What do you think?
Rate this book
The Failed Assassin
For Over-18s only. He's running away from Thatcher's England; she's determined to save Eastern Europe from war. They meet on the Milan to Rome train. She seduces him, promises him a sexual adventure free of emotional ties. When they get to Rome she inadvertently lets slip some of her past, an uncomfortable truth. Tempted by her beauty and by promises of sexual adventure, he journeys through Italy with her, until, after a night of unparalleled passion in Pompeii, she disappears. When they meet again in Dubrovnik a year later, she finally reveals her past, and the one thing she must do to stop a civil war in Yugoslavia. Obsessed, he pledges to help her, with potentially disastrous consequences. ""An excellent erotic thriller ... racy, pacey and full of suspense."" Andre Mangeot, author of True North, and A Little Javanese, both published by Salt Publishing.
280 pages, Paperback
First published October 31, 2013
5 people want to read
About the author
Richard Pierce
5 books41 followersRichard Pierce is a writer, poet, painter, and broadcaster.
He lives in Norwich.
His debut novel, DEAD MEN, was nominated for The Guardian First Book Award.
He lives in Norwich.
His debut novel, DEAD MEN, was nominated for The Guardian First Book Award.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 3, 2015
Okay, first of all, there's a lot of sex in this book. I mean, I don't want to be a prude, but honestly, pick a page at random and I'm pretty sure our main characters are doing something that borders on criminal to each other. It's almost inhuman. 50 Shades of WHAT?!
In between all that is a slowly unfolding story that almost makes you want to skip over the sexy stuff ... well, maybe. The two main characters are quite flawed, but gradually fleshed out as the author slowly takes the story from what feels like a romantic European travel guide (okay, Larry Flint's European travel guide anyway) towards a mystery/thriller with international implications ... oh, and sex.
The caveat here is, once this book really starts to pull you in -- and it will at some point -- it's a sprint to the finish. I can't say that I was overly sympathetic towards either main character, but by the time I reached the final quarter of the book, I was fully invested in them and just wanted to see where they ended up in their progression. (Small issue with this: I ended up finishing that last quarter of the book at the office ... did I mention there was a lot of sex?)
Basically, I really wasn't sure if I wanted a happy ending or a sad ending for those two crazy kids; I just wanted to know HOW they ended. (FYI-- In reflection, Mr. Pierce gave us really the only appropriate ending that these characters could have had.)
Go ahead. You'll feel a little dirty afterwards, but it's well worth it.
In between all that is a slowly unfolding story that almost makes you want to skip over the sexy stuff ... well, maybe. The two main characters are quite flawed, but gradually fleshed out as the author slowly takes the story from what feels like a romantic European travel guide (okay, Larry Flint's European travel guide anyway) towards a mystery/thriller with international implications ... oh, and sex.
The caveat here is, once this book really starts to pull you in -- and it will at some point -- it's a sprint to the finish. I can't say that I was overly sympathetic towards either main character, but by the time I reached the final quarter of the book, I was fully invested in them and just wanted to see where they ended up in their progression. (Small issue with this: I ended up finishing that last quarter of the book at the office ... did I mention there was a lot of sex?)
Basically, I really wasn't sure if I wanted a happy ending or a sad ending for those two crazy kids; I just wanted to know HOW they ended. (FYI-- In reflection, Mr. Pierce gave us really the only appropriate ending that these characters could have had.)
Go ahead. You'll feel a little dirty afterwards, but it's well worth it.
Displaying 1 of 1 review