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The Artisan
This thriller novel is filled with instances of dark and irreverent humor and purposefully pokes fun at things that are generally taken seriously.
Also, if you are someone who might be offended by an asexual, Machiavellian villain or a charming, metrosexual, serial-killer-like assassin, this is definitely not the book for you.
On the other hand, if you love an intricately woven plot with humor, over-the-top action, mystery, and suspense, then read on.
Here are the main players in our deliciously deadly
Dr. Rafaela Ramos - She's beautiful. She's the CIA's biochemical assassin. She thinks she’s untouchable.
Antonio Peloso - He's as bushy and hair-sprinkled as he is eccentric. Will his brilliant mind and Werther algorithm trap the much sought after Rafaela at last?
Gunter - The camera loves him almost as much as he nurtures and adores his razor sharp knives. Resplendently dressed in carefully sewn sequins, he pirouettes on video over his awestruck victims, while paving the way for Antonio's diabolical plan.
The
Beautiful biochemical assassin, Rafaela, works for the CIA making untraceable hits, wherein she infects targets with viruses that cause "natural" deaths.
Burnt out, she decides to take a few days off to help a fellow scientist do the more meaningful biochemistry she longs to someday embrace.
Little does she know, her colleague is unwittingly being used as bait. His request for her help is step one in luring her straight into a deadly web.
Also, if you are someone who might be offended by an asexual, Machiavellian villain or a charming, metrosexual, serial-killer-like assassin, this is definitely not the book for you.
On the other hand, if you love an intricately woven plot with humor, over-the-top action, mystery, and suspense, then read on.
Here are the main players in our deliciously deadly
Dr. Rafaela Ramos - She's beautiful. She's the CIA's biochemical assassin. She thinks she’s untouchable.
Antonio Peloso - He's as bushy and hair-sprinkled as he is eccentric. Will his brilliant mind and Werther algorithm trap the much sought after Rafaela at last?
Gunter - The camera loves him almost as much as he nurtures and adores his razor sharp knives. Resplendently dressed in carefully sewn sequins, he pirouettes on video over his awestruck victims, while paving the way for Antonio's diabolical plan.
The
Beautiful biochemical assassin, Rafaela, works for the CIA making untraceable hits, wherein she infects targets with viruses that cause "natural" deaths.
Burnt out, she decides to take a few days off to help a fellow scientist do the more meaningful biochemistry she longs to someday embrace.
Little does she know, her colleague is unwittingly being used as bait. His request for her help is step one in luring her straight into a deadly web.
171 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 8, 2014
About the author
Dyal Bailey
1 bookThree-year-old Dyal Bailey was sent home early from pre-school for reading aloud the picture book "How Babies Are Made" to her formerly uninformed classmates. This seemed to confirm her suspicion that books were powerful and reading them would give her access to that power.
As a teenager, she consumed two to three large bags of books every week, and although her mother supported her habit, Dyal was often in trouble for not answering her call to dinner. So consumed by what she was reading, the book had to be physically yanked from her hands before she would become alert and return to reality.
Having gobbled up books in every genre by the time she was a freshman at the University of Florida, she decided to sign up for a writing class. Sadly, her grandmother died and the funeral caused her to miss her first two classes. When she did appear, her professor had apparently experienced far too many dead grandmothers, and kicked her out of the class. But, as providence would have it, a sister in her (newly pledged) Chi Omega sorority saw Dyal crying in the hallway, and sent her to the university's Greek advisor for reassurance and class reassignment.
The advisor couldn't squeeze her into another writing class, but he did approve her transfer into "Opera Appreciation" with an older, yet enthusiastic professor. After the first notes of Bizet's Toreador Song came throbbing from his over-used speakers, she was hooked for life. Although she never did make it back into a college writing class, she continued to scribble her mental ramblings onto a plethora of notebooks.
It wasn't until the birth of the first son that she decided to take up writing seriously. Rather than sit in a classroom, she read forty-two books on creative writing and subscribed to Writer's Digest magazine. An encouraging article in that first issue suggested a good place to begin was by writing for trade and business magazines. This sounded wonderful.
She and her husband had for many years owned a successful restaurant, so she sat down and in a few hours wrote an article called "What Makes a Great Bartender". With little hope, but great alacrity, she sent it off to three different magazines.
And they all said yes!
Her writing journey continued from journalism to editing a newspaper, completing two novels, writing a humor column, publishing a humor book, and finally, screenwriting.
Soon discerning the chaff from the grain in that industry, she discovered Craig Kellem, script consultant extraordinaire. Craig and his daughter Judy Kellem taught Dyal how to master the screenplay form. She wrote three award-winning scripts in a year and a half.
Then something kept bugging her about one of her thriller screenplays. There were problems in the plot, but she couldn't sort them out for herself. Thankfully, she'd become friends with producer and screenwriter Paul J. Salamoff in Hollywood and asked him to help her out. He did and the finished product was amazing.
But Paul wasn't satisfied.
Calling her one day, he said, "This needs to be a novel. It reads like a novel. There's just so much there. And your title isn't quite right."
Dyal agreed.
So Paul came up with the new name "The Artisan" and six months later, the first book in Dyal's Artistic Assassin Series was completed and published.
Dyal and her husband Craig (with the five of their seven children who are still at home) live on Thurmond Lake near Augusta, Georgia. When she isn't handling the marketing for their two oyster bars, she enjoys traveling abroad, and reading anything and everything on her Kindle.
As a teenager, she consumed two to three large bags of books every week, and although her mother supported her habit, Dyal was often in trouble for not answering her call to dinner. So consumed by what she was reading, the book had to be physically yanked from her hands before she would become alert and return to reality.
Having gobbled up books in every genre by the time she was a freshman at the University of Florida, she decided to sign up for a writing class. Sadly, her grandmother died and the funeral caused her to miss her first two classes. When she did appear, her professor had apparently experienced far too many dead grandmothers, and kicked her out of the class. But, as providence would have it, a sister in her (newly pledged) Chi Omega sorority saw Dyal crying in the hallway, and sent her to the university's Greek advisor for reassurance and class reassignment.
The advisor couldn't squeeze her into another writing class, but he did approve her transfer into "Opera Appreciation" with an older, yet enthusiastic professor. After the first notes of Bizet's Toreador Song came throbbing from his over-used speakers, she was hooked for life. Although she never did make it back into a college writing class, she continued to scribble her mental ramblings onto a plethora of notebooks.
It wasn't until the birth of the first son that she decided to take up writing seriously. Rather than sit in a classroom, she read forty-two books on creative writing and subscribed to Writer's Digest magazine. An encouraging article in that first issue suggested a good place to begin was by writing for trade and business magazines. This sounded wonderful.
She and her husband had for many years owned a successful restaurant, so she sat down and in a few hours wrote an article called "What Makes a Great Bartender". With little hope, but great alacrity, she sent it off to three different magazines.
And they all said yes!
Her writing journey continued from journalism to editing a newspaper, completing two novels, writing a humor column, publishing a humor book, and finally, screenwriting.
Soon discerning the chaff from the grain in that industry, she discovered Craig Kellem, script consultant extraordinaire. Craig and his daughter Judy Kellem taught Dyal how to master the screenplay form. She wrote three award-winning scripts in a year and a half.
Then something kept bugging her about one of her thriller screenplays. There were problems in the plot, but she couldn't sort them out for herself. Thankfully, she'd become friends with producer and screenwriter Paul J. Salamoff in Hollywood and asked him to help her out. He did and the finished product was amazing.
But Paul wasn't satisfied.
Calling her one day, he said, "This needs to be a novel. It reads like a novel. There's just so much there. And your title isn't quite right."
Dyal agreed.
So Paul came up with the new name "The Artisan" and six months later, the first book in Dyal's Artistic Assassin Series was completed and published.
Dyal and her husband Craig (with the five of their seven children who are still at home) live on Thurmond Lake near Augusta, Georgia. When she isn't handling the marketing for their two oyster bars, she enjoys traveling abroad, and reading anything and everything on her Kindle.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 5, 2016
I am very impressed with this book. I was sucked into the story line from the beginning, and I was pleased with the unforeseen plot twists. "The Artisan" kept me guessing and held my attention throughout the entire novel. The characters were strong and the dialog was well written. My favorite character is Rafaela, who is a force to be reckoned with! I enjoyed the added humor undertones, which broke up the seriousness of the story. I highly recommend this excellent thriller.
April 26, 2014
I hope this review will allow many of you to understand the sheer awesomeness of this book,i absolutely loved every single second of it it drew many questions in my mind that just made this book an absolute page turner the main character is so well developed and dark it makes his journey even more intriguing i promise you wont be able to stop reading this book its truly a GOOD READ!
May 7, 2014
I really enjoyed reading this spy thriller from cover-to-cover. It reminded me of the TV show Alias with Jennifer Garner, but with all the juicy details instead of commercials. The lead character Rafaela was everything I expected from a CIA biochemical assassin... ultra-smart, smokin' hot and quite deadly. From the first chapter, this character makes a forceful impression, and the author keeps the momentum going all the way to the end.
The author "Dyal Bailey" does a superb job of keeping the mystery and suspense story-line believable, the plot thickens appropriately, progresses naturally and doesn't seem forced or shoe-horned into a climatic end. The supporting characters seem to fit well with the lead. From her on-again-off-again lover Micah, to the evil genius Antonio Peloso with his evil plans. And then there is Gunter.
The character Gunter is who I found most fascinating. The way the author describes this character and his mannerisms paints a superb picture of a psychopath hit-man with way to much money. Gunter also has the time, the reputation and the means to satisfy his delight in killing. Gunter isn't the usual hit-man though. He has quite a fetish in how he kills. No spoiler here, you'll have to read the book. I think you'll totally enjoy it. It's one of the top thrillers I've read in a while.
The author "Dyal Bailey" does a superb job of keeping the mystery and suspense story-line believable, the plot thickens appropriately, progresses naturally and doesn't seem forced or shoe-horned into a climatic end. The supporting characters seem to fit well with the lead. From her on-again-off-again lover Micah, to the evil genius Antonio Peloso with his evil plans. And then there is Gunter.
The character Gunter is who I found most fascinating. The way the author describes this character and his mannerisms paints a superb picture of a psychopath hit-man with way to much money. Gunter also has the time, the reputation and the means to satisfy his delight in killing. Gunter isn't the usual hit-man though. He has quite a fetish in how he kills. No spoiler here, you'll have to read the book. I think you'll totally enjoy it. It's one of the top thrillers I've read in a while.
April 30, 2014
I am not a huge fan of crime dramas, but this new release by Dyal Bailey was so well written and so full of suspense, I couldn’t put it down. Definitely an exciting new best thriller I’m so glad I didn’t pass up.
For me, it was the amazing cast of characters that kept me reading so intently. Rafaela is a dynamic character with so many intriguing layers you’re never quite sure what she’ll do next. She’s a strong willed, defiant woman who can totally take care of herself, but she is also believable as a woman who is sometimes vulnerable. Her relationship with Micah offers just the right amount of romance balanced with a little bittersweet heartache.
And sequin wearing Gunter is truly an amazing, imaginative creation! A serial killer you can’t help but adore and kinda wish you were best friends with? What’s not to love about that?
A wonderful mixture of intrigue, interesting plot twists and humor, The Artisan comes highly recommended. I am looking forward to discovering what comes next from Dyal Bailey.
For me, it was the amazing cast of characters that kept me reading so intently. Rafaela is a dynamic character with so many intriguing layers you’re never quite sure what she’ll do next. She’s a strong willed, defiant woman who can totally take care of herself, but she is also believable as a woman who is sometimes vulnerable. Her relationship with Micah offers just the right amount of romance balanced with a little bittersweet heartache.
And sequin wearing Gunter is truly an amazing, imaginative creation! A serial killer you can’t help but adore and kinda wish you were best friends with? What’s not to love about that?
A wonderful mixture of intrigue, interesting plot twists and humor, The Artisan comes highly recommended. I am looking forward to discovering what comes next from Dyal Bailey.
August 14, 2016
The Artisan gets off to a quick start and definitely keeps up the pace all the way through. It unfolds seamlessly, which is clever writing and helps keep up the tension. There's a real sense of place as well with all the different locations as any thriller should but these are very natural and I got a real sense of the airport, the metrosexual New York apartment and cities across the USA.
Rafaela is a great character. Intellect and action all at once, equally put down and exalted. Gunter is terrifying, all the more so for being witty and weirdly charming. There are many minor characters that still feel just as important and well rounded that it is easy to become fond of. Their interactions are great and despite the dramatic events it still feels like these are real people, it's very natural and I was genuinely afraid for them all - I had become really invested really quickly.
Rafaela is a great character. Intellect and action all at once, equally put down and exalted. Gunter is terrifying, all the more so for being witty and weirdly charming. There are many minor characters that still feel just as important and well rounded that it is easy to become fond of. Their interactions are great and despite the dramatic events it still feels like these are real people, it's very natural and I was genuinely afraid for them all - I had become really invested really quickly.
August 13, 2016
Dyal Bailey delivers an awesome spy thriller in “The Artisan.” Featuring an exquisitely beautiful, but deadly CIA biochemical assassin as its central character, this riveting book grabs the reader’s attention rather forcefully in the first chapter and keeps it till the end.
Bailey’s impressive storytelling skills are what make this book an incredibly engaging read for fans of books of this genre. They will definitely enjoy sensing the plot thicken gradually while they gradually learn more about the femme fatale and the people in her life. I suspect that just as I did they will also marvel at the author’s use of rich social contexts to support and anchor the story and its actors.
I don’t want to give away the story in this review. So, let me just end this review by saying that I highly recommend “The Artisan.”
Bailey’s impressive storytelling skills are what make this book an incredibly engaging read for fans of books of this genre. They will definitely enjoy sensing the plot thicken gradually while they gradually learn more about the femme fatale and the people in her life. I suspect that just as I did they will also marvel at the author’s use of rich social contexts to support and anchor the story and its actors.
I don’t want to give away the story in this review. So, let me just end this review by saying that I highly recommend “The Artisan.”
August 3, 2016
Love Thrillers? I would say surely go for this one! Writer surely comes with a refreshing thriller! Thriller is written as such that it catches and hooks you up within matter of minutes. Story is structured to engage you at different levels of your emotions with a touch of fun while on the other hand a touch of curiosity to jump pages to know what's next :-) . I found it fast paced or I would say enjoyably engaging paced!
Characters are created well and defined well. Language is simple to follow. There is enough details to feel you are walking with the characters while it ensures that there are no drags anywhere. Worth the thrill!
Characters are created well and defined well. Language is simple to follow. There is enough details to feel you are walking with the characters while it ensures that there are no drags anywhere. Worth the thrill!
May 14, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfection!!, May 14, 2014
By
The Book Queen "Stephanie Tate Jackson" (Clarksville, TN) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Artisan: An Artistic Assassin Thriller (Kindle Edition)
I loved The Artisan: an Artistic Assassin Thrill. It was very exciting and faced paced the was literally no lag time or filler, at all.There was always something going on, and I I can't tell you why, but her writing style puts me in mind of Stephen King, which isn't a bad thing because hes my favorite authror. Now Dyal Bailey has a new fan too!
By
The Book Queen "Stephanie Tate Jackson" (Clarksville, TN) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Artisan: An Artistic Assassin Thriller (Kindle Edition)
I loved The Artisan: an Artistic Assassin Thrill. It was very exciting and faced paced the was literally no lag time or filler, at all.There was always something going on, and I I can't tell you why, but her writing style puts me in mind of Stephen King, which isn't a bad thing because hes my favorite authror. Now Dyal Bailey has a new fan too!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews