Nikki Stern (1)

"Today is not a good day to die" Thus starts The Former Assassin. The story tells the tale of Susan Foster, also Suzanne, who is a former assassin, working for Viktor Kemp as a top executive in his company, while her other life is to get rid of people that Viktor wants gone. Susan wants out and after 20 plus years she tells him she is done.
Five years later she finds that he has not forgotten. He has someone try to kill her but it does not work out.

Viktor finds out where she and her husband and son are and tries to have them killed. They are still alive and in hiding and Susan has to live without them to protect them. While Viktor is on his yacht with his son and trusted employees, the yacht is blown up killing Viktor and his son. Or did it?

The Former Assassin is character driven, a story of revenge, loss, and redemption. This book grabbed me from the very first page and held my attention. A lot of suspense and characters that you love or hate. I enjoyed it!… (lisätietoja)

I love books that start with a hook, a glimpse of the present and then jumping to the past for the explanation of current events. Nikki Stern did that very well in The Former Assassin.

An unfortunate incident set the path for Susan that led her to Kemp. Now, he had her under his control, but she wanted out.

She is in love and it will unravel her life and break her heart.The choices she makes will bring her to her knees. Anguish and despair are the least of her worries, her life is in danger.

Even though she is an assassin, I love assassins and I can empathize,sympathize and fear for her.

I felt Part I could have been a novella, but I am so glad it isn’t. Nikki Stern misdirected me in such a way, she had me fooled and that is not an easy thing to do. I was lulled into a sense of ‘I know where this is going,’ so I didn’t feel that sense of urgency to find out what happens next. HA! Now, she is going to twist and turn me into Part II and I am looking forward to finding out what is hidden behind her words.

A sense of danger lurks…Revenge. Kemp should be careful how far he pushes her. Everyone has their breaking point and sometimes the cost is more than you want to pay.

How can she kill for work…for a job?

It wasn’t like she had choices.

Is something wrong with her?

Will she ever be able to quit?

Retire?

Have a family with children?

The danger and suspense is subtle. I knew something was coming, but not what and I do enjoy when an author keeps me on the fence…teetering this way and that as I try to figure it out before I get there.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Former Assassin by Nikki Stern.

See more at http://www.fundinmental.com… (lisätietoja)

I really liked the dynamics of this story. I guess it truly is true that you can't fully "retire" as an assassin. Suzanne learned this the hard way, when her former employer, Victor Kemp comes after her.

It is easy to see why Suzanne was one of the best in the business. She showcased her skills very nicely as she went up against Victor. Although, he showed that he had smarts as well. A very good battle of wits between these two.

Author, Nikki Stern dishes up a really good storyline with equally good characters in The Former Assassin. This book has plenty of action as well and the tone of the story moves along quickly. I want to read more by this author.… (lisätietoja)

This book is a good summary of humanist theory on hope. It is written for a relatively low reading level and would be acceptable to those who have done a little thinking in the areas of hope and fear. Unfortunately, it mainly consists of quotes from other more well-read authors with bloggish commentary in-between. I've read Pema Chondron on hope in difficult times and this in no way approximates the in-depth thought of Chondron's writing.
Throughout we are invited to participate in the discussion, and I suppose this would be a good thing for many, but it also leads one to wonder if the author is a part of the happiness industry she decries.
There are the usual descriptions of the person who is told their cancer is the fault of their attitude; another "friend" is described as finally having to deal with Parkinson's after "years of denial" (and what's wrong with that??); even the author's mother comes in for criticism because she just coped with her pain and disability and "gained 50 pounds" after she was disabled with arthritis.
These things, above all, made me dislike the author. As someone who lives with a chronic, unpredictable disease (MS) I can do many things to make myself better and still the disease will have its way with me.
All in all, a surface exploration of the topic by someone who has had enough tragedy in her life to make her aware of the need for sensitivity, yet a lack of same.… (lisätietoja)