True Target

by Austin S. Camacho

Skye Maddox is a ruthless yet principled professional assassin who lives by a single the target must deserve it. When a wealthy shipping magnate hires her to avenge his son's death at the hands of a brutal gang, Skye takes on a contract unlike any other-a ladder of escalating targets leading to the mysterious kingpin known only as Hetman.



From seedy motel rooms to high-end hotels and lavish suburban estates, Skye infiltrates, disguises, and strikes with lethal precision. Her first hit, an MS-13 enforcer, sets in motion a chain of events that draws the attention of Judge Jacob Goldsmith, a compromised jurist whose hidden connections put him in Skye's path, and Detective Orson Rissik, a dogged investigator piecing together threads of a shadowy criminal empire.



Even as she eliminates targets and uncovers layers of corruption, Skye wrestles with her own haunted past-childhood trauma, the murder of her brother, and her fragile attempts at self-understanding through secret therapy sessions. Each encounter tests her discipline, her humanity, and her vow to strike only where justice has already failed.



But Hetman's vision is more dangerous than personal he is uniting rival gangs and global mafias into a single cartel with reach across continents. As Skye closes in, allies and enemies blur, and the line between avenger and criminal grows razor thin. To complete her mission, she must decide whether she's truly an agent of justice-or just another weapon for hire.

298 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2025

About the author

Austin S. Camacho is the author of six novels about Washington Dc-based private eye Hannibal Jones, five in the Stark and O’Brien international adventure-thriller series, and the detective novel, Beyond Blue. His short stories have been featured in several anthologies including Dying in a Winter Wonderland – an Independent Mystery Booksellers Association Top Ten Bestseller for 2008 - and he is featured in the Edgar nominated African American Mystery Writers: A Historical and Thematic Study by Frankie Y. Bailey.

Camacho is deeply involved with the writing community. He is a past president of the Maryland Writers Association, past Vice President of the Virginia Writers Club, and is an active member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime.

Reviews

[C.G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skye Maddox is the real deal. None of this getting all dressed up with nowhere to go for Skye. Skye's a weapon for hire who gets all dressed up with everywhere to go, with no venues, no criminal enterprise out of bounds. Just hope you're not someone she needs to have a talk with, because if she does, that means you need killing or know someone who does. Quite an entrance for this new pro assassin from crime thriller author Austin Camacho. We'll see more from this character, because we have to. A page turner to the max. I have to mention this even though it's a cliche: Move over Foxy Brown.

[Candi · Rating 5 out of 5]

True Target dives into the life of Skye, an urban assassin living by her unshakeable sense of honor and compassion. She takes a job that seems straight forward enough. But when it goes pear shaped, she's left with only her instincts and is surpised to find she has people to rely on. Skye and the "ordinary job" promise intrigue and payback from the first page through to the end.

Austin Camacho reminds us that an honor code only gets you so far. We must combine our intuition with heart and empathy in order to thrive.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Austin's writing and this new series of his is so good. Women who kick ass are always in my lane. 100% recommend.