Night of the Assassin (Assassin Series 4_prequel)

• Title Page
  
• Chapter 1
  
• Chapter 2
  
• Chapter 3
  
• Chapter 4
  
• Chapter 5
  
• Chapter 6
  
• Chapter 7
  
• Chapter 8
  
• Chapter 9
  
• Chapter 10
  
• Chapter 11
  
• Chapter 12
  
• Chapter 13
  
• Chapter 14
  
• Go to excerpt from King of Swords
  

Smashwords Edition
© 2011

Pu
blished by Russell Blake at Smashwords. Copyright
2011 by Russell Blake. All rights reserved. No part of this ebook may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law, or in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, contact
[email protected]
.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

For "
Fatal Exchange"

"Fatal Exchange is a page-turning roller coaster ride of action, adventure and thrills. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this presumably debut offering from Russell Blake. It's an awesome read. I couldn't put it down, and stayed up all night to finish it, no exaggeration. Six Stars, if they had that high a review! " Katherina J.

"This is a book that took me completely by surprise. I thought I'd give it a shot based on the Amazon description and 5 star reviews, and it quickly became a page turner I couldn't put down. The plot is complex, sort of like a Forsyth or Ludlum, and the characters are gripping. It's a real novel. Can't wait to see what Blake does next." Anthony M.

"A woman on the airplane sitting next to me was entranced with the book and recommended it to me, and I have to say it's a great read by a complete unknown. Kind of like caramel pop-corn in the guilty pleasure department. It tastes so good you don't want to stop munching. A must read for action or intrigue junkies." David A.

"Fatal Exchange is a gritty," edge of your seat" thriller by first time author Russell Blake. The author cleverly combines a well paced, CSI styled crime thriller, with a "no holds barred", plausible international conspiracy. The story centers around Tess, a spunky, misplaced bicycle messenger, tirelessly working the Manhattan courier, who becomes entangled in both conflicts. Set squarely in the sights of a elusive serial killer and pursued doggedly by a ruthless, clandestine interrogation/murder team, Tess weaves her way through both worlds, as everyone around her starts to fall victim to the two very different, yet equally deadly threats. Detective Ron Stanford is stuck in the middle both conspiracy. A youngish detective assigned to a "special homicide" investigative unit, he initially meets Tess through his investigation of a set of serial murders targeting bicycle messengers, and soon becomes enmeshed another set of bizarre murders popping up throughout the city, all linked to a mysterious transaction completed by Tess's father.
I can honestly say, that if I could find more books like Fatal Exchange, I would be left with absolutely no reason to read some of the "Brand" name authors on the market today." Steven K.

"I really enjoyed this book! Started it yesterday and have spent every spare moment finishing it today. This author is going on my fave list!" Tux

"My only regret about this book? Not purchasing it earlier. One of the best reads I've had this summer! I mean, where else can you find bike messengers, counterfeiters, and scalpers all in one book? I literally could NOT put it down, I was so drawn in... Waiting with baited breath for the next novel by Blake.... very impatiently I might add!" Amber N.

" This book is in a class by itself. The main plot of the book is exciting and scary (and maybe a little graphic). The pacing is fast, the descriptions are visceral and the twists are unexpected." Stacy K.

For
"How To Sell A Gazillion eBooks In No Time (even if drunk, high or incarcerated)"
:

“
How to Sell a Gazillion eBooks In a Year is by far the most important book ever written on any topic, although I exclude the Bible since the Bible wasn’t exactly written in the way we mean the word “written.” But other than that, Gazillion does it all. For everyone. A can’t miss, sure fire Gazillion hit-a-thon from the master of them all.”

- John Lescroart, NY Times bestselling author of over 20 novels, including The Vig, The 13th Juror, Treasure Hunt, Damage, Second Chair and a host of others

“…
a joyously vicious satire and parody that makes sport of John Locke, and indeed of the whole brave new world of self–publishing and self–promotion. If you don’t find Mr. Blake outrageous, and indeed offensive, you would seem to be missing the point. And the same thing goes if you only find him outrageous and offensive.”

- Lawrence Block, bestselling author of Telling Lies For Fun & Profit, The Liar’s Bible, A Drop Of The Hard Stuff, and Getting Off

“Anybody who’s ever read a self-help book will appreciate the cynical humor from the nimble mind of Russell Blake in this parody. Piercing sarcasm, the ability to turn a phrase into a missile and an impressive vocabulary (he makes up words if he doesn’t know an appropriate one – I’ve asked him, but still don’t know what a Gazillion is) combine into a book that is alternately rant, grovel, trash-talk and Bizarro-world counsel. Irreverent fun.”

–
David Lender, author of Trojan Horse, The Gravy Train and Bull Street

For "
The Geronimo Breach":

"The best thriller I've ever read. How often do you hear a review say that? Well. that's what I'm saying. Other reviews describing it as near perfection and incredibly well written aren't lying. Russell Blake is on par with the biggest names in the business. And I mean Grisham, Turrow, Ludlum, Forsyth, Brown. The plot is intricate and completely unexpected at every turn. Al Ross is a hateful, extremely well-written character with believable complexity and nuance, plunged into a global conspiracy nightmare he's ill-equipped to survive. Don't want to spoil the end, but it's a barn-burner. Overall, the best read ever."

jennifer989

"The artistry in this work as the brush strokes build layers, brings you to wonder if something like this could be true! That's the work of a true artist. Many works of fiction have a main character that is so scrubbed up that he no longer resembles a human male. No problems with this one. You start out despising him, then start to feel sorry for him, until finally you almost like him and wish him well - although that outcome seems unlikely, the way the story develops. This is almost a 'How to..' for budding writers. How to write without one word or one sentence that could be edited out! Tight narrative, great story, scary scenario. I almost never give five stars, but this has earned it!"

K. McDicken

"Russell Blake is fast becoming my favorite new author. Take an unlikely main character, a scarily probable conspiracy, a government run amok, cocaine dealers, commandos, whores, a burro, and a tightly meshed action/intrigue plot, and you have what to me is the most original thriller of the year. I don't want to spoil the ending but it completely blew me away, and how the suspense was sustained to the last few pages as a surprise was great. I loved Fatal Exchange and had tears of laughter running down my face for How to Sell A Gazillion Ebooks, and now spent a big chunk of my night reading till 4AM to get to the end of Geronimo Breach. Highest recommendation for a highly original and entertaining novel."

Semi-Used

"Okay, I'm from the other side of the pond (you can find most of my reviews and on the UK site) and I'm not a patient/forgiving reader if the writer confuses me or dawdles in their narrative. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself going along with the easy style and broad strokes of the narrative. The plot is very skilfully contrived but the real art I found was in the affinity I found myself unable to resist with the down-on-his-life main character, Al. I also love burros after following Al's steady transition as he encounters hurdle after hurdle. I laughed aloud in some scenes (I won't spoil it) when Al is, let's say...compromised. I loved the ending but also wished the story hadn't ended - so for that reason I'm taking the trouble to recommend it."

Write Into Print

About the Author

Russell Blake lives full time on the Pacific coast of Mexico. He is the acclaimed author of the thrillers:
Fatal Exchange
,
The Geronimo Breach
, the
Zero Sum
trilogy (
Kotov Syndrome
,
Focal Point
and
Checkmate
),
The Delphi Chronicle
trilogy (
The Manuscript, The Tortoise and the Hare, and Phoenix Rising
),
King of Swords
and
Night of the Assassin
.

Non-fiction novels include the international bestseller
An Angel With Fur
(animal biography) and
How To Sell A Gazillion eBooks (while drunk, high or incarcerated)
– a joyfully vicious parody of all things writing and self-publishing related.

“Capt.” Russell, 52, enjoys writing, fishing, playing with his dogs, collecting and sampling tequila, and waging an ongoing battle against world domination by clowns.

Night of the Assassin is a work of fiction. Any resemblance between the characters and real people, living or dead, is coincidental.

Night of the Assassin is the prequel to King of Swords, which chronicles the story of the super-assassin, “
El Rey
” and his plot to execute the presidents of the U.S. and Mexico at the G-20 summit in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. During the chaotic and breakneck writing of that epic tale, I was constantly struck by fleeting insights into the mind of the killer, some of which I captured in glowing detail in that tome. But even as I put King of Swords to bed, I couldn’t shake the sense of unfinished business. I’d go to sleep and have vivid dreams, and they were always the same – about the characters in my book. Specifically, they were about the assassin’s past. It was like a disease. I couldn’t stop thinking about him.

That’s unfamiliar to me, for the most part. I had the same general sense when I got done with Al, from The Geronimo Breach, but I had no compulsion to write another book about him, fascinating as his character was. I felt closure at the end of that work. I’d told Al’s story, as well as I could, and there wasn’t more I felt I could add. There were no more words that needed writing.

But I no sooner finished King of Swords than I started making notes for a prequel. Which is really the wrong way to go about it. I’m a simple man. When starting a story, I always like the ‘Once Upon A Time’ part at the beginning, and ‘The End’ at, well, the end. But that’s not how it panned out for me this time. I felt driven to write about the assassin some more, and to mine his background. What created a man who could dispassionately terminate people’s lives for a living? What drove him to do the unthinkable? Was he a monster in the traditional sense? Did he kick dogs or swerve to hit them in the road? Did he put his socks on before or after his underwear?

It was fascinating to me, because El Rey was alive in my head. You see, I knew the answers to the questions I was asking, for once in my life.

And so it came to pass that I have the opportunity to share with you what I gleaned from him.