with his highest fees ever. Then, inexplicably, he suddenly agrees to break his anonymity by meeting face-to-face with a mob boss that wants him to kill another mob boss, although Dagan is required to make it look like a natural death, not an assassination.
Dagan gets entangled with a woman of remarkable beauty. In his lust for her and for a new life, he seems to shut down all of his usual wariness of such relationships, a decision which nearly leads to his death. While I’m interested in reading more of Rubensteins works, especially Beyond Bedlam’s Door, I cannot give Assassins Lullaby a great recommendation.
Librarian 410695
Love this book. Kept me looking for more. Would highly recommend. Looking forward to reading more from this author!!!!
Rekha R, Reviewer
What a fantastic and completely gripping thriller! Excellent character portrayal and storytelling.
We have lots of twists in the story - starting from the time when Eli meets Agapov to Anton's second task to the ending. Speaking of endings, that was one heck-of-a-twist! I had to read the paragraph twice to make sure I wasn't dreaming and Eli was, in real, facing something dangerous.
The best part about this story is the chase. The hunter becomes the hunted! Double crossings and money plays a major role here. Seems like both parties have 'inside man' in each other's gangs - making Eli's job even more difficult.
If you are looking for a captivating and engrossing read, you might want to give Assassin's Lullaby a read.
Toni O, Reviewer
This is the story of Eli Dagan a former field agent for the Mossad who turned out to be the best contract killer around. He is meticulous and very alert although he is starting to change his habits and make decisions he would not have done years ago. Instead of taking contracts on the dark web for a mission he compromises his anonymity by meeting in person. Eli is hired by Odessa mafia boss Anton Gortov for two missions....
This is a riveting thriller that takes us bit by bit through a professional killer’s routine at a relentlessly fast pace. It is jam packed with crosses and double crosses. It is definitely an edge of your seat story that takes us from Israel to Russia and to Brooklyn. The story is a mix of relentless action; psychological suspense all wrapped up in an emotional drama ...what a roller-coaster ride. Mr. Rubinstein is no doubt a master at misdirection.
His prose captures the brutally life of a paid killer in a twisty plot that never slows down. Eli is sharply drawn, a sleek killer and a man tormented by his past. This is one thriller so intense and so captivating that I hated to put it aside.
Well-done and well-said
