“So let’s get down to it. Who do you want me to kill?” — David Slaton in “Assassin’s Strike”
For the second year in a row, I've had the privilege to be able to read an advance copy of thriller writer Ward Larsen’s latest tome. This year’s entry is titled “Assassin’s Strike” and it is the seventh novel in his David Slaton series.
When I reviewed “Assassin’s Revenge” in 2019 (click here to read my review), it marked the first time I had tried one of Larsen’s books.
I described Larsen’s prose as “razor sharp” in that review. The author’s crisp writing skills are also on display in “Assassin’s Strike.”
“Assassin’s Strike” finds former Mossad kidon (assassin) Slaton tasked with a mission to extract Ludmilla Kravchuk, an interpreter with the Russian foreign ministry. As the story begins, she is tasked as an interpreter for Russian President Petrov.
Kravchuk hears some disturbing information during Petrov’s summit with Iranian President Ahmed Rahmani in Damascus, Syria.
A series of events at the hotel where she is staying sets into motion some life-changing choices for the unwary interpreter. Afraid for her life, she contacts the Czech embassy (the point of contact for the United States in Syria) telling them she information to impart.
That’s where our hero comes in.
“So you want me to go in, snatch a woman out of central Damascus,” Slaton tells CIA handler Anna Sorensen, “then make a run for the nearest border.”
Slaton is a family man working on a sense of normalcy on his Idaho ranch (his wife Christine and son Davy were featured in 2019’s “Assassin’s Revenge”). Like others in the genre before him, Slaton follows the classic espionage trope of agents getting lured back into the game.
The story globe trots through a number of exotic locales — Syria, Uruguay, Israel, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia. At the core of the story is a mysterious antagonist known as “Sultan.”
Ward used to be a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. For those of you who have read previous reviews, you’ll know that I have a love for military aircraft — an interest that was encouraged when I was a kid.
Ward likes to include those sorts of aircraft in his novels. “Assassin’s Strike” features the BAe Hawk. Whenever I see an aircraft mentioned in a novel, I typically pull out my worn copy of “Jane’s World Aircraft Recognition Handbook.”
The Hawk (which originated in the United Kingdom) was first flown in 1974 and has been exported all over the world to places like Finland, Indonesia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. It has been used in the intervening decades by various air forces around the world as a trainer.
Sprinkling in tools of the trade helps create a sense of authenticity in Larsen’s novels.
As much as those details add a sense of verisimilitude in his books, it is the small, oddball moments in espionage novels that often stick out to me.
One of those small moments is a scene in the novel where Slaton is having a discussion with former Mossad compatriot Anton Bloch in a small cafeteria. The mention of the “thick steak” and “potatoes Lyonnaise” in the sequence has stuck with me the past couple of days.
“The cattle are grass fed and free range, whatever the hell that means,” Bloch tells Slaton of the steak.
I’m not sure why those things stand out to me in novels of this nature. Maybe I was just hungry when I read that passage.
Regardless, those moments help add depth and dimension to a story. I’m always happy when authors toss them into the mix.
“Assassin’s Strike” is an entertaining entry in Larsen’s David Slaton series. While Slaton has been compared in literary circles to famous protagonists like Ludlum’s Jason Bourne and Silva’s Gabriel Allon, Larsen has managed to set the character on a unique path all his own.
I’m glad I’ve gotten to know the novels of Ward Larsen over the past two summers. If you like to journey through interesting voices in the spy genre, Larsen’s books are worth the trip.
To learn more about Ward Larsen, visit his website at www.wardlarsen.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment