Hour of the Assassin is an enjoyable, solid book. It didn’t get my heart racing but was an intriguing mystery that passed the time.

Nick provides security for the rich and famous, highlighting flaws in their security systems. After being set up for a murder of a high-profile individual, the stakes are high from the first chapter of the book. Despite being on the run, Nick is resourceful and determined to uncover the truth.

That being said, however, it was hard to connect to Nick’s character. We never got below the surface with any of the characters and that lack of depth made it hard to emotionally invest in their circumstances.

Given Nick’s job, I felt things were a little too convenient. He solves the problems due to helpful school-days connections providing key pieces of the puzzle. His own security and reactions also set him up: every piece of evidence he held mysteriously disappeared. For a man that does this as a living, wouldn’t he have more back-ups or a safer system? You’d also think someone that paranoid wouldn’t go home as one of his first stops.

But, flaws aside, it was an enjoyable book. It’s not one to take too seriously, but the length of the book stops any of these issues becoming irritating. You notice them more when you look back and reflect.

If you’re looking for a mystery with high stakes and a way to spend a few hours, Hour of the Assassin will do the trick.

Nick Anerose, a secret service agent, is hired to test the protection in place for a form director of the CIA but ends up being set up. The director is killed and poor Nick is in the frame for it and has to go on the run. In order to clear his name he has to find out who really killed the director, what the murderer was trying to achieve by killing him and framing Nick, and more importantly, are there any more murders planned?

This book was super fast paced with an easy to follow plot that had me devouring it in a day. This book is about the lengths people will go to to get power, and just what they’ll do to keep it once they have it. If you like fast paced wrong man convicted books then this is definitely one for you.

Hour of the Assassin hits the ground running and immediately grabbed my attention as Nick Averose stealthily and successfully breaches the home of a former CIA director. His expertise soon finds him in position to assassinate Malcolm Widener but that's not why he is here. Nick's services are in high demand as a mock assassin, hired to expose the security weaknesses of the rich and powerful. However, what he believes to have been another efficacious job very quickly goes terribly wrong and he realises that he's been set up in an audacious sting.
As Nick tries to figure out who has targeted him and why, the pace rarely lets up. This is undoubtedly a plot-driven thriller but the characters are still interesting enough to hold my attention and to ensure I became invested in what would happen to them. Nick is particularly fascinating; as a former Secret Service agent, he's been around the scheming and chicanery in Washington for years but still finds himself vulnerable when some of the most ruthless players need to remove all links to a long-held dark secret and to subsequently frame a convenient scapegoat.
As he tries to ascertain what's going on, his options seem limited, especially as the chapters which follow the perpetrators make it ominously clear that they will stop at nothing to see their plans through — and have both the will and the prowess to do so. Washington is unquestionably shaped by money and who has the dirt on who but the almost incestuous nature of the place is really laid bare here. It's all only too convincing and does exactly what a political thriller should — it opens our eyes to what we already suspect happens. That politicking is a dirty business shouldn't come as a surprise and although the storyline is obviously exaggerated and embellished for the sake of high drama, this convincing behind the curtain look at how morals for sale ultimately decides who runs the country is consistently riveting.
As Nick is forced to confront some shocking revelations, he has to decide how far he is prepared to go to protect himself and others in what becomes a relentless face-off between determined and highly skilled adversaries. He doesn't work alone but nevertheless, he becomes increasingly isolated as he begins to unpick the web that has ensnared him. Who he trusts and who he exposes to danger are equally pressing considerations and this twisty thriller kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.
This compelling tale of corruption at almost the highest level is disconcertingly plausible yet it still allows us to find consolation in and to cheer for the principled few who take on the conspirators and defend what is right. Hour of the Assassin is the first book I've read by Matthew Quirk but I hope it won't be the last. Propulsive, exciting and with a cracking sense of place; I enjoyed it immensely.

Thank you to @headofzeus and Matthew Quirk for the copy of this in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour!!

Hour of the Assassin is a story about Nick Averose, an ex-secret service agent who is employed to test out the security measures for powerful people and acting as a ‘mock-killer’. In this book, Nick is testing the security for the former Director of the CIA, however little does he know, he is being framed and made to be the scapegoat. To clear his name, he has to find out the truth!

The book is focused on American Politics and what goes on behind closed doors. It is filled with action and talk about fast paced?! From the first chapter I was HOOKED. The chapter length in my eyes was perfect, very short and that kept me really engaged in the story. So this book is perfect if you’re in the mood for that!!

I loved this book. If you love crime books and thrillers then this is for you. I loved the short chapters and how fast paced this book was.
Well developed characters and absolutely fantastic storyline

I really did enjoy this book. It's not my usual genre - being political/spy thriller - but I found myself so caught up in the fast paced story that I didn't really feel like I was reading something like that .

Nick has been framed for murder, amongst other things, and he is now on the run, trying to clear his name. The book starts with a bang and doesn't slow down at all until the very end. This pace kept me really interested and I read this one especially quickly: you kind of forget that you're reading and the pages just start reducing in number. There is no filler and so much action. A really really good book.

The only downside was that we didn't get much meat on the secondary characters - we meet them so quickly that the characterisation is slightly underperformed. I'd have liked to have got to know a couple of the characters a bit more before they were.... discarded.

Overall a fab read, one I would recommend to fans of spy thrillers, political thrillers, fast paced action books and for a change of pace, general thriller lovers.

It is an interesting question why we like thrillers where the main characters are plunged into the deep end. Perhaps we all like to think someone else is having to deal with the chaos life throws a us and we all dream that we had that special set of skills to take control of events? In Matthew Quirk’s Hour of the Assassin, we get one such specialist whose unusual job allows him to be placed as scapegoat in a conspiracy but people soon realise that he is more knight rather than pawn.

Nick Averose is having a standard day tyring to infiltrate the home of an CIA director and kill them. His job is actually to test security systems and show the targets how robust or not their teams and equipment is. All was going well until at the last minute his target is killed by a mysterious group of assassins trailing on the back of his own efforts. Nick manages to escape but soon realises that as all traces of this job are vanishing, he is being framed for an explosive political murder. Nick though has many years of experience investigating and also of fighting back so seeks to clear his name and discover exactly why he was framed.

This was a fun high-octane tale of the wronged man on a quest to prove his innocence. Quirk pushes the story along from the off with Nick’s night going very wrong and then pushes him into a series of small set pieces dealing with a range of enemies. As we see a parallel plot of a ambitious politician making final moves with his spin doctor to declare a presidential bid we suspect the stories soon entwine and they do collide as secrets involving Nick get revealed. This makes the story both larger and we see slightly more personal to Nick as he thinks he knows who connects things. There is a ping pong game of the conspiracy attacking and Nick bouncing right back with counterattack and attempt to find out more.

Character wise Nick comes across as your standard heroic type but has a slightly struggling relationship with his wife; a doting young IT expert and a former soldier best friend who loves to swear and tell bad jokes. Up against them are the more sinister spin doctor and an professional hit man as skilled as Nick who wants all the power and not afraid to get his hands dirty; this character really adds the sense of tension whenever he comes on page as you feel he could beat Nick. This sets up some nice balanced protagonists and we weave from action to cybercrime very niftily. There are also some juicy spoilers that ramp the tension up I was pleased not to see coming.

I would though have liked a little less info-dumping of key facts and relevant plot points just before they are needed. A little more fleshing out of who Nick is outside of being under pressure would have helped as he can be a very standard hero knowing exactly what to do – the good news is that this kind of tale is always fairly enjoyable and compulsive to read. Its only after the reveals we see him a little more lost and bewildered giving him some much-needed humanity but by the end you are rooting for him to win.

I raced through this entertaining story in just a few hours, and I think thriller fans looking for a quick adrenaline fix should enjoy themselves putting the pieces together and enjoying the action and deceptions both sides throw at each other until a deadly finale unwinds. A good solid fun story to explore.

Hour of the Assassin
by Matthew Quirk

5 Stars

Quirk has a habit of writing high quality engaging trillers, that draw the audience in.

With fast action and an enthralling story line, this is an easy read that will have people up late at night turning pages.


This title has been reviewed by www.books-reviewed.weebly.com

This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review.

# HouroftheAssassin #NetGalley

A brief summary: A former government agent, who provides physical security checks for clients homes, is framed for the murder of his latest client and tries to determine why and who did it.
I struggled to put this book down! The author picks at your imagination from the start, and doesn’t let up on taking you on the ride until the end. There are enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes, one of the twists is revealed early on, which makes a pleasant change to how this genre of book would normally handle it.
This is great conspiracy type thriller, and would recommend to everyone who likes this genre.

Talk about fraught! This book keeps you on edge from start to finish. With a dynamic lead character who has a great back story, this book offers a chance readers to immerse themselves in a great conspiracy based thriller.

Hour of the Assassin is the first book written by Matthew Quirk that I have read and it was an enjoyable fast moving action thriller set in the USA.

The main character tests out the security for high profile individuals but his latest task is not what it seems and he ends up in the middle of a conspiracy that goes to the very highest levels.

The author definitely keeps the reader entertained and turning the pages and this is one book I would recommend

2nd book read by this author, one after the other, ( first was ‘Night Agent’ ) both released this Thursday in the UK ( in E Form ), both brilliant!
Nick has seen and done it all in his previous work as a secret service agent, now he is a ‘mock’ assassin, people/companies hire him to test our their home security systems and their vulnerability, he is on a tough call, the former Head of CIA Security, and it is about to get next level tough!
The story then deals with the aftermath of that night/event, the dark secrets of the rich, powerful and decision makers in D.C. and he learns how far some will go to keep the truth hidden
It is, again, a real high octane thrill chase trust no one adventure that never lets up, no filler, no nonsense just full on action
I loved the descriptions of the secret world of Washington and the ‘money people’ and what really goes on
There is a really dark story that the adventure is set around and Nick wants justice for the victim
I loved both this writers books, the energy, non boring detail and the excitement of the stories

10/10
5 Stars