The Assassins Gallery

Mikhal Lammeck #1

by David L. Robbins

New Year’s Eve, 1945. The assassin steps out of the Atlantic Ocean in the middle of a raging nor’easter. Cool and efficient, she’s a weapon of war superbly trained in the ancient arts of subterfuge and murder. And even though she’s outnumbered, she’s got one major No one knows she’s coming.Professor Mikhal Lammeck’s specialty is the history and weaponry of assassins. But even Lammeck is caught off guard when the Secret Service urgently requests his A gruesome double murder and suicide in Massachusetts has set off alarm bells. It’s only a hunch, but all too soon Lammeck suspects the unthinkable.In the waning days of the war, someone wants one last shot to alter history. An assassin is headed to Washington, D.C., to kill the most important soldier of them the U.S. commander in chief. As Lammeck and a killer at the top of her profession circle the streets of the capital in the hunt for FDR, one of them will attempt to kill the world’s most powerful man; the other, to save him. And between them, for an instant, history will hang in the balance. . . .

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Historical, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Novels

411 pages, Hardcover

Published July 25, 2006

About the author

David L. Robbins was born in Richmond, Virginia, on March 10, 1954. He grew up in Sandston, a small town east of Richmond out by the airport; his father was among the first to sit behind the new radar scope in the air traffic control tower. Both his parents, Sam and Carol, were veterans of WWII. Sam saw action in the Pacific, especially at Pearl Harbor.

In 1976, David graduated with a B.A. in Theater and Speech from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Having little actual theatrical talent, he didn't know what to do for a living. David decided to attend what he calls the “great catch-basin of unfocused over-achievers”: law school. He received his Juris Doctorate at William and Mary in 1980, then practiced environmental law in Columbia, S.C. for precisely a year (his father demanded back the money for law school if David practiced for less than one year – he quit two weeks before the anniversary but got Sam to agree that the two weeks' vacation David had accumulated could be included). David decided to attend Psychology school, having an affinity for people's stories and a fascination with woe. However, while waiting for admisison in 1981, he began a successful freelance writing career. He began writing fiction in 1997, and has since published twelve novels. He's currently working on the thirteenth, the third in his U.S. Air Force Pararescuemen series, as well as several scripts for the stage and screen. He has won awards for his essays and screenplays, and has had three stage plays produced.

David is an accomplished guitarist, studying the works of James Taylor and Latin classical. At six feet six inches tall, he stays active with his sailboat, shooting sporting clays, weightlifting, traveling to research his novels. He is the founder of the James River Writers (Jamesriverwriters.org) a non-profit group in his hometown of Richmond that helps aspiring writers and students work and learn together as a writing community. He also co-founded The Podium Foundation (thepodiumfoundation.org), a non-profit which brings writing and critical reasoning programs to the students of Richmond’s city high schools, as well as support programs for city educators. He also teaches advanced creative writing as a visiting professor at Virginia Commonwealth University's Honors College. David resides in Richmond, near the James River.

Reviews

[Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book because the title interested me a lot. It turned out to be ten times better than I thought. It starts out with an Assassin coming secretly to the shore of the American ruled shore where she hopes to kill FDR. Once ashore she is forced to kill to locals because they are the volunteer coast guard. The armies of every nation are in the midst of war in Europe. With two mangled bodies and a scrambled police service, a secret service agent decides to step in and investigate. However, before he dives in, he gets help from an old professor who just happens to be an expert on Assassinations. The professor figures through great challenges and ends up facing the assassin. She, the assassin, escapes easily, however he barely gets away with his life. She warns him if he keeps on pursuing her and she notices she will kill him. So, the head of the Secret Service pulls him out of the mission and now he has to watch what is happening from a secure area. He finally figures out how the assassin will get to the president. She will meet him as a maid in a mountain house in Georgia. The only problem, he is in Virginia when the President and the assassin are already at the mountain house. Will he get there, well you'll just have to read it for yourself. This book is packed full of action and deception. I give it 5 stars.

[Vijai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am impressed with this book on so many levels. To start with, the author articulated so well what I personally believed in all these years - that history is a fickle but a loyal servant to his stoic master, destiny; He weaves this wonderful tapestry of human emotions and ideals to achieve what his master wishes but ever so fickle, he now and then lets his guard (purposefully or not is a speculation) down to allow certain events to happen which alter the pattern but then regrets his faults and sets it right almost always in a messy way but secretively. It is this wet clay of an idea that the author caresses and beautifies to put together a story as beautiful as it is.

A personal husband and wife strife story with a touch of historic accuracy, an assassin so made-to-order to be the wet dream of every action-thriller fan, a nerdy protagonist who is just an inch behind the assassin all the time while set in a time period where international espionage was in its infancy. Beautiful! wonderful story expertly written and presented.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Judith is awesome. I know you're not supposed to root for the villain and all...blah blah blah...but Robbins does an excellent job of portraying her cunning ability to use the way she is read by the white U.S. establishment to deceive her adversaries. They see her as a black maid, innocent and unintelligent, when she is completely the opposite. The way she was able to manipulate the racism of what were ultimately her pawns against them was probably the main reason I was so engaged. The other elements of her personality that come out as the novel progresses also kept me intrigued. Oh, and I guess Lammeck was kinda cool too.

For folks who go with the audio book, Guidall does an excellent job of giving each character distinct voices and personalities - he really does so much more than simply narrate. His impressive voice acting is the other major factor that made Assassins Gallery so enjoyable. I'll definitely be looking out for other audio books he voices.

[Mommalibrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

lots of 'thoughtful' stuff. Almost too much for the plot to support. Heavy especially at the end.

[Derrick Elliston · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of those thrillers that grabs you from page one. What makes it unique is that assassin is a woman, and its set in wartime US. We don't know who sent her or why. She is dropped off by a submarine off the East Coast. Straight away she has to use her deadly skills to prevent being discovered.

What also makes this stand out is the social climate in which it is set. This is 1940s, where racism and segregation is still common. Judith is from Persia, and so her complexion is also a tool. The assassin is able to move freely between two worlds, as she is neither black nor white. She is also able to assume the language of her surroundings. In the white world, she is seen only as a servile maid. A perfect disguise . In one deadly scene, she dispatches a cop, as his life slips away he is shocked when he realises that his assailant is a' maid'.

You are rooting for Judith even though you know that she is a cold blooded killer who will stop at nothing. She is not averse to using her body to assist her in her mission.

Hot on her trail is a dogged Secret Service agent. He understands that his quarry is a ruthless opponent, but he has little else to go on. This book reminds me of Frederick Forsythe's Day of the Jackal. Great thriller set in the past with real historical figures.

There is a great twist at the end, that you won't see coming.

[Matt Powers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished the book, all the way to the end. A story of an assassin and good-guy-assassin-expert facing off. One trying to assassinate the president, the other committed to stop the possible tragedy.

The author knows his stuff. In fact it felt almost like historical fiction. Lots of backstory, background, and historical data.

Yes, I finished this book. But I probably didn't read 25% of it. I just did not need that much history mixed in with my story. The author knows his stuff, but did he need to remind me of that so much?

Many parts of the story were enjoyable. I did want to see it through to the resolution. I am interested in trying another book by this author - I'll give him another go. But hopefully next time the author focuses more on the story and less on the history lesson.

[Rho · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great premise. FDR. An assassin spy. A scholar. A secret service agent. All rolls together in a sparkling and fast paced story that is almost believable. Am starting the second book in the series tomorrow - Cuba and Fidel Castro. Shall see if it is as great

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed. A great read. Well written and researched.

[Fara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting ideas, good history of WW2 and Roosevelt.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good conspiracy/lone assassin story. Protagonist, an American spy-hunter, makes interesting references to clandestine techniques and weaponry of the World War II period.

[Ashley Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The amount of real history intertwined within this book is what makes it!

[Gayle Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, an extraordinary read.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an interesting take on true historical events. Given the government cover-ups of other issues, it makes you wonder if it could be true. The book is well researched.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

In March, 1945 American President, Franklin D. Roosevelt was at his retreat at Warm Springs resting before an anticipated appearance at the founding conference of the United Nations. He had become increasingly frail and ill into his 4th term as President, but this had been kept from the public, so his death, from a cerebral haemorrhage, was a shock for the nation. When he died he was sitting for a portrait painting by the artist Elizabeth Shoumatoff, the painting now a famous work known as the Unfinished Portrait of FDR. Amongst others present at Warm Springs was Lucy Mercer, his former mistress and long time close personal friend. The circumstances, location and people present at Roosevelt's death are all a matter of fact. THE ASSASSINS GALLERY simply proposes that his death was not really from natural causes and he was the victim of a well covered up assassination?

THE ASSASSINS GALLERY opens with a wetsuit clad swimmer stepping from a cold Atlantic Ocean on New Year's eve. Cool, efficient, and very experienced, this assassin will despatch anybody who interferes with the mission. The only clue to their even being in the country is the inadvertent leaving of an unusual and ancient knife at the site of a murder that night. The connection is only picked up by chance and Professor Mikhal Lemmeck, an expert on the history and weaponry of Assassins and his ex-student Nabbit, now a Secret Service Agent, need to work out where she is, who she is here to kill, and that she really exists. Yes, she, the other twist in THE ASSASSINS GALLERY is that the Assassin is a woman, using the name Judith. In end of War America, where so much of the workforce and local populace is female, so many men being away at the war.

THE ASSASSINS GALLERY mixes up the facts around FDR, America and American society in the dying days of WWII with the story of Judith. Judith is a Persian Muslim woman, an experienced assassin, she alone knows who she is working for, and who she is here to kill, as well as knowing she has a limited time in which to get to FDR. The story of how she goes about infiltrating Government circles is fascinating and very clever. Passing herself off as a Creole-Black woman from New Orleans she is able to move backwards and forwards in white and black circles seamlessly, finally choosing to work as a domestic in the homes of people in government circles to move her way gradually closer to FDR.

Despite some niggling concerns about the convenience of having a Muslim Assassin as it's central character, THE ASSASSINS GALLERY is saved from the possibility of a villain of convenience. The motivation for the assassination is not revealed until the end, and Judith herself, is not a stereotype. She's ruthless, able, quick, unapologetic but not without human compassion and feeling. She also makes no bones about the fact that she is an assassin - it's what she does. The book moves along at a clipping pace, with the tension being double focused. Firstly the increasing pressure on Judith to get into a position where she can kill FDR, in a very closed circle, with the complication of FDR's failing health making him less accessible. On the other hand Lemmeck and Nabbit struggle to work out how to get a lead on their suspected assassin, the intended victim, the method - anything that will give them a hint where to go next.

THE ASSASSINS GALLERY has all the elements of a good thriller, it's entertaining, engaging, it has enough things that are believable and save you from having to suspend your disbelief too far. Working the premise into a known historical situation, would normally turn me off a bit, but in this case it worked really really well. Possibly this is because the only playing with the reader's understanding of the truth of history is in the final event, the death of FDR. Everything in the lead up fits into the known society at the time so effortlessly that just for a few seconds, you do wonder...

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

In March, 1945 American President, Franklin D. Roosevelt was at his retreat at Warm Springs resting before an anticipated appearance at the founding conference of the United Nations. He had become increasingly frail and ill into his 4th term as President, but this had been kept from the public, so his death, from a cerebral haemorrhage, was a shock for the nation. When he died he was sitting for a portrait painting by the artist Elizabeth Shoumatoff, the painting now a famous work known as the Unfinished Portrait of FDR. Amongst others present at Warm Springs was Lucy Mercer, his former mistress and long time close personal friend. The circumstances, location and people present at Roosevelt's death are all a matter of fact. THE ASSASSINS GALLERY simply proposes that his death was not really from natural causes and he was the victim of a well covered up assassination?

THE ASSASSINS GALLERY opens with a wetsuit clad swimmer stepping from a cold Atlantic Ocean on New Year's eve. Cool, efficient, and very experienced, this assassin will despatch anybody who interferes with the mission. The only clue to their even being in the country is the inadvertent leaving of an unusual and ancient knife at the site of a murder that night. The connection is only picked up by chance and Professor Mikhal Lemmeck, an expert on the history and weaponry of Assassins and his ex-student Nabbit, now a Secret Service Agent, need to work out where she is, who she is here to kill, and that she really exists. Yes, she, the other twist in THE ASSASSINS GALLERY is that the Assassin is a woman, using the name Judith. In end of War America, where so much of the workforce and local populace is female, so many men being away at the war.

THE ASSASSINS GALLERY mixes up the facts around FDR, America and American society in the dying days of WWII with the story of Judith. Judith is a Persian Muslim woman, an experienced assassin, she alone knows who she is working for, and who she is here to kill, as well as knowing she has a limited time in which to get to FDR. The story of how she goes about infiltrating Government circles is fascinating and very clever. Passing herself off as a Creole-Black woman from New Orleans she is able to move backwards and forwards in white and black circles seamlessly, finally choosing to work as a domestic in the homes of people in government circles to move her way gradually closer to FDR.

Despite some niggling concerns about the convenience of having a Muslim Assassin as it's central character, THE ASSASSINS GALLERY is saved from the possibility of a villain of convenience. The motivation for the assassination is not revealed until the end, and Judith herself, is not a stereotype. She's ruthless, able, quick, unapologetic but not without human compassion and feeling. She also makes no bones about the fact that she is an assassin - it's what she does. The book moves along at a clipping pace, with the tension being double focused. Firstly the increasing pressure on Judith to get into a position where she can kill FDR, in a very closed circle, with the complication of FDR's failing health making him less accessible. On the other hand Lemmeck and Nabbit struggle to work out how to get a lead on their suspected assassin, the intended victim, the method - anything that will give them a hint where to go next.

THE ASSASSINS GALLERY has all the elements of a good thriller, it's entertaining, engaging, it has enough things that are believable and save you from having to suspend your disbelief too far. Working the premise into a known historical situation, would normally turn me off a bit, but in this case it worked really really well. Possibly this is because the only playing with the reader's understanding of the truth of history is in the final event, the death of FDR. Everything in the lead up fits into the known society at the time so effortlessly that just for a few seconds, you do wonder...

[Dave · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the worst books I've ever read. It is full of amateurish cliches and two-dimensional characters. It seems as if it were a failed movie pilot the author turned into a novel instead. The character of Judith is a ridiculous supervillain, and the Lammeck character is as boring as a block of wood. There's literally a part where he thinks she poisoned him at a party and says "Poison your drink? What a cliche!"

The problem is the whole book is one cliche after another. There are lots of disposable characters that enter for no reason, only for Judith to kill them one after another, just to show how tough and deadly she is.

There is also a red herring that Hitler hired Judith to assassinate FDR. It's obvious from a mile away that this isn't true, or else there would be a bunch of ridiculous and cliche scenes of Hitler ranting and raving in Nazi HQ that his assassin will "vin der var!" for Germany.

Save your money and skip this clunker.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another audio book. What? I drive a lot.

I enjoyed George Guidall's recording, and found his phrasing and emotion appropriate and his characterization just strong enough to give each player a life but not so strong as to be distracting.

David L. Robbins introduces "Judith," an assassin, as she slips under the ocean waves just before a New England winter storm. Once ashore, she encounters two civil defense wardens, and Robbins lets readers know just how quick-thinking, quick-acting and powerful she can be.

But although The Assassins Gallery is about someone who wants to kill President Franklin D. Roosevelt, it also asks whether an assassination changes history or whether history prepares for an assassination.

And that's where Mikhal Lemmeck comes in.

Lemmeck asks his history students in Scotland that question on their first day of class before he begins his quest to find - and stop - Roosevelt's would-be assassin.

Robbins and Guidall quickly swept me in to Lemmeck's thought process as he pieced together something about Judith's identity and possible whereabouts and also into Judith's own navigation of Washington, D.C. before the Civil Right's movement. Robbins made Lemmeck and Judith more than a cat and mouse; both were human. He provided enough background and plot line for the supporting characters to make them sound human, too.

He contemplates the relationship between history and assassinations again at the book's conclusion while thinking about his partially finished novel entitled "The Assassin's Gallery." This made me not hate the ending of the book. No spoilers here, sorry, but I was disappointed with how I thought the story would conclude until it actually concluded.

Robbins includes historical detail spanning from the root of the word "assassin" (from Hashshashin -- a story I remember well from a college course) to Washington, D.C. in 1945. I appreciated that since the book is almost as much a look at an historical theory as it is a thriller.

[William Maas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was about about a history professor Names Mikhal Lammeck who knows all the secrets of a professional assassin. He is called upon by the Secret Service to help solve the mystery of two murders on a Massachusetts beach. Knowing most of the “tricks of the trade” in killing people he is slowly led to believe that those murders weren’t all. They were a small step in a huge scheme that would change the course of history if it would have actually happened. Even he was surprised by the elaborate configuration of the plan to kill the president of the United States of America, Franklin D. Roosevelt.
I would give this book a five out of five rating because a few reasons. First, the complex plan in the story was very realistic and hard to believe that someone could actually think about that. Next, the detail made it like I actually saw this play out in real life. Finally, the book was very suspenseful and thrilling, it always kept me enthralled and wanting to turn the page. Overall I wouldn’t have changed anything about it.
I would recommend this book to mainly guys, but some girls might enjoy a thrilling book too. The reason for this is there are intense descriptions of gruesome scenes/ deaths. I would also recommend this to adults/ teens because there is a complex plot that you have to keep up with and not loose track of because it will be confusing. An example of this is when the chapters switch to different scenes that are happening at the same time around the world that all eventually come together at the end. From the beginning to the end any book enthusiast would enjoy reading it.

[melydia · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the back cover of this book, in bold letters, are these words: "What if FDR was assassinated?" Well, la dee da, there's the entire plot of the book in a nutshell. Which is fine, if you think about it: historical fiction in written with the assumption that your audience knows how it all turns out, at least generally. The trick is to involve characters sympathetic enough that the reader cares what happens to them as individuals. Unfortunately, that does not happen here. The story follows Mikhal Lammeck, a professor who specializes in the history of assassination, as he attempts to uncover a plot to kill the president. That might be somewhat interesting, if a bit cliche, except that Lammeck is also an expert military instructor of - you guessed it - assassins. He spends a lot of time fumbling around, though I find it difficult to believe that after so many years of training killers he'd have so little idea of how to handle tracking one. The assassin herself is marginally more interesting, but still little more than the barest of sketches. I suppose this light treatment was probably intended to make her seem mysterious, but it came off as shallow. I will say that the anecdotes about various assassins through history were quite interesting, but I could have read that in other books without first wading through the tedium of this story.

[MG · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was definitely a page-turner, though it does take some slight liberties with historical accuracy.

When read as a story, and nothing more, then I have to say that Robbins does a masterful job of keeping you IN the book. His research into some of the nooks and crannies of history (in respect to assassinations) are also pretty impressive, and he does an excellent job of working little trivia tidbits throughout the book.

Professor Mikhal Lammeck is a mixture of Eliot Ness (the Untouchables) and Robert Langdon (DaVinci Code), with a little gumshoe detective thrown in for good measure.

I don't want to spoil the story, but trust me when I tell you that you won't be able to put it down. Easily read in less than a day.

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

D. L. Robbins the Assassins Gallery is compared prominently with F. Forsythe's Day of the Jackal (The Day of the Jackal. while it is true that the book follows a lot of the plot line, laid down in Forsythe's classic thriller, it lacks the compelling tension built up. The assassin is interesting enough but the role of Robbins' hero Prof Lammeck is extremely stale. The motivation of Lammeck is barely to understand. Also the tensions a colored assassin would experience 1945 in Washington, seem to be a bit swept under the carpet of political correctness.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love "What if" stories and this one had a doozy--What if FDR didn't die of natural causes in the waning days of WWII, but was instead assassinated? Well, sign me up! I really enjoyed the cat-and-mouse game between Lammack, the history professor who specializes in assissinations, and Judith, the trained professional on the hunt. The action was quick and compelling; the mystery intricate and engaging. It's clear the author did his homework as he built a completely believeable scenario for an important chapter in history. Fast read.

[Drift · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this one on CD. It was a fun book. But it got a little slow in the middle. It built up excitement then poofed out till the end which never regained the energy that was building up earlier. The very last section about who and why was fun though. Judith, the Assassin was Sexxy and very dangerous! I was excited by her then chilled by her brutality. An excellent character. I couldn't help but feel that the hero was something of the author a fat guy who was smarter then active and was a little disillusioned politically. But from a pic isaw he isn't fat.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Mikhal Lammeck, an expert in the art of & history of assassination is an American professor teaching in Scotland & training British SOE forces is recalled to the US to stop an assassin intent on eliminating FDR near the end of WWII...really a fun 5-star read as Robbins interweaves the assassins story, theories of the "paths of history," backgrounds of WWII Jim Crow DC & the Secret Services efforts to track her down...The race is on!

[Macy · Rating 2 out of 5]

So this started out being reminiscent of Ken Follett, but it really turned out to just be boring. The middle half of the book could have been left out altogether and it would have been much better. I couldn't bring myself to care about the characters or the plot. The one positive thing is that it gives an interesting look at the role assassins play in history.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book club read and was a little slow in the beginning, but quickly grabbed my attention and held it. It's a great historical fiction/suspense novel, and seemingly includes many actual events from the time. It's not the best mystery i've ever read, but worth a look if you like the WW2 era.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little hard to follow at times, but I love suspense novels based on history. This one involves Franklin Roosevelt, which I have not read much about past the biographies.

A different interesting read set WWII and just post WWII. The main character is a professor researching for a paper he is writing.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting fictional description of the process of a female assassin preparing and succeeding in assassinating Franklin Roosevelt when he supposedly had a stroke at Warm Springs. Includes a professor whose specialty is the history and tools of assassination trying to find the assassin before she can succeed.
Not a favorite, but interesting development of an idea.

[Rachel N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

An assasin arrives on a beach in Massachusteus during World war 2 and ends up killing two civilian partolmen. Mikael Lammeck is recruited by the Secret Service from his position in Scotland by Agent Nabbit to help catch the assasin before she can kill president Roosevelt. An interesting story but parts of it drag and too much time is spent with the assasin.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

more convoluted international trail of assassin vs. protector’s of F. D. Roosevelt. Took a bit to get into (unlike # 15, 2013), but then “WHAM” it was a thriller.; 2nd book from this author (see #15: 2013); 2006 Berea Library hardback, 411 pgs. read Apr, ’13, #18.