Mark was the most lethal and feared assassin in the world until a tragic accident convinced him to join a 12-step group for recovering killers. He's almost made it a year without killing when a sudden attack sets off a chain of events that will have him risking his sobriety, and his life, while every action turns up even more questions than answers.

This book is so freaking good. Why are more people not talking about it? Mark is a fully fleshed-out character that I instantly cared for. He's not exactly a good person, but he has charm and he's doing his best to be a better person. Plus, there is a definitive reason why he is the way he is, not because of who he is. That Hart surrounds him with super interesting people and weaves a story full of intrigue, danger, and deception makes it even better. I'm not going to go into story beats because a big part of my enjoyment was in getting to see what happened next, but know that you will be in for a wild ride when you pick this up.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the awesome read!

What a unique premise! Mark is a former assassin trying to stay out of the game by working a program much like AA for killers. But someone is making that very difficult. This story has everything - humor, heart, action and suspence. I highly recommend!

Thank you to #NetGalley and #PenguinGroupPutnam for a free copy of #AssassinsAnonymous by Rob Hart. All opinions are my own.

Assassins Anonymous is just like Alcoholics Anonymous, except it's for people who are trying to break the habit of killing other people. Being an assassin, holding power over life and death, evidently can make you feel like a god. Mark finds the high it gives him hard to resist. Besides, killing your problem people is much easier than working out a peaceful solution. But Mark is really trying. He has almost reached one year without killing and is looking forward to that one year award coin. Mark is cleaning up the church basement after a meeting when he is attacked by a huge Russian. Mark fights back, desperately trying to stay alive without delivering a lethal blow to his attacker. The Russian is just the first of many. The attacks keep coming and Mark is forced back into his old life to defend himself. Assassins Anonymous is a fast, fun read, with quirky memorable characters. Some serious, thoughtful moments, lots of action, and a dash of clever humor.

Hart is an underappreciated author. Every time I read that he has a new book coming out, it shoots to the top of my wishlist. This is my third (The Warehouse (2019), The Paradox Hotel (2022)) Hart book, and I continue to tell people about them when they aren’t sure what to read and are tired of the same old thing.

Imagine you are a world-class lactose-intolerant killer for hire who has decided to give up your violent past. You have joined a twelve-step program and are days away from receiving your one-year coin from Assassins Anonymous (AA), but your past is catching up with you, and you are in a kill-or-be-killed situation. Feeling sorry for and cheering on a feared assassin is not what you think you would be doing on a Tuesday afternoon, but that is where you will find yourself.

Sure, there is a fair share of gruesome here, but there are also hysterically funny parts with heart and surprises. The reader will not be bored – I read this in two sittings – but what makes this a perfect read are the twists. So. Many. Twists. The reader is just finishing with the fallout of one before the next hits you in the solar plexus.

So, Mr. Hart, I look forward to what is coming next and will be waiting patiently for the next book that will knock me off my feet.

What a brilliant concept – a reformed assassin who wants a normal life and joins a twelve-step group modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous. Killers who want to stop killing.

Mark’s resume includes titles of former Navy Seal and assassin for a mysterious US agency. He hasn’t killed anyone in nearly a year and is only days away from getting his one year chip. While in the business of killing he was known as the Pale Horse, a name that struck fear in the hearts of his enemies and still carries enormous weight despite his year long absence. Does it sound crazy to say I liked him right away? He feels remorse for everything he did and he’s trying to make amends and stick to the path of recovery. And then someone learns his identity, tracks him down, and sends him on the run.

So what does a reformed killer take with him while running for his life? His cat, of course – P. Kitty. Years earlier, Mark had just experienced the darkest moment of his life (seriously, my heart broke for him) and was planning to drown his sorrows in lots of ice cream and mac and cheese (he’s lactose intolerant) before taking more drastic action when he met P. Kitty. It’s hard not to like someone who cares about his cat like that.

Over the course of the story, Mark finds himself relying more on the Pale Horse persona and, despite being out of the business for nearly a year, his skills haven’t suffered. The actions scenes are incredible, and I snickered every time someone said they’d expected him to look more like Jason Statham (wouldn’t everyone think you’re an assassin if you looked like him?) and asked if the assassin life resembled the John Wick movies (okay, maybe a little bit).

This novel is full of dark humor and surprisingly heartfelt moments, but it’s also about forgiveness and second chances. I couldn’t read it fast enough – an easy five stars for me. Recommended for readers who enjoy unlikely heroes, redemption stories, and lots of action.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

TLDR: this is a lot of fun…think JOHN WICK meets MAYBE YOU SHOULD TALK TO SOMEONE, about a retired hitman who gets pulled back in when someone puts a hit out on him. Solid action, clever banter, a couple well-executed twists. It’s not going to change your world, but it’s the perfect poolside read this summer. And the cover is maybe my favorite of the year.

Loved this ride of a novel What can I say? Love a spy story or an assassin's story. So glad to get to read this one!

A complimentary ebook was provided in exchange for an honest review. My library had the audio which is what I used.

I know others really enjoyed this, but it didn't work for me. I stuck it out until about 57% but nothing exciting happened, for me. I just wanted some real action and sure, the MC kicked some butt and had his kicked back, but I just didn't connect with the story or the MC. I have no idea how it ends and frankly didn't care enough to skip to the end. The narration may have had something to do with it because it seemed generally flat overall, no big dramatics. The voice was good and professional.

1 star for the story, maybe 3.25 for the narration.

Fun read that uses the premise of An Alcoholics Anonymous like group, but for assassins. Our recovering assassin has just survived an attempt on his own life and is trying to figure out what is happening. Fast read, but with lots of violence.

This novel was a high-energy thriller that combines dark humor with a fast-paced plot. The novel centers around a secret society of assassins navigating their own code of ethics and personal vendettas. Hart’s writing is sharp and engaging, with a witty dialogue that adds a layer of levity to the otherwise dark subject matter. The characters are intriguing, each with their own complex motivations and backstories, though at times the plot can feel convoluted with its multiple twists. Despite some narrative jumps, the author offers a unique and entertaining take on the crime genre, blending action and dark comedy for an exhilarating reading experience.

Mark used to be the most dangerous hired gun in the world, until he had to leave that life behind. Since then, he joined a group for reformed killers that works to help their members make amends and move on from their former lives. But one night after a meeting and nearly a year since he left murder behind, Mark is attacked and he needs to go on a globe-trotting journey to figure out who wants him dead and how he can put his past behind him.

Rob Hart crafted a gorgeous action-packed thriller that balances an intense action story with a story of an assassin trying to determine if he is deserving of forgiveness for his past actions. The world Mark operates in is familiar to anyone who has seen a John Wick-type action movie, but Hart makes sure to imbue it with a lot of realistic implications of what it means to be an assassin, and the challenges of trying to leave that life (and also makes sure that the characters remind the reader that they are nothing like John Wick or Jason Statham). The book gets a lot of tension out of Mark's desire to never kill again despite the deadly situations he is now placed in. Assassins Anonymous is full of fun action, comedy, and heart and its a wonderful new work from Rob Hart and I can't wait to see what he does with the sequel.

Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for a copy of Assassins Anonymous in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great palette cleanser!

This was John Wick, without actually being John Wick, and instead of a dog, we get a cat? I was giggling from the beginning, and loved all the little story twists that we got throughout the entirety of the book. I stayed up til 4am to finish reading this beauty, and would love to see more from the author.

Who knew that even killers needed a twelve step program to maintain functionality?

Assassins Anonymous is witty and fast-paced. It's a fresh, self-aware take on the "one last job" trope. I loved Hart's writing style and look forward to reading more from this author. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a highly entertaining, fun summer read.

This book was fantastic! It's about Mark, a highly successful and sought after hitman who doesn't want to kill anymore and starts attending a twelve-step programs for "recovering" assassins and hitmen. But someone is trying to kill him and Mark has to figure out who and why. I was hooked from the first page. It fun and fast-paced and was a globe-trotting adventure as Mark gets closer to the answer while not killing again and breaking his "soberness." And the twist was so well done!

A GOAT assassin, Mark, is trying to give give up his profession by attending an AA type model meeting for killers. This a fun cinematic story with plenty of action. But the heart of the assassins is what makes this an emotional ride. And its anonymous so the suspense builds as Mark, the assassin leaves a trail of live bodies in his wake while trying to make it to his one year chip. Everyone is after him and you can't help but root for him. told in current day interspersed with flashbacks. The ending was a little weak but MIT enough to detract from the overall story.

Copy provided by the publisher and Netgalley

I really enjoyed this novel about an assassin in recovery with a repentant heart, a cat named P Kitty, and a dairy allergy. It’s been almost a year since the infamous assassin Pale Horse (aka Mark, a decidedly normally looking guy) has killed anyone. Can he keep his sobriety intact when his enemies come after him?
A lot of this book read like an action movie, which was a fun change from my usual book choices. I loved that the AA group here became found family. There is lightheartedness but also emotional depth, as the characters grapple with forgiving themselves and the ability to change-both the impossibility and the simplicity of it.

Very engaging and fast read. Clever premise and plenty of action kept me turning the pages. It reminded me of Killers of a Certain Age by Raybourn in a good way. My teen daughter wants to read it next:) Thank you NetGalley for the advance ecopy

Enter the mind of one of the greatest Assassins in the world, Mark. A former Navy SEAL, Mark was recruited into a deep state organization called the Agency to work as a hitman. It isn’t long before Mark (who is known in the assassin’s community as Pale Horse) gains a reputation as the best hired assassin in the world. Until one Christmas, Mark decides he will quit working as an assassin cold turkey.

If you’re thinking that shady organizations like the Agency don’t take kindly to one of their hitmen deciding to quit, you’d be right. I was surprised Mark made it nearly a year into sobriety (from killing) without more hiccups. Perhaps it is because of the anonymity of being an assassin (something that is probably even more anonymous than membership in Assassins Anonymous). The concept of a support group to coach people through ceasing to kill others is both comical and dark.

Even more interesting was the discussion over who should qualify for membership. Specifically, the group caters to people who killed for a living and want to get out of that line of work. But what about if someone who killed on their own wants to join? Should serial killers not be admitted because of the nature of their killing, and what really makes them different? Hart explores the nature of killing as an addiction, and the argument is made that anyone wanting to get “clean” from engaging in murder is inherently a good thing. But not everyone feels that way (this is honestly a minor piece of the plot, but one that fascinated me).

The story kicks off with Mark nearly a year into his sobriety from killing for hire, when a Russian man stabs him and flees the scene. Mark makes it to see a woman named Astrid, who is a doctor and surgeon who also works “for hire” for those who may not want to go through traditional medical services. Mark returns home but finds his apartment on fire. It’s clear someone is after him, and a message passed along from the Russian hitman makes it clear that Astrid is also in danger. Trained killers are not easy to deal with when one has committed to no longer killing!

It worked well to have Astrid on the run with Mark, because it gave him someone to talk to so we weren’t exclusively in his head. I enjoyed the flashbacks to Mark’s pre-sobriety and entry into AA to be some of the most compelling chapters from a character perspective. The central tension for me was less to do with Astrid, and more to do with Mark’s situation. Yes, Mark needs to find out who is trying to kill him. But the Russian’s point stands that Mark’s former boss (the Agency) will not let a trained assassin just part ways amicably. How is Mark going to get away from whoever is trying to kill him and go on to lead a life where he isn’t constantly looking over his shoulder?

Some good twists and the right amount of camp make this an engaging and darkly humorous read. I loved the premise and the inner workings of Assassins Anonymous. I could see a sequel to this book easily, but I also would love a prequel where we see much more of Mark before his sobriety!

Thank you to Penguin Random House and Putnam for my copy. Opinions are my own.

Assassins Anonymous was good. It was like reading John Wick, emotional support animal included. It was a fun read and the writing was witty. I really enjoyed the characters and I hope we get to meet them again soon.

The book opens with an unconventional AA meeting—a twelve-step program for reformed killers. At the end of the meeting, Mark is attacked, setting off a dangerous quest as he tries to uncover who is after him while maintaining his "sobriety." After all, he's close to earning his one-year chip.

The beginning of the book is fun and light-hearted, featuring moments like an attacker's slip on a chocolate-covered donut. However, it soon shifts to a more serious and complex tone. I wished it had retained its initial light-heartedness, as the story became repetitive and slow. Additionally, I found the twists hard to follow.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.