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The Fixer Origins #1
Duke: The Education of an Assassin
Davidson “Duke” Ellsworth is many things: Army Ranger, movie buff, language expert, computer genius, surfer. One thing he most certainly is not is a hitman for hire.
When a stranger presents Duke with a chance to become an assassin, Duke listens to him for the fun of it. Until the man reveals he knows more about Duke than any stranger should. Targeted by a mysterious man who should not know the things he does, Duke realizes the safety and security of his squad, his army, his family and maybe even his country hang in the balance.
So Duke does the unthinkable in order to keep safe that which he holds dear. But will he ever be free from the burden of his actions? Thrust into the political power plays of the CIA, Middle Eastern countries and a man bent on disrupting the leadership of Saudi Arabia, Duke must chart his own path with precious few resources or friends. With every side trying to kill him, can Duke survive long enough to set things right? Or will he be gunned down like the men he is coerced into killing?
Duke: The Education of an Assassin is the explosive new suspense thriller in The Fixer series of books.Fans of Mitch Rapp, Jack Noble, John Milton, Jason Bourne and Jet should feel right at home.
When a stranger presents Duke with a chance to become an assassin, Duke listens to him for the fun of it. Until the man reveals he knows more about Duke than any stranger should. Targeted by a mysterious man who should not know the things he does, Duke realizes the safety and security of his squad, his army, his family and maybe even his country hang in the balance.
So Duke does the unthinkable in order to keep safe that which he holds dear. But will he ever be free from the burden of his actions? Thrust into the political power plays of the CIA, Middle Eastern countries and a man bent on disrupting the leadership of Saudi Arabia, Duke must chart his own path with precious few resources or friends. With every side trying to kill him, can Duke survive long enough to set things right? Or will he be gunned down like the men he is coerced into killing?
Duke: The Education of an Assassin is the explosive new suspense thriller in The Fixer series of books.Fans of Mitch Rapp, Jack Noble, John Milton, Jason Bourne and Jet should feel right at home.
184 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 27, 2015
19 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Rex Carpenter
21 books19 followersRex Carpenter was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. An English teacher, he loves snowboarding, hiking, mountain biking, reading, watching good television as well as both good and bad movies and spending time with his wife and daughter . They currently live in Asia with a never -ending succession of guppy fish that Rex cannot manage to keep alive for more than a month.
That's the standard bio from the back of the book and honestly, it does a fairly good job of giving a broad picture.
Oh, you want details?
Well...sit back and relax. It all started whe- what? Not that many details? Oh, ok. Let's start again.
Short version: Always wanted to write. Language Arts classes were the best in school. Pursued English Literature in unversity. Gave a half-hearted attempt at writing in Hollywood. Ended up loving teaching more than anything. But still, there was a little itch in the back of my mind. Just a feeling that I had a story to tell.
Finally sat down and gave it a shot November of 2013. Took about three months to publish the first episode but there was a huge learning curve. I'm always trying to speed things up. I'm lucky enough to have a few readers who really like what I put out. But they're a demanding lot. Always asking for stories faster. Telling me which characters they want to see spun-off into their own unique series. I love my readers.
I hope you'll give my little stories a chance. I'm doing my best to write and improve as fast as I can. Thank you.
That's the standard bio from the back of the book and honestly, it does a fairly good job of giving a broad picture.
Oh, you want details?
Well...sit back and relax. It all started whe- what? Not that many details? Oh, ok. Let's start again.
Short version: Always wanted to write. Language Arts classes were the best in school. Pursued English Literature in unversity. Gave a half-hearted attempt at writing in Hollywood. Ended up loving teaching more than anything. But still, there was a little itch in the back of my mind. Just a feeling that I had a story to tell.
Finally sat down and gave it a shot November of 2013. Took about three months to publish the first episode but there was a huge learning curve. I'm always trying to speed things up. I'm lucky enough to have a few readers who really like what I put out. But they're a demanding lot. Always asking for stories faster. Telling me which characters they want to see spun-off into their own unique series. I love my readers.
I hope you'll give my little stories a chance. I'm doing my best to write and improve as fast as I can. Thank you.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 19, 2015
Duke is one of the primary characters from the popular series called The Fixer.
This installment of the fixer series is a character piece. The author has planned a few of these pieces.
These books will gives the back story of the characters and also how they became part of JC Bannisters crew.
To be completely honest, while I loved the series I was really on the fence about reading a book devoted to just one of the characters. I'm very glad I did.
This is one of the best books in the series and it's exciting to watch a new author as he improves his skills, one of the great things about indie authors. The movie references took me back to some of my favorites from the past.
The story starts out with Duke coming to a cross roads in his life. Presented with a job that on the surface seems like little risk for big payout. The truth however couldn't be further from the truth and Duke will learn that his impulsive decision comes with deadly consequences. We follow Duke around the world as he's used by a puppet master who thinks he's hidden in the shadows. Blackmailed into being a personal assassin Duke must find ways to fulfill the hits, which he does in sometime specular fashion, while figuring out how to cut the strings. It's a mistake to underestimate Duke and his intelligence and contacts will prove that sometime the bite is much worse than the bark.
The author did a great job of building the character and showing us where Duke came from and what motivates him. We come to understand his intense loyalty to JC and Joan. Duke is a highly intelligent operator with nerves of steel and an iron will to protect those he loves and respects even at the cost of his life.
I always thought of Duke as the comic relief of the series but now that I know him I see that behind the joker is a deadly warrior waiting to be unleashed at the first sign of a threat.
This installment of the fixer series is a character piece. The author has planned a few of these pieces.
These books will gives the back story of the characters and also how they became part of JC Bannisters crew.
To be completely honest, while I loved the series I was really on the fence about reading a book devoted to just one of the characters. I'm very glad I did.
This is one of the best books in the series and it's exciting to watch a new author as he improves his skills, one of the great things about indie authors. The movie references took me back to some of my favorites from the past.
The story starts out with Duke coming to a cross roads in his life. Presented with a job that on the surface seems like little risk for big payout. The truth however couldn't be further from the truth and Duke will learn that his impulsive decision comes with deadly consequences. We follow Duke around the world as he's used by a puppet master who thinks he's hidden in the shadows. Blackmailed into being a personal assassin Duke must find ways to fulfill the hits, which he does in sometime specular fashion, while figuring out how to cut the strings. It's a mistake to underestimate Duke and his intelligence and contacts will prove that sometime the bite is much worse than the bark.
The author did a great job of building the character and showing us where Duke came from and what motivates him. We come to understand his intense loyalty to JC and Joan. Duke is a highly intelligent operator with nerves of steel and an iron will to protect those he loves and respects even at the cost of his life.
I always thought of Duke as the comic relief of the series but now that I know him I see that behind the joker is a deadly warrior waiting to be unleashed at the first sign of a threat.
January 17, 2019
I had read The Fixer, Season 1, and found it to be a very enjoyable story, filled with action and the kind of larger than life characters that you want for "distraction" reading. Make no mistake, this isn't great literature , but if you're looking for entertainment this could be for you. After I read Season I I found the origin stories and decided to read them before starting on Season 2. This is a story solely about the "Duke" character and the circumstances that end with his meeting JC. (That's not too much of a spoiler. That's why you'd be reading it to begin it). It works fine as a stand alone story ad its not necessary to read it to enjoy the later Fixer tales.
December 12, 2018
Tough guy thriller
The protagonists each have an interesting backstory to their getting together with each other in a personal hit squad with JC Bannister, Duke, and Joan all represented.
The protagonists each have an interesting backstory to their getting together with each other in a personal hit squad with JC Bannister, Duke, and Joan all represented.
April 27, 2018
Lots of action packed drama! Can’t wait to finish Season 1
4.7/5 ⭐️
4.7/5 ⭐️
September 5, 2018
In-depth back ground for the individuals in the Fixer series. Helps to fill in the background stories of the charters.
February 19, 2019
Slow start , strong finish
Plot was slow but moved along anyway. Will try other books in the series. Same assassin plots as before but worth reading.
Plot was slow but moved along anyway. Will try other books in the series. Same assassin plots as before but worth reading.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews