I enjoyed this political thriller very much. Everyone is a suspect in the onstage killing of a famous actress. Turns out she is collateral damage for a much bigger assassination plot. Marco Zorn is more than just his job description. He knows the good guys and the bad guys, especially those who want to kill him and his assignment. He is a clever dude and manages to elude much of the shenanigans. He also dishes out creative punishments. Be warned if you are squeamish, there are descriptions of grewsome killings. My thanks to the author and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book.

Head Shot takes place in Washington, D.C. and follows detective Marko Zorn as he struggles to balance his moral code with breaking the rules. The story kicks off as Zorn, with his junior partner, Lucy, investigates the murder of a former flame.

But just when things seem complicated enough, he is assigned an off-the-books mission: safeguarding Nina Voychek, the prime minister of Montenegro, during her official visit. Political enemies are planning her assassination, and he soon learns that he is also a target. After a few attempts on his life, he enlists some shady resources to hunt down whoever is after him and prevent an international tragedy on American soil.

The multi-layered plot is full of action and the protagonist, the smart-ass detective, is flawed and likeable. The author clearly has a great deal of knowledge about police work and international intrigue. For example, his description of taking out an opponent in a gunfight is very believable. There's a reason he is so knowledgeable: Otho Eskin served in the U.S. Army and in the United States Foreign Service in Washington and in Syria, Yugoslavia, Iceland, and Berlin (then the capital of the German Democratic Republic) as a lawyer and diplomat.

The formatting of my review copy was so messed up that it was difficult to differentiate between dialogue and paragraphs, but for the most part, the writing was solid. While each installment in the Marko Zorn series can stand its own ground, reading The Reflecting Pool (the series opener) first would have provided additional context.

I enjoy reading books published by indie presses, instead of always the big five and their imprints. I enjoyed this thriller and will read his other books. If you enjoy Daniel Silva and David Baldacci, give this author a shot.

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead.

I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings.

Anything requested and approved will be read and a decent quality review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Political, rivetting and a fast-paced, nail-biting page turner right from the start. The stakes are high and it packs a punch.

It's highly visual and spine-tingling with a street built around the 1920's and an aria by Mozart playing in car; it suddenly all sounds interesting and lovely and like all should be well, except it is not. There's a shooter on the loose.

 There are spies, mafia, hitmen, foreign dignitaries, and a famous actress to come across in this action-packed thriller. Marko Zorn has a lot to contend with and dangers are around many corners. There is also Lucy Taneka, a homicide detective, who helps in a case that Zorn is doing on the side as he is called because there's a death at the theatre.

There are many characters interwoven into this story at various points, adding to its complexity, yet compelling plots that come at quite a pace, including one of revenge.

While this is the second book in Eskin’s series featuring Marko Zorn, it is the first I read. It will not be the last. It is a fast moving political thriller that kept me turning pages through the night. Washington D.C. detective Zorn and his partner Lucy find their assignment protecting a visiting prime minister is quite a bit more complicated than they thought it would be.
Two plots collide into one as this book takes the reader on an entertaining romp with many surprising twists.

Washington DC detective Marko Zorn is a bit of a morally grey character with a lot of depth to him. This time Zorn finds his past is catching up with him, as old enemies encroach on his territory. Zorn is asked to work security detail for an international president, a file way outside his usual job description but he’s been requested - perhaps also due to his past.. Zorn also finds himself in the midst of an investigation (more as a suspect than an investigator) when an old girlfriend, a famous actress is murdered at the end of her opening night. Initially Zorn’s cases seem divergent but as time goes on it appears there’s a commonality - Zorn.

Spies, mystery, intrigue and murder are all here in this book. Plus a little fleeting romantic interest and a getting to know the complex character that is Zorn. Believable … not really, and the pace isn’t always consistent but towards the end things ramp up and it’s worth sticking around for.

Thanks to the publisher for granting my request with this one.

I loved Eskin’s first book and had high hopes for this one. While the pacing was good had a good number of twists and turns, it was just okay. The author is such a good writer and and I’ll still read whatever he publishes!

Like the first book this is a fast paced thriller with humor and a morally grey protagonist.It is well paced and doesn't lag at all so hold on to your seat and enjoy the ride.Maybe a little to much going on but I enjoy it.

Head Shot is the 2nd in Otho Eskin's mystery series starring Washington, D.C. homicide detective Marko Zorn.

The story opens with a bang - literally - as an assassin tries to shoot Zorn. Then he's assigned to protect lovely Nina Voychek, the visiting prime minister of Montenegro. Apparently, the Russian mafia are involved in plans to assassinate her.

If all that weren't enough, he and his partner must investigate a murder the Capitol Theater. The world famous actress who was killed was once Zorn's lover. It seems to be rather a locked room mystery.

Head Shot is an exciting read with an unusual protagonist and constant action.

Head shot - Otho Eskin

I’m sorry but this title ran out before so had time to get around to reading it

My first Detective Marko Zorn was an exciting ride trying to protect the prime minister of Montenegro from an assassin! Fast paced and intense, Eskin really keeps you interested in this action packed political thriller.

This was a very good book. I liked the character development and Marko Zorn is a great protagonist. I will definitely read more of this author's work. He gets the job done as only he can. Good book

Book two in Marko Zorn series, finds Zorn investigating the murder of a former love. Enjoyed this read that features many factors from assassins to mafia.

Brilliant book with such a great lead character in Marko. I just loved him and his snarky attitude! Twists and turns galore and my chin dropped at 'whodunnit'. I really hope there will be many more books in this series.

5 stars

I really wanted to like this one because it technically has everything I enjoy in this type of story, but Eskin put way too much into the plot. There are five or six cases going on at the same time and there are characters and situations and 'things' to remember as you're jumping from one location to another... it just got to be too much. There's a reason for all the different plot threads, but it just wasn't an enjoyable experience for me in the end.
I will say that you can jump right in and understand the character and general situation despite this being the second book. So if you're interested in a super complex and violent police/political procedural, don't worry about this being the second book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for the read!

After a dramatic opening chapter in which he narrowly escapes an attempt on his life, homicide detective Marko Zorn is roped into an extracurricular assignment guarding prime minister Nina Voychek of Montenegro during her visit to the US. It isn’t entirely plausible that multiple parties would request a fully employed police officer to perform this job, rather than any of a zillion specially trained security personnel milling around DC. Meanwhile, back at his day job, Marko and his junior partner investigate the murder of a famous theater actress, coincidentally a one-time love interest of Marko’s. With these two concurrent stories, the book gives us a good old-fashioned whodunit with a side of international thriller. It’s an enjoyable ride if you just choose to suspend disbelief and go with it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital advance review copy.

Suspenseful and captivating, Head Shot had me on the edge of my seat. A must read that you will not be able to put down until the very end!!

Head Shot is the first book that I read by Otho Eskin. The story has a great plot, and Otho's writing style keeps you glued to the book till the end. The plot has a lot of twists and turns and leads that get nowhere, the first crime in the story seems like a work of a magician (but someone ended up dead!). Crimes keep on being piled up and Marko continues to investigate although his life is also in danger. A fast-paced story, written with a dash of humor and lots of action.
Easy-to-read and very entertaining!

WOW! Just WOW! Clear your reading list to move Headshot to the top!

What a discovery of Ortho Eskin and his intrepid D.C.-based Metropolitan homicide detective Marko Zorn, who has an aversion to guns…unless in extreme circumstances to save a life. Then, Marko counsels his female detective partner Lucy, you do not go for the chest shot but instead you practice enough to be able to land a head shot on the perpetrator. Instead of guns, Marko mostly relies on his wits and snark, along with his phone camera, texting, distractions, and anything else on hand to get out danger…and danger abounds everywhere.

By day, Zorn works the homicide beat for the D.C. police, but he moonlights on the side for everyone from the federal government to shady gang lords for huge sums of money in doing what Zorn considers meets his own sense of ethics.

In Headshot, Zorn first gets called to a local theater where in the final moments of a Hedda Gabler play, in a closed off-set room, his long-ago ex-lover actress has been killed by a shot to the head and has a gun in her hand. Zorn goes all in investigating, even though the case has been assigned just to is partner Lucy, trying to re-enact what is clearly to him a murder, not suicide. What ensues is an investigatation of all the play’s cast of actors and stagehands. Even a murder mystery author weighs in on how the “closed room” shooting could have occurred.

In the meantime, Zorn gets hired for an off-the-books freelancing assignment to guard the life of the new beautiful and fiery prime Minister of Montenegro, Nina Voycheck, making her first state visit to D.C. Nina’s been repeatedly the target of assignation by the ex-communist tyrants who ran her country. Simultaneously, the Secretary of State assigns Zorn away from the D.C. police to officially ensure the Minister’s safety while in the U.S. While Zorn has no training as a bodyguard, he has astute observations, earns Nina’s trust, and also gets handed a coded message from a young Embassy staffer fearing for her life, and who indeed gets murdered shortly thereafter. A top assassin who’s killing method is strangulation, sets his sights on both Nina and Zorn. Even the director of the FBI has a relationship with Zorn, and wants him to stay on Nina’s protective detail.

Bodies pile up, with Zorn in the middle trying to keep Nina safe while also trying to figure out who murdered his ex-lover. And you cannot stop reading!

I went back after reading Headshot to read Eskin’s first book, The Reflecting Pool. Here a Secret Service agent ends up drowned in the Reflecting Pool on the Mall, and the cover-up extends to the White House. Zorn, assigned to investigate, has to go rogue to figure things out and to take on a domestic terrorist group illegally amassing assault weapons. It provides some great backstory on Zorn but overall does not hit the same excitement and plot brilliance of Eskin’s second outing with this character.

Of note, Eskin writes from a wealth of experience: across the span of his distinguished career, he served as both lawyer and diplomat for the U.S. Foreign Service and Army in D.C, Syria, Yugoslavia, Iceland and Berlin.

CANNOT WAIT for the next book in this series! Hello, next generation of Harry Bosch.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced readers copy.

A fast paced suspense novel that I enjoyed more than I thought I would but I think I would have gotten more out of it, if I had read the first book in the series first. But still a good book.