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Blessed Assassination
In 1933, during one of the most terrifying periods in history, with the world in the mire of the Great Depression and sleepwalking towards World War II, John, an investigative journalist from The Washington Post, witnesses the "blessed assassination" of the president of Peru.
In the midst of a civil war, international conflicts, hounded by the police and even by his own American embassy, and saving the woman he loves, John risks his life, facing powerful enemies, to uncover a sinister plot with global ramifications that precedes the president's assassination.
Following considerable research about a country he loves, Robert Gammon's novel reveals historical events leading up to the president's assassination, across the street from where Robert lived in Lima.
If you enjoyed Ken Follet's Century Trilogy or Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa's Fierce Times or Feast of the Goat, you'll enjoy Blessed Assassination. The novel, based on true events, transports readers to a different world, to another era. The shocking events of the 1930s may seem distant, but today we are once again experiencing similar crises, autocracies, and populism.
After a boozy night, John is woken up the following morning by his assistant, Pedro, who breaks the news that President Sánchez-Cerro, an army strong-man, has been shot. The president's life was saved by his friend and adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Gonzalo Vargas, Pedro's father. And the young would-be assassin turns out to be Pedro's cousin, who is sentenced to death.
Before being employed by The Washington Post, John first arrived in Peru when his father's patron, Mr James Randall III, an important Boston businessman, enticed him to join an economic mission advising the Peruvian government. But Randall expected John to help him with his murky business plans, corrupting Peruvian officials.
John has a passionate affair with Yolanda, a bright Peruvian lawyer from a humble family toiling on Peru's largest sugar cane plantation. Randall demands that John spies on the sugar cane plantation and help him buy it at a distressed low price. John refuses and quarrels violently with Randall, who swears revenge.
John discovers a mysterious report from Randall, scheming to become USA Vice President and then replace the President by foul means. Randall intends allocating business to USA multinational companies backing him, and control Latin American governments. Also, Randall would avoid war by colluding with totalitarians like Hitler, Mussolini and even Imperial Japan, curbing the Russian Communist menace to international business.
Army strong-man Sánchez-Cerro, supported by local and foreign businessmen, had won presidential elections defeating Haya, Latin America's most influential radical politician – his ideas feared by conservative politicians and businessmen alike. But Haya accused him of electoral fraud. Sánchez-Cerro's regime soon turns authoritarian, banning democratic opposition led by Haya's party. Sánchez-Cerro accuses Haya of attempting to assassinate him and imprisons Haya in horrendous conditions.
Fearing for his life, Haya's supporters' revolt, after overrunning an army barracks where John and Pedro save a badly injured Gonzalo. John, Pedro and Gonzalo, together with Yolanda, find refuge in a friend's house. Yolanda's brother is a rebel leader and he and Pedro are arrested with hundreds of rebels and face being lined up in front of a firing squad when the army puts down the rebellion after days of bloody fighting. Peru is in the grips of civil war.
Now, John makes dead enemies not only of Randall but also the Sánchez-Cerro regime, for revealing to a horrified world public opinion in The Washington Post the regime's massacre of civilians.
In the midst of a civil war, international conflicts, hounded by the police and even by his own American embassy, and saving the woman he loves, John risks his life, facing powerful enemies, to uncover a sinister plot with global ramifications that precedes the president's assassination.
Following considerable research about a country he loves, Robert Gammon's novel reveals historical events leading up to the president's assassination, across the street from where Robert lived in Lima.
If you enjoyed Ken Follet's Century Trilogy or Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa's Fierce Times or Feast of the Goat, you'll enjoy Blessed Assassination. The novel, based on true events, transports readers to a different world, to another era. The shocking events of the 1930s may seem distant, but today we are once again experiencing similar crises, autocracies, and populism.
After a boozy night, John is woken up the following morning by his assistant, Pedro, who breaks the news that President Sánchez-Cerro, an army strong-man, has been shot. The president's life was saved by his friend and adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Gonzalo Vargas, Pedro's father. And the young would-be assassin turns out to be Pedro's cousin, who is sentenced to death.
Before being employed by The Washington Post, John first arrived in Peru when his father's patron, Mr James Randall III, an important Boston businessman, enticed him to join an economic mission advising the Peruvian government. But Randall expected John to help him with his murky business plans, corrupting Peruvian officials.
John has a passionate affair with Yolanda, a bright Peruvian lawyer from a humble family toiling on Peru's largest sugar cane plantation. Randall demands that John spies on the sugar cane plantation and help him buy it at a distressed low price. John refuses and quarrels violently with Randall, who swears revenge.
John discovers a mysterious report from Randall, scheming to become USA Vice President and then replace the President by foul means. Randall intends allocating business to USA multinational companies backing him, and control Latin American governments. Also, Randall would avoid war by colluding with totalitarians like Hitler, Mussolini and even Imperial Japan, curbing the Russian Communist menace to international business.
Army strong-man Sánchez-Cerro, supported by local and foreign businessmen, had won presidential elections defeating Haya, Latin America's most influential radical politician – his ideas feared by conservative politicians and businessmen alike. But Haya accused him of electoral fraud. Sánchez-Cerro's regime soon turns authoritarian, banning democratic opposition led by Haya's party. Sánchez-Cerro accuses Haya of attempting to assassinate him and imprisons Haya in horrendous conditions.
Fearing for his life, Haya's supporters' revolt, after overrunning an army barracks where John and Pedro save a badly injured Gonzalo. John, Pedro and Gonzalo, together with Yolanda, find refuge in a friend's house. Yolanda's brother is a rebel leader and he and Pedro are arrested with hundreds of rebels and face being lined up in front of a firing squad when the army puts down the rebellion after days of bloody fighting. Peru is in the grips of civil war.
Now, John makes dead enemies not only of Randall but also the Sánchez-Cerro regime, for revealing to a horrified world public opinion in The Washington Post the regime's massacre of civilians.
348 pages, Paperback
Published September 5, 2025
About the author
Robert Gammon
6 books36 followers(Biografía en español abajo)
The Titans of the Pacific - Premio Hispania de Novela Histórica prize (finalist)
Robert was born in London (England), but was brought-up in Lima (Peru), studying at Markham College. He returned to England to go to Aston University in Birmingham, and later City University of London, where he earned a Master’s degree.
Aged eleven, he won a short story competition. However, his career was not in writing but in banking and finance in England, Japan and Spain, university lecturer in Spain and Saudi Arabia, head of an English department at a university in the Middle East, supervising over 100 teachers, and owner of an educational business in Spain, leading a team of 60 people. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much time for writing.
Nevertheless, his true vocation is writing. An Oxford University creative writing programme was instrumental in developing his career as a novelist.
His study of Peruvian and world history led to his historical thriller, The Titans of the Pacific, about one of the most dramatic periods in history. The sequel novel, Blessed Assassination, ends with the assassination of President Sánchez-Cerro, which took place across the street from where Robert lived in Lima.
His novels are based on exciting historical events in the countries where he has lived in Latin America, Europe, the Far East and the Middle East.
He enjoys learning languages and speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French, Japanese and some Arabic.
He is divorced, but has two marvellous daughters.
Robert is a member of the Historical Novel Society.
*****
Los Titanes del Pacífico - Premio Hispania de Novela Histórica (finalista)
Robert nació en Londres (Inglaterra), pero se crió en Lima (Perú), estudiando en el Colegio Markham. Regresó a Inglaterra para ir a la Universidad de Aston en Birmingham, y más tarde a la City University of London, donde obtuvo un Master.
A los once años ganó un concurso de relatos cortos. Sin embargo, su carrera no fue como escritor sino en banca y finanzas en Inglaterra, Japón y España, profesor universitario en España y Arabia Saudí, jefe del departamento de inglés en una universidad de Oriente Medio, supervisando a más de 100 profesores, y propietario de una empresa educativa en España, al frente de un equipo de 60 personas. Por desgracia, no tenía mucho tiempo para escribir.
Sin embargo, su verdadera vocación es la escritura. Un programa de escritura creativa de la universidad de Oxford fue fundamental para desarrollar su carrera como novelista. Su estudio de la historia peruana y mundial produjo su novela histórica, Los Titanes del Pacífico, sobre uno de los períodos más dramáticos de la historia. La saga continúa con Bendito Asesinato, que termina con el asesinato del presidente Sánchez Cerro, que tuvo lugar en Lima frente a donde vivía Robert.
Sus novelas se basan en emocionantes acontecimientos históricos en los países donde ha vivido en América Latina, Europa, Extremo Oriente y Oriente Medio.
Le gusta aprender idiomas y habla inglés, español, italiano, francés, japonés y algo de árabe.
Está divorciado, pero tiene dos hijas maravillosas.
Robert es miembro de la Historical Novel Society.
The Titans of the Pacific - Premio Hispania de Novela Histórica prize (finalist)
Robert was born in London (England), but was brought-up in Lima (Peru), studying at Markham College. He returned to England to go to Aston University in Birmingham, and later City University of London, where he earned a Master’s degree.
Aged eleven, he won a short story competition. However, his career was not in writing but in banking and finance in England, Japan and Spain, university lecturer in Spain and Saudi Arabia, head of an English department at a university in the Middle East, supervising over 100 teachers, and owner of an educational business in Spain, leading a team of 60 people. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much time for writing.
Nevertheless, his true vocation is writing. An Oxford University creative writing programme was instrumental in developing his career as a novelist.
His study of Peruvian and world history led to his historical thriller, The Titans of the Pacific, about one of the most dramatic periods in history. The sequel novel, Blessed Assassination, ends with the assassination of President Sánchez-Cerro, which took place across the street from where Robert lived in Lima.
His novels are based on exciting historical events in the countries where he has lived in Latin America, Europe, the Far East and the Middle East.
He enjoys learning languages and speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French, Japanese and some Arabic.
He is divorced, but has two marvellous daughters.
Robert is a member of the Historical Novel Society.
*****
Los Titanes del Pacífico - Premio Hispania de Novela Histórica (finalista)
Robert nació en Londres (Inglaterra), pero se crió en Lima (Perú), estudiando en el Colegio Markham. Regresó a Inglaterra para ir a la Universidad de Aston en Birmingham, y más tarde a la City University of London, donde obtuvo un Master.
A los once años ganó un concurso de relatos cortos. Sin embargo, su carrera no fue como escritor sino en banca y finanzas en Inglaterra, Japón y España, profesor universitario en España y Arabia Saudí, jefe del departamento de inglés en una universidad de Oriente Medio, supervisando a más de 100 profesores, y propietario de una empresa educativa en España, al frente de un equipo de 60 personas. Por desgracia, no tenía mucho tiempo para escribir.
Sin embargo, su verdadera vocación es la escritura. Un programa de escritura creativa de la universidad de Oxford fue fundamental para desarrollar su carrera como novelista. Su estudio de la historia peruana y mundial produjo su novela histórica, Los Titanes del Pacífico, sobre uno de los períodos más dramáticos de la historia. La saga continúa con Bendito Asesinato, que termina con el asesinato del presidente Sánchez Cerro, que tuvo lugar en Lima frente a donde vivía Robert.
Sus novelas se basan en emocionantes acontecimientos históricos en los países donde ha vivido en América Latina, Europa, Extremo Oriente y Oriente Medio.
Le gusta aprender idiomas y habla inglés, español, italiano, francés, japonés y algo de árabe.
Está divorciado, pero tiene dos hijas maravillosas.
Robert es miembro de la Historical Novel Society.
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