The Pale Rider returns in Rob Hart’s “The Medusa Protocol”, the fast-paced sequel to last year’s “Assassins Anonymous”.

Mark, the ex-assassin known as the Pale Rider, is trying to maintain his “sobriety” as he heads his local chapter of Assassins Anonymous, a twelve-step recovery group for killers who are trying to stop killing. Unfortunately, he’s quite worried about one of the members, Astrid, whom Mark has taken under his wing as her sponsor, who hasn’t been showing up at the meetings for a while. Has she “fallen off the wagon” and gone back to being Azrael, a notorious assassin working for the Agency? Or has something worse happened to her, has her past caught up?

Turns out it is something worse – Astrid has been kidnapped and taken to a remote prison on an island in South America. There, a doctor performs experiments on her, probing her memory for something from her past, something so valuable that someone has taken all this trouble to find out the information without Astrid realizing what exactly this information is. And Astrid has made quite a few enemies over the years, some of which are also housed in this prison. How can she possibly escape the prison and make it past the deadly snakes that cover the island, all while maintaining her vow of not killing?

Through careful planning, Astrid is able to get a message to Mark and the group (a pizza covered with olives!) to let them know that she’s alive. No sooner has the pizza arrived then it is followed by a group of mercenaries out to kill Mark and his non-lethal group. Can Mark and friends avoid the mercenaries, find Astrid and rescue her, all without killing anyone?

Another humorous ride through the deadly world of assassins. We learn a little bit more about Astrid, how she got into the business and some of the things that are haunting her to this day, things that sent her into the support group. We also see Mark and friends making sacrifices in their quests to make amends. And we get plenty of thrills and actions, all with a layer of levity as we watch the extraordinary lengths the assassins go to in order to avoid killing anyone. Another quick exciting thrill ride with bad guys trying to become better.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons via NetGalley. Thank you!

God, but these books are fucking fun.

I had a really good time reading ASSASSINS ANONYMOUS so why not get the follow up early from NetGalley?

It was just as good. They’re like funnier Jason Statham/John Wick movies. Good action, funny, a bit of angst. Popcorn for days. And the concept of Assassins Anonymous just makes sense to me - making amends, trying to stay clean… I love these books. Super fast reads too. So fun.

This was a strong sequel in the Assassins Anonymous series, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed from the first book. It had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed getting to go back to this world. Rob Hart does a fantastic job in writing this and left me wanting to read more in this world.

I loved Assassin's Anonymous, but wasn't sure what to expect in his sequel. But it starts with a bang. Or at least with a bag... over the head of Astrid, the latest member of the reformed assassin's group, as she is kidnapped.

Then a mysterious pizza delivery during a twelve-step meeting of the Assassin's Anonymous group sets off a thrilling chain of events. Mark, once the world's deadliest killer, suspects the delivery is a message from Astrid, his missing sponsee, but it also triggers an attack by other hitmen. The challenge for all these former killers? Escaping without killing anyone.

Hart masterfully balances two narratives: Mark's investigation and Astrid's imprisonment, while using the opportunity to explore Astrid's compelling backstory. The premise of assassins in recovery could easily become absurd, but Hart handles it with both dark humor and surprising sensitivity.

While this high-octane thriller stands on its own, reading the first book is recommended for full appreciation of the character dynamics. For readers seeking a fresh take on the genre, "The Medusa Protocol" delivers action, suspense, and unexpected depth in equal measure.

A big thank you to the Penguin Group and NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Free eARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher for reviewing purposes.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Assassins Anonymous, where we follow Mark, formerly the deadliest assassin in the world, as he stays sober (by not killing people) while on the run. The first book could've been a standalone, but I was glad to find the author continuing with this universe. This book follows his sponsee from the end of the last book, Astrid. Much like Mark's story, we have flashbacks of her past interspersed with the ongoing action. We also get cuts between Astrid's point of view and Mark's, which I enjoyed because Mark's POV really made the last book. I also preferred the action of the "current" events over the flashbacks. As much as you learn about Astrid's backstory from seeing her past, I don't think that her character was as developed as Mark's was in the last book, and I don't think the mystery that runs throughout is as complex, so the payoff at the end is not quite as satisfying.
Honestly, if you enjoyed the first book, you'll probably like this one because it is definitely more of the same without being too repetitive. I love the other characters in the Assassins Anonymous group and I want to see more of their stories, but I do worry that future installments might be too much of the same thing.

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy. I am really getting into this series. I find myself really caring for all these killers who have all done horrible things. I want to read more about Mark, Astrid, Booker and the other former assassins. I hope there are more books, and soon, as I have an idea where things are going, thanks to some possible foreshadowing by Mrs. Nguyen. High recommendations for this one.

The first book in this series, Assassins Anonymous, was such an easy five stars for me. I immediately adored lactose intolerant, feline loving, reformed killer Mark, aka the Pale Horse. My fervent wish for another book came true!

This novel focuses more on Astrid, also a reformed assassin known as Azrael. She appeared in the first book, but there was a lot more to dig into with her character, and Astrid's backstory is just as intriguing and heartbreaking as Mark's. He's now her sponsor, and when she stops showing up for meetings, Mark finds it difficult to believe she relapsed and returned to her old life. When he receives a sign she's still alive (in the form of a pizza covered in olives delivered to their secret meeting place), he and his fellow reformed killers set out on a mission to save her. How they'll accomplish that while maintaining their sobriety (not killing) proves to be a challenge.

If you're a fan of morally gray characters, this is your series. Despite the amount of blood on their hands, Mark, Astrid, and friends strive to be better people and atone for their actions. They cling tightly to their sobriety while also defending themselves and others - which is quite a feat considering the skilled enemies they face. Action sequences are highly creative and occasionally fun when it would be much easier to kill their opponents. I learned several new and interesting ways to incapacitate threats. But it's not all action. As with the first book, several heart-filled scenes are included. Unfortunately P. Kitty didn't have a chance to shine as brightly this time, but he still had some moments.

I think there's more to delve into with these characters and their world, and I'm hoping Hart continues the series. Recommended to fans of redemption stories, dark humor, and incredibly high stakes.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rob Hart punches straight in the gut with heavy emotions and fast-paced writing that gel together for a riveting experience without compromising the heart of the narrative. How do killers survive in their world of kill or be killed if they shall no longer kill? That’s the question Rob Hart answers once more in The Medusa Protocol with ingenuity and class. Even as a form of entertainment, the question of the value of a human life and what it means to take one is explored with beautiful subtlety and nuance throughout the story.

This is a worthy sequel to the first book in the series with a unique premise of an Assassin who is thrown into untenable situations but cannot pay back in the same coin as they have taken a vow not to kill anymore. Just like the first book, this one has non-stop action, enough humor and a fast pace to keep the readers engaged. Eagerly waiting for the next one in the series!

Rob Hart has done it again! The Medusa Protocol is another stunningly unique and bad-ass thriller that combines brutal action and perilous circumstances with heartfelt moments and commitment to self-improvement. It’s the most fun you can have watching assassins trying to not kill people.

Astrid has missed several Assassins Anonymous meetings and the group is concerned, not knowing if she’s still alive. When a pizza covered in olives is delivered to their secret location, they know Astrid is still above ground and in need of help. Then the pizza delivery is immediately followed by a kill team looking to eliminate these dangerous former assassins who have taken the pledge never to kill again. After finding a way through this dangerous situation, Mark, Booker and the others set out to locate Astrid and enact a rescue plan. But infiltrating a black site on a remote island covered in poisonous snakes to save a member of their “family” without taking a life will test their skills and their resolve like never before.

Most thrillers put the protagonists in an untenable position surrounded by enemies with blood lust in their eyes, then have the good guys kill everyone as they make their escape or stalk their prey. But The Medusa Protocol is not like most thrillers. First, the main characters are former assassins who were addicted to killing and are now trying to reform themselves through putting their lethality behind and making amends to the living relatives of those they dispatched. With so much blood on their hands, it’s hard to say they’re the “good guys.” Second, because they’re in recovery they cannot kill again and still maintain their sobriety. So when Mark, Astrid, Booker and the others are put into incredibly dangerous situations, they must fight their way out by hurting, disabling, neutralizing and maiming, but not killing. A less than ideal situation that takes a lot of skill and dedication to the program to avoid caving to temptation and relapsing into their murderous ways.

The result is fantastic action sequences filled with creativity, fisticuffs and thoughtful violence with a purpose that is spawned from a moral clarity of those who are trying to be a little bit better every day. So when vicious predators interrupt their attempts at salvation and a peaceful existence, they act like the rest of us and just do the best they can with the hand they’re dealt. It just happens to be that their best is a lot more physically punishing and potentially incapacitating with higher risk of death than what the general population experiences on a daily basis. But growth is in the learning and attempting to do better, right? And if a few bodies drop in the process, who’s going to put up a fuss? I’m certain thriller fans will be quite alright with it.

Two books into this unique series and it’s already one of my favorites in the thriller genre. And the great news is Rob Hart’s got the chops, storylines and characters to continue entertaining us for many books to come. I can’t wait to see what’s next!