Do you like John Wick? I love John Wick. And James Bond. -- not that REAL assassins are anything like John Wick. Or 007... But -- if you do like John Wick and James Bond, then I think you will love this book.
What if you were an assassin working for a covert government agency and you decided you had had enough - you want out. But you've sort of become addicted to the feeling of omnipotence that comes along with assassination. You join AA, of course. But this is Assassins Anonymous. Which is where Mark finds himself after he messes up big time. And then - he is betrayed. And wounded. And on the run - but he isn't quite sure who he's running from.
I thought I had this figured out a couple of times and I was wrong. So there were a lot of surprises for me! It was quite enjoyable and once you are about 2/3 in - pretty hard to put down.
And for all you cat lovers our there -- P. Kitty is pretty fantastic.
Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for a digital ARC!

Mark is a retired assassin. What does a retired assassin do when you want to talk about your previous job and deal with the trauma of it? You join Assassins Anonymous. Holding some beliefs like Alcoholics Anonymous, such as steps to work through, it helps assassins work through what they dealt with in their previous life. No names are shared that you used on the job, but stories are shared. One night after a meeting, Mark is attacked. He doesn't know who did it besides it's a Russian. He's quickly on the hunt to determine who is trying to kill him. Will this lead him to lose his one year of no killing or will he be the one who's killed?

The synopsis for this book sounded extremely interesting. For me it fell flat at parts. Personally my favorite part were the flashbacks to jobs done while working as a killer, whether it be stories shared during meetings or in Mark's own flashbacks. I guessed most of the twists, but was surprised by the main twist at the end. I don't know if there was enough foundation set for it to be a real "WOW" moment. With Mark being the central focus of the novel, it didn't feel like a lot of the secondary characters were as fleshed out to help drive the narrative forward. This hinders further storylines involving those characters as the book progresses.

Thank you to Putnam Books and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for review consideration.

When the world’s most feared assassin decides that he has had enough can he just stop killing? With the help of a twelve step program for former killers, Mark hopes to have a normal life. Just shy of his first full year without a killing, he is attacked and left for dead by a Russian assassin. Mark survives the attack but the Russian is still tracking him. From New York to Singapore and London Mark searches for the identity of his attacker and who he is working for. In Singapore he makes contact with his former controller, who wants him back in action in exchange for answers. Mark was known as Pale Horse, a person to be feared. Now he has to find a way to stay alive without killing anyone, fighting the instincts that made him so successful.

Rob Hart’s Assassins Anonymous is a true page turner. There is almost constant action and the people in Mark’s life can not be trusted. When Mark was at his lowest and contemplated ending it all he was saved by a stray cat. Now P. Kitty is his constant companion as he dodges traps and searches for answers. Hart also brings humor to his story. People always picture Jason Statham as an assassin and Mark does not fit that mold. Hart also provides a romance that ends tragically, leaving Mark devastated. This is Rob Hart at his best. I would like to thank NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing this book.

Mark’s in a recovery program, for assassins. He’s on his way to his one year clean when he’s attacked and goes on the run. He is trying to figure out who is trying to kill him, all while trying not to be killed and without using lethal force. Can he pull it off?


What a fun and fast-paced thriller. This was such a fun premise. I wouldn’t think of a support group for assassins, I have so many questions, but somehow it worked. The program was molded off another very popular 12 step program and it works similarly. I enjoyed how funny this book was. I think the humor brought some much-needed levity to the pages. I loved how the assassins were portrayed. Since they’re in recovery, they use non-lethal approaches to try to figure out what was going on but there was plenty of blood to go around. Quite interesting. This is one that would make a great movie and I would sign up to watch it It was great getting the flashbacks into Mark’s past, it really helped add some depth to his character.

Can a former hitman avoid whoever is trying to kill him without re-entering his old world?

Mark was recruited out of the military to join a group known as the Agency and utilize the deadly skills he had employed there in new ways. His moniker became the Pale Horse, an apt name given the level of his lethality. He killed people who were doing bad things that would result in the death of many others, so for him it was a question of math….one death preventing the death of hundreds, even thousands, was surely a righteous thing. But not all of his assignments were that clear cut, and when his way of life impacts the woman with whom he has fallen in love, he knows things have to change. It turns out that there is a twelve-step program for reformed killers, and when Mark reaches out to Kenji, a former killer for the Yakuza with whom he had crossed paths on an earlier assignment, he finds a group of former killers like himself that are staying away from their former lethal ways one day at a time. But just before he reaches the one year mark without having taken a life, Mark is ambushed by someone who knows exactly who he was and what he did and who leaves him for dead. He makes it back to his apartment only to find it in flames, and instead detours to the apartment of a former doctor named Astrid whose black market medical services he has used in the past. She patches him up but becomes herself a target of whoever has targeted him. Reaching out to his former handler, Ravi, gains him no information but puts him back on the Agency’s radar (they are not an employer known for their retirement plans, after all). Traveling from Singapore to London and back to New York, Mark struggles to identify which of the many people who might want the Pale Horse dead is pulling the strings, all without unleashing the full arsenal of his lethal talents. Can he put an end to this campaign to end his life without slipping back into his prior actions? Who amongst his friends can be trusted? Can a recovering killer ever leave that life permanently behind?
Having been a big fan of Rob Hart’s previous novel, The Warehouse, I found this new offering to be an intriguing premise and a page-turner of a thriller, one which should appeal to readers of Mark Greaney’s Grey Man series, Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X books, and Charles Cumming’s Box 88 novels. In Mark we have a protagonist who was only ever really good at one thing, and that was killing others without losing his own life in the process. When he thinks he has found someone with whom he can create a “normal” life, he ends up bringing the darkness of his world into the life of that person. His first choice is to end his life, but is persuaded to join Kenzi’s recovery group, and he learns that each day he can choose not to kill. But when his life and that of others close to him are in peril, what is the right action to take? Is it more important to adhere to his commitment to non-lethality, or to ensure his own survival and that of others in his life by whatever means necessary? His fellow former killers each have their own stories, but while they have been willing to help him on his journey away from killing, is it fair to expose them to dangers that may tempt them to relapse too? With plot twists and the details of just what happened to send Mark away from the life of an assassin, Assassins Anonymous was a quick and addictive read. Many thanks to NetGalley and G P Putnam’s Sons for allowing me early access to Rob Hart’s latest.

I really enjoyed this. Rob Hart’s writing really spans genres, although there is always a mystery and thrill. I think I’ve read all his books and enjoyed them, most recently Paradox Hotel.

Retire assassins seems to be a theme lately but this is the first one that has been based around the AA program that I’ve read and it works nicely. Good resolution that I’d didn’t entirely see coming and interesting characters. What more do you need?

Thank you to Netgalley & Penguin Random House Audio Influencer Program for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a clever and unique book! The best way to describe this is if John Wick decided to retire and attend support group meetings with other Assassins! SO FUN!

This was very well-written - I had the print and audio versions but decided to listen to the audiobook while I was cleaning and reorganizing my closet. And I ended up finishing this book in one day!

This is my first Rob Hart book and I really appreciated how he wrote these quirky & interesting characters. You definitely have to suspend a little disbelief in this one but the image of a bunch of assassins sitting together with coffee and donuts in a support group - similar to AA - and discussing their past and making lists of people they need to apologize to just was amazing.

I have heard that if you loved Hench, you will love this one - and I understand the comparison but I actually much preferred this one. The alternating timelines were great to get a view into our main character's (Mark) past and how he became a famous and feared assassin and then the current timeline where he is trying to figure out who is after him. And deciding if he is going to have to break his 1 year of not killing anyone to survive.

Side note: The pop culture reference especially regarding Jason Statham made me literally laugh out loud.

A recovery group for assassins? Count me in. Assassins Anonymous by Rob Hart takes a different look at the killer-for-hire genre.

"Mark is the most feared and ruthless assassin in the world. Everyone is afraid of the Pale Horse. But he realizes that spending all his time with assassinations leaves him feeling empty. So he joins a twelve-step group for reformed killers. After one meeting, he is attacked. He gets away but now he has to figure out who's trying to kill him without killing anyone. Nonviolence can be such a hassle."

I love Rob Hart's imagination. Being inside an assassin's head while he's trying to turn over a new leaf is interesting and entertaining. Mark travels from NYC to Singapore to London, looking for who wants him dead. Big surprise to him as well as who some of his colleagues really are. Lots of action in this one but there's humor - because MArk is struggling with who he thinks he is versus who he wants to be. It's a constant struggle.

I like the surprises near the end. Great new story from Hart. Great pick if you're looking for a wildly entertaining. original story.

Assassins Anonymous by Rob Hart was an action packed story.
I enjoyed reading this book.

Thank You NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I'm a long-time fan of the American author Rob Hart. He writes thrillers that mashup with other genres in really fun ways. There's always a lot of action, but the stories are character-driven. They're awesome thrill rides with themes you can sink your teeth into.

His book 'Take-Out' is a collection of culinary crime stories set all over the world. Big thanks to him for introducing me to Hainanese Chicken Rice from Singapore. I devoured his book 'The Warehouse' in the summer of 2019. That one is set in the near-future at a company like Amazon. It basically controls — everything — and an unlikely duo has to team up to stop the company's nefarious plans. His novel 'The Paradox Hotel' is sci-fi crime story set in a hotel that caters to ultra-wealthy tourists about to embark on time-travel trips.

He has a fantastic imagination and from the first page, I'm always immersed in the worlds he creates.

His new book is 'Assassins Anonymous,' and the premise is a killer.

Our hero is Mark. He WAS the deadliest killer-for-hire on the planet. But he's seen the light. No more killing. He's even joined a 12-step program for former assassins. It's only the straight and narrow for him. Until he's attacked by a mystery man. So he has to go on the run to figure out who's trying to kill him... all without killing anyone himself.

The story opens on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Mark is at his Assassins Anonymous meeting, and after a little peek into his internal monologue about adrenaline and pain, we're dropped into the middle of the action. I love the hard-boiled, first-person narration:

'When you've been at this long enough — and I've been at this long enough — time turns into a thing you can hold in your hand. You can rotate it and examine the angles. You end up confronting things about yourself. Like why you're sprawled on a cold linoleum floor, amid the shattered remains of a flimsy folding table, covered in cheap coffee and leftover donuts. You wonder which of your sins summoned the man who put his boot to your chest and set you flying.'

Mark is a character you want to root for. The writing is snappy. And the chapters end with mini cliffhangers, so it's nearly impossible to put down. Which is exactly how I felt about 'The Warehouse' and 'The Paradox Hotel.'

This is a great summer read. Do yourself a favor and get your hands on 'Assassins Anonymous' by Rob Hart right now.

I recommended this book in the 14 June episode of my podcast 'The Library of Lost Time.' http://strongsenseofplace.com/lolts/lolt-2024-06-14/

Mark has almost always seemed like your average white dude, a trait that’s very much helped him in his career as a professional killer. Working for the shadowy Agency under the codename Pale Horse, he swiftly rose to become their number one assassin, leaving a trail of death and fear behind him.

But something happened a little over a year ago that made him decide he wanted out of the game for good. With the help of another assassin he’d met in the field, he cut ties with the Agency and went underground. Having amassed a substantial nest egg, he’s got the logistics of leading a new life covered. What surprises him now is how difficult his new life is for him emotionally.

Assassins Anonymous, a group very much modeled after similar 12-step recovery programs, helps. As his sponsor explains at their meetings:

QUOTE
“We do not bring weapons into Assassins Anonymous, nor prior political affiliations. If any of us were known by any particular handle or nickname, we do not use it here. We share our stories, but we obscure details as best we can. If any of us seek to bring in new fellows, we agree to have them properly vetted. This is to protect us, not just from prying ears, but from each other.”

He’s not kidding. The story goes, there was a meeting in Los Angeles a few years ago where two professional hit men revealed their stage names and inadvertently discovered they’d spent decades locked in a game of cat and mouse. By the time the meeting was over, four people were dead.

Anonymity is an important component of any recovery process, and it’s especially important here.
END QUOTE

Everything changes when a Russian hitman shows up one day and tries to take Mark out, stealing his coded notebook in the process. Mark manages to survive and find his way to underground trauma surgeon Astrid, who readily stitches him up after asking why she hasn’t seen him in so long. Mark has always had something of a crush on Astrid, so when the Russian makes it clear that he’s followed Mark and knows about her, Mark makes the logical decision to take his not entirely unwilling doctor with him as he goes looking for answers.

Their journey leads them from New York City to Singapore to London, as Mark not only reaches out to old contacts but finds himself embarking on the important step of making amends to those he wronged while he was working as a professional assassin. As word gets out as to who he really is and why he’d mysteriously disappeared from the field, old enemies come out of the woodwork in search of revenge and other unfinished business. In the old days, Mark would have killed anyone who got in his way without a second thought. His current fight for survival, however, is vastly complicated by who he is now, even when faced with a murderous foe:

QUOTE
He takes small steps toward me now, gauging the distance. Hopping forward a little before stepping back, daring me to swing. I’m matching his stance, forearm out, wrist facing me so he can’t get at the tender part on the inside.

But I’m desperately outmatched.

What this guy doesn’t know is that I will do anything within my power to avoid killing him, even as the most savage part of me roars with hunger to do just that.
END QUOTE

Will Mark be able to find the answers he needs as he travels the world, dodging the many killers on the lookout for him? More importantly, will he be able to do so without taking the lives of any of the people determined to stand in his way?

Delving into the psychology of homicide and the mindsets associated with both murder and addiction, this is a fascinating character study of a man genuinely determined to make a break with his desire to kill. Having once been conditioned to believe that murder is a viable – if not the best and most efficient – solution to any problem arising in his line of work, Mark struggles not only with his behavioral patterns and ego but also with the outside forces that make not relapsing a really big challenge. While the most justifiable killing is arguably the one done in self-defense, Mark is highly trained enough in combat to know that that’s no longer an excuse for him, even as his psychological make-up begs for him to do whatever it takes to survive.

Even without the insights into addiction and power, this is a rip-roaring, cinematic adventure of assassins and secrets, that leavens its brutal fight scenes with both hilarity and genuine discussions of what it means to be a good person. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything as thoughtful as this book is on the life of a former killer for hire. I’ve been a fan of Rob Hart’s since The Warehouse, and believe that this might be his best book yet. Assassins Anonymous is genuinely unmissable for anyone who enjoys reading about mercenaries, murderers and mayhem.

After a career as a Navy Seal, Mark started work as an assassin for an agency. Known as the Pale Horse, his reputation proceeded him. One year ago, he made the decision to leave the assassin lifestyle behind and is now a member of Assassins Anonymous where he joins other reformed killers. But when Mark’s old life catches up to him, he’s forced to face his past decisions all while maintaining his new lifestyle of no killing.

This was such a fun read, that hit all the marks for me. I was completely immersed in figuring out the mystery and was completely entertained. I’ve been in a semi-reading slump and this was a great book to pick up now. Mark, our main POV, tells his story both in present day and in the past. The flashbacks we’re a great addition to truly flush out Mark’s character, paired with his snarky humor, he was a colorful lead.

The unique way Hart was able to portray his assassins perfect. It was the perfect amount of quirky, suspense, and depth. Can’t recommend it enough!

Assassins Anonymous is out June 11, 2024! Huge thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books or on Tiktok @speakingof.books

I originally became familiar with Rob Hart when I read his The Warehouse and although I'm not typically a huge fan of satires, I loved The Warehouse.

So when I saw a new book was coming out, Assassins Anonymous, I had to have it.

And wow! This thriller is very different from his other books but so much fun! Mark is a world renowned lethal assassin (think John Wick) who has retired from the biz and is within a few days from getting his one year chip at AA (Assassins Anonymous).

As we all know, things do not go as planned, and Mark finds himself as a target of another assassin. How oh how is Mark going to be able to protect himself, find the answers as to why, and yet, not go back to his old ways.

Along with his beloved cat, Mark travels the world hoping to stop the assassin/assassins after him all without using deadly force. Can he do it?

I picked this book up because I enjoyed the author's other book, The Warehouse (which has been optioned and would make an excellent mini-series...maybe on Prime? LOLOLOLOL), and I gotta say, this one was better. Mark, the main character, is a reformed assassin. And he's not just any assassin...he's the MOTHER-TRUCKING PALE HORSE. Anyway, at one of his assassin AA meetings, he gets attacked, which sets in motion a mad-cap spy-thriller romp with a lot of humor and character development as the chapters vacillate between Mark's past and present. He's kind of a straight man, and that's played effectively for jokes, but he does get fleshed out more as the book continues, and I really liked the side-characters as well. I'm not sure if this was setting up a series, but it easily could've been, and I would totally want to hang out with this character again. Anyway! If you like your books with lots of action and dark humor, you're going to love this one. 4 stars. I really liked it.

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I wonder what hired killers do when they get tired of killing”? Well, Assassins Anonymous is here to give you that very answer. And yes, it’s modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous, with the twelve step program and everything.
Assassins Anonymous follows Mark, a retired assassin known for sowing chaos and death around the world. His handler, fond of biblical references, bestowed upon him the moniker Pale Horse after seeing him in action the first time. Mark has been out of the game for almost a year when a big Russian man comes calling and makes it clear that Mark isn’t as retired as he thought he was. Someone is gunning for him (literally) and his associates in the AA group, so Mark sets off with some cash and a cat carrier to find out who. I respect the guy for taking care of his cat, P Kitty, in the midst of all the chaos.
At first I wasn’t sure how well this book would work for me, though I do love a good assassin in any media form. There’s action aplenty and some humorous references to famous characters like John Wick and the numerous hit men type characters played by Jason Statham. There’s plenty of cool stuff going on, but what surprised me the most is how much emotion was packed into Assassins Anonymous. This is ultimately about a man trying to do better and break the addiction he has to killing and the powerful, god-like feeling it produces to be feared and to be in control. There are flashback chapters that give the reader insight to what Mark was like in the height of his career and to the events that lead him to seek out Kenji with Assassins Anonymous. It was honestly heartbreaking at times and I loved every page of it.
I would highly recommend Assassins Anonymous, especially to those folks looking for that action packed story that has more depth than the usual action thriller. Rob Hart does a fantastic job of exploring addiction and demonstrating just how it destroys lives.

Do you believe that once a killer always a killer? What if there’s a rehab for that? Kind of like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) where you follow a 12-step program? Assassins Anonymous is like that. The former hitmen and assassins (yes, they’re totally different and not synonymous at all lol!) left their former occupations and try to reform themselves by joining this secret program. The whole story is so unique and quite fascinating to read as it is action-packed but also chock full of insights. The characters might be killers in their previous lives, but with their will to change, you just cannot help but root for them! I liked that there’s a flashback POV so we get to learn the reason for the MC’s life-changing switch. I totally didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did. I’m so thankful that I receive the digital ARC from @putnambooks 💖 It’s witty, fun to read and most important of all, you get to appreciate people who has the courage to change for the better. Highly recommend!

Mark is in recovery and he's really hoping to earn that one year chip. It's been almost a year since his last... murder, but a Russian with a bad tattoo and an even worse temper tries to kill him, he's forced to confront his disturbing history as one of the most famous hitmen in the business.

Things I loved: the pace was amazing, heart-racing and speed reading at times coupled with gorgeous descriptions, reflections, and characterizations that let you catch your breath when you need it.
Gallows/dark humor was fantastic and timed just right to give you a break from the seriousness of all the murder, violence, and mayhem.
The philosophical and moral implications of recovering as a professional hitman and how they were tackled in the narrative.

Not my cup of tea: How often someone's knee got kicked in. As a person with knee problems, that had me flinching!
The graphic violence wasn't my favorite, but didn't detract from the read.

Huge thanks to #NetGalley, Rob Hart, and Penguin Group-Putnam for the opportunity to read and review Assassins Anonymous.

It's violent and bloody, and also seriously humorous at times. Full of action, locale hopping, and over the top characters and situations, it's definitely one that might not appeal to ALL readers, but if you can stomach it it's a great ride.

This was such a fun, quick read, I could see it playing out in my head just like a good action movie! Mark is an assassin. Or, was one. He’s in recovery now, and if you’re imagining a bunch of buff, intimidating people sitting in a circle saying “Hi, I’m ____ and I’m a killer” then you’re spot on. Mark is a few days shy of getting his one year chip when he’s attacked and immediately thrown back into the lifestyle he’s been trying to outgrow. Now he’s on the run with the black market surgeon he went to for medical care and his orange cat, P.Kitty, and determined to figure out who’s after him and why, all without compromising his “sobriety”.

Complete with lots of chase scenes, fights, conspiracies, shocking twists, great humor, and surprisingly emotional backstory, this is a great pick for a vacation read. You may even have luck getting your loved ones who aren’t big readers but love action movies to give it a go. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This one will keep you reading, as it's very action packed. The action was not always the kind that I enjoy; a lot of fighting, but of course that's to be expected from a book about an assassin. The main character was great and I loved his sense of humor. Most of all I loved the cat who was a character.