I received this book not realizing it was the sequel to a series. Despite that, the book was quite enjoyable. It had quick action-packed scenes and a really interesting premise. I requested the book because of the unique spin on assassins. Instead of being killers, the assassins are attempting to rehabilitate their lifestyles. The writing was fast paced and kept me invested in the characters. It got a bit disbelieving at times, but the book was so entertaining I didn't mind. I would recommend this read to readers who appreciate a side of comedy with their thrillers. I'll definitely be checking out more of Rob Hart's works.

The Medusa Protocol by Rob Hart is a very highly recommended thriller and the second book in the Assassins Anonymous series. This is a great series for anyone who enjoys action-packed plot with a good dose of humor.

Mark, formerly the killer known as the Pale Horse, now runs a 12-step Assassins Anonymous' group that helps killers recover from their violent ways. He is the sponsor of Astrid, known in her assassin days as Azrael. When Astrid stops showing up to the group, Mark is concerned, but when a pizza with olives on it is delivered to their meeting he knows it's a sign from her that something is wrong. This is immediately proven true when a group tries to attack Mark and his fellow AA members, Booker, Ms. Nguyen, Valencia and her baby Lucia at their meeting. After taking care of them, Mark and Booker set out to find Astrid.

Astrid hasn't relapsed into her assassin lifestyle. She has been abducted and is being held prisoner at a complex on a remote island teeming with poisonous snakes where a doctor is performing tests on her. What she doesn't know is what the tests are and who is financing them.

Chapters follow Mark and his present day efforts to find Astrid, Astrid in captivity, and flashbacks to Astrid's past that not only show her history but may point to why she was abducted. All of the characters are portrayed as interesting, complex, and intelligent individuals. We know they all have a past, but their past also gave them some mad skills, intense training, and contacts.

The action is non-stop, the tension is high, twists abound, and the humor runs rampant on every page of this entertaining, well-written thriller. Sure, you have to set disbelief aside, but it is totally worth if for this un-put-downable, exceptional addition to the series. The plot moves along at a lightning fast pace and even the flashback sections work perfectly in the narrative. I'm hoping there is another addition to this exceptional series.

The Medusa Protocol is a perfect choice for those who like thrillers with action and humor. Rob Hart is an outstanding writer. Thanks to Penguin/Putnam for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Assassins Anonymous tells the story of the world's most lethal, efficient, and feared assassin, Mark, in Rob Hart's first entry into his now two-part series. As the book's protagonist, we learn about his attempts to break his deadly habit by joining AA -- for assassins rather than alcoholics.

But hard as he might try, his past catches up with him two ways, from without and within -- from without as those he has wronged in the past return to try to take him out, and from within as he makes a fatal error in his attempt to create a normal life for himself.

One of Mark's cohorts from Assassins Anonymous, Astrid (also known as Azrael, an assassin dubbed the Angel of Death), becomes his co-lead character in The Medusa Protocol. Having already learned Mark's origin story in AA, we learn Astrid's in entry #2, culminating in a major reveal at the end.

Astrid had just joined Mark's AA group when she is kidnapped and taken to a super-secure private prison to be interrogated for some as yet unknown information. After an unknown client sponsors a full on hit on the AA group, Mark figures out that Astrid has been abducted and sets out to free her.

While I fully enjoyed Assassins Anonymous, I felt it was too heavy on the action and a little light on character development (other than Mark) and motivation. No such problem with The Medusa Protocol -- while there is plenty of action to satisfy those who like that sort of thing, there is much more attention paid to character, plot, and motivation.

There is also ample humor to go along with the serious action -- certainly not the level of snark you'd find in, say, Scalzi or the Bobiverse, but plenty of darkly comic repartee, most of it generated by the former assassins in AA trying to defend themselves without killing anyone (or each other based on past grievances).

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing an advance reading copy of The Medusa Protocol in exchange for an honest review. My honest review in a nutshell says that while Assassins Anonymous was a very good book that I quite liked, this one is even better. That includes the expansion of the central story from the theme of targeted killing for dubious political ends to include the horrors of human trafficking.

I await future entries in the series with the expectation that another AA character will take center stage next time.

Someone has taken Astrid and Mark is determined to find her. This second in a highly entertaining (and violent) series about a group of former assassins who are in recovery gives us Astrid's back story-how she came to become an assassin and several of the operations she ran, including one that broke her heart. Now she's in a prison on an island filled with poisonous snakes and an evil doctor is trying to extract information from her but she doesn't know what he wants or why. She does manage to overpower a guard, grab his cell phone and place...a pizza order in New York. Mark knows it was Astrid and sets off with Booker to get her back. This is a page turner filled with dark humor and with an underlying topical issue. I was a fan of the first book which was just so different and it was great to find that Hart has kept up the side. This isn't going to be for everyone (again violence) and I admit to skimming through some of the fights but it's a page turner with heart. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Great read.

Former assassin Astrid has stopped showing up to Assassins Anonymous meetings, but Mark, her sponsor, is convinced that it's something darker than her going back to the lifestyle. And he's right, because Astrid has been kidnapped and is being held captive by some bad people with unknown goals.

A perfect continuation of the Assassins Anonymous series. The characters and world were established in book 1, and now we get to jump right into the intrigue and danger. We do it by getting to know Astrid and the life that led her to make the choices she's made, while also getting some pretty solid action from Mark and other members of the AA as they ride to her rescue. It's all grounded by some pretty philosophical discussions and questioning of what it means to follow orders before realizing that you might not have always been on the right side.
It's a fast-paced action thriller with a very human element that you walk away from with a lot to think about, even as it entertains and surprises at every turn. I look forward to seeing what else Hart has in store for this group.

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

i absolutely loved the first book in this series, assassins anonymous, and was beyond excited to continue on with the medusa protocol. in this second book it focuses on astrid, mark's sponsee, as she is taken to a black site and tortured while mark and the rest of the gang go in search of her. my favorite part of this entire series is the found family aspect - i adore the crew getting together and riding for each other hard after everything they've been through. the emotional turmoil they struggle with as they face the consequences of their past actions is something they individually grapple with, but heal through together. there are moments of humor and also emotional depth that add to my overall enjoyment of this book.

i LOVE the action scenes and how fast paced this was. i couldn't put it down, i kept wanting to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. there were plot twists that had me shocked!! this is such a fun series that i have fallen head over heels for. i also think the writing is fantastic! i truly will continue to read this series for as long as it is. these assassin's have my heart!

I tend to avoid series or even just books with expected sequels because I tend to feel the need to push through and finish what I began, even if I’m not enjoying it. Luckily The Medusa Protocol proved to be a worthy companion to Assassin’s Anonymous. I’ve read all of Hart’s work so far and he’s a solid writer. He has that darkly comic dry wit that adds a bit of breathing room to some fairly dark material. The AA books are more in the vein of Bullet Train or Kill Bill over Triple Frontier or Extraction, so there’s that bit of levity that keeps the book more balanced.

The Medusa Protocol follows the same group of retired assassins who are attempting to quit killing. When one is disappeared to the infamous Ilha da Queimada Grande off the coast of Brazil (aka Snake Island) a rescue is immediately commissioned by her chosen family. We finally get to learn more about Astrid’s history and meet some new characters. The pacing is quick and the writing is solid. As usual it pushes the plausibility pretty aggressively, but it’s still very entertaining and a nice palette cleanser from some of the darker thrillers. If you vibe your crime fiction with a sprinkle of black comedy I’d give the Assassin’s Anonymous series a go.

An attempt to help Astrid leads some of the AA members to a black site with venomous snakes and deadlier professionals…rescue mission or really stupid idea. The Medusa Protocol is the second novel in the Assassins Anonymous series. This novel picks up where book one left off, so unlike some series, it’s important to read these in order so you have an idea of who everyone is. As much as I enjoyed the first novel, I liked the second book a little more. The first book focuses more on Mark’s character whereas in book two we get to learn more about Astrid and her backstory. I do love me a really angry & lethal female MC. I haven’t seen anything regarding how many, if any more, books will be in this series. I would definitely like to read more possibly with other AA members as the MC. I’ve read a few of this authors books and although they are all different I enjoy that he adds humor to break up what would otherwise be some rather dark topics…a must read for 2025!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"The Medusa Protocol" by Rob Hart is an absolutely thrilling masterpiece! From the very first page, it grips you with its heart-pounding, action-packed narrative that refuses to let go. The plot is intricately woven, filled with unexpected twists and turns that keep you guessing and desperate to find out what happens next.

The characters are wonderfully crafted, each with depth and authenticity that make them leap off the page. Their development throughout the story adds an emotional richness that complements the intense action perfectly.

Rob Hart has truly outdone himself with this one—combining a riveting plot, dynamic characters, and relentless pacing into a novel that is impossible to put down. "The Medusa Protocol" is a must-read for anyone looking for an exhilarating literary adventure!

The support group from Assassins Anonymous is back in The Medusa Protocol by Rob Hart.

"Astrid, known in the assasssin world as Azrael, stops showing up to the Assassins Anonymous group meetings. Mark and the others think her past has caught up with her. 'Til one day they get a pizza delivered that only Astrid would eat. Is she trying to send a message?

Astrid wakes up at a black site prison. A doctor is subjecting her to intrusive experiments trying to dig out certain memories. She'll do anything to escape except kill someone. Looks like that won't be easy."

This book is a big entertaining romp. Hart continues his ludicrous concept of an assassins support group and takes it a step farther. There's a lot of action but there's a problem since the assassins are in recovery and can't kill anyone. How does that work? Hart makes it funny and incredibly entertaining. The pace in this book is breathtakingly fast. You'll enjoy every minute.

So glad to see these characters again. Another great story from Hart.

What a great book! As soon as I read the synopsis and realized it was the second in a series I immediately purchased the first one. I read both in 3 days. The original and propulsive plot keeps you turning the pages and the writing is witty and clever. The characters have depth and dimension which makes the investment in them that much more intense. I cannot wait for the third installment. I am certain it will be amazing.

THE MEDUSA PROTOCOL is the second in a series by Rob Hart that offers an unusual character device. The characters are members of an Assassins Anonymous group, all previous lethal killers and now working hard on their redemption. They are devoted to not killing again, and of course, the challenges to their ‘sobriety’ arise with great frequency. In this tale, one of the members has gone missing and the others need to figure out if she’s still alive and where she is. These are similar questions for the missing member herself, she needs to go through her past to try and figure out her present. The tale moves quickly and there are plenty of twists and turns. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

What a fun sequel!! I really enjoyed the first book in this series last year and have recommended it to many readers with diverse tastes since then. I’m happy to report that THE MEDUSA PROTOCOL was great as well!

Like ASSASSINS ANONYMOUS, this book is full of humor, sarcasm, fight scenes, but also a lot of heart (another “feel-good assassin thriller” if you will). I absolutely love the twist on AA into an “Assassins Anonymous” program… it’s fun but also really works. The book’s main themes are so much more about forgiveness and redemption than violence or revenge, which I really love. I also enjoyed following Astrid’s journey in this installment and learning more about her backstory. She’s a great character I’m so glad we got to know better!

Overall this was another fun, comedic, and surprisingly heartfelt thriller I'd recommend to anyone! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

4.25 stars rounded down

I received an ARC through "NetGalley" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

The story begins with Astrid walking to attend a meeting of Assassins Anonymous. This is a group that is comprised of assassins that no longer want to kill. She doesn't make it and is abducted and taken to a black site. Mark, the leader of the group, notices and wonders where she is. After a month almost goes by, the group is meeting and someone delivers them a pizza. Mark believes that it is a sign that Astrid is still alive. Shortly after the delivery, a group of thugs arrive and a battle ensues.

Mark believes she is alive and makes plans to rescue her. Once Mark, Booker and Lavigne, an assassin that agrees to help, learn where Astrid is being held, they make arrangements to rescue her. Astrid on her part has been moved from solitary after a month and now is part of the prison population. She begins making plans to escape. As she learns more about why she was taken and information about her fellow prisoners, she waits for the opportune time. Once she discovers that they got what they needed from her, she became expendable and knew she only had a short time.

Mark and his team arrive on the island where she was being held while she puts her escape plan in motion.

Find out what steps Mark took to locate her, how he got on the island and what Astrid's plan to escape involved. Learn what they wanted from Astrid, how is was ultimately gotten and by whom.

The ending will supply all of the answers. It is a definite read, don't miss out!

Even though I missed the first book in the series, The Medusa Protocol made it easy to jump right in without feeling lost. Rob Hart does a great job weaving enough context into the story to keep new readers grounded while still delivering plenty of intrigue, action, and emotional weight.

The premise is fantastic. Former assassins working through their trauma and trying to stay “clean” from killing, complete with support groups that feel like 12-step programs for trained killers. It’s original, darkly clever, and oddly heartfelt. The tension between past impulses and the desire for redemption adds real depth to the action-packed plot.

The characters, especially those in the network of reformed operatives, are layered and compelling. There’s a gritty humanity to them that makes you root for their peace, even when the bullets start flying again.

It’s a high-octane read with a conscience. I’ll definitely be sticking around to see how this lethal little support group handles whatever comes next.

Headline: Different, Creative, Hilarious. Unputdownable, too!

Book Review: The Medusa Protocol, Assassins Anonymous #2 by Rob Hart
Published by Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons, June 24, 2025

★★★★★ (4.5 Stars rounded up. Rave!)

I've read both books in Rob Hart's "Assassins Anonymous" series, a reformed assassins' fellowship, that of NYC's Lower East Side chapter which meets near Delancey, to be specific, an amusing, almost satirical take on alcoholism's "AA", complete with a 12-step program, sponsors to guide junior members, and that ubiquitous AA chairs-in-a-circle, bare-your-soul, cleanse-your-conscience session in a darkened room at night. "Hi, I'm ____, and I haven't killed anyone in two and a half years." (Tongue-in-cheek chuckles. - Reader.)

In Book One, the author introduces his Lower East Side band led by star protagonist, Mark, reformed assassin, aka the "Pale Horse", who was once - and still is - the most feared killer-for-hire in the world. Joined by Kenji, Mark's sponsor, former Yakuza, skilled swordsman. Booker former black ops mercenary, five years sober. Valencia, former SOG former CIA, seven years "dry".

Later joined by Astrid, medic, spiritual healer, potential romantic interest. Also known as Azrael, "The Angel of Death", a former Agency hitter, sponsored by Mark.

Last but not least, P. Kitty, Mark's cat and loyal companion, plus Mrs. Nguyen, cat sitter extraordinaire, herself too, with lethal liaisons.

Book Two.

// The Medusa Protocol, Assassins Anonymous #2 (2025) //

Ilha da Queimada Grande,
Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

When one of their own gets abducted, the tight elite group of "reformed assassins", Lower East Side chapter, land on shore under the cover of dark 100 km south of the city of São Paulo, on Brazil's forbidden paradise, Snake Island, to raid the experimental enclave of Dr. Felix Vogt, a modern day Mengele, proponent of the so-called "Medusa Protocol"...

In for four,
Hold for four,
Out for four,
Empty lungs for four."
- "Box Breathing Technique" used extensively by the Special Forces.

And by Mark, the assassin.

Creative, hilarious. Definitely falls in the category of "And now for something different".

Unputdownable, too!

Review based on an advance review copy courtesy of Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and NetGalley.

My favorite recovering assassins are back! This time, it’s Astrid that is the focus of the book —- her backstory and redemption. The gang is still there, keeping the Assassins Anonymous alive. It is not as action packed as I would like it to be. Instead, there’s more about dealing with one’s past and choosing to be the better person. I really liked the premise of the book… so many sage advices from these experts lol! Though this could be read as standalone, I must recommend you read book 1 first to better understand the cast of characters. I really hope these books could be adapted to a tv series — it would be so cool to watch the story come alive! Thank you Putnam Books for my digital ARC.

AA, in this case, does not stand for Alcoholics Anonymous, but rather Assassins Anonymous, a small group of individuals whose addiction was murder. They all grew tired of their former lives as killers for hire and wanted to do better in the future without falling back into their old ways. Sometimes it’s hard. Very hard. Especially if one of them falls into harm’s way.

Hard to think of a story about assassins as a fun read, but this was, and most of those same assassins as great characters, but they are. Very enjoyable!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

The nitty-gritty: Unexpected twists and laugh-out-loud humor make this assassins-turned-good guys story an excellent sequel.

Assassins Anonymous made my top five books of 2024, so The Medusa Protocol obviously had a lot to live up to. And it was an excellent follow-up, although it didn’t quite have the emotional impact of the first book, which is why I’m rating it slightly lower. If you aren’t reading this series, I urge you to try it and I guarantee you’ll have a rollicking good time! The books are fairly short with lean writing (not a single wasted word), incredibly funny dialogue, and characters you’ll fall in love with—even the bad guys. 

To set the stage, the story is about a group of ex-assassins who have, for various reasons, decided to quit killing people, and they have started an AA group—Assassins Anonymous—to support each other. The last book focused on Mark and was told exclusively from his point of view. This time we get alternating chapters from another ex-assassin, Astrid, also known as Azrael when she was in the business. When the story opens, Astrid has been “sober” for six months with Mark as her sponsor, but one day she stops showing up to the AA meetings. Mark is worried and assumes one of two things: she’s either decided to go back to killing, or her lifestyle has caught up with her and she’s dead.

It turns out neither is true. One day during a meeting, Mark and his ex-assassin friends get an undeniable message that Astrid is still alive—and she’s trying to communicate with them. At the same time, the church they’re meeting at, which Mark has rigged to alert them of intruders, is invaded by a black ops team. Mark and his fellow AA friends—Booker, Ms. Nguyen and Valencia and her three week old baby Lucia—suddenly find themselves fighting for their lives and trying not to kill anyone in the process. Is the strike connected to Astrid’s disappearance? Mark is determined to find his sponsee no matter what—as long as he can stay clean doing it.

What follows is a high octane, high stakes adventure, complete with poisonous snakes, international travel, a harrowing helicopter ride, non lethal weapons, and plenty of old scores to settle. Hart takes his idea of recovering assassins and builds on it in the sequel, putting his characters in even more precarious positions and ridiculous amounts of danger. All this is done with the author’s signature tongue-in-cheek humor, and I literally laughed my way through the entire story. Rob Hart is a genius when it comes to dialog, and I’m sure this would be awesome in audio as well.

I loved getting to know Astrid’s backstory too, and while she’s got a fair amount of skeletons in her closet, her overall emotional arc didn’t hit me as hard as Mark’s did in the last book. But I do love the way Hart formats his flashbacks. Each of Astrid’s flashback chapters is labeled with “Twenty-two Year Ago,” “Thirteen Years Ago,” etc., bringing us all the way to the present by the end of the book. Even though the book is fairly short, this method filled in the gaps of Astrid’s younger years and burgeoning assassin career beautifully.

The other character that stuck with me is Booker, a Marine-turned-Black Ops assassin who has been sober for five years. Hart drops hints about his past (even though we don’t get any real flashbacks) that made me wonder if Booker might be the focus of the next book. In any case, I want to learn more about him, he was hysterically funny, lovable and terrifying, all at the same time. Valencia and her baby are barely in the story at all, but I have a feeling they might have more page time in book three.

And of course, there’s Mark, the leader of the gang, who used to be one of the most mysterious and feared assassins of all time. Mark goes through a lot of mental angst in this book, especially since he’s trying to do things that would normally require killing, but because of Assassins Anonymous, he’s unwilling to break his sober streak. This leads to some very funny scenarios involving stun guns, pepper spray and paint ball guns, and he seems to know just how far he can go to knock out his opponents without causing lethal damage. Hart explores the familiar twelve step program of Alcoholics Anonymous and shows how difficult it can be, especially since Mark has been stuck on step eight (making amends) for a while.

Hart asks the question, can assassins really change? And the answer is: sometimes. Mark, Astrid, Booker and the others are all human, even if their assassin personas seemed larger than life, and I loved seeing all of them both succeed and fail in this story.

According to the author, he’s currently working on the next book in the series, which has the wonderful title of Three Hitmen and a Baby. I broke out of my usual genre to try these books, mostly because Rob Hart has written speculative fiction in the past and I’ll read whatever he writes, and I’m so glad I did. This series is the perfect slump-breaker, a thrilling, fast-paced, funny, feel-good tale with some nice messages to boot. Start with Assassins Anonymous, you won’t be disappointed.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

MARK IS BACK!!!!! And boy am i glad, I didn't get into this one as much as the first, but still a top recommendation from me.

So Astrid has gone missing and the AA team in on the hunt to find out what's happened to her. As she comes to terms with her past; Astrid is still fighting demons and wonders if sobriety is in the cards for her!

Thanks to G.P Putnam's for this ARC, such a fan of this series, bring on BOOK 3!!!!! I'm so thankful

Solid 4 stars!!!!

"THE MEDUSA PROTOCOL" out June 24th 2025!