Assassins

by Mike Bond

"An exhilarating spy novel that offers equal amounts of ingenuity and intrigue." -- KIRKUS In Bond's (Killing Maine, 2015, etc.) latest thriller, an intelligence operative spends decades immersed in America's struggle with Islamic terrorists. Jack is on a CIA mission in Afghanistan in 1982 to aid the Afghan opposition to Soviet invaders. But he has a personal investment, under his previous cover as a Peace Corps volunteer, he'd taught kids at a local village and became a blood brother to teacher Ahmad. The Americans supply the Afghans with missiles to take down Soviet helicopters, but later, after alliances shift, the CIA works to prevent a truce between the Soviet Union and Afghanistan. When the Islamic Jihad terrorist group bombs the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983, the agency sends Jack to Lebanon to gather intel. What he learns is the bombing was reputedly in retaliation for the American bombardment of Beirut villages-which was itself retribution for the terrorist bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon earlier that year. As the years pass, Jack gets involved with Sophie Dassault, who'd saved his life while she was working for Doctors without Borders. But he can't escape the cycle of violence; in 1986, he travels to Paris to stop an Algerian terrorist that he'd once trained. The American government, meanwhile, may be helping certain terrorist groups by allowing them to thrive unchecked. Bond's epic novel is packed with historical references, including a mention of Osama bin Laden long before the events of 9/11; an opening prologue set in 2015 ensures that the narrative spans more than 30 years. Overall, the story maintains a provocative, intelligent tone, rather than indulging in garish conspiracies-despite its allusions to nefarious deeds by various presidential administrations. Jack himself is the true focus of the narrative, and Bond shows how he blames himself for the violence as much as he does the higher-ups; he sums it up best by saying, "We're just boys playing war." Other characters, from a Soviet officer to an Afghan warlord (who's also Ahmad's brother), provide perspective and steer the plot clear of easy definitions of good and evil. There's also profundity at times, especially regarding the futility of vengeance; at one point, Jack even suggests that truly avenging someone is an impossible feat. An exhilarating spy novel that offers equal amounts of ingenuity and intrigue.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Action

547 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 3, 2016

About the author

MIKE BOND has been called the “master of the existential thriller” by the BBC and “one of the 21st century’s most exciting authors” by the Washington Times. He is a bestselling novelist, environmental activist, international energy expert, war and human rights correspondent and award-winning poet who has lived and worked in many remote and dangerous parts of the world. His critically acclaimed novels depict the innate hunger of the human heart for what is good, the intense joys of love, the terror and fury of battle, the sinister vagaries of international politics and multinational corporations, and the beauty of the vanishing natural world.

Reviews

[JoRead]

No rating because I didn't finish it but as far as I can tell I don't think I'll ever pick it up. 25% in and the story has barely moved forward. I thought it was going to be a thriller but so far it feels more like an attempted lesson of South Asia geography, military artillery, and terrorist groups; not mention it includes a very prejudiced and narrow-minded description of the "Koran." Of course that all may change throughout the book but I guess I'll never find out.

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

GNAB I enjoy Mike Bond novels - without exception. They are versatile and timely and always of interest.
This one was a compelling read, at times spine tingling and often with a smear of horror in the back of your mind. I kept hope hope hoping that the US involvement in the middle eastern political shenanigans was greatly exaggerated but a little research made that doubtful. I was much more complacent before this read, but am very glad that I read it. Keep them coming, Mike Bond.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Mike Bond, And Mandevilla Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

pub date Dec 9, 2016
rec Oct 14, 2o17
Mandevilla Press

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Assassins is the first novel by Mike Bond I've read so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I found was a thriller ripped from the headlines over the past thirty years. It is fiction but also seems like non-fiction. There is a lot of violence so may not be appropriate for more sensitive readers.

The book blurb adequately describes the storyline so I'm not going to repeat all of that info here. The author did a good job of describing all the various settings and characters. But for me, it was very challenging and confusing to read for the most part. My biggest problem with the book was that it had multiple groups of characters in multiple interrelated storylines all going at the same time. And it kept changing which of the characters was speaking so it was confusing to follow, and I'd have to backtrack to figure it out. I did manage to stick with it to the end. I will read more of Mike Bond's books, and hope they will be easier to read than this one was.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and chose to write a review for other

[Carol Keen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book. It could have been strong, but instead it got so chock full of politics from one side alone that it strangled the story. This was my first, and probably last book by this author. It was very difficult to finish this book, most people with a good education are not going to want to wade through this. It is a good deal of fabricated fiction, when you can get to those parts through the awkward writing style.

My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.

[Viviane Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our main character opens the action by parachuting into Afghanistan with his peers, but the landing is a difficult one indeed. At the beginning of thirty years of fighting, the soldier falls victim to multiple shreds of shrapnel lodged in his skull and one of his peers is wounded in the leg. Their job was to serve as aides to defeat the Russians, to get them out of Afghanistan. But little by little the reader learns about the real issues behind the constant war occurring in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other Middle Eastern countries. For Afghani lords don’t trust each other and even go to war against each other in their endless power plays. There’s no trust between American soldiers or mercenaries and the Afghanis being helped. Weapons are exchanged for the trafficking of opium. It’s a brutal existence and death looms large in every stage of any operation.
As the story progresses, the plot thickens and we realize that the American government is being played. For Arabs take American money and military support while at the same time hedging their bets with supporting terrorist lords. For anyone sharp about global news, this isn’t news but reading out it plays out in action is starkly shocking. Americans fighting over there take orders and don’t spend much time analyzing the political sides. One wonders what their motivation is to make friends with those who are both friends and enemies, who put up with insults of Muslims who see any American friend or foe as an infidel or enemy.
This novel covers thirty years (no spoilers here) from the early years to 911 to the evolution of terrorism into ISIS. The action is rivetingly present on every page. It’s an education in Middle East strife and at the same time a thrilling read in which tension never relaxes. It’s so real it’s almost overwhelming! It is what is really happening. Assassins is Mike Bond’s best novel! Well-researched, complicated, surreal yet real, this is a story (it is fiction, after all) that will sear the reader’s memory long after the last page is turned! Highly recommended, well-crafted fiction that tells the vivid story of an endless war!

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are probably a lot of people who would be interested in this book, but unfortunately I'm not one of them. It's just not for me. Veterans and military buffs will find a lot here to like, but those of us who aren't as interested in war will likely be bored. There's not enough other things to keep someone reading if they aren't fascinated by the Middle East Wars. So ignore this review if war interests you.

I started this book expecting something similar to Brad Thor: military guys, cool action scenes, a bit of politics here and there, and maybe some history to round things out. What I found was a PSA against Islam and Islamic countries. Just in case Americans don't get enough propaganda that tells us Muslims are inherently bad, here's a whole book all about it.

The writing itself was decent, though I wasn't a fan of the long run-on sentences. I can see readers being swept up in this kind of writing. This is what earns it the extra star from me. However, there were several times where it felt the author put in battle scenes for no reason other than to add drama and a lot of the time they felt superfluous.

What really made me not want to continue reading was the one-sided stance on the wars (because bad guys are just innately bad and no one has other dimensions) and when the author used words such as retard and raghead. They might not be the most horrible words a person could use, but they're not something I appreciate reading, especially when they're not used in dialogue. If you've got a character who is a jerk and he uses that language, that's usually okay with me. When a book is third person and those words are being used, that's less okay.

All in all, a little too racist/religion-ist for my taste. I would have preferred more balance and understanding. Less slurs would have been nice as well.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jeremy Reppy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-written and thought-provoking book, but also a deeply cynical and pessimistic book. The main character, Jack, is a CIA asset who is valuable for his military skills, survival skills, language skills, and intelligence. He starts out training and arming the mujahedeen in Afghanistan to fight the Soviets and ends up being involved, in some way, with almost every major conflict or crisis in the Middle East -- infiltrating a terrorist training camp in Lebanon, Iraq post-911, Afghanistan post-911, the hunt for Bin Laden, etc. Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush Jr., and Obama and their administrations all draw the author's ire, but the greatest scorn is reserved for Bush Jr. for invading Iraq and having no plan for what to do afterwards and for Obama for making the bad situation in Iraq worse and failing to confront the evil of ISIS. There are multiple examples in the book of deals with the Devil where the Devil wins.

I received a copy of the e-book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

[Loraine Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast moving book about Afghanistan, and Jack and his team have gone in to fight with the Russians trying to take the area over. From the minute they are dropped by parachute into Afghanistan, this book moves at a fast pace. This book has everything in it, love, lies, sex, romance, death, extreme violence and terror, and the characters are really great too. This book moves from Desert Storm to the terrorist attacks in Paris.

I learned a lot of things reading this book, as it is about history and politics, and the people running governments that don't seem to really care about their citizens, and it is an extremely timely book.

I gave this book 4 stars!

[Bonnie Hare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Politics behind the catastrophe of war

Mike Bonds book tells the story of the Aphganistan war with the Russians and Americans involvement and how the escalation of Isis and other factions resulted in the 9-11 in New York. The hero in the book understood the escalation brought a peaceful people into killing and violence to become worlds terrorits

[Vickie Sarmina · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a riveting, thrilling, and at times, horrifying book this was. It was so hard to put down because the main character Jack was constantly being pulled into every type of Islamic war that could be found. All of his missions were so covered up that even some individuals in our government were kept in the dark. In various missions, he was ordered to move through Afghanistan to Kabul to Baghdad to the United States and France. All the while losing very close comrades, family, and friends in the wake of the Islamic war, Jack continued on in his attempt to protect us from this maniacal religious cult of ISIS. The brutality of the ISIS regime and their far-reaching tentacles knew no bounds. This book was so realistic and fast-paced that the reader felt as if they were actually there. Additionally, this book also uncovered the bureaucracy of various governments, and the coverup of greed which can take hold of individuals in power. The plot was well thought out and completely engaged the reader from the first page. This book was not completely a military based genre. There was some romance and some mystery involved too. The characters were also realistic and it was easy to feel the emotions that the characters felt. What will the future hold for Jack? Will he eventually say "enough?" Will he decide to get on with his own life? Will this constant roller coaster ride ever end for him? This was my first book to read by this author, and I must say that I will be reading many more in the future. His writing style definitely has me hooked!! You will not be sorry if you decide to pick this book up - I know I wasn't.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bond's Assassins is a whirlwind thriller beginning during the Cold War where we find protagonist Jack parachuting at night over the Hindu Kush as part of an undercover team helping Afghans fight the Soviets by providing Strela shoulder-mounted surface-to-air missiles. From there we follow him through the next three decades of geopolitical strife as he fights Islamic terrorism. Against the brutal terrain of Afghanistan, a Hezbollah camp in Lebanon, Baghdad, and Falluja we see the inhumanity of fanaticism as it has cloaked an entire region, enslaving all the people therein. Back stateside, Jack faces tragedy when the Towers fall and he is pulled back into the cycle of seeking vengeance overseas.
Bond also weaves references to recent terrorist attacks at cafe la belle equipe and the Bataclan theatre in Paris bringing Jack and the conflict into the modern era. Jack is a tortured character, one who feels partly responsible for the loss of loved ones. He also feels strongly about the political climate and the motivations of the actors making the decisions. Overall, Assassins is fast paced and exciting, moving from one setting to the next with a protagonist one can easily get behind and root for.

[Maria Logan-Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Assassins, Mike Bond takes us from Desert Storm to the early terrorist attacks in Paris. Assassins, is adventure, terror, romance, sex and lies, all in one riveting package; and is a good examination of the tragedies inflicted by politics, egos, as well as fanatics who use religion as an excuse to wreak havoc on the world.

Dropped by parachute into the rugged mountains of Afghanistan, Jack and his team are fighting the Russians who have invaded Afghanistan. Through his well-developed characters, Bond reveals how the U.S. became involved in the drug trade in order to provide arms to the Afghanis, suggests that Saudi Arabia financed the attacks on the World Trade Center.

Bond also brings up a common complaint of many people: the fact that wars are started and continued by politicians who won't be harmed in those wars.

What Makes This Book Reviewer Grumpy?

--Throughout the entire prologue, and the first few pages of Chapter 1, the reader is not given the names of the characters. Only he, him, she, etc., until someone yells, "Jack!" Additional chapters with different characters begin with the same.
--Incomplete sentences.
--Sentences that begin with conjunctions.
Look for me online as The Grumpy Book Reviewer.

[Renwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a thriller which is based on events which have taken place over the last 30 years. It has pace, plenty of action, a good insight into the the fictional characters that form the basis of the intrigues and as you get further into the book the political commentary increases. In the end it became unclear to me whether this was intended to be a political soapbox, historical account intertwined with fictional characters or a good thriller.

Whatever the intention, I was unable to put the book down until I had finished the final page and would recommend others to do the same thing. You will be left with a clear memory of how our world has been changed and some thought-provoking ideas to ponder on the future of our planet.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Rosamaria Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book via a good reads giveaway. I've read many books which covers middle eastern affairs, terrorism and combat, but none quite like this one. This book follows the last 30 years of the Middle East crisis, the war between Islam and the west. In this book the author shows not only how these wars are linked by many key political players, in a never ending cycle but we also see how many of the characters are also linked as well. I loved this book. I love the details, I loved the relationships described between characters and I cried at the many losses. This is a good book, ireccomwnd all read it. The only part that really, really got me, where I had to stop reading was during the 9/11 events which took place in the book. Having lived in NYC and witnessed the events unfold, having lost many during this atrack, that whole segment hit me a little close to home.

[Renwick]

This book is a thriller which is based on events which have taken place over the last 30 years. It has pace, plenty of action, a good insight into the the fictional characters that form the basis of the intrigues and as you get further into the book the political commentary increases. In the end it became unclear to me whether this was intended to be a political soapbox, historical account intertwined with fictional characters or a good thriller.

Whatever the intention, I was unable to put the book down until I had finished the final page and would recommend others to do the same thing. You will be left with a clear memory of how our world has been changed and some thought-provoking ideas to ponder on the future of our planet.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kathy Duffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and it felt more real than many military thrillers, I felt like some of the author's experiences were included within the storyline. The tracing of how each war or military action holds the seeds of the next one beginning with our arming warlords in Afghanistan to fight the Soviets and those men we trained and armed, were fighting us. How we put Sadam in power and then the flimsy excuses of looking for WMD's that those in power knew did not exist.... some of it was more real than many military fiction books. His main character Jack has the qualities one hopes are part of the character of those who we send into battle and the conspiracies of the politicians and corporations rang very true.

[Jay Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mike Bond is my favorite author and I have read all his books. This book is very different from the others. It may be the book he was heading for as he began writing. The action is outstanding and realistic. The suspense flows from page to page. Where nature has played a dramatic role in his previous books, current events are front and center in this story. The background is provided by recent events we have all lived through. The flow of the writing is almost musical as romance and horrors share equal billing. I finished the book saying "Wow, I wish everyone could read and understand this book."

[Beverley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy from NetGalley. I'm having a hard time with a review for this book. I wish it had been less fact and more fiction. It was scary to see all the wars and conflicts all put together like this. But seeing it all put together is what made this book so good. Not political, both sides are disliked, it is very telling on how politics shape the world. Mr. Bond did an excellent job with his main character. Emotionally, not an easy read, but one I'm glad I took the time to read.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book from Goodreads giveaway and this is the first book that I have read from Mike Bond.

I must admit that I was a little intimidated when I saw how large the book was. I've read longer novels, but never on this subject matter and I was worried that I would find it tiresome. I never did get bored and I attribute that to the authors talent.

I had read a previous review that the political view was biased and I tend to agree. However partial the story may be, I enjoyed it tremendously and would read more works from Mike Bond.

[leno sislin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I have ever read!!!

So much truth! Humanity... Understanding of war and it's effects...Of love and it's healing strength... No false heroes here but a man with hope and belief - whose greatest fortitude is being able to keep on being a great, good man despite all he's seen, all he knows. This book was earth shattering for me.
Thank you, Mr. Bond, for your credible story and great writing!

[Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horrifyingly real!

The extreme greed and corruption is so sickening. This was so real it broke my heart. I don't want to believe any of it, but it's hard not to. It was extremely well written, I felt I was there seeing what Jack was seeing, feeling his pain. I couldn't put it down and found myself hoping and praying that the account wasn't true. I will be reading more from this author.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forest gump of Islamic hate.

Interesting book that places one individual at many pivotal spots in terrorist history. The author has a very dark take on human nature, but weaves a story tying together much that has happened with his philosophy. Gives you much to think about, the only thing missing is footnotes and sources. Not a book I would recommend if you want a good nights sleep.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t believe it took me this long to read this book. It is an inside look into the Middle East and our Military Force. The horrors, the stories, the sadness but the love too. I felt for each character in this book. You will not be able to put this down . The story of war is never pretty and this is true in this book too but it gives in detail many of the hows and whys of our wars and the politics involved. Thank you Mike Bond for this book. #netgalley.com #mikebond

[Barbara Leuthe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book goes farther than any thriller to take you into the war and how it feels to know things are not right but your hands are tied to solve all the issues.All the loss in this story is sad and really makes you think about what is important.I received this book free as part of goodreads giveaways.

[Kenn Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as a Goodreads.com giveaway.

Great writing. This is a story about Jack who is in Special Forces and covers the time of US involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq. Lots of violence and personal tragedy.

Don't let the political issues derail you enjoyment of this story. It is fiction after all.

I am looking for other books by Mike Bond. I hope they are as good as this one.

[john d chontos · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wakeup to the future and a chronicle of past mistakes.

Recommended by a friend, this is a book to open your eyes to the politics of war and profits, the fecklessness of today's leaders and a premonition of the folly of PC when it involves Islam intentions.

[Paul Gaglio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent,exciting novel. Hard to put down. If even half of the allegations involving U.S foreign policy are true it is extremely disturbing. The novel gives an honest outlook on Islam and the West's attitude toward it.
Would highly recommend this book.

[Christine Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

You will be drawn into this book and watch Jack and his actions. He has been involved in the middle east since the 80's and is critical of what the government has repeatedly done there. He suffers and fights, suffers and fights.

[Dayline Jusino-Velez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping story of war throughout the years. Fascinating views of events.

[Richard Husted]

Very good read; especially the twist at the conclusion!!!