The Denver Assassins Club has one rule: Step out of line and you become the next target.
Ember Clarke is a nimble killer-for-hire. She only accepts jobs to snuff out dirtbags who deserve it, like the serial rapist in her crosshairs. But when a rival Club hitman shows up to steal the contract and put a knife in her back, she has no choice but to add another stiff to her body count.
Ember is shocked to learn the Club will not tolerate killing another member, even in self defense. Her punishment is a grueling six-week gauntlet of being stalked by her peers, starting with an eagle-eyed sniper.
Can Ember turn the tables on the first of six, or will this hunter’s next bullet have her name on it?
Primary Target is the first book in the pulse-pounding Six Assassins crime thriller series. If you like gritty noir heroes, shocking twists and turns, and pages so riveting they practically flip themselves, you’ll love Jim Heskett and Nick Thacker’s epic six-part tale.
Jim Heskett is a writer of short and long fiction, currently slaving away at a laptop in an undisclosed location in Broomfield, Colorado. Details about previous and future publications can be found at www.jimheskett.com
I liked the basic idea for this series. Not a bad beginning. Six weeks & six different assassins. How can our heroine survive it all? Not too complicated. My September KOLL. Might get around to the 2nd book in a few months.
Primary Target This should be a primary read for you. The story line, crafted characters and twists are great. The reason for the book(s) is thrilling and the story development is paced beautifully. Oh, the twists and turns! I was led down a path of sites and sound in my head that made me believe in the people and the in reason for this story to go on. Please, read this first of six books. Like it happened to me, I needed to read the second book to see if the intensity and story line could be kept to this high of a level. I will find it and get it immediately.
Jim Heskett and Nick Thacker are both very accomplished writers in their own right so having them team up to write a series was always going to be interesting. It seems that when you pair great writers you get great writing. What they’ve come up with is a fun, entertaining thrill ride of a story! We meet Ember Clarke, an assassin, who is part of the Denver Assassins Club, a shadowy organisation that delivers the right assassin for the right job. When Ember clashes with another hired killer when they both appear to have been given the same contract she’s forced to kill in self defence. Killing within the Club is cause for severe punishment. That punishment comes in the form of trial by combat whereby Ember must try and survive six weeks as each week one of six different assassins try to kill her. This is really great fun if maybe not the most realistic of stories but I personally read to escape from reality for a while. This book serves up everything you could want from a thriller: action, tension and shadowy people with shadowy agendas moving in the (you guessed it) shadows! This is a fast paced story full of twists and turns that will no doubt have you hooked for the series. There are hints at so much more to come in the following five books and I can’t wait for book two to find out what happens next. Surely that has to be the best recommendation a book can have?
The story begins with Ember trying to complete a contract killing when she is interrupted by another assassin. He is also trying to perform the same contract killing. They both begin to fight, and Ember winds up killing him is self defense.
The following day she is in front of the Review Board of the "DAC" to be judged on her unintentional killing. Because of a prior incident, the penalty for this infraction was one where over a period of six weeks, an different assassin from the other each branch would attempt to kill her.
The assassin for the 1st week was Xavier and he made several attempts on her. He received assistance from a different branch than his own to aid his attempt.
The actions that Ember took were well done and all of the characters portrayed their part effectively throughout the story.
You need to read this to find out what actions Ember took to avoid being murdered as well as how the Harvey Bennett character was introduced. You won't be disappointed with this. I look forward to reading the next installment.
Ember and the Denver Assassins Club were in good graces with each other until she had to kill another assassin who was trying to kill her. Her punishment is taking on six other assassins, one of each week if she can live thru that. You will not be able to put this book down until you finish it ! Great cast of characters, non stop action and a story line with so many twists and turns you’ll be amazed at the end. Highly recommended !
This is a great new series that tracks how a female assassin tries to outwit other assassins who have contracts to kill her. They all belong to an assassin's club. It all seems impossible that killers would follow rules. I personally was glued to the story. Surprise twists right to the end. Also an extra report given at the end of the book which adds to the story. All so mysterious!
The Primary Target Two great authors even better together! Spend six weeks inside the life of an assassin. What puts an elite killer at the most risk? An assassin should be up for any challenge but can Ember survive being hunted by six different assassins?
On a recent contract, Ember killed another assassin when he tried to take the job out from under her. It was completely self-defense. But the man was a member of another branch of the Denver Assassins Club. Demanding trial by combat, Ember gets more than she anticipated. Rather than going against one assassin she will have to defeat six. There will be six consecutive weeklong contracts on her life, one from each branch in the guild.
Ember also hides a deadly secret. If it is discovered, the entire club will be out to get her. Can she survive faced with such steep odds? Grab week one now and start this thrilling series!
An assassin with ethics who is good at her job and part of a group of assassins which is part of a "club" of assassins. She has apparently broken the rules under which all of these assassins live and now must stay alive as six different individual experts in her own organization are given her life as their next target. Each is an expert, not only in the art of assassination, but in a specialty like poisoning, sniper kills, knife work, pistol skills, hand-to-hand executions and more. She has friends in this assassins' gulid, but that puts them in danger as the assigned assassins have no problem taking those friends' lives to get at her. Jim Heskett has developed a very believable world of skilled killers who are skilled warriors in their own arena within the world in which we live. It seems totally real and logical. While the action is non-stop, and there are secrets and twists throughout, nothing seems forced or unbelievable, a hard thing for some authors to accomplish in this age of cynicism. Primary Target is a book that is truly hard to put down. This is the sort of tale that keeps the reader wanting more. I am impatiently looking forward to reading the rest of this new series. 3 people found this helpful
Wow! What a ride that was. I'm still spinning from it.
Ember Clarke made a mistake that could cost her life. Being an assassin, she was doing her job and accidentally killed another assassin who wasn't supposed to be there. That's the short story of it. She was brought up on charges by the Denver Assassins Club Review and given the black dot, which means that she's going to have six hits put out on her for the next six weeks. One a week. It's combat; kill or be killed.
I'd read about her in a previous novel and thought she was just okay, but as I read this novel, I saw a side to her that changed my mind. It's hard for me to like macho women. I'm not a feminist by a long shot, but with her, it was perfect. She's beautiful, tough, witty, and smart, yet isn't above using her female assets to get what she needs. She's resourceful and quick. What I didn't see about her was the truth. People aren't always who they profess to be. Shazam!!!
And I got another huge surprise. I should've known by the hints that were given, but for some reason or another, I didn't make the connection until it was said outright. It added more to the excitement and anticipation that was already present throughout the book, but it made me wonder just how all of this is going to end. You never know who your neighbors are, do you?
There are a couple of stories going on here, but they're both centered around Ember. They're suspenseful, kept me at the edge of my seat, and made me want to read the next novel right now. I know this series is six books; one for each week, but I've also read enough novels by Jim Heskett to know he doesn't have a problem killing his protagonists. That just adds more intrigue and makes me want to find out more. I'm not so sure she's going to survive this. The first week was rough and she's got five more to go. I'm anxious to read the next book in the series.
*I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily left a review.
This book was a blast! I could definitely see a book like this being made into a movie. This book is a thriller in the vein of James Bond (without all of the gadgets) or Jason Bourne and I can't wait to see how Ember will survive.
Ember is a great character. She kills, but on her terms as much as possible. That means, killing people who think they're above the law, but not just anyone who might have a grudge or is looking to get ahead by removing the competition. Granted, she's still a killer, but there's at least some moral fiber there to get behind. She's intelligent, precise, and lethal when needed. I wouldn't think I'd typically be rooting for an assassin in a story, but there's a lot to like about Ember and had no problem wanting to see her survive.
This 6-week gauntlet of some of the best assassins in her field will put her through the ultimate test. If she's not on top of her game, there's no second chances. I love spy thrillers and although Ember isn't a spy, a lot of the same story elements are here. The game of cat-and-mouse between Ember and her first hunter was a lot of fun to read. I couldn't wait to see how she would come out ahead.
I'm very excited to read more in this series. In full disclosure, I have to say that I received a copy of this book in exhange for an honest review, but I honestly loved this one. I'm looking forward to reading how Ember will escape each new hunter and there's some foreshadowing in this book to suggest that things are only going to get worse for Ember in the future. There's some twists in the book that are going to shake things up before this series is concluded, I think.
I received an ARC from the author at my request and this is my honest opinion. This is another awesome thriller by Jim Heskett and Nick Thacker. There are plenty of twists and turns, intense action, surprises, and just all-round good reading. The story is character-driven and doesn't slow down from the beginning to the end. That's one thing I enjoy about the stories from these authors; there's no filler. You know, those pages and pages that do nothing to advance the story but just add to the word count. With Heskett/Thacker, if they take the time to write it, it's going to advance the story and advance it well. I also enjoyed a cameo appearance by one of my favorite Heskett characters. I hope there are more cameos in future books. I don't know if the serial style of books is coming back (the ones where each book finishes its part of the story so that the reader is not left with a cliffhanger, but you have to finish the series to get the overall big picture.) or not, but I seem to be seeing more of it lately. At first, I didn't think I would like it but I really do. I think because the books are being released fairly close together and because each "chapter" is a full story unto itself. If you haven't read anything by either of these authors, this series is a good place to start. I think you will be really glad you did.
I have a really hard time rating this book. 1. First off, assassin stories aren’t my thing. But strong capable women narrators are good. So I’m torn there. 2. I like Zach Bennett and what direction that story is heading. I like Layne Parrish that I have been introduced to. I like that this story is in the same universe as other stories that I like. 3. Of course Nick Thacker and Jim Heskett write great action novels. This is no exception. There is lots of action and some great fight scenes. 4. There are a few twists in here. Some I love, like that we don’t see all of Ember’s plan and including Isabel. I like the hints that everything is not okay within all the branches. However, the inclusion of Niles’ three friends really bothers me. Ember is in the middle of a crazy hard trial by combat and then there are these other guys mucking around. It was mentioned at the end, so I am thinking that this is part of a larger storyline. If so, then this book did a great job of getting me genuinely angry at this whole group of characters. But what if this thread of storyline is left hanging? UltimatelyI have to keep reading to find out what happens. And I think that is the point of a series.
I got an advanced copy and want to share my honest opinion.
Two weeks in the life of a Denver Assassin Club member -- bloody with ancillary targets - 4 stars
Ember Clarke is a principled assassin. She kills, for money, people who deserve to be killed and then only have a contact has been negotiated and paid.
Ember had been a government employee but has a new life as an assassin. She has been trained in the skills to do her new job, working up from being a trainee. She has nearly three years as a professional.
Ember tries to live by a strict code which includes keeping her commitments, staying strong and continuing to hone her craft.
When two assassins are given separate contracts for the same job, someone has to pay. Ember pulls the short straw.
Ember thinks of herself in longer range that one might expect; she expects to live. She flirts with a college student, plans "events" with other experienced assassins and a keeps an edginess that gives life to her character.
I enjoyed Primary Target. It is well written and has lots of excitement. I liked the FBI twist. The ending left me a bit unsatisfied, however. There were too many unfinished threads and not enough finished ones.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader copy of this book.
This is the first novel in a series of six about assassins. Ember is an assassin who kills people that deserve it and is a member of the Denver Assassins Club. They have rules and regulations over contracts and who you can kill. Due to a mix up, Ember accidentally kills another assassin and has to pay the price by being a target for an assassin from each of the six arms of the club over the next six weeks (hence the six novels - one per week per assassin?). This story details her fight to stay alive as the first assassin attempts to kill her. It is set in the same world as the Harvey Bennett thrillers with the occasional reference to characters or bleedthrough of charaters or situations detailed therein. The book is of course violent and reasonably graphic and is highly entertaining with the suspicion that things may not be as straight forward as they seem...
This is a different kind of murder mystery: "Kill or be killed"
Ember Clarke is an assassin for hire and a member of the The Denver Assassins Club. The thing about this club is they have rules: 1. only one assassin is assigned a target. 2. You don't kill members of the club. And Ember has her own #1 Rule: she only assassinates those who deserve it.
Book #1 starts out when a fellow club member shows up during her attempts to fullfil a contract. And, unfortunately, she accidentally kills the guy because he's trying to kill her. Then Ember agrees to the club's ruling: accept being stalked by six of her peers. Book #1 follows the attempt by Assassin #1. The proposed remaining five books of the series follows the stories by the other five assassins.
It's going to be interesting to follow the other books in the series.
No spoilers here: If you are looking for an intense, edge of your seat, action packed spy thriller kind of book, you found it, and this IS the best place to start as this is the first book in this new six book series! The authors do an impressive job with an easy to follow, gripping storyline and well developed characters that come to life in your mind. Plenty of action and twists to make you just want to not stop. This is one of those "just one more chapter" books that will keep you reading when there might be something else you should be doing. Get involved with this "assassins club" and get a well written satisfying read! Both of these authors are amazing writers both independently and together. So stop now, get this book and then be ready to move on to book two. You just won't want to wait. I received a complimentary ARC and this is my honest review.
The life of an assassin. Some have scruples others don't. Interesting take on some of the characters. Nick Thacker and Jim Heskett did a great job in putting this story together. We got a glimpse of Layne my favorite character in the Layne Parrish series showing up as one of Ember's neighbors. Hoping we see more of him in the future. Ember is going to need all the help she can get. Having survived the first assassin she only have five more to go. On top of it all her standing with the FBI doesn't look to good at this time either. This book is the first book in a series of six and all will be published by June 9 so you will not have to wait to long to see how it all ends. Looking forward to reading the second one in the series.
When Ember accidentally kills a fellow assassin who was aiming to take out her contract, the disciplinary action of the Denver Assassins Club is swift and decisive. Ember is given a "black spot" a sanctioned hunt by a series of assassins over a period of weeks, but that's not all. It appears that Ember's past has come back to haunt her and add a whole extra set of complications. I loved this first book in the Six Assassins series. Ember is a kick-ass assassin with a moral code and a vulnerable streak and her story unfolds with all the vivid action of the best cinematic action thrillers. I can't wait for the next installment.
Ember Clarke, assassin, who happens to make some enemies and is now in a fight for her life thanks to the sentence handed down by the ruling board of the Assassins Club. She must face 6 assassins over 6 weeks to live. I really like her character. She is a strong woman who won't kill just to kill even with her life on the line. We find out more about Ember and others in this part of the series. Ember is strong and smart. Despite fighting for her life she is still trying to keep prior promises she has made. Great action scenes. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.
Ember Clarke (not her real name), works undercover as an assassin for hire with the local Boulder branch of the DAC, when a mission goes wrong and suddenly she's the eponymous Primary Target of not one, but six other members of the Club, a week apart. Nick Thacker and Jim Heskett are a creative dream pairing who will really get your pulses pounding and your heart racing...but fear not, it's not the Covid-19 creeping up on you - you won't even be aware of it until after you've finished Primary Target. Get a copy today and keep your doors locked and the curtains closed while you read it - just in case!
Primary Target (Six Assassins Book 1), my 30th read from author Jim Heskett. An excellent read! The problem with writing a successful book is amplified in a successful series, the reader's expectations are that this book will be even better than the last. This is a good book, and I anticipate a good series, that you can't wait to turn the next page and read more. Come on book 2! (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).
We caught a glimpse of Ember in another series by Nick & Jim and if this is the start, I am very much looking forward to what else there will be coming from Nick & Jim in this series.
Ember is one tough cookie! She takes on a good deal of trouble when an assassin from another chapter tries to poach her contract. Not only is she now fighting for her life, she doesn't know who's coming after her. It's going to be a trying six weeks.
Get ready for an action packed thriller like no other! Heskett and Thacker are each exciting authors in their own rights.....pair them up as a team and wow! Unbelievably good.
This is book one of an ongoing series that I can't wait to read the next chapter of. The twists encountered left me going -- didn't see that coming. I read a lot and it's hard to make me say that.
I received a free advanced copy to review but this is my own honest opinion.
Excellent goodread! Assassins target assassins, covert FBI agent even the FBI doesn’t know. On edge feeling the suspense, wincing with each blow of the play by play assassin face offs, turning pages dying to know who comes out alive. Outstanding collaboration and writing I’m hoping carries to the next book. Can’t miss this goodread, it will blow you away with its suspense and action.
There is action on every page. The characters all fit to make the book come to life. Ember seems a little over trained to be able to take on three and fight them to a stand still without killing them. To find out she is FBI and still takes contracts to kill is a little under stated. She’s in to deep to find her way out. This does feel like it will make an interesting series. Read and decide.
An amazing read, characters from other books by these Authors used, a brilliant collaboration of Jim Heskett and Nick Thacker. An exciting read from the start to the finish, couldn't put it down. As this is a series of books I would recommend that they be read in order. Can't wait for the next book in this series.
What a great start to a new series. Ember is a very likable character. There are so many twists and turns throughout and the plot is very well developed. I liked the implementation of the FBI into the storyline. I truly am going to be invested in this series. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving this review