I loved everything about this book — from concept to cover. It's such a creative and fun approach to build a story around a 12 step recovery program for killers.

I was hooked right away and really enjoyed the voice and post of view for the narrator Mark. The book moves quickly and I liked how it's structured with flashback chapters filling in Mark's backstory. There's lots of action and fighting which I sometimes find uninteresting to read, but the descriptions were clear and helped you orient yourself in the physical situations Mark ended up in.

This also operated terrifically as a mystery since he needs to unravel who is after him and why. I'll say no more but this book packs a punch and is full of surprises.

Ebook received for free through NetGalley

Another incredible unique and amazing book. So glad I saw it as it was epic yet felt completely different from his other amazing ones!

I have never read something like this before! Unique take on a killer, you really start to feel for him and root for him to succeed. I was back and forth on the "action" of this book, it felt honest but there was a lot of it. It's also taken a long time to get to the meat of the book. However, I found everything interesting - I would recommend.

Mark is trying to change and has almost a year in Assasins Anonymous, a program like AA, where he’s trying to stop killing. It’s mostly going well until someone tries to kill him after the meeting and he’s forced to figure out why. Short, sometimes silly, this is a fun, fast read.

Mark, aka the Pale Horse, is the world’s most lethal assassin, but he left that world behind. He joined a twelve step program for recovering killers. He’s about to earn his one-year-without-killing chip when he barely survives a brutal attack. Now he must figure out who & why someone wants him dead. And that is a very long list.

Author Rob Hart’s latest offering is an action-packed fun read. Mark is a charming & funny, and main character. He’s working hard to squash his training & instincts. He’s determined to not kill anyone on his quest to find out who’s trying to take him out. Not an easy task.

I loved Hart’s breezy writing style and humor throughout the book. The breakneck pace, jam packed action, humor, and Mark’s sincere desire to change all combine to make this book a rollicking good time. I hope we get more of the former assassin with the heart of gold in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and G.P Putnam’s Sons for the digital review copy. Assassins Anonymous releases on June 11. Add it to your tbr list because you’ll definitely want to binge this one.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book, but it had an interesting premise as using alcoholics anonymous as a basis to cure assassin's compulsion to kill. This book is a morality play with some heartwarming moments mixed with meanings of life and death. Ultimately, though, this book is just fun, fun, fun! It is relatively short and is a quick and fun read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 4-stars

Assassins Anonymous has so many of the elements that I love. Humor, action, and a complex and interesting story. Mark is a few day from receiving his one year chip from AA. AA stands for Assassins Anonymous in this case. Unfortunately, he has become someones target and now he has to stay alive, figure out who is after him, do it all with out killing someone. This story has a lot of heart. The assassins have to remarkably humanized from ruthless killers, to people with feelings and emotions. As Mark travels the world trying to hunt down who is out for him, the story moves from the past to the present. This gives us a unfiltered understanding of who he truly is at heart and I became quite attached to his story. He has a beloved cat named P. Kitty who he credits with saving his life. I didn't have a clue until the end how the story was going to play out and the deception was impressive, but the ending made me happy. Rob Hart is an amazing author and this is another impressive creation.

I received an advanced copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this fast paced thriller that is following retired assassin Mark. Now he has a hit out on him and he is racing the clock to find out who is behind it and not get killed. So good. I absolutely was glued to the pages til the very end!
I just reviewed Assassins Anonymous by Rob Hart. #AssassinsAnonymous #NetGalley
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You know who gets a bad rap? Assassins. We think of them as one-dimensional, amoral killers with no regard for life. A lost cause. Irredeemable. A job title with no positive connotations. But assassins are people, too. They have feelings; self-doubt; relationship problems just like the rest of us. And like us, assassins get burnt-out. They hate their bosses. Want a career change. And some have a change of conscience. Quitting takes real change in the assassin’s life; they need support through the process and their journey. For these people, a support group exists much like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous. Assassins coming together to talk about the struggles the members are facing.

Mark–the top assassin in the world– wants out. Known as the Pale Rider– the mere mention of his moniker struck fear in the hearts of adversaries. No more. He’s tried to quit before and fallen off the wagon each time. Now, he’s nearing his one year anniversary being murder free when he is attacked by unknown assailants. Hunting the people after him while not killing them is exhausting and somehow more dangerous. Traveling around the world, Mark is determined to find who is after him and get his one-year chip.

Assassin’s Anonymous is one of the more unique thrillers I’ve read in a while. It’s the perfect amount of weird. In the same vein as Kotaro Isaka’s Three Assassins and Bullet Train, Assassin’s Anonymous is quirky, fun and with tons of heart. The characters are well developed and play well off one another.

If you want a fun, unique thriller with laughs look no further than Assassins Anonymous. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Assassins Anonymous.

Fun, quick read. Pacing was off a little bit in the middle, and some parts felt more far fetched than others. The twist I found to be really sad, so took away from the fun of it. 3.5 stars.

First off, let me say thank you to @NetGalley for allowing me to read this book before it’s published in exchange for an honest review.

Lastly, I frickin loved this book y’all! Again, as I was reading this, I could picture every scene in my head as if it were a movie. Which if this gets turned into a movie, I’m definitely going to go see it. 🍿 🎥
This has got action! Spies! Assassins of course. A very little bit of romance but nothing at all spicy. Just a hint of it and then poof 💨 it’s gone. It’s got mystery and intrigue and yes! I was super surprised at the ending. Did not see that twist coming!
The main character, Mark, is the starred assassin and after I believe 15 years of this grueling work, he wants out. So he finds this group — AA — through a friend (or foe?) of his and joins. But now that he’s out, there’s a lot of enemies out there that wants him d**d. Like a lot a lot. So he’s got to be on the lookout, track these people down, make sure his new friends are safe, and all this while still not trying to k**l anyone either. It’s a hard life for an assassin. Does Mark make it through to the other side or does he decide being an assassin is what he’s fated for? I’ll let you find out when you read the book. 😉

Another brilliant high-concept novel with heart from Rob Hart. His ability to blend humor with emotional resonance as the protagonist wrestles with moral/ethical quandaries is unsurpassed.

Assassins Anonymous by Rob Hart. What do you do when you an assassin but want to stop killing? Join Assassins Anonymous! He tried to walk away but the past won't let him go. When Mark is attacked by a Russian as he is cleaning up after a meeting Mark is left chasing leads across the globe. The reader steps back into Mark's history to discover clues to the cast of characters, which are friends or foe. Humorous and entertaining. Recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this work for review.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book, I love books about assassins, but this didn't really hit for me. I think there could have been and should have been more. I wanted to know more about the characters and I didn't think the P. Kitty storyline was developed enough. I could see one of the twists coming from a mile away and the other didn't ring particularly true. If this was a set up for a series, I'll probably give book 2 a shot. But as a stand alone, for me, I enjoyed it but it wasn't enough to be great.

The book was okay. I wanted to read something out of my comfort zone so I requested this one after a friend had said they enjoyed the author. The book didn't really do much for me, that's more on me than the book considering it's not what I usually read. The writing was very good and I enjoyed the dialogue.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Assassins Anonymous.

The only way to describe the premise of Assassins Anonymous is if John Wick went straight and attended AA but for hired assassins.

When Mark is attacked by a Russian thug, he is forced on the run, unable to trust his former handler and the government he once worked for.

As Mark tries to figure out why he's a target, he has to avoid getting killed or killing his numerous attackers, all the while following his new code of ethics, which is becoming hard to do as he seeks answers.

The narrative is action packed, and yes, a bit hard to suspend disbelief for, but so is the premise.

The author offers flashbacks into Mark's past about his life pre-AA and how he joined the group.

There's a running joke among the supporting characters that Mark doesn't look like a typical assassin; that Jason Statham looks like an assassin but not Mark. That was pretty funny and throughout the novel, I couldn't stop imagining Jason Statham playing Mark in a meta way.

There are a few twists toward the end, one I didn't expect and I'm not ashamed to say it was because I was biased and that's on me.

The ending is a bit happy for a premise like this, but it wasn't terrible.

Mark is a likable character, including Astrid, Kenji and the AA attendees.

I really like this author and I'm surprised how versatile he is. This is a funny book about assassins in recovery, with a little romance. Travel around the world, meet interesting people, and try not to get killed by them because you're in recovery from that lifestyle now.
I saw some of the twists coming, but the book was fun. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

No surprise at all that my first 5 star review of 2024 goes to the latest from Rob Hart. I have been a big fan since I read The Warehouse and I was excited to see where he went with this one.

The hired killer genre is pretty crowded (looking at you Orphan X, John Rain and all your murderous buddies) but Hart found a great niche by combining them with addiction recovery. The blending of the two makes for a lot of great moments that are both tense and emotionally touching.

The story moves at great pace, alternating between present day and history to reveal Mark's origin. The action scenes are very well done and the humor will literally make you laugh (Ill never look at Jason Statham the same way again). There are plenty of surprise moments and the story does wrap up nicely at the end but I am sure hoping that the opening for sequels is taken advantage of. This would make a fantastic series if Hart wants to go there.

Highly recommended!

In Assassins Anonymous, by Rob Hart, Mark has stopped being an assassin for almost a year now. He attends a recovery group that similar to Alcoholics Anonymous, which is working to rehabilitate people who have spent their lives as some sort of killer and don't wish to to so any more. At the end of the meeting one day a large unknown man appears and attacks Mark. Mark does everything he can to survive and not kill the man and barely escapes with his life. As he searches for the man and why he attacked Mark, a larger plan is revealed and Mark has been pinpointed as the key to it being successful. Maybe with some help, Mark can thwart this plot and survive at least until he reaches a year without killing.
Hart has knack for writing characters with dry wit and lots of sarcasm. The reader sees Mark's constant struggle to make the right choices and can't help but pull for him because everyone is trying to be a better person. The colorful array of supporting characters that surround Mark are wonderfully unique and keep Mark guessing whose side each of them are on. The reader is pleasantly lost as to who to trust the whole way through the book. The action sequences are particularly fun, not just because they are well written, but because the reader looks forward to how Mark is going to get away/survive without killing anyone. The ending shocked me and I didn't see it coming, but at the same time it was totally believable.
Exciting, funny and enthralling from beginning to end, I recommend ASSASSINS ANONYMOUS to any reader who wants a fast read that is full excitement and surprises the whole way through.

I always have a fun time with Rob's books and this was no exception! Original, witty and action packed, this book held alot of the things I love when reading a good book. Rob seems to be able to create these characters who feel so real, it seems hard to believe they aren't!

Assassins Anonymous follows the protagonist Mark, otherwise known to his handlers and the assassin community as The Pale Horse. In the assassin world, The Pale Horse was revered as one of the best in the job until he decided that life was no longer for him. Now, he is part of a group of ex-assassins trying to put their past behind them and make amends for their wrongs. But, unlucky for Mark, his past seems to catch up with him when someone tries to kill him. Who has put this hit on him and why? The rest of story pans out trying to figure that question out. A fun cat and mouse thriller where the killer is the one is being hunted! There were a few moments where I had to suspend my beliefs but I think that is part of the fun with Rob's books. They are big, bold and extravagant and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next!!