ACTION & EMOTION: ROB HART'S ASSASSINS ANONYMOUS

Rob Hart practices his own style of pulp humanism. He takes some of the wildest and over the top story ideas, delivering on the excitement and entertainment they promise as he also gets you to truly care for those involved. The latest and best example of this is Assassins Anonymous.

Our protagonist, Mark, spent his past working as a professional killer, The Pale Horse, for a government group known as The Agency But like Clint Eastwood's William Munny in Unforgiven, he ain't like that no more., He has joined a twelve-step group for former hired guns who struggle to resist putting thiers don., Assassins Anonymous. He has just received his chip for a year free of murder, when a mysterious Russian assassin crashes in and comes at him.

Mark finds himself on the run and has no idea who is after him or why. With Astrid, a trauma surgeon who operates an underground hospital, he hops around the globe from New York, Singapore, and other cities, each with a at least one killer out for his blood. Hart also weaves in chapters from his Pale Horse past leading up to the moment he quit, that may also hold some clues.

Hart creates a crazy cult action film in book form. The gun, fist, and sword fights are non-stop and he mixes it with thrills and humor. He applies certain tropes from the professional killer gallery, then turns them on their heads.

What makes the book work is the humanity that brings to it. He establishes his world and its inhabitants from a four color comic book, then shades everything in with steady hand. He initially does it with humor about the perception Mark's former occupation. You get Mark's view on various hitman movies and the running joke of people expecting to be more like Jason Statham. He also uses the idea and operation of the Assassins Anonymous program, established in a satirical manner, then grows into something deeper as we see him trying to make amends and deal with regrets into something deeper. soon we worry about Mark killing someone as much as being killed himself.

Assassins Anonymous is another step in Rob Hart's particular set of skills. It is his most most entertaining novel , full of action, laugh, and fun characters. It also examines the human elements of those characters, showing a reflection of our own as we connect with them. You may feel more than you expected from this fun summer read.