Rob Hart (1)Critiques

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S ASSASSINS ANONYMOUS ABOUT?
Almost a year ago, Mark walked away from his old life and into a 12-step meeting. It's been a struggle for him—he's almost relapsed, he came close to suicide, and he's struggled every day. But with the support of the other people in his group, his sponsor, and a little orange cat who came into his life at just the right time—Mark is making it, day by day.

Then one day, Mark's cleaning up after the meeting and he's attacked by a Russian who moves like a professional killer. Mark fights back—incapacitating the Russian and escaping with a serious—but not-too-serious—wound of his own and a burning question: who sent the Russian? The search for the answer takes Mark (and his cat) around the world—into some very dangerous situations, and almost more temptation for Mark to relapse than he could've imagined.

You see, Mark's 12-step meeting isn't for Alcoholics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, or anything like that. As you'll guess from the book's title, it's Assassins Anonymous. Hitmen, Assassins, Serial Killers, and the like, who are tired of the life, who are tired of killing and want to try to live productive, life-affirming lives. They have to fight old impulses, old habits, old attitudes, they have to abandon adrenaline rushes (which are probably pretty addictive) and all the rest for a quiet life. Mark had been one of the best in the world (or the worst, depending on your perspective)—almost legendary—until he went cold turkey. But someone's apparently trying to warm up the poultry.*

* That's a metaphor I really shouldn't have tried to stretch.

Can Mark discover why someone game for him almost a year after he quit "the life"? Can Mark make them stop without having to throw away all the work he's done over the last (almost) 12 months?

THE MOVIES
Like many moviegoers, I love a good hit man movie. I can even enjoy a "just okay" hitman movie (sorry, The Whole Ten Yards you don't qualify as either). Mark, unsurprisingly, isn't a fan of most of them. Sadly, that's where most people get their ideas and information about assassins and hitmen from. So by character, actor, or movie title, they're brought up frequently—usually to Mark's dismay. He'll also just compare his life to those movies on occasion. I enjoyed this aspect of the character a lot—particularly one running bit where people kept expecting him to look more like a particular actor.

Other kinds of movies are used throughout the novel, too—they're a great shorthand way of revealing character. What movies he likes, what movies he refuses to mention liking, and so on are a convenient and efficient way of telling you a lot about Mark. Also, it's just fun to see characters talk about movies and whatnot—as people like Whedon, Tarantino, and Smith have been showing us.

THE 12-STEPS
As the book started to really focus on—and feature—things like the meetings Mark's attending, his recovery, and his working the steps, I started to get worried. Primarily because it was early on, and while I understood that Mark was flippant, even a wiseacre—was Hart going to be flip about the 12-steps? That feels like something you shouldn't touch—like a third rail, a skunk with a hair-trigger, or that Easter Egg you finally found in late June.

But no—the meetings, the steps, the attitude about recovery, and the way the characters interacted about their recovery were dealt with respectfully. Sure, there was a little bit of Mark's attitude (or similar ones) expressed in the meetings and whatnot—but not about the meetings or the program, just about each other or themselves. (much like I imagine happens in an actual meeting)

If anything, this is practically an advertisement for those kind of programs and the good work they can do. Because this is the heart of the novel—yes, there's the violence, the suspense, the twists, and whatnot—let's call them "The Thriller Aspects." Those aspects are what will draw readers to the book, they're what'll keep your attention and get you hooked on it. But Assassins Anonymous isn't so much about the "Assassins" as it is the struggle, the stumbles, and the victories associated with Recovery. In my book, we should get more of those—particularly honest books about the victories.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT ASSASSINS ANONYMOUS?
Imagine Martin Q. Blank, Jimmy Tudeski, and Frank Moses meeting up and trying to take care of business—non-lethally (I guess that'd be something like the pacifist version of The Expendables), and you'll have something like this book.

Let's start with The Thriller Aspects—Hart nailed them. Even—maybe especially—the more outlandish aspects of them (which are really the trickier part to pull off). There's a confident panache to the novel—as well as most of the characters—that lets you know right away that you're in good hands and are set for a great ride. Some twists you'll see coming, and won't care because of the way he executes them. But also,

The 12-Step aspect—well, see above—another win for Hart.

What about the comedy and narrative voice? Spot on—seriously good. It'd be easy to go overboard on the comedy—or to not use enough of it (we are talking about a bunch of people who have killed many others), but I think Hart hits the balance just right. And Mark's the kind of guy you can enjoy being stuck in the mind of for 320 pages.

The first chapter gives you everything you need to know about this novel—it's such a well-written chapter, too. Voice, character, action, comedy. If you read it and aren't hooked, you're probably going to feel that way about the rest of it. If that first chapter works for you? Kick back and enjoy.

Sure, this novel is right in my wheelhouse—I'm practically its target demographic incarnate—but I think even if I wasn't, it would've won me over. I strongly encourage you to pick this one up. I can't tell you what's keeping me from giving it the final full star, but something is (and since I'll have to round up almost everywhere I cross-post, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it)—but, boy howdy, you're in for a great time when you open this one up.½

4.5 Stars!

Really, the blurb says it all. Mark is this close to his one year anniversary of not having killed anyone. However, a brute of a Russian makes an attempt on his life which spurs him to discover the whys of how he’s become a target after disappearing from the life of being the best assassin for over the past decade. If he wants to continue his recovery, Mark needs answers, but things quickly spiral out of control as complications pile up.

Know that the plot is quick, the thrown wrenches hit hard as this alternates between Mark in the present trying to figure things out and the past showing how he arrives at his current predicament. I was not once bored. I loved the struggle Mark goes through, seeing his world through a lens of paranoia and situational awareness, fighting a deeply ingrained instinct to kill to easily solve life’s problems. The ingenuity he comes up with to avoid falling back into old patterns was entertaining to see as he’s basically operating with one hand tied behind his back.

So yes, this had plenty of violence, fights, chases, shady agencies, and rival assassins, all entwined with a plausible existential crisis about the moral dilemma that is Mark’s profession. I love me an assassin/mercenary story, and unlike most of these sorts of books, Hart brings a different perspective to his anti-hero that makes him very likable and sympathetic despite his deadly skill set. Though this is serious in subject matter with some very tragic fallout, the best books that I enjoy the most always have a touch of fun factor and humor to them (and believe me, there's plenty of grim dark books regarding this genre who have none of that) which makes this stand out amongst the masses.

Peppered with pop culture references, Hart knows how to lure the reader through his propulsive writing. So, if you want a slightly less flashy John Wick-esque tale full of action, suspense, betrayals, reveals, and the hope for some peace and redemption, then this right here is the answer. Rob Hart is officially on my radar now, and I’ll be checking out previous and future works to come!

Thank you to the author and GP Putnam’s Sons via NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review

I have to confess that I have issues with most time travel stories—it seems to me they rarely get the issues right (e.g., don’t address possible time paradoxes, chaos theory and the butterfly effect) and often just use time travel as a gimmick to permit some anachronism that’s wanted for the plot. Paradox Hotel, despite its name, pays lip service to the issues but doesn’t really give a good technical resolution (“the timeline heals itself!”). I thought the tone was uneven: The protagonist is a wise-cracking, tough, often plain mean former time agent turned hotel security, but toward the end things tried to get deep and got surprisingly sentimental. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was just right for the first-person protagonist, but was just horrible at the accents of some of the other characters.

In Assassins Anonymous, by Rob Hart, Mark has stopped being an assassin for almost a year now. He attends a recovery group that similar to Alcoholics Anonymous, which is working to rehabilitate people who have spent their lives as some sort of killer and don't wish to to so any more. At the end of the meeting one day a large unknown man appears and attacks Mark. Mark does everything he can to survive and not kill the man and barely escapes with his life. As he searches for the man and why he attacked Mark, a larger plan is revealed and Mark has been pinpointed as the key to it being successful. Maybe with some help, Mark can thwart this plot and survive at least until he reaches a year without killing.
Hart has knack for writing characters with dry wit and lots of sarcasm. The reader sees Mark's constant struggle to make the right choices and can't help but pull for him because everyone is trying to be a better person. The colorful array of supporting characters that surround Mark are wonderfully unique and keep Mark guessing whose side each of them are on. The reader is pleasantly lost as to who to trust the whole way through the book. The action sequences are particularly fun, not just because they are well written, but because the reader looks forward to how Mark is going to get away/survive without killing anyone. The ending shocked me and I didn't see it coming, but at the same time it was totally believable.
Exciting, funny and enthralling from beginning to end, I recommend ASSASSINS ANONYMOUS to any reader who wants a fast read that is full excitement and surprises the whole way through.
Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam/G.P Putnam's Sons, Rob Hart, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

sly-humor, satire, assassins, assault, spoof, pet-cat, friends, escape, action, twisty, thriller, target*****

A 12-step program like the offshoots for clutter, bulimia, and others, but this one is to stop killing people for money or conviction (one is a serial killer). It's action plus engaging characters and all tongue-in-cheek. Loved it!
I requested and received an EARC from PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/G.P. Putnam's Sons via NetGalley. Thanks!

One of THE BEST BOOKS I have ever read in a long time A book that is so grimy you will need towel after you put it down. A tour de force ofthe streets of NYC a la the best noir films of a forgotten era filled with characters that could rival Casablanca.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for sending me this book. This is the perfect Summer read. Fast paced, timely and a totally new way of presenting a story. Anyone interested in corporate intrigue, future technologies, corruption and the fear that Big Brother is taking over our lives, will love this book. Highly recommended.

I am a big fan of Rob Hart, loved his previous works, so I had high expectations for this. Unfortunately, it didn't hit the mark for me. I need to become invested in the characters in order to lose myself in the story. That never happened here. The story itself is convoluted and kind of all over the map. Characters pop in and out without any clear description of why they are there. Incidents are described which make no sense, only to be explained a few pages later (or more) later, causing even more confusion. I am not a fan of time travel stories or the SciFi genre and should have known better than to go against my better judgment with this one. My advice to Mr. Hart - stick to crime novels.

3.5 stars. I like this idea and most of the story is great, but there's maybe too many things happening? Or it just wasn't quite organized in a way that made sense. A time traveling hotel with a character who is "slipping", or losing her place in her timeline. A murder in the future, and ghosts? Excellent atmosphere and plot pieces.½

"The Warehouse" by Rob Hart

The entire time I imagined that this was a story of Amazon if it was the last company left that ruled world…. This was a dystopian thriller that delves into the dark side of corporate dominance and surveillance in a world where a tech giant, Cloud, has become an all-encompassing force.

The story follows Paxton, who finds himself working for Cloud and living in one of their live-work facilities. As he settles into the seemingly comfortable life within Cloud's walls, he becomes acquainted with Zinnia, who is undercover, infiltrating Cloud to uncover its darkest secrets. As the truth about Cloud unravels, Paxton and Zinnia are thrust into a high-stakes game of survival, where they must question their loyalties and make daring choices that could impact the fate of humanity.

This had some thought-provoking exploration of the potential consequences of unchecked corporate power. Hart paints a hauntingly realistic picture of a near-future world where a single company has monopolized various aspects of society, from commerce to living arrangements, creating a dystopian setting that feels all too real and is unsettling.

In 'The Warehouse', Rob Hart delivers a horribly plausible picture of a near-future dystopian America and an intriguing, I-need-to-know-how-this-will-work-out thriller. What I liked most was that 'The Warehouse' doesn't fall into the simple black-and-white, good-guy bad-guy mode that so many techno-thrillers have. There are no simple answers here and no oversimplified people either. The result is an engaging, thought-provoking piece of Speculative Fiction that left me wanting to read more of Rob Hart's work.

The story takes place in an America where poverty is widespread as the effects of climate change destroy traditional ways of making a living or even living outdoors at all. America is now a nation where those who have money hunker down at home and have what they need delivered by drones owned and run by Cloud, a sort of Amazon on steroids. Those who don't have money try hard to win and keep a job at Cloud. Most of them live and work in MotherClouds, enormous warehouse compounds built in remote areas of America, well away from towns or cities.

The MotherCloud setup is more than an extrapolation of Amazon work practices. It mimics the neo-serfdom / modern slavery of some Chinese factory towns, made worse by the addition of a Corporate America 'Everything is good here' propaganda gloss

The plot explores Cloud in three ways. Firstly through posts on the public blog of Gibson Wells, the founder of Cloud, who, knowing that he is dying, wants to share the real story of how Cloud came to be, the good that it's done and the bright future that it offers America and Americans. Secondly through the eyes of Paxton, an inventor who used to run a small company that Cloud put out of business and who now needs to take the only job he can get, as a worker in a MotherCloud. Finally, we see Cloud through the eyes of Zinnia, who wasn't looking for a job because she already had one, to infiltrate Cloud and who gets herself hired to the same MotherCloud as Paxton.

Of the three voices, I found Gibson Wells' the most disturbing. The book opens with his first blog post. It only takes a few lines to establish his direct but folksy style and tell me that he's a skilled manipulator who can't be trusted. Here's how it starts.

'WELL, I'M DYING.

A lot of men make it to the end of their life and they don't know that they've reached it. Just the lights go off one day. Here I am with a deadline.

I don't have time to write a book about my life, like everyone has been telling me I should, so this will have to do. A blog seems pretty fitting, doesn't it? I haven't been sleeping much lately so this gives me something to keep myself occupied at night.

Anyway, sleep is for people who lack ambition.

At least there'll be some kind of a written record. I want you to hear it from me rather than someone looking for a buck, making educated guesses. In my line of work, I can tell you: guesses are rarely educated.

Gibson Wells is a wonderful, if frightening, invention. In him. Rob Hart has captured perfectly the tone I've heard from many CEO types, framing the narrative of their own success. It's spookily accurate and made all the more disturbing by the folksy simplicity of the language. Everything seems calm and reasonable and even benign until you consider who benefits and see the bladed steel camouflaged by a 'We're all just folks here' smile.

We get a different view of Cloud from Paxton, who is hired into the security section because he'd worked for years as a Prison Guard while getting the money together to start his business. Through him we get a behind-the-scenes view of how order is kept at Cloud. We also get to experience what it's like, to step out of poverty and hopelessness in a job that gives him, not just a place to live and food in his belly, but the dignity of being a valued part of something bigger than himself, even if that thing was responsible for destroying the company he'd built.

Zinnia gives us the worker drone view, even if she's actually a hornet in the hive. She is assigned to the warehouse floor, racing against the clock to pick items from the shelves and take them to the right conveyor belt. Through her work, we see how the workers are surveilled, measured and pushed to exhausting levels of performance every day. We also get to see Cloud through the eyes of someone who doesn't want to be there, who knows that Cloud has something to hide.

I became completely immersed in Cloud. Most of me hated the idea of it but part of me had to admit that it was a better option for its workers than being out in the punishing heat, homeless and hungry. I wanted to say that those shouldn't be the only two options but I found myself wondering what I'd do if they were.

'The Warehouse' works very well as a thriller. You can see the collision between Gibson Wells, Paxton and Zinnia coming but you are kept guessing about how and when and what it will mean. There are some good surprises along the way and the ending was as textured and thought-provoking as the rest of the story.

I strongly recommend the audiobook version of 'The Warehouse'. The narration is unusual but effective: Emily Woo Zeller is the main narrator but with the voice of Paxton cut in during dialogue and with a wonderfully folksy narrator reading Gibson Wells' blog.

I couldn’t help being charmed in the end by this time travel novel, even though it tested my patience at times. It took me a while to get into but once I did, I was swept along. The MC, January, is head of security at a hotel where guests stay as they await their time travel journeys. A murder takes place ahead of an auction for the sale of the hotel, and January has to keep the peace while solving the mystery. This is complicated because she suffers from being unstuck in time due to her past work. This was whimsical and labyrinthine at the best of times. I didn’t like how some characters were dealt with in the end but, overall, a fun read.

To be honest, sci-fi is the genre I tend to struggle with the most; however, I have been reading more excellent multi genre books that are mystery/sci-fi. I was hopeful this book would win me over also. This book was more science fiction and it overshadowed the mystery aspect.

Being neurodivergent, I have an extremely difficult time processing and comprehending when you take a highly known brand name and then using that name as something entirely different. Also, making up weird names for common items that are the same thing in our world. It’s sometimes hard for me to decipher social conversations and situations without those added in unknown variables.

If you do enjoy space travel with sci-fi then I would recommend reading it, and let me know what you think.

Thank you for the gifted copy NetGalley.

Interesting look at what would happen if Amazon ruled the world.

This was a rollercoaster of a read for me, but it's made me a fan of Hart going forward.

The truth is, I probably wouldn't have picked this up if I hadn't attended an (online) talk Hart gave about writing and publishing. Amazon's big and nefarious enough, the future Hart paints here is too easy for me to imagine--a case where a dystopian feels a touch too close to the current reality for me to be comfortable or really want to read it. BUT, Hart's talk was dynamic, so I picked it up anyway, and was quickly hooked.

The first third or so was tough to read. As I said, and as I'd suspected might be the case, it felt too close to the reality of our possible future for me to read the story here without getting mired down in thinking about reality and being depressed by it. And when I read fiction, I generally want to escape from all that, so I'd put the book down and feel a tiny bit of trepidation for when I'd pick it up again, if I did. But when I got to some point between the third and the halfway mark (probably closer to the halfway mark if I'm being honest, considering how long it took me to read the book), all of a sudden, the characters became bigger than the dystopia. (In a good way.) Finally, I got totally wrapped up in the dystopia for what it was--warning as much as prediction, story as much as reality.

In the last 75 pages or so, I couldn't put the book down, and I'm left now with such a mix of emotions that this novel feels more like a journey than many. It'll stick with me for a long time, and as I said at first, I suspect I'll be among the first in line to read anything else Hart writes.

Recommended.

Interesting look at what would happen if Amazon ruled the world.

I really enjoyed this one.

It was very readable and I found the chapters going very quickly. Both main characters, Paxton and Zinnia, were interesting in their own ways, and their duelling perspectives kept the story fun and inject a little humour.

In the near-future, Cloud is the uber-corporation. Amazon on steroids. The Jeff Bezos/Bill Gates/Elon Musk/Steve Jobs stand-in is named Gibson Wells, and blog posts from him feature throughout the story. I thought those were particularly great because we all recognize the false camaraderie of an ultra-rich man trying to appeal to the plebs at this point. He created Amazon but with drones, then built a rigidly run company town with every single person being a Cloud employee.

I liked the conceit of a capitalist hellscape version of Bournville (a 'garden village' created around a Cadbury factory in the late 1800s designed to provide affordable housing and a nice place to live for factory workers and their families). However, unlike the Quaker dedication to real philanthropy and social justice present in Bournville that prioritized a work-life balance, the 'MotherClouds' of The Warehouse are empty and soulless, designed to suck every possible second of work possible out of every employee.

It was super easy to see how easy it would be to see our world transform into the world of The Warehouse, which added a little low-key horror to the story.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc in return for an honest review.
Full of adventure! Fun read that also explores the ethics of time travel. Thought provoking with action and a love story!

ALL THE POLITICAL COMMENTARY OF THIS IS FABULOUS.

Review TK.

I feel like Hart really got into January's character this time and worked to make her someone we'd really root for despite her flaws. Ruby was fantastic.

Book has trigger warnings of: violence, blood, gore, guns, depression, swearing. If you don't like (or don't want to read) any of those, then don't read this book.

A science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and storytelling book all mixed into one, and a wild story that happens along the way. When you start the book you feel out of place, unsure of what is going on, but as you continue to read it all makes sense. The details in this book allow you to imagine yourself there, being one of the characters, and looking around.

"Breathe deep. Can’t tell Ruby. Can’t tell anyone. Not until I figure out what this is."

There are some places you will feel confused, and many have to read over multiple lines again. It's particularly because it's so weird, but also because there may be multiple characters speaking and you aren't sure who is saying what.

There were a few times I just had to laugh from the situation or words that were said.

"Godfuckingdamnit I forgot about the dinosaurs."

From what I can tell, multiple stories happen within this book, and it can be confusing to know which story you are currently in. Most of them do come together by the end, but it can be confusing until you get there. Some of those stories feature jumps in time, either back or forwards, and you may not even know there has been a time jump until you read one particular thing.

“I like learning, and getting hurt is the only way you learn.”

When you get near the end, the main character does a great job giving a recap of what all happened and how some of the stories come together. That isn't the end of the book, there is more, which I'm not sure the author needed to include as finishing may leave you in a state where you aren't sure if it was a good or bad thing.

"“The fuck?” I ask."

There will be times that you don't feel like continuing, and that's ok, keep reading, overall it's a good book.

"Silence, which I accept to mean I am correct."
"I almost want to say this out loud. But I’m not ready. Not yet."

I ended up liking this book more than I initially thought I would. The plot was interesting and had twists that I didn't figure out. I love when that happens! Well, I love when it happens and the twists are somewhat believable...

The best kinds of fiction - particularly dystopian or horror - are those books that are plausible. I think this one fits into that category. The Cloud certainly could be an Amazon/Apple/Google mashup and we're already a gullible society when it comes to believing bullshit put out by corporations. There were plenty of points while reading when I nodded and thought that I know people who would fit well in this universe.

I initially got the ebook ARC from NetGalley but, as usually happens with me, I waited so long that I ended up listening to the audio book version. This is one of those books that I'd recommend reading it with your eyeballs instead of listening. It's not that the narrator did a bad job, but I had a tough time with her tone while narrating Zenia's POV. I think I would have enjoyed it more had I used my imagination.

I would absolutely recommend this one!

The Paradox Hotel is where time traveling tourists stay bore and after their trips back in time. January Cole is the head of security of the hotel and hiding that she now in the second stage of being Unstuck. She has flashes of the past come to her at any time and when she goes to stage 3, she will be in a coma until she dies. She should retire but she stays to see flashes of her dead girlfriend that worked at the hotel. Being Unstuck does help her with hosting a sale of the hotel with four trillionaire bidders competing to buy it from the US Government. January is and unreliable narrator since she slips both back and forth in time and comes to find that she can change the things that happen in the future. This is a locked room mystery on a larger scale since everyone is snowed in at the hotel.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

Blood Oath is a 5 part Comixology Original by Rob Hart and Alex Segura. I have read installments 1 through 4. Installment 5 will be released soon. The story takes place during Prohibition with Hazel Crenshaw tending to her Staten Island farm, caring for her younger sister and running her business. Her business becomes tangled up with the New York gangs that will eventually coalesce into the mafia. With the farm not doing as well as Hazel hoped, she helps bootleggers by letting them store their alcohol on her farm. When the Crenshaw farm is attacked, Hazel has to defend her home but realizes that her flirtation with the gangs also put her and her family in danger.

Blood Oath blends bootlegging and vampires into a horror story that entertains. While it is a horror story, it is also a family story as both Hazel and the vampires act in their respective family interests. A fun read.

Interesting main character that is partially unstuck in time, but unfortunately the second half of the book and mainly the ending left a lot to be desired.½