Not bad.

A fairly believable story, which really kept me turning the pages as I got closer to the end. Although some of the so-called 'heroics' were a bit unbelievable. However, what struck me the most was the author's perspective. He is an American, and there's nothing wrong with that. But I'm not certain if he has ever been to England, my home country. He used Americanisms to describe things there. For example, he used'sidewalk' when it should be 'pavement' in England. Also, we don't get refills for any purchased drinks like coffee. And an underground train is never called a 'car'.

Sorry Mr Larsen, I understand your intention, but as the saying goes, 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do', or in this case, when writing about London, use the appropriate British terms. It would have made the story more immersive and accurate for readers like me who are familiar with the UK.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read despite these small inaccuracies.

David Slaton #1, The Perfect Assassin

Audiobook - 13:31 Hours - Narrator: Amy McFadden

Rating: "4.0 Stars - I Really Liked It"

Edit: 3.5 Stars, but not quite enough to round up to 4.0 Stars.

I wasn't let down by "#1, The Perfect Assassin", yet my expectations might have been a touch unrealistic. After all, it was Ward Larsen's debut publication and the first in the "David Slaton - Assassin" series. I had recently relished listening to "#4, The Assassin's Code" (4.0 Stars) and decided to start the series from #1.

The initial four or five hours were rather good in terms of content. However, whoever selected Amy McFadden as the narrator for this book really deserved a severe scolding! Amy McFadden's CV clearly shows that she is a highly competent and popular narrator. But she was a completely inappropriate choice for this book.

To those reading this review, please bear in mind that due to physical health reasons, it is extremely challenging for me to read a 'proper' book, whether it's paper-printed or presented electronically. So I 'read' by listening to audiobooks, usually about two per week on average. Electronic production, creative direction, and especially narration, are of utmost importance to my enjoyment of any audiobook.

I have absolutely no issue with female narrators. Many of my favorite authors are female, and almost invariably their books are read by female narrators, and I enjoy them greatly. Whether a narrator is male or female is usually immaterial to me, as long as the chosen narrator can create the vocal characterizations necessary to tell the story.

In "The Perfect Assassin", all but one of the main characters were males. The main protagonist, David Slaton, a "Kidon" or highly skilled assassin from Mossad's special ops unit, required a fairly tough-sounding and competent/impressive characterization. But no matter how hard she tried, Amy McFadden simply didn't have the vocal range or accents to handle his voice. Those of his collaborators from Mossad or the various bad guys, most of whom she unsuccessfully tried to depict as "European Jewish", "Eastern European" or "Middle-Eastern", were equally unsatisfactory. Interestingly, for the Scotland Yard characters, McFadden produced a competent variety of male and female British accents and characterizations, particularly for the Detective Inspector in charge of catching and/or eliminating the Kidon, which was somewhat of a compensation for my annoyance at her overall narration.

After quite a few days of reflection (I finished this audiobook a week ago and have increased my 3.5 Stars to 4.0 Stars in that time), I enjoyed "The Perfect Assassin" and am looking forward to listening to "#2, Assassin's Game" which is narrated by Luke Daniels. I note that David Slaton #3 to #7 are all narrated by P. J. Ochlan, so author Ward Larsen has clearly found his narrator-of-choice for the "David Slaton" series of audiobooks. P. J. Ochlan's narration of "#4, The Assassin's Code" was excellent.

Awful!! This book is truly unbelievable. The storyline is just ridiculous. I have always been a fan of stories about Mossad agents, finding them very interesting and intriguing. However, this particular one failed to capture my attention or hold my interest at any point. It simply didn't ring true. I managed to read only about 25% of the book before I gave up in frustration. I'm giving it 1 star, but that's really being generous considering how little I was able to get through. I expected so much more from this story, especially given my love for this genre. But unfortunately, it just didn't deliver.

I Guess Mr Larsen is American

70% good and that's not bad. If you are American, you'll probably rate it higher, but then you won't notice the ridiculous anachronisms. Firstly, it is a good book with some clever twists and clever technical tricks. The first half is considerably better than the second. It makes a reasonably good read and is generally enjoyable.

Secondly, it doesn't insult the intelligence too much. But thirdly, the action moves from the Atlantic Ocean (off North Africa) in the 21st century to the UK in the early 20th, yet there are cell phones. And a nineteenth-century prostitute makes a bizarre appearance. The American idea of the average English "bobbies" (a term I've not heard in fifty years), not to mention Scotland Yard, is rather off. They are shown driving a battered old truck up the A1 across the apparently severely rutted surface and onto windy unpaved tracks in the wilds of East Anglia.

If you are going to set your story in a foreign country, please learn the basics about that country, its language, its infrastructure, and its people. I doubt any English working girl has called her client "Ducks" since before I was born in the 1950s. And none of those I've met would fit the description of the old floozy from a Dickens novel who drops into this. By the way, where are all these British hotels which happily take cash? They sound like the awful places you could occasionally still find in the 1970s! One thing's for sure: you would not see a road sign telling you it was 2 Kilometres away because our signs are and have always been in miles.

I could go on for pages, but my point is that I could have enjoyed this book so much more if the author had visited the UK within the past 60 years. And just to be clear: US police departments have lieutenants, but in the UK, you find them only in the Army and the Royal Navy. The police here have inspectors. And one more thing, they don't use the rank in every sentence. This ridiculous portrait of Merry Olde England (with mobile phones) spoiled the read. I just cannot imagine a Chief Inspector from Scotland Yard meeting the "Police Chief" of Penzance, Cornwall Constabulary referring to himself as anything other than from the Metropolitan Police. And anyway, what happened to the rest of the Devon and Cornwall Police? There seems to be only two of them, and they don't have any senior officers (except the "Chief" of course).

Superb Story Telling

This is a truly remarkable piece of work with a storyline that is nothing short of excellent. It is told by a master storyteller who has the ability to captivate the audience from the very beginning. The enchanting sailing start sets the stage for a journey that is both different and exciting. The characters are engaging and well-developed, keeping the reader firmly engrossed and constantly wanting more. From the shores of South Africa, the story takes us on a thrilling adventure to North Africa, then on to England and Scotland Yard, with Israel playing a major role. It is a total enjoyment from start to finish, leaving the reader eagerly anticipating what comes next.

I listened to the audiobook here. The narration and the speaker were good.

The story was also quite promising and exciting for me at the beginning. However, then it gradually lost my interest.

There were at a certain point too many scenes that were uninteresting to me. They were drawn out too much and there were only a few that could captivate me.

In conclusion, although the audiobook had some good aspects in the beginning, it failed to maintain my attention throughout due to the excessive length and lack of engaging scenes.

Perhaps if the story had been more tightly edited and focused on the more interesting parts, it could have been a more enjoyable listen.

Nonetheless, the quality of the narration and the initial promise of the story still make it worth considering for others who may have different interests and preferences.

This is a first-rate debut effort.

The author has masterfully crafted strong and believable characters. Each character is unique, with their own personalities, motives, and flaws. This makes it easy for the reader to become invested in their stories and care about what happens to them.

In addition to the great characters, the author has also provided a great story with a few unexpected twists thrown into the mix. These twists keep the reader on their toes and add an extra layer of excitement to the story.

I especially liked how the relationship between Slaton and Christine was patiently developed. The author took the time to show how their relationship grew and evolved over time, which made it feel more real and believable.

The manhunt for Slaton offers the same drama that existed in the classic "Day of the Jackal". The tension and excitement build as the hunters close in on Slaton, and the reader is left wondering if he will be able to escape.

Overall, this is a great book that I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a good thriller. The author has shown great promise with this debut effort, and I look forward to seeing what they come up with next.

An Edge of the Seat Novel


This is without a doubt one of the most outstanding thrillers that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The characters within the story are extremely well developed, each with their own unique personalities, motives, and flaws. It makes it easy for the reader to become fully invested in their fates. The plot is simply great, filled with twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. The pacing is perfect, never too slow or too fast, allowing the story to unfold at just the right pace to build suspense and keep you hooked. It truly is a book that you won't want to put down until you reach the very end. And when you do, you'll be disappointed that it had to end. I can't wait to see what Ward Larsen has in store for us in his next novel. I'm sure it will be just as精彩 as this one.

Started out slowly,

almost stopped reading.

But I'm so glad I didn't.

David Staton is discovered floating on a cooler in the vast Atlantic Ocean by Dr. Catharine Palmer, who is sailing her late father's boat back home to the US.

Staton then commandeers her boat and directs it towards England.

Once there, he finds himself constantly on the run from Israeli assassins, Scotland Yard, and the Mossad, of which he is a member.

The story is filled with lots of thrilling action, all presented in a well-written book.

It's a real page-turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

So, if you're looking for an exciting read, this book is definitely worth checking out.

ENJOY!

The story was not bad overall, but there were a significant number of coincidences that occurred. This aspect made the plot seem a bit contrived at times. Additionally, the characters who were supposed to be in the spy business and dealing with nuclear weapons were portrayed as being very talkative and overly eager to explain things. This was a bit of an odd characterization as one would expect such individuals to be more secretive and less forthcoming with information. However, despite these minor flaws, it was still a good and interesting read. The story had enough twists and turns to keep the reader engaged and guessing until the end. The author did a good job of creating a sense of mystery and suspense, which added to the overall enjoyment of the book.

The story began with great promise, predominantly centering on Christine's perspective. She, while sailing alone, unknowingly rescues an assassin adrift in the middle of the Atlantic. Unlike the reader, she is completely unaware that a vessel carrying two nuclear warheads has been sunk.

However, I'm not precisely sure when the story transitioned from being a captivating page turner to a tiresome page skimmer that seemingly would never reach its conclusion. It might have been when I realized that the author had absolutely no knowledge about Israel. A peace treaty between the Palestinians and Israel in 2008? Seriously? And with the Likud party, which has always been firmly opposed to Palestinian statehood, in power, no less.

Perhaps it was the fact that no one involved in this book seemed to understand that men were required to serve three years in the army (women two years), which made this book so difficult to believe. So, we get to hear how our hero, David, was identified as a potential spy when he was 19 and in college and how he was ultimately trained in all kinds of weapons of war. In real Israel, he would already have been in his second year of military service. Even more absurd is the backstory of the antagonist, who we learn defied his wealthy father to enlist in the army when, in reality, he would have had no choice. It's as if the author simply assumed that life in Israel operates exactly like it does in the US.

It could have been when the realistic suspicion between Christine and David, two virtual strangers, inexplicably flipped into a love story for no apparent reason. Or maybe it was when Christine decided to turn a blind eye to all of David's illegal behavior, up to and including murder. Certainly, by the time we had a British Investigator involved, who spent page after page wrongly concluding what was happening while we followed the actual events, the book had firmly become a chore to read.

By the last third of the book, I was simply skimming, eager to see how it ended, and yet it still took an eternity to get through. And the end? It was most definitely not worth the effort.

Good Read

This book offers an interesting plot that keeps the reader engaged from start to finish. The hero is believable, with his flaws and strengths, making it easy for the reader to root for him. The author has provided enough details to bring the story to life without overwhelming the reader with excessive information. The blend of the girlfriend and the old Scotland Yard character is well done, adding depth and complexity to the story. Overall, this is a great read that leaves the reader looking forward to more by this author. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery or thriller.