*received for free from netgalley for honest review* not exactly my cup of tea but after an hour or so i got into it, don't think i would read the entire series though.

Assassin’s Edge:A David Slaton Novel was the first book that I had read in this series by Ward Larsen. It reminded me of Daniel Silvia’s earlier books but even better. I listened to the audiobook that was well narrated by P.J. Ochlan. Assassin’s Edge could be described as engrossing, fast paced and heart pounding. It combined the elements of spies, snipers and abduction to made the plot both enticing and thrilling.

When three separate but internationally seemingly unconnected incidents occurred, the United States and Israel immediately became concerned, suspicious and ready to investigate. One of the disasters occurred when an American spy plane, Raven 44, crashed near the northern coast of Russia. The wreckage was believed to have crashed on a remote Arctic Island and it was doubtful that any of the crew survived. As the United States learned about this disaster, another potential incident was simultaneously occurring in Kazakhstan. A female Mossad agent had been assigned to a case. She was in control of performing the steps to complete this assignment when suddenly with no warning everything went south and she was abducted. The female Mossad agent was the only daughter of the former head of Mossad. When a third incident occurred, the United States and Israel knew deep down in their guts that the three incidents were somehow connected. A U.S. Navy destroyer mysteriously sunk in the waters of the Black Sea.

The former Mossad leader went to David Slaton’s home and begged him to help find his daughter and bring her home safely. David was retired from Mossad and lived on a remote farm with his wife and young son. He was presently in the Witness Protection Program but David could not refuse to help his old friend. They shared so much history and David had known his daughter, Ila, since she was a little girl. David agreed to work with the CIA to uncover who was behind all three incidents and to attempt to bring Ila home to Israel. Someone named Lazarus seemed to be behind all three disasters. Who was Lazarus? Why was he orchestrating these horrific incidents? What was his motive? Could a fourth incident be imminent? Would Slaton be able to accumulate enough clues and evidence to discover the identity of Lazarus and prevent another disaster from taking place?

I was holding my breath during most of this book. Assassin’s Edge was well plotted and the characters were complex and believable. The ending was quite satisfying. I never came close to guessing the identity of Lazarus or why he was plotting these unimaginable disasters. Ward Larsen’s writing was well prosed and he proved himself to be a masterful storyteller. I am glad to say that I have discovered a new author and series that I enjoyed very much. I will most definitely try and read some of the prior books in this exciting series and look forward to new ones. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

If you like lots of action and political intrigue this book is for you.
Is this going to start World War III? A couple of events are happen simultaneously. A U.S spy plane crashes of the northern coast of Russia. A U.S. Navy destroyer sinks in the Black Sea. Is the guilty party Russia? The daughter of a former head of Mossad is abducted. Some events points to a personnel vendetta and others point to China, Russia or a third party trying to take over the world’s power position.
I listened to this book narrated by P.J. Ochlan who did a great job in presenting the story and made it easy listening too. I did not read the previous books in the series so it can easily be read as a stand-alone.

An American spy plane mysteriously crashes, killing everyone aboard; on the same day, the daughter of Mossad commander is kidnapped in Kazhakstan. Two seemingly unrelated events, but connected enough that the CIA calls in its best, including David Slaton. As the investigation unfolds, they find the trail leads to a man known only as Lazarus, a man who seems to know too much about the terrorist attacks, and who may have his own connection to Slaton.

This is the 7th book in the Slaton series, but the first I've read. Nevertheless, it wasn't difficult to follow the plot or to know the characters. It's an episodic series so even though there are mentions of David's relationship to Mossad, this is a neatly encapsulated story that doesn't require prior knowledge. The story starts out with a bang--two bangs, really--and continues to ramp up the stakes. This is a pure action thriller, so you won't find much in the way of dynamic character arcs, but you will find lots of action. Larsen knows his stuff, with detailed descriptions of the military operations, gear, and political power structures. There were some chapters that seemed to drag on a bit with overly detailed conversations, but overall it is an enjoyable read. Strongly recommend to fans of military thrillers.

I need a good assassin novel every now and then! This is book 8 in a series but I never even realized that until I wrote my review. Obviously I wasn’t missing a lot of the story which is just how I like it.

This one was full of action, “incomprehensible weapons,” abduction, unexplainable accidents and more.

One of the things I liked best about this novel was its lack of language. Honestly, assassin novels are fast-moving, high stakes stories. Language, violence and more are very common. The fact that this author kept me entertained and didn’t add a lot of that is admirable. It’s a rare find.

Now, on to the audio. The narrator had very little inflection in his voice. He wasn’t quite monotone but had a matter-of-fact way of speaking which didn’t work as well with this story. At a higher speed, it sounded mechanical and off. His child voice sounded too young and a bit whiney. I find most adults can’t mimic a child’s voice properly so it’s not just him. All of this could have been due to the higher speed problems. I had a difficult time finding a speed that worked for my brain that didn’t warble his voice too much. I honestly think this one would’ve been better to be read instead of listened to. The story was good, but I struggled with the audio continually.

Assassin's Edge by Ward Larsen pulled me in from the very beginning. I loved the nonstop action, vibrant descriptions, and the details that painted a full picture in my mind. I loved how P.J. Ochlan performed the book. He added the right emotions to the book and fits the action/thriller genre perfectly. His multiple voices for numerous characters also helped me know exactly who was speaking. Thank you #NetGalley and #Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this pre-release audiobook. I loved it and can't recommend it enough for those who love a great thriller. This book is part of a series and a solid standalone.

Love the feeling when you discovered a new author? Okay, not new but new to me. The best part? I have 7 more in the series to read!!

David Slaton and his family live under deep cover, a CIA witness protection-style ranch with a security detail. While fishing and camping with his son, David receives a text from his wife that he has a visitor.

Anton Bloch, a former Israeli spymaster needs David's help finding his agent daughter who's been kidnapped in Kazakhstan. Owing Bloch a favor, David agrees. While on their way to a waiting jet in Missoula, the plan has changed. An American spy plane crashed while performing standard surveillance in the Arctic near Russia's border. It's not yet known what brought down the plane. According to warnings that Bloch received, the two incidents seem to be related so they head to Alaska to investigate.

Honestly for me, this wasn't easy audio to listen to without a print version. I would consider this a military/espionage techno-thriller. But I love following a deadly sniper and assassin's train of thought as he hunts down the villain. The pace is nice and there's plenty of action. I really like David Slaton's character and I have a feeling I'll enjoy the series even more if I read from the beginning.

P. J. Ochlan is the narrator and did a wonderful job with many different accents, hats off to you!

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this ALC for review.

This one had me starting and finishing almost in one day, well in two days since it is nearly 14 hours in length (audio book) and I had to sleep and work. It takes place over several countries, continents, Federal agencies, and nearly caused a World War. A plane suddenly goes down in the Artic and a Mossad agent is kidnapped. Are they related? So many questions and yet they are not answered until the end and still could be open ended. I will leave this one to you to decide. I love this kind of book because it is so real and though provoking.

Lazarus's Revenge

Spies, espionage, abduction and a mystery make for some exciting reading. This book does not disappoint. It is fast paced and holds your interest from the beginning to the end.

David Slaton is camping with his young son when he receives a text from his wife that he needs to return home he has a visitor. His visitor is Tom Block, head of Mossad and his agent daughter Ila has just been abducted from Kazakhstan. He wishes David a retired agent to help find his daughter.

Unfortunately as Tom is talking to David his phone rings and a spy plane "Raven 44" has crashed on an island in Russian territory a short distance from Alaska. Fearing the two are linked he now travels with David to Air Station Kodiak in Alaska. They need to investigate the crash site before the Russians do to find if there are any survivors. As they are on the island investigating the crash site a ship has been sunk in the Black Sea.

Fearing all three incidents are related they need to find out what has happened and who is behind it. Who is the elusive informant calling himself Lazarus who is providing clues to another impending disaster? Little do they know that Lazarus has a personal vendetta against several operatives and foremost amongst them is David Slaton.

If you like spy thrillers you will love this one .I listened to the audio book. The narrator did a fantastic job and was easy to listen to and understand. The dramatization was good and the voice was pleasant to listen to .

I enjoyed this book and I would recommend it.

Thanks to Ward Larsen for writing a great spy story, to P.J. Ochian for a fantastic narrating job, to MacMillan audio for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me.