Rob Hart’s recent writings have been simultaneously entertaining on the surface with chase scenes and shoot ‘em-ups while running deep with underlining social commentary, redemption, and reflections on one’s identity. Following 2024's Assassins Anonymous, Hart returns to the lives of the Pale Horse, and Azrael with The Medusa Protocol, a fast-paced, killer of a sequel that plays with circumstances, coincidences, and consequences. And for a story about a pair of killers who have gone cold turkey on killing, this one is brutally fun, too.

Assassins Anonymous introduced Mark, the assassin FKA the Pale Horse. Mark had since come to view his murderous ways an addiction and, in an attempt to reign in those base feelings of playing god, went sober and joined AA. But getting out of the game, as many, many action movies have shown over and over, is as tricky as juggling cats. While blindfolded. On one foot. With vials of nitroglycerin wrapped around your legs.

Hence the need for a sequel.

But not exactly, as Hart is much more craftier than that.

The Medusa Protocol splits the narrative between Mark and Astrid, FKA Azrael. Astrid, it seems, has her own cycle of redemption to deal with and is forced into such reconciliation on a snake-infested, prison island off the coast of Sao Paulo where Dexy’s Midnight Runners are still playing the hits. Mark, along with Booker, another AA member, come to her rescue out of respect, camaraderie, and a weird appetite for pizza with (ugh) olives.

The Medusa Protocol opens up the Assassins Anonymous world both into a wider genre as well as truly exploring the ramifications of a glamorized, fictionalized lifestyle. Hart bounces Astrid’s story back and forth through her beginnings, middles, and present day endings. Her character becomes well-rounded by expanding upon the mistakes she makes as well as her reasons for such decisions. Astrid is not a killer with a conscience but one with a death wish. Perhaps. Hart creates external conflict for her while emphasizing on the constant internal one. Then he throws Mark back into the mix.

Their distress makes for a highly entertaining read.

Hart jumps around in premise, layout, and finale a little too easily, but his hip style is certainly more forgiving than Mark and Astrid’s sobriety. The Medusa Protocol comes close to satirizing the whole hitman genre but Hart is clearly having too much fun swimming around in this particular pool. So much fun, in fact, you should probably strap on a pair of swimmies and jump on in. Having a Kevlar vest nearby might not hurt either.

I was hesitant when I got a widget for this book because I had never heard of this series. However, now I’m glad because it got me hooked on a new series! I immediately found Assassins Anonymous and read through that in just 2 days. Medusa Protocol was just as action-packed and full of thrill! Definitely recommend this series for anyone looking for an action packed thriller!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Astrid, the newest member of Assassins Anonymous, is missing and her sponsor, Mark, is concerned in THE MEDUSA PROTOCOL, by Rob Hart. While Mark and the rest of the recovering assassins are about to start their weekly meeting, a surprise pizza delivery arrives. Just as the group figures out its a sign from Astrid, a lethal ambush arrives and the group has to defend themselves while holding true to their promise to no longer kill. Meanwhile, Astrid is in a weird, creepy prison without any understanding of why she is there. Mark deduces that Astrid needs help and leads a mission to rescue her. Can Mark find Astrid before her captors get what they need out of her and dispose of her?
Hart wastes no time getting the story rolling and the pace only gets faster and faster until the end. However, Hart is careful to clearly introduce characters and describe settings while also constantly raising the stakes. I read the first book in the series, but I think Hart gives the reader enough in this book to understand the backstory and the established relationships that a reader doesn't have to have it to enjoy this book. Hart gives many of his characters a dry wit that fits former assassins and it's clear that it was needed to deal with all of the execution they were hired to do. The book takes the reader across the globe and introduces singular characters that are a little scary and very entertaining. Their were twists and surprises, and while I felt like I knew what the ending was going to be, I wasn't disappointed that I knew the ending, because it was still quite exciting.
THE MEDUSA PROTOCOL introduces so many cool and unique characters and I hope we will get to see all of them again in future books. Hart has found the unique hook of former assassins in this series and he has coupled that with a knack for writing cool action sequences and creating characters that readers are draw to. Go read this book, the first book in the series, and any future books that Hart will give us.

Book two in the series- This one focuses on Astrid and I think I enjoyed this one more than the first one. It is a bit of a challenge for me to suspend disbelief in regards to the AA meetings.
Well-written and I did enjoy the story.

This is the second novel in the Assassins Anonymous series. While it is not essential to have read the first novel, Assassins Anonymous, I found it helpful knowing the background and premise behind this series. Most of the main characters from the first novel are active participants in the events of The Medusa Protocol but the stakes are now higher and they have more to lose. This action-packed, tongue-in-cheek story is very cleverly written with many humorous quips throughout that make it an enjoyable read despite the regular possibilities of murder the characters face. Looking forward to reading more novels in this creative series.

Mark, Astrid, Booker, Valencia, and Mrs. Nguyen are back in the newest addition to the Assassins Anonymous series. After six weeks of no contact, Mark and the rest of AA don't know if Astrid is dead or back to her old ways until a pizza with olives arrives at St. Dymphna's; a sign that Astrid is alive, but unable to communicate. Soon, AA is raided by operatives known to Mark from his old life. He knows now that Astrid is in trouble, so he and Booker take off to find her and help her escape.

Meanwhile, Astrid is being held in an off-the-books prison twenty miles off the coast of Brazil. There, Dr. Vogt, a medical scientist, is developing memory retrieval technology using the inmates as his test subjects. Each inmate has a benefactor, someone who is paying for their stay at the prison and the memories Dr. Vogt extracts from them. Astrid cannot figure out who her benefactor is or what they want; she has a history with The Agency, but she knows it's something more. As her memories are extracted, Astrid formulates a plan to extract herself and the other inmates from this prison. But will she have to return to her old ways to do it?

I enjoyed The Medusa Protocol. I struggled with the connection to Astrid's benefactor to her memories; I needed more things laid out for me to fully grasp what was going on. It was a bit vague at times, which made sense with the topic involved, but also left me questioning why at the end. Overall, though, this was a very enjoyable read.

What an exciting, action-packed read! I was hooked from the start, and I have to say, the characters were surprisingly well developed—so much so that they didn’t really feel like assassins, even though that’s the whole premise. That contrast made them even more interesting to me.

That said, it did feel like I walked into the middle of something. The AA group, in particular, seemed like it was missing a proper introduction. Turns out this is the second book in a series, so now I’m definitely going to go back and read the first one. I’m hoping it’ll fill in some of the gaps and give more background on the group and how it all started.

While there was plenty of action, I couldn’t help but feel like there were no standout, jaw-dropping moments—no big scenes that made me pause and say “wow.” It felt like a bit of a missed opportunity in that sense. Still, it was a fun read, and I’m curious to see where the series goes from here.

I would like to express my deep gratitude to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for their generosity in allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The retired assassin in recovery returns!

Assassins Anonymous was a surprise read for me last year. I had so much fun with Mark and his accomplices. That story was so well written. It was funny, action packed and the characters were everything.

Author Rob Hart returns to the world of assassins in recovery with The Medusa Protocol.

This story follows two POVs. One from Mark and one from Astrid. Both characters that were from the previous book. Astrid goes missing and Mark and the group are wondering what happened to her after a month of no contact.

The group gets a clue that Astrid might be in trouble so they go in search of her.

I’m leaving out major details because I think the book is just that good. It’s on par with the first book and paced the same.

I flew through this one as well as the first one back to back. The adventure of finding Astrid is so well done especially with the back and forth POVs between Mark and Astrid’s individual perspectives.

I’m hoping Rob Hart continues writing more about these characters as I’m a huge fan of reading about their adventures.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advanced copy of The Medusa Protocol by Rob Hart. Number 2 in the series. The first book is Assassins Anonymous. Mark and his other friends in the Assassin’s Anonymous group have been delivered a pizza along with a bunch of thugs looking for Astrid. Another member of the group. This fast paced story sees Mark and his friends back in action to find Astrid and save her.
3.5 stars.

Why can't movies learn to make as good a sequel as authors?

Medusa Protocol takes Assassins' Anonymous, ups the stakes and the heart, without losing the core of the team.
Well choreographed fight sequences.
Smart characters without being too perfect

Startw last year's masterpiece but read BOTH of these by Mr. Hart ASAP

I was lucky enough to win an ARC of THE MEDUSA PROTOCOL by C. J. Dotson in a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thank you for the early look, and try to stay safe, sane and happy out there.

Was apprehensive initially about a follow-up to Assassins Anonymous but I liked this one a lot, too, and liked being back with the core group.

I stumbled across Assassins Anonymous last year and found it to be really enjoyable. It was fast paced and a sheer entertainment kind of book. The equivalent to a summer blockbuster, popcorn-y kind of movie.

The Medusa Protocol, thankfully, is more of the same. It is fast-paced, action packed and a lot of fun. I enjoyed the POV shifts from Mark to Astrid throughout the novel. It was nice to get a different POV from Mark (although I enjoy his POV a lot) and also get to know Astrid a bit more.

I also liked the themes and messaging that are underneath the surface of the book. Lots of connections to AA components obviously but also themes and messaging that everyone can take away from the book.

Lastly, without giving anything away, I appreciate the realistic-ness Hart brings to a somewhat fantastical, unrealistic premise. Not every bad guy is truly bad and not every good guy is truly good.

Highly recommend both this book and the series for a quick, but very entertaining read.

I really enjoyed Assassins Anonymous so I was very excited for this one and I absolutely had a blast reading it! I felt like Astrid’s journey was packed with humor, action, and unexpected twists that kept me hooked from start to finish. I loved the unique premise of an assassin trying to turn over a new leaf, and the challenges she faced in sticking to her no-killing rule were both hilarious and high-stakes. I felt like her character was incredibly compelling and full of wit, making her a protagonist I couldn’t get enough of. I found the dynamics within Assassins Anonymous to be such a clever and entertaining element. I felt like the group’s quirky interactions and their unwavering hope for Astrid added a lot of charm to the story. Mark’s determination to find her, even in the face of a mysterious olive-topped pizza, had me laughing and rooting for him all the way. I felt the tension rise as Astrid endured bizarre experiments while scheming her escape without resorting to her old methods. The combination of dark humor and clever plotting made every moment in the story feel fresh and exciting. I especially loved how the book balanced its sharp humor with emotional depth.

Overall, I thought this book was an absolute delight. I felt like it delivered non-stop entertainment with its mix of action, comedy, and heart. It’s a story that kept me laughing, gasping, and cheering for Astrid all the way to the end.

I was unaware that there was a book before this one about the Assassins Anonymous. But that did not take away my enjoyment of the novel. i may have enjoyed it more if I had read the other one first, but I do not know if it is really necessary. This was a fun, easy read about former assassins and their addictions. if you are looking for something fun and a bit different from regular mystery/thriller novels, i would recommend giving this book a chance.

Assassins Anonymous #2
The Medusa Protocol by Rob Hart

You don't have to read the book that comes before this one, Assassins Anonymous, but doing so will give you a better picture of just how important their Twelve Step Program is to the recovering assassins that make up Mark's recovery group. Who knew, Mark can even travel internationally and join other Assassins Anonymous groups whenever he needs a meeting. But Mark, once one of the most deadly assassins in the world, and others that were/are as well known in the assassin world as he is, will always have targets on their backs. The need to defend themselves is great but to work the program, that means no more killing for any reason. There is humor in watching Mark and company try to pick out weapons that won't be lethal but still might cause a death they don't want to cause. When fighting for one's life, it can be hard to stay on the side of not killing while fighting someone who is going to kill you.

There is also the fact that all the assassins would not have been so good at their jobs if there wasn't a blood lust lurking right under their skin and awareness of all that is around them. Just with other types of addictions, a recovering assassin is so close to going back to their old ways, and that's why having such a strong support group is important. Mark's home group is his family and he will do anything to keep them safe.

Mark is sponsoring Astrid and she's been missing for weeks, she's not answering her phone and no one knows what is going on with her. For a recovering assassin, that probably means one of two things. Either Astrid has "slipped" and gone back to killing or else she's been killed by one of the many assassins who would like her scalp on their belt. We go back and forth between Mark's POV and Astrid's POV and there are very few calm minutes in this story. There is humor in this world of assassins, but there is grief, guilt, anger, and the knowledge that there is so much they wish they could take back. The family aspect is strong in this series and I like getting to know the characters better.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for this ARC.

The Medusa Protocol was a great sequel/part two of Assassins Anonymous. I read both back to back, which made for a great experience. I loved Mark, Astrid and the others in the AA group. I've been a fan of Rob Hart for a few years and had I pretty good idea I would enjoy this book. His writing is fantastic as well as the mystery behind the attack. There were no slow spots in the story and plenty of action to keep my attention. I'll be keeping an eye out for Rob Hart's next work.

The Pale Horse, or Mark, as he now likes to be called, has been running the Assassin's Anonymous meetings since Kenji died. They meet in a basement of a decommissioned church which Mark purchased and fortunately wired with alarms to make sure of privacy. But something is amiss here. Astrid, a reformed assassin, has not shown up to the meetings in weeks, and her phone has been disconnected. As Mark begins the meeting, and after they review the 12 steps in the program, an alarm is tripped. Someone's at the door. A pizza guy shows up with a delivery-a large pizza covered in olives, and nobody orders olives on a pizza except Astrid-she's alive! Right after the delivery another alarm sounds-the members watch the screens and see that an invasion has begun. As Mark and Booker arm themselves and drop the others through the tunnel in the floor, they realize that whoever captured Astrid was tracking that delivery and were bent on killing all involved.

Meanwhile, Astrid is being held on an island somewhere and spends the first month in solitary under psychological torture. When finally released, she is introduced to an evil doctor bent on retrieving important information from her brain for some unknown client. Her fellow prisoners were all killers like Astrid was,before Mark introduced her to Assasins Anonymous, and were varying degrees of dangerous. Will she be able to leave this island before her brain gets donated to science and can Mark and Booker help her escape?

This is the sequel to Assassin's Anonymous, the novel I reviewed in June 2024. It is the guiltiest of guilty pleasures and I'm guilty of enjoying it. The idea of assassins wanting to stop killing people is interesting and thought-provoking, especially as their meeting parallels all those following Bill W. As Mark works his steps, we find he has managed to "stay clean" for 2 1/2 years but is always putting himself in the path of temptation to blow it all. He is now at the most difficult step, the notorious 8, that instructs him to make amends to those he hurt, and he will find that particularly hazardous as much will be asked of him. The book was less humorous than the first book, but it was certainly exciting...a worthy follow-up.

The Medusa Protocol is a thrilling ride that follows former assassin Astrid as she navigates a mysterious black site prison and undergoes harrowing experiments to uncover secrets from her past. Mark and other 'fellows' from Assassins Anonymous work hard to interpret her cryptic messages and keep her safe. This isn't just a story about assassins and killing, though there is lots of violence and death involved. It's about identity and redemption. Trust and betrayal. Surivival and resilience. Did I say there's humor too? There is, and it's a great palate cleanser after the hard stuff.

The Medusal Protocol is second in the Assassins Anonymous series, and I highly advise reading AA first so you know what's going on. The story itself is standalone, but how it all intertwines together is not. Expertly written narrative with meaningful themes and settings make it a page turner. Kudos to Hart for probably the best of his I've read yet.

Many good moments in this one, but I must say my favorite is when Astrid struggles with the Keurig and says, "And all that plastic. It's wasteful," about the pods. 🤘

(Note that I already posted a version of this on GoodReads):

Thank you NetGalley and the Penguin Publishing Group for providing an advanced copy of The Medusa Chronicle.

I did not read the first book in the series, but it did not stop me from catching on right away. And really didn’t even have a chance to think, as the action hits from page 1, paragraph 1!

A fun read with a somewhat predictable cast of characters - all with one thing in common: they’re all ex-assassins for hire, who meet regularly to talk about their “addiction.” (AA for Assassins!)

The plot was a little silly, but full of action. A breezy read that travels the world. And because of their "club", for a book about assassins, there was fairly mild violence - yes, there was some (including torture of one person), but other authors would have made this much more gratuitous.

Will definitely be on the lookout for Book 3. A fun series for sure!