Assassin's Code: A David Slaton Novel

David Slaton #4

by Ward Larsen

David Slaton, the perfect assassin, returns for another adrenaline-packed adventure by USA Today bestselling author Ward Larsen

Former assassin David Slaton discovers a cryptic on a memory stick, a photograph of the man who will soon assume command of DGSI, France’s elite counterterrorism force. With the country reeling under a wave of ISIS attacks, Zavier Baland will be trusted to make the Republic safe again. The problem—Slaton has seen Baland’s face before. He is Ali Samir, a terrorist Slaton is certain he killed fifteen years earlier. Unable to reconcile these facts, he heads west to investigate.Thousands of miles away, ISIS’s chief information officer tries to keep networks running amid crumbling infrastructure. With the caliphate’s very survival at stake, the leadership commits to a last-ditch France must be attacked on a massive scale, forcing the West into the battle of the Apocalypse.

Slaton keeps a breakneck pace, traveling from Tel Aviv to Paris and farther, each step uncovering both new threats and new opportunities. A small band of jihadists navigates the Baltic in a hijacked boat, steering toward a strike that will bring France to her knees. On the third side of a devil’s triangle, France’s incoming counterterrorism chief prepares a labyrinthine plot of his own. Only one man is in a position to stop the gathering storm.

David Slaton—the perfect assassin.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Action, Espionage, Suspense, Mystery Thriller

368 pages, Paperback

First published August 22, 2017

About the author

Ward Larsen is the USA Today bestselling author of espionage thrillers. A seven-time winner of the Florida Book Award, his first novel, The Perfect Assassin, has been optioned for film by Amber Entertainment.
A former Air Force fighter pilot, he has also served as an airline captain, and is a trained aircraft accident investigator.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[ij · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I killed him fifteen years ago.”

Assassin’s Code is the fourth book in the David Slaton series. The author Ward Larsen is a former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and a former law enforcement officer. David Slaton is a former Mossad assassin or kidon.

David now works as a stone mason. He and his wife Christine, a physician, and their toddler son Davy now reside on their 44 foot sailboat, christened Windsom II, which is now moored in the Philippines. They have been leisurely sailing the world both working when they can, even though they don’t need to work.

David is drawn to the Esperanzo, an old U.S. Navy minesweeper that was gifted to the Philippines. The Esperanzo was intentionally run aground and is in a state of disrepair. Christine has said a fisherman is missing and no one has been able to board his boat to investigate. She found this out from a woman she met at a playground with Davy. David has warned her not to talk to people she does not know, but she is upset because the woman said the fisherman is her husband. David finds the fisherman’s boat tied to the Esperanzo and boards the old ship to investigate.

David did not find the fisherman, but he was attacked on the Esperanzo by four men. David survives the attack and gets away with a flash drive he finds in one of his attackers pocket. Ironically the flash drive has his name on it. Later, on the flash drive later David sees a Frenchman who he knows he dispatched fifteen year ago. The man’s name is Zavier Baland and he is a fast rising official in the French Government. Fifteen year ago David knew him as Samir, a Hamas lieutenant.

David wants to find out what is going on and how could this man still be alive. So David heads off to Tel Aviv to meet his old boss Anton Bloch, a retired director of Mossad. In the meantime, Zavier Baland is supposedly trying to find those responsible for a recent bombing in Paris.

In the story we see inside an ISIS data center where they are directing the attack on Paris. It is amazingly sophisticated considering the poor equipment and building that they are set up in. But, they have dedicated workers for their cause. Uday the chief information officer reports to Chadeh the number two man, in ISIS. Chadeh also has Malika as an asset deployed to Paris. She is very efficient and has recruited a French official who she is blackmailing to help her.

A lot of twists and turns to find out if David missed killing Samir, who Zavier Baland really is and to stop a barrage of attacks planned in Paris.

Great read. A lot of action.

[Terence M - [Quot libros, quam breve tempus!] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook - 13:16 Hours - Narrator: P. J. Ochlan

4.0 Stars out of 5.0 - "I really liked it"

From my "reading progress":
"Assassin's Code" is #4 in Ward Larsen's "David Slaton - Assassin" series. It has been a really enjoyable read listen and I will definitely check out other books in this series.

Brief review of the audiobook:
Attractive attributes of this fast-rolling action novel include the author's credibility and the plausibility of the plot and storyline. The author spent seven years in the military, and now is a current airline captain as well as a successful writer. His technical knowledge and experience add a positive feel to the novel without bogging it down in too much detail.

Our protagonist is "David Slaton" and he is a member of Mossad's "Kidon" special ops unit.* He is drawn out of an idyllic retirement (isn't this always the case?) to resolve problems related to one of his earlier assassination projects.

P. J. Ochlan did a great job as the narrator of "Assassin's Code", with a good variety of pretty credible accents and vocal characterisations. His "Aussie" and "Kiwi" (NZ) accents were fairly close to acceptable, which is a compliment, not a criticism, and while I am unable to make comparative judgements about his multiple "French" and, shall we say, "Middle Eastern" accents, his renditions were readily acceptable in the context of this pacy, action-filled novel.

*"Mossad’s Kidon (Hebrew: כידון‎, bayonet or “tip of the spear”), one of the most capable and lethal special ops units on the face of the planet, suspected of being behind a number of successful assassination campaigns in Israel history." - Spec Ops Magazine - https://special-ops.org/4395/mossads-...

[Skip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ex-Mossad assassin David Slaton is laying low with his wife and son when he is pulled back into the game by an assassination squad, with the sole clue being the name of a rising star in the French counterterrorism unit (Xavier Boland.) Meanwhile, a suicide bomber kills many in the sleepy town of Grenoble, dispatched by an unknown woman, with her own personal agenda. After seeing Boland, Slaton is sure he is an Arab terrorist he killed many years ago miraculously returned from the dead. Boland claims to be a twin sent to France while his brother was radicalized. However, Boland is playing a dangerous game with his handler, her bosses, and Slaton. The showdown at the end is pretty cool. Decent thriller, but should have been shorter and in the critical meeting with Boland's mother, someone should have caught that she served coffee before offering a second cup of tea.

[Abibliofob · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Slaton is found again! Assassin's Code by Ward Larsen is the fourth book about ex Kidon Slaton now on a permanent cruise with his family, when he is found and have to go to France to sort things out. I really liked the plot in this book but I still wonder how they found him, again. I will continue reading this series although I find it a little repetitive. There were some really good thrills and action sequences and I really like the recurring stone mason stuff. It's good entertainment.

[Kathi Defranc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting , fast-paced thriller taking you to Syria,Paris and out to sea as our Kid on, David Slaton, gets creative to deal with a man he thought he killed 15 years ago...

Slaton thought he killed Ali Samir years ago, but some men on an old ship gain his attention, tearing him away from wedded bliss with Christine and his son Davey. He has to deal with them as they attack, and after finds a photo showing Ali posing as Zavier Baland, high up in the French anti-terrorism division. Fearing that his family has been found, and needing his wife and son to be safe Slaton heads to Paris to deal with this new problem. Using his old boss, who was the man in charge of Mossad, plans are made to destroy this new threat. As he realizes what is going on, ISIS is attacking and terrorizing much of Europe. Keeping a frenetic pace, and using the wisdom he has gained as a top assassin, Slaton sets about making his world safe. The twists and turns change his focus, but his calculations prove very intelligent as he tries to keep all around him calm and serene.
A wonderful fourth book in this intense series, all can be read as standalone but knowing some background by reading the whole series makes each book more compellingly! Great characters with super plots, all written so you could be reading a real situation happening today! Author Ward Larsen continues to impress with his words, love this series!

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's kinda amazing how many people know that David Slaton is still alive, despite faking his death twice. Slaton and his family are living life on a sailboat, allegedly off the radar, yet once again a small group of men arrive to kill him.

Not as good as the previous couple, the first two thirds actually quite slow. Luckily the last third is good enough for me to continue the series.

[Michael L Wilkerson (Papa Gray Wolf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Slaton is an improbable individual that Larsen makes quite believable. He survives by his wits and his talent and procedures learned as a kidon in both training and then in the field. All of that makes for some great action, reasonable, not so much over the top as some action heroes.

Some authors can write love scenes, some cannot. Larsen is one of those who can write a love scene complete with sex, subtle, not graphic but you certainly know what's going on. Others are quite graphic such as Anne Rice who would make Anais Nin proud. Others make sex seem silly. I think the first two make for good reading; the last, not so much. Why do I mention this? Just because.

Slaton, unlike so many action figures, doesn't hop from bed to bed nor succumb to feminine wiles. (Oh those terrible women seducing us poor, defenseless males. Don't you feel sorry for us?) David is married, finding a second chance at a life with wife and child, his first having been lost in a bomb attack on a bus in Israel.

Larsen has become one of my favorite authors. (Don't get too big of a head, Ward, it's a pretty big list.) In spite of my last Larsen book, the just read Stealing Trinity which I wasn't that enamored of, his books keep me interested, wanting to know what happens on the next page and when that last page is read, wanting more.

One of the things I appreciate in this book is that Larsen doesn't use stereotypes to condemn a particular race or religion. His bad guys vary as do his good guys. But whomever the good guys are, whomever the bad guys are, Larsen makes it interesting.

If you enjoy your action heroes as maybe a cross between Bond and Rapp, you should enjoy this series. More cerebral than a straight action novel but with more than enough action, not to mention suspense, than novels that rely on action alone or even primarily. Don't believe me? Read the book.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Satisfying read. Worth 4.5 but not 5 due to length of the book. Needed a little better editing. Would definitely recommend to readers.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

King of twists and turns!

Ward Larson delivers another heart pounding, mind-boggling, world class thriller! I love Larson’s writing because I can never guess where it is going. He can take a story, and lead the reader on the most nail-biting adventure. I can not recommend the David Slaton series enough!

[Phillip III · Rating 5 out of 5]

So here is what happened. I received a copy of ASSASSIN'S CODE from the publisher so I could write a review. I hate jumping in to the middle of a series. This, being the fourth book in the David Slaton series, I did the only thing an avid reader could do. I went back and read the first three books first. Do you have to do that? No. Each Slaton novel seems to be a solid stand-alone. However, there is some history that carries over from book to book. Would I recommend starting at book one, and working your way up to book four, I would. But that is me.

I enjoyed ASSASSIN'S CODE very much. It might be my favorite in the series. Like the others, it is an international spy thriller. David Slaton, retired assassin for Mossad, Israeli Intelligence Agency, lives with his wife on a boat, off the grid. Being set-up, Slade investigates a suspicious stranded vessel. Inside he finds a current photograph of Ali Samir. A terrorist, and a man Slade assassinated nearly fifteen years ago.

Now, Ali is back. He is going by the name Zavier Baland and is a heartbeat away from becoming the director of the DGSI, the French Counterterrorism division. Old wrongs need to be righted. Using his old contacts, Slade works with the only people he can trust putting together a plan to take Baland (Samir) out once and for all!

To make matters work ISIS is in the midst of launching multiple terrorist attacks across Europe. The main terrorist, a young woman, appears to be working more as an independent agent for ISIS with a personal vendetta in her plans of attack. Naturally, those plans involve the murder of David Slaton.

Intense plotting, and calculated action throw David Slaton back into the mix. Old work habits never die. In a race to stop Baland before he becomes director, thwarting planned terrorist attacks, and staying alive are all on Slaton's agenda. Ward Larsen has outdone himself. I can't get over the complexity of the storyline --but how easy Larsen makes it flow. This is perhaps one of my most favorite spy series ever, right up there with Ludlum's Bourne, and Clancy's Ryan books.

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire series,
and the Vaccination Trilogy

[Jessica Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced, suspenseful, and thoughtful! My favorite kind of story.

Former Mossad assassin David Slaton has been off the grid in the Philippines for eight months with his wife and son. When his wife is approached by a young mother scared for her missing husband, David agrees to go out to an abandoned government vessel to search for him. Instead of a missing man, he finds for armed French Nationals intent of killing him. After eliminating all threats, David finds a flash drive with his name on it in the pocket of one of the thugs. What he finds is unexpected, a photo of Zavier Baland, the deputy direction of France’s antiterrorism division. Only one problem enters his mind, he killed this man fifteen years ago by the name of Ali Samir.

This book was a fast paced cat and mouse game where part of the time the reader is sure who the cat and the mouse are. Although it is the fourth in a series, it has no problem being read as a standalone. There is some history between a few of the characters, but it still plays out really well. David Slaton is a very clever and shrewd character, but to be a Mossad assassin and still alive, I suppose that you would have to. It reminds me of watching a Jason Bourne movie and watching the main character’s plan unfold out before your eyes. I will definitely be on the lookout for future books in this series. Might even have to go back and read some of the previous installments as well. Good clean stories are getting harder to find, but if you like a good spy novel that will leave you second guessing throughout, this is the series for you!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

[Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable and set at a frenetic pace that takes you to the heart of Syria and the centre of Paris, the Assassin’s Code is my first experience of David Slaton and one I look forward to visiting again in the near future.

Incredibly atmospheric and strong in characterisation the author sets the scene with a strong foundation while Slaton and his family are as far away from civilisation as they possibly can, hiding. Not far enough however as technology, or the use of, catches up with the former assassin and it places Slaton, his wife and child in imminent danger. Something has to happen and it certainly does.

Slaton travels to Paris and finds himself bang in the middle of an international incident. The story moves along rapidly as we follow three main characters. All three arcs come together in a fitting climax and an intriguing finale. Very well thought out and explained.

I can only imagine the back story from the first few novels but it didn’t once hold me back from enjoying the latest novel but I’d certainly read them if I had the chance. Excellent thriller writing and a little action and deadly force thrown in for good measure!

[Tom Tischler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Former assassin David Slaton discovers a cryptic message on a memory stick, a
photograph of the man who will soon assume command of DGSI, France's elite
counterterrorism force. The country is reeling under a wave of attacks and Zavier
Baland will be trusted to make the republic safe again. The problem is that Slaton has
seen Baland's face before. He is Ali Samir a terrorist that Slaton is certain he killed 15
years earlier. Thousands of miles away the chief information officer of ISIS is trying to
keep everything running amid crumbling infrastructure. With the caliphates survival at
stake it's leadership commits to a last gambit. France must be attacked on a massive
scale forcing the West into the battle of the Apocalypse. Slaton sets a breakneck pace
traveling to Tel Aviv, Paris and the deserts of Syria. In the end he uncovers a plot and
one only he can stop. This is book 4 in the David Slaton series and I thought that it was
every bit as good as the other 3. I gave it a 4.

[Margo Allore · Rating 3 out of 5]

A David Slaton novel. Slaton, a former Israeli assassin, who is now living on a boat with his family in the Philippines, discovers a memory stick with a photo of a man that Slaton had killed 15 years' ago. Now this man is one of the top in the French counter-terrorism organization. How could this be?

Also there is the story of Uday, who is the Chief Information Officer of ISIS is trying to keep the Caliphate's crumbling IT infrastructure in place as the Caliphate is planning many attacks in France. Uday is very much doubting the aims of ISIS these days.

The book is at breakneck speed as the main character (Slaton) goes from the Far East, to Tel Aviv, to Paris, to Syria, back to Israel and then back to Paris in the space of about a week. He is to save the day from ISIS.

That is why I gave it a 3....it was just too implausible!!!! Maybe a few of the extraordinary escapes - yes - but not all!!! But the book did keep me reading as I wanted to see how it all came together.

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 4th Ward Larsen novel involving former Mossad 'kidon" David Slaton. In this story, David has once again returned home to his wife and young son and is spending his life on a yacht harbored in the Philippines. An incident happens where he is attacked while exploring an old abandoned ship. He finds evidence that the attackers were sent to kill him. A picture of the new assistant chief of the French equivilent of the FBI. He recognizes the man in the picture as an Arab terrorist he had assassinated years ago. Thus, he knows he must head to Europe to take care of this threat to him and his family. With the aid of Mossad and his previous boss, David begins yet another exciting adventure.
Larsen continues to create believable characters with personality. He ranks near the top of espionage-thriller authors.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than most in this genre. David Slaton, retired Israeli assassin, is peacefully cruising the Pacific with his wife and child. When a threat to his family arises, linked to an assassination attempt which may not have been successful, he rejoins his friends in Israel's Mossad section to fight back. I liked the David Slaton character, who has intelligence and wit depth, and frequently uses his intelligence rather than brute strength. The story moved at a good pace, had some twists and turns that kept me on my toes and didn't seem forced. One of the bad guys had a complicated life story that initially made him interesting, but by the end of the book, he was just another typical bad dude. Secondary characters were thinly drawn. The dialogue was thoughtful and there was just the right amount (for me, at least) of guns and travelogue, mostly in Paris.

[Rod Gregg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Larsen, by now, has a handle on what it means to be an assassin, a man, a husband, father, an Israeli patriot. While minding his own business, Slaton's past found him, which seems to be a common theme in the lives of, well, assassins. David learns that a heinous terrorist that he killed years before is still alive. But it's impossible because he saw his bullet hit. He saw the blood. It was a fatal shot. No doubt. But, here he is, on meteoric path to become the director of the DGSI, France's Counterterrorism organization. Slaton is compelled to figure it out and finds himself back in the middle of the shit, once again. As always, Slaton works backward from the desired result of the plan to the steps in the plan, back to front until he is able to find himself back with his family on his power sail lost in the world once again.

[David C Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a good entry in the international terrorist hunt genre. There is the usual running around all over the world (as usual no one gets tired or even eats) but the plot is multilayered with the layers hiding other deceptions. Less than 4 stars though because the resolution is completely implausible: not just the sniper and counter sniper shots (both are ridiculous) but that French intelligence (especially during a state of emergency) would have a public ceremony in a famous spot to install a new head of state security.

[Alex Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually found Ward Larsen by accident and I am incredibly glad that I did. I have yet to be disappointed by any of Larsen’s work. I started the David Slaton series on book #2, then jumped to book #4, and I really have not felt lost at all.

Assassin’s Code, in particular, has plenty of twists and turns and will absolutely leave you on the edge of your seat (or whatever you are sitting on). Larsen has a way of putting you, the reader, in the setting of the book with his impeccable detail and style of writing. The only issue I have with this book is that it ended eventually!

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Slaton gets lured back into action again...this time he's with his family in the far eastern Pacific on an extended sailing journey. The lure is effective as one of his previous targets seems to still be alive and with a new identity as a rising star in the French foreign counter-terroism organization. Things happen, the plot twists and Slaton is once again back working with Mossad against ISIS.

Its another very good story by Larsen and I came away with my action and good-yarn buttons effectively pushed. I'll be back for more with the next installment.

[Jomn Jomnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was pretty clear and made sense, even without reading any of the other books in the series. This book is about an assassin names David Slanton who finds a cryptic message which unravels the entire story. The thing is, on the cryptic message, he found out that the man who was in charge of keeping France safe from ISIS attacks was named Zavier Baland. But, the problem is, David had killed this man 15 years before. To not give away the rest, lets just say that things go really, really bad. Anyway, a good read, 4/5.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this is my first David Slaton novel by Larsen I felt I was able to keep up starting on book 3. The story line is similar to that found in other books of this genre. Someone from a retired assassin's past comes back to kill him. What else do you need to know to pick up the book? The novel goes from the Pacific on a catamaran, Israel, France, and Syria. Lots of action and intrigue. The ending has an "elegant assassin's twist."

[ReneE · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say. This series has not disappointed me from book one to book four. Unique and interesting story, well structured, excellent writing style that moved at a nice clip and, of course, loads of action! I am very happy I checked out this writer who was recommended in a review of another book. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series. (Hope he's working on it now! ;-)
Oh, and I do plan to read his other series also -- Jammer Davis.

[Mojo Shivers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book in the series. This is the first time I’ve seen an unknown twin brother twist fool me coming and going. It was almost like a soap opera plotline except Larsen managed to keep the tone ultra-serious and tense even while incorporating this development in.

As always, Slaton is a great character, toeing the line between just wanting to be a family man to being pulled back in to keep his family safe. It’s a good setup for a series and I hope it continues just so.

[Sandy Schmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young boy, reluctant suicide bomber, is dropped off to complete his mission. His handler, a girl only slightly older, calls him back, pushes the button and tells him when he lets go the bomb goes off. She didn't trust the boy to do so. This little incident will play significantly into David Slaton's being drawn back to his Mossad roots tracking a presumed-dead terrorist in France five years later.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Assassin v Assassin in this story of retribution by one party v Slaton who may have killed their brother. It's an interesting stretch of the imagination for the ex-Mossad agent to save his family and do anything to protect his family and do what is right for the country.

I will read more from this author.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book, at times the book is hard to put down. I like how Larsen has been able to let David have a personal life that is inconsistent with his former career that he keeps getting dragged into. I can imagine that will get old at some time but I am planning on enjoying it while I can.

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seems a bit troubling that Larsen is covering old ground this soon in the series. The story isn't bad but a reprisal of the Ali Samir character just doesn't move the series forward. Perhaps this should be treated as a filler entry until the author can gain the inspiration to bring a new twist to the Slaton saga.

[Pierre Tassé (Enjoying Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read that depicts that David Slaton has some flexibility and ingenuity. As a premier assassin trying to go "family father" he has his struggles and his desire to be a good father figure. He also has his experience and his innate ability to eliminate people. Have a good time reading this book.

[Sam D.Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

No bad language or inappropriate scenes

Again another great read a d after reading several of these novels I am struck by the absence of bad language or sex scenes and I appreciate the diligence to avoid it. Great characters, predictable pacing with just enough twists to make it suspenseful. I will continue to read this series and recommend it to others.