The Assassins

The Assassins (The Judd Ryder Books) What has always been vintage Gayle Lynds now pushes through new thresholds of razor-sharp pacing and suspense. In THE ASSASSINS, every character, every setting comes to life in a plot that winds and whips your anticipation to the last word. But, in honing her storytelling skills, Gayle continues to demonstrate how thrillers can also be examples of exceptional literature. In her novels, students can find the literary devices of great novels: similes, metaphors, alliteration and assonance. For example, "the house looks as if it is hatching the hill," or "deep lines cross-hatched her cheeks." In one sentence, Gayle captures the history of a house within the limits of its description: "Maison Tiskiwin was a large Moroccan house of graceful arches and old tiles, stuffed with art and artifacts illustrating the legendary Gold Road, the caravan route from the Atlas Mountains to Timbuktu." Masterful settings are trademark Gayle Lynds and one of the reasons I love reading her novels.At the same time as Gayle entertains and teases us with gripping suspense, she also teaches us history. Many in North America do not understand the cultures and politics of Iraq and Iran other than America's need to access/control Middle East oil. Through THE ASSASSINS, we come to better understand the driving forces behind the rivalry of these two countries and what outside influences do to keep the balance of power unstable. As always, it leads to the continued suffering of ordinary citizens.The plot has been well reviewed. There is no need to examine it again, except to say once again, Judd, Eva and the Carnivore survive to live in yet another story I can't wait to read. Bravo, Gayle!!!!

I just recently found Gayle Lynds but am delighted to have done so and am reading through her books as fast as I can. She writes great espionage thrillers with the addition of strong women agents sometimes missing in others. I am looking forward to reading more of her books.

Having read all Gayle Lynds' thrillers, I can safely say The Assassins is her most exciting, most breathtaking yet! I continue to marvel at how she takes a complex plot with multiple characters and effectively connects them, creating a marvelous tale of intrigue chock-full of suspense and page-turning delight. Each character is enhanced with physical and psychological details, adding to the reader's assumptions of possible outcomes. The settings are beautiful and believable and I learn something about the world every time I read one of Lynds' novels, in this case, the countries of Iran and Iraq and the US. Talk about timely. . . her descriptions of Shiites and Sunnis and the politics of both sets of believers are given for better understanding of their longtime conflict. It's evident that Lynds does her homework, her stories flow with thoughtful research of various aspects of the CIA, geopolitics, and also the inner motivations of her diverse characters. If you're looking for a fast yet meaty ride through the world of espionage, The Assassins is your best bet!

I discovered Gayle Lynds because I am a Robert Ludlum fan. She co-wrote the Paris Option and the Hades factor with Ludlum. Then I read her books Coil, Mosaic, Masquerade and her newer book, Book of Spies all of which I really enjoyed for their twists and somewhat believable story-lines. The Assissins, compared to the others, is somewhat of a disappointment and the plot twists are seriously unrealistic and flawed.

Imagine coming home and finding your exact double walking out your front door, then watching him be killed in the next few seconds. So begins the page-turning action in The Assassins, Gayle Lynds’ second thriller featuring Judd Ryder and Eva Blake. I loved Judd and Eva in the fabulous Book of Spies, and their return here is equally exciting. The story is smart, fast-paced, and richly described as the author skillfully takes us from Washington, D.C., to Maryland, then Marrakech and Baghdad while pitting six assassins against each other.I have read all of Gayle Lynds’ books and she never disappoints. Although this is the second with Judd and Eva, you need not read Book of Spies first to appreciate The Assassins. Although why readers would deprive themselves of that pleasure, I don’t know! I recommend readers get both books. Gayle Lynds’ storytelling is masterful.

Imagine you are in the Middle East. You and other assassins are together, trying to steal an artifact. It gets broken into many pieces. Each assassin gets a few pieces. They all disappear, but eventually a few get assassinated. Who will end up with all the missing pieces? What will it eventually mean to the last standing assassin?

Fast moving novel. Good entertainment with an interesting story line. Would I buy another novel in the series? Perhaps at some point, but I have so many books queued up that it might not be for awhile.

This book is definitely a great read this summer. I not only recommended The Assassins , but please read book 1 in the series. The Book Of Spies. This is a 2 book mini series that you will not be able to put down. When I read the Book of Spies I loved the book so much i would not stop talking about it, my entire family and book club ended up purchasing and reading the book. Assassins turned out to be as good as The Book Of Spies. This is an unforgettable mini series that will keep you reading late into the night.

I really enjoyed this novel and would highly recommend. In the style of a Robert Ludlum story.

Gayle Lynds is an amazing writer of cold war thrillers in these modern times. This book has treasure, double crossing, adverseries coming together to form an exciting thriller. I did not want the book to end.

I kept checking to see " how many pages remained". Too many poorly defined characters with a thin, enigmatic plot ( if one can actually detect one!). Sappy romance and an abundance of boring, banal, repetitive "fillers". I'll NOT be reading other novels of his, anytime soon!J B Freeman, MD

Very poor writing and completely unbelievable plot. An international assassin who, when his new lover demands in front of his colleagues that he walk away from his evil life to be with her, agrees immediately because love is everything. The most naiive CIA agent ever created, and an ex US military guy who hates killing (although this doesn't seem to slow him down too much).Started out with promise but the plot soon became ridiculous, with more assassins than anyone could ever need, all trying to be interesting by making life for themselves far more complicated than necessary just to try to be interesting. It didn't work.

I enjoyed this book, it kept up a good pace and I like the characters. Recommend highly Appreciative Purple Person