A good sequel to the first in the series, which I also enjoyed. I didn't enjoy the opening scene though and had to put the book down for a while because of it. I realise some may stop reading altogether. It's very heavy on climate change and green issues and not quite the thriller and action I had expected. A good read nonetheless.

The Assassin by Tom Fletcher is a thrilling, action-packed novel that delves into the dark world of espionage and political intrigue. Although the first book had me hooked from the start, I had some trouble getting into this one.

How far will he go to save a future he may never see? Having been made High Commissioner in Nairobi, Ed Barnes is keeping his head down and staying out of trouble. But when his daughter, Sophie, is kidnapped following a security crisis for which he is blamed, his attempts at normality fall apart once again. He finds himself at the heart of a complex negotiation with a dangerous Somali terrorist group, in an effort to avert a regional security crisis and free his daughter.

The novel's twists and turns make it a compelling read for fans of spy thrillers who appreciate complex characters and a plot filled with suspense. The Assassin is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a deep dive into the shadowy world of covert operations. It is a decent read though I prefer book 1.

3,5/5⭐️

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot.

I read and enjoyed the previous book in the "Ed Barnes" series, so was looking forward to this one.

Trigger warning: This book starts off with the killing of an elephant - a gruesome end for a female elephant with young - and that was very off-putting indeed, and I was tempted to not read the rest of the book because of it.

However, I persevered. The book felt rather different in tone from the last one. I know that Tom Fletcher has a background in politics and diplomacy, and that is clear from the writing. The plot was action-packed, and the descriptions "behind the scenes" at a climate summit were interesting.

What I didn't expect - or like - was the fact that Barnes appeared to be "in thrall" to his activist daughter Stephanie's "green" obsession. The whole book is riddled with constant and repetitive doom-mongering, and basically felt like a platform for one of the more extreme environmental groups. The book is not well balanced, being heavily left-wing oriented, with any character not singing from the same hymn sheet being flagged as "far right", "monstrous" etc. I was rather disturbed that some characters appeared to approve of the idea of murdering people for harming the planet.

I do not think I will read any more in this series, but my motto is "each to their own", so if it sounds like your thing, go ahead.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I hadn’t read the first book and didn’t realised that it was a series but it was still well read and enjoyable.

The book starts breakneck and deals with two duelling narratives that eventually co-exist. Barnes must deal with a hostage situation at a major shopping mall in the city centre, where a Somali terrorist group take over and unfortunately his daughter, Stephanie, is amongst the captive group.

Having foiled those terrorists, Barnes returns to London to talk with the female Prime Minister Hermoine, who will attend a climate conference all amidst the wave of political assassinations taking place around the globe by the pseudonymous assassin who may or may not know Barnes.

The kills of the assassin are perhaps the best parts of the book - a real joy for the writer to throw caution to the wind eliciting different deaths for not very nice people in grand surroundings.

It is the general narrative with the balance of family dynamics and climate change political wrangling that forces the book to sometimes slow down when the pace of terrorist attacks and surprise kills is where the excitement is.

Typical of books this reader has read lately, where the foundation and building blocks of the book in the first half are critical to the cut and thrust of the second half when tension is ramped up and pays off.

Credit to Fletcher who as a former foreign policy advisor has the legitimacy of knowledge to convey and commit to the story and in Barnes he has a genuine hero who wants to do the right thing despite the political climate around him.

The first chapter of this book describes the trophy hunting of a female elephant with two dependent calves. It is harrowing to read and sets the scene for the first of the Assassin's reckonings. It is an astute contemporary political thriller with a clear message about climate change and conservation. The diplomat is soon at odds with the establishment despite his precarious political position. I like the complex issues explored, the political wrangling and the authentic characters and events.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Thank you to Netgalley and Canelo for this ARC of ‘The Assassin’ by Tom Fletcher.

Unfortunately I didn’t realise this was the second book in a series. With that being said I could still understand the book and fill in missing pieces. This book was well researched for starters, the knowledge the author has in politics makes me think he’s potentially worked in the field before although I’m unsure. Overall a brilliant read.

Ed Barnes last adventure in Paris has put him on the naughty step with the Foreign Office bigwigs. He still wants to make changes though, if only to support his daughter Stephanie. Climate Change is the hot topic that no one seems to want to make a move on.

When his daughter gets kidnapped by Somalis, he wants answers. He did not expect to get help in the shape of Investigative Reporter Orla or a phantom from the grave!

Ed is a bit of a reluctant hero in this but one who seems to be able to cut through layers of red tape to get his calls taken at No 10! I enjoyed the globetrotting and the semi-investigation for the Assassin. It turned into less thriller and more on how the Assassin chose and targeted his victims and how their demise shifted things politically.

You can tell the difference when the author has actually worked and lived in the murky world of politics - everything has the gritty realism about behind doors plotting and glossy veneers.

Solid okay read for me and those who like political thrillers may enjoy it more than I did.

The Assassin by Tom Fletcher is a thrilling and eye-opening novel. It also portends a very frightening future for our planet.

The assassin in the title is acting on eliminating climate change deniers in order to help the planet.

The Assassin is populated with articulate, well-written characters. It is also well researched and must reading for lovers of thrillers with a message.

I want to thank Net Galley for a copy of this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in the story and have been left with a lot to think about. Well done Mr. Fletcher.

The book centers around Ed Barnes and Orla Fitzgerald. He is thrown into a whirlwind of chaos when his daughter is kidnapped. And let's not forget the actual main character- climate change. (Sorry for the jab- bit this was just too overdone in my opinion)

Overall my rating is 2 stars.

I had a few books to chose from so I actually read the first chapter in each. The opening scene from The Assassin will draw you in. I was left thinking about it days later so decided to take the plunge and get going with this read. However, sometimes things are never as it seems.

When requesting this book, I must admit, going in, I expected more action, black-ops and suspense. And something almost borderline thriller level. However, this book focuses alot on diplomacies, climate change and politics.
Its for that reason that I was sorely disappointed.
I would have like maybe The Assassin's POV scenes. More suspense and a faster paced story. The story itself was a little boring in the sense that it was not a page turner that's gonna keep you stuck in one spot until you finish.



Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for approving this request. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to Canelo publishing and Netgalley for an arc of this title.
Publication date 28th of March
Having been made High Commissioner in Nairobi, Ed Barnes is keeping his head down and staying out of trouble. But when his daughter, Sophie, is kidnapped following a security crisis for which he is blamed, his attempts at normality fall apart once again
He then finds himself involved in more than he wants to be surrounding complex politics around global climate change.
This book is exceptionally well written as you would expect from a former Nr10 aide who worked under 3 Prime Ministers. It also shows his extensive knowledge of politics and the detail surrounding global climate change a course very much part of his life long support. The book was not as fast paced as I thought it would be, when I signed up to read it, I thought it would involve more black ops, more action and more spy related matter. I was disappointed that it didn't and was going to give it a 3* rating, however, because the writing is brilliant and the topic is one close to my heart and that should be heard, I have awarded it a 4*
I didn't realize this author already had a book out and this is book2 in the series. I will go and read book1 to get more background on the MMC since he was a character I liked, probably because he is so committed to the root of the book and the whole climate issues we are all facing.
I'd recommend this book if you are interested in the topic.
Alert/Trigger: I have to admit that the opening which deals with elephant hunting almost made me not read further than the first paragraph, it was distressing and I had to flick through the first two chapters, it isn't something I could read.
Kerry Kennedy Author

A welcome return for Ed Barnes as the - not quite as disgraced as I would have anticipated - ambassador, now in Kenya. Tying together a series of assassinations, tensions in Kenya and nearby countries, terrorism and an overarching climate change narrative, this is a pacy if somewhat unrealistic thriller. Rich in diplomatic detail, twisty and carrying both personal and more global existential threat, I thought this was an absolute blast. Perfect holiday read with a drink

I didn't realise this was the second of a series so I went back and read the Ambassador so I could fully immerse myself in this story.

Whilst this can be read as a standalone I would recommend going back and reading the Ambassador to fully appreciate this excellent novel

I almost DNF this book, but made it/struggled past 30%, till it finally became somewhat worthwhile.
All about climate change and diplomats/governments, boring. Not much about the assassin, until
much later in the book. Should have titled the book Climate Change.

This was a book that I had selected from amongst the many new offerings being promoted by Net Galley and I was fortunate enough to be approved to read this by the author and his publishing company in return for an honest review.

I selected this book based primarily on the cover and the title (what I refer to as the raccoon principle - "Oooohh, pretty cover"). I had never read this author before and after reading this book, I am unsure whether I will try to read the other book in this series. There were parts of this book that I enjoyed and there were parts that I was not that fond of.

The author has an intimate knowledge of how governments and the diplomatic system work. However, this story, tightly interwoven with a background of the climate change agenda, and how governments maneuver and deal to promote change, while at the same time earning points with their voters, comes across as a cynical, mercenary, and ultimately fruitless platform for the author to voice his opinions.

On a five-star rating, I would give this book three stars because on the one hand, I found the "pushing" of the climate change agenda to be a bit much, but on the other hand I enjoyed the political machinations. The story is enjoyable but it wasn't quite what I was expecting.

As with all my literary ramblings, this is a sample of my five cents worth.

A fast-moving but messy thriller.

Following the events of "The Ambassador", diplomat Ed Barnes has been appointed High Commissioner in Nairobi. His shenanigans in Paris have left him toxic - admired by some but not all. He still remains someone who has to get involved though, so when a shopping mall is attacked, and people taken hostage, he feels the need to try and help negotiate their release. He does so, but later finds his daughter, Sophie has been kidnapped by a Somali terrorist group, anxious to be given more attention by the UN. Meanwhile, a series of assassinations have been making the news and things escalate when a Chinese envoy is murdered in Jordan, only days before a climate change conference. Barnes friend, reporter Orla, is soon on the trail of the assassin.

Soon both Barnes and Orla are joined in what slowly appears to be two ends of the same story, with an increasing number of highly improbable coincidences and implausible scenarios seemingly written to help the author promote his litany of woes against the various bodies he has been involved with. In the previous book, the character of Barnes came across as a DaVinci Code Robert Langdon guy, but in this, he's more of an annoying and impetuous have-a-go hero. His ability to immediately have his calls taken by No.10, and make things happen is nothing short of miraculous. Now, perhaps this is indeed how things happen in the murky world of politics and diplomacy, but to this reader it all seemed somewhat implausible.

"The Ambassador " was a book I enjoyed, mostly. Sadly I can't say the same for this one. Clearly the author has an intimate knowledge of how government and the diplomatic system works - this came through in his previous novel. But this story, tightly interwoven with a background of the climate change agenda, and the ways in which governments manoeuvre and deal in order to promote change, while at the same time earning points with their voters, comes across as a cynical, mercenary and ultimately fruitless platform for the author to voice his opinions.

Those who have read the previous Barnes book will probably pick this up, and perhaps will find it far more entertaining, and even educational, but for me, this was not a good read.

The first part of The Assassin by Tom Fletcher, with the killing of the mama elephant, turned me off to the story. I had difficulty letting that go, and it threw me off the story.

The locales in the story were quite interesting, and that helped me get through the book. I was able to read it fairly quickly, and the plot was gripping; it reminded me of the movie Taken.

Overall, it was a good story. However, I don't think I would read more from this author. I would rate this a 3.5 out of 5 stars (rounded to 4).

#TheAssassin #NetGalley