Assassins’ Deeds: A History of Assassination from Ancient Egypt to the Present Day

by John Withington

Assassins have been killing the powerful and famous for at least three thousand years. Personal ambition, revenge, and anger have encouraged many to violent deeds, like the Turkish sultan who had nineteen of his brothers strangled or the bodyguards who murdered a dozen Roman emperors. More recently have come new motives like religious and political fanaticism, revolution and liberation, with governments also getting in on the act, while many victims seem to have been surprisingly careless: Abraham Lincoln was killed after letting his bodyguard go for a drink. So, do assassinations work? Drawing on anecdote, historical evidence, and statistical analysis, Assassins’ Deeds delves into some of history’s most notorious acts, unveiling an intriguing cast of characters, ingenious methods of killing, and many unintended consequences.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics

368 pages, Hardcover

First published December 10, 2020

About the author

John Wihtington is a television producer and writer, Among his television credits are 'Royal London' (LWT), 'From Marx to the Market' (BBC2) and 'Global Gamble' (Channel 4). He writes regularly for newspapers and magazines and the author of Shutdown, a book about the effects of shipyard closures on Teesside.

Reviews

[Zahra Saedi · Rating 3 out of 5]

این کتاب به تاریخ سوءقصد در تاریخ، سلاح‌های استفاده شده، جنسیت و هویت قاتل و مقتول و از این دست پرداخته و سیر تغییر و تحول را بررسی کرده.
نمی‌دانم توقعم از این کتاب چه بود اما اینکه خیلی مختصر به هر سوءقصد پرداخته بود و بیشتر از انسان‌های مختلف نام برده بود چندان راضیم نکرد. شاید به عنوان رجوع و تحقیق بهتر بتوان از این کتاب استفاده کرد.

[Sam(antha) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read and talk about assassinations a lot. It’s my macabre little research specialty. So when I saw a book that covered the history of assassination from the earliest suspected case (the Pharaoh Teti) to the present day (2017), I of course had to read it.

It didn’t disappoint. Divided by time period (periodization is problematic, but in this case it doesn’t hinder the analysis), the book looks at assassinations and suspected assassinations from around the world. In each case, the author would provide as much context as possible. Each chapter ends with an analysis of the trends (who were the victims and perpetrators, what methods were used, what the aftermath was, how many can be called a success).

I learned a lot and my copy is covered in my highlighter.

[vonnegut · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extensive research but limited analysis

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Some parts I found interesting but others sent me to sleep.

[Maddy Barnard · Rating 2 out of 5]

It felt more like a list than an analysis.

[Sharon · Rating 1 out of 5]

The section on the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand has a minimum of 19 incorrect statements. No reason to read any more of this awful book.