Assassins

by Nicholas Mosley

As one of the characters in Assassins says, "Tolstoy was right, you can't beat the Gods. It's the small things - the warp and woof - that make up the pattern. And how much influence do we have over the small? Now that's a theme for a modern writer." And Nicholas Mosley is this writer. Part political thriller and part love story, Assassins explores the "small things" that give shape and meaning to the "big events."

Genres: Novels, British Literature

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Nicholas Mosley was educated at Eton and Oxford. He served in Italy during World War II, and published his first novel, Spaces of the Dark, in 1951. His book Hopeful Monsters won the 1990 Whitbread Award.

Mosley was the author of several works of nonfiction, most notably the autobiography Efforts at Truth and a biography of his father, Sir Oswald Mosley, entitled Rules of the Game/Beyond the Pale.

Reviews

[Tom Leland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nicholas Mosley's father was Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, a Baronet who was arrested for being a fascist. I'd say that this book reflects the younger Mosley's antipathy of the intrigues and manipulations of politics -- as well as a father's twisted priorities of "achievement" over relationship -- the main character mostly treats his teenage daughter like a stranger. It's a damn smart book, I just didn't like the style -- endless choppy descriptions, the reader is kept at a far remove.

[MJ Nicholls · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thriller cast in Mosley’s unique style, off-kilter, witty dialogue mingled with overly choppy, unhelpfully descriptive thickets where the mind wanders. The most compelling passages are from the POV of the kidnapped Mary as she ponders her fate at the hands of her not particularly scary nappers.