Night of the Assassin: Assassin Series Prequel
Night of the Assassin
Russell Blake
Copyright 2011 by Russell Blake. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law, or in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, contact Books@RussellBlake.com.
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Features Index
Rave reviews for Russell Blake books
An excerpt from Russell Blake’s novel King of Swords
About the Author
A Note from the Author
Night of the Assassin
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Excerpt from King of Swords
Introduction
Prologue
Rave reviews for Russell Blake books
For "The Geronimo Breach"
"The best thriller I've ever read. How often do you hear a review say that? Well. that's what I'm saying. Other reviews describing it as near perfection and incredibly well written aren't lying. Russell Blake is on par with the biggest names in the business. And I mean Grisham, Turrow, Ludlum, Forsyth, Brown. The plot is intricate and completely unexpected at every turn. Al Ross is a hateful, extremely well-written character with believable complexity and nuance, plunged into a global conspiracy nightmare he's ill-equipped to survive. Don't want to spoil the end, but it's a barn-burner. Overall, the best read ever." jennifer989
"The artistry in this work as the brush strokes build layers, brings you to wonder if something like this could be true! That's the work of a true artist. Many works of fiction have a main character that is so scrubbed up that he no longer resembles a human male. No problems with this one. You start out despising him, then start to feel sorry for him, until finally you almost like him and wish him well - although that outcome seems unlikely, the way the story develops. This is almost a 'How to..' for budding writers. How to write without one word or one sentence that could be edited out! Tight narrative, great story, scary scenario. I almost never give five stars, but this has earned it!" K. McDicken
"Russell Blake is fast becoming my favorite new author. Take an unlikely main character, a scarily probable conspiracy, a government run amok, cocaine dealers, commandos, whores, a burro, and a tightly meshed action/intrigue plot, and you have what to me is the most original thriller of the year. I don't want to spoil the ending but it completely blew me away, and how the suspense was sustained to the last few pages as a surprise was great. I loved Fatal Exchange and had tears of laughter running down my face for How to Sell A Gazillion Ebooks, and now spent a big chunk of my night reading till 4AM to get to the end of Geronimo Breach. Highest recommendation for a highly original and entertaining novel." Semi-Used
"Okay, I'm from the other side of the pond (you can find most of my reviews and on the UK site) and I'm not a patient/forgiving reader if the writer confuses me or dawdles in their narrative. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself going along with the easy style and broad strokes of the narrative. The plot is very skillfully contrived but the real art I found was in the affinity I found myself unable to resist with the down-on-his-life main character, Al. I also love burros after following Al's steady transition as he encounters hurdle after hurdle. I laughed aloud in some scenes (I won't spoil it) when Al is, let's say...compromised. I loved the ending but also wished the story hadn't ended - so for that reason I'm taking the trouble to recommend it." Write Into Print
For the "Zero Sum trilogy"
"Blake's latest is absolutely amazing. I literally could not put down my Kindle until I finished all three books in the trilogy! Russell Blake has a very unique talent at painting a beautiful story with words, and the Zero Sum trilogy practically reads like poetry. 5 stars aren't enough to rate this wonderful trilogy: 10 stars would be more accurate!" Amber Norrgard
"Russell Blake's Zero Sum Trilogy is truly amazing. I initially downloaded Book 1 because it was free and before I was done I had purchased the Book 2 & 3 bundle. This is my first time reading a book from Russell Blake and I felt privileged to have found a book written so intelligently with such a powerful impact.
Nicolas Griffen is a character that you will grow to despise. A Wall Street financier associated with organized crime and government agencies using the stock market to make huge amounts of money to the detriment of others. Dr. Steven Archer is determined to stop this activity by publishing a website to expose Griffen and his associates for what they really are. When he is discovered to be the owner of the website life is forever changed as he is now the target to be destroyed.
This trilogy will take you on a extremely fast paced and unexpected roller coaster ride of the fight between good and evil. Zero Sum is an addicting complex thriller that you will not be able to put down. I highly recommend this book, it is writing at it's best.
I look forward to reading more from Russell Blake." Marilou George (The Kindle Book Review)
"I read a review of the Zero Sum trilogy on Steven Konkoly's blog, and then several reviews here, so I took the plunge. I mean, I don't know a put from a call (though I did get a short lesson from Mr. Blake when I mentioned that) but that didn't stop me from enjoying this thrill ride. I was recuperating from a medical procedure, so I read all three books over the weekend. I even kept a map of one of the locations open on the computer and that made the story all the more vivid. The hero was smart, made good use of his resources, yet still kept a bit of naivete that had some almost disastrous results. There was a bit of irony at the end, but it worked. I'd like to see more of Steven Archer..." Ms. Nancy L. Barth
For "Fatal Exchange"
"Fatal Exchange is a page-turning roller coaster ride of action, adventure and thrills. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this presumably debut offering from Russell Blake. It's an awesome read. I couldn't put it down, and stayed up all night to finish it, no exaggeration. Six Stars, if they had that high a review!" Katherina J.
"This is a book that took me completely by surprise. I thought I'd give it a shot based on the Amazon description and 5 star reviews, and it quickly became a page turner I couldn't put down. The plot is complex, sort of like a Forsyth or Ludlum, and the characters are gripping. It's a real novel. Can't wait to see what Blake does next." Anthony M.
"Fatal Exchange is a gritty," edge of your seat" thriller by first time author Russell Blake. The author cleverly combines a well paced, CSI styled crime thriller, with a "no holds barred", plausible international conspiracy. […] I can honestly say, that if I could find more books like Fatal Exchange, I would be left with absolutely no reason to read some of the "Brand" name authors on the market today." Steven K.
"This book is in a class by itself. The main plot of the book is exciting and scary (and maybe a little graphic). The pacing is fast, the descriptions are visceral and the twists are unexpected." Stacy K.
For "King of Swords"
"Russell Blake is no stranger to the thriller genre. His previous thrillers have turned the headlines inside-out, with gritty, no-holds-barred, edge-of-your-seat plots. With King of Swords, Russell Blake has clearly taken the best of his previous novels and combined them into an honest, often brutal, heart-st
opping thriller that left me gasping for air and squirming on my couch. I know this sounds overly dramatic, but in reader-speak...this book kept me glued to the Kindle screen.
In King of Swords, the reader is taken on a journey through drug cartel-ruled Mexico, where violence often trumps hard cash as the dominant cultural currency. Blake clearly draws on his own knowledge of the political and cultural climate in Mexico to present a realistic and stark backdrop to a thriller in the fast-paced, intelligent tradition of Frederick Forsyth's, "Day of the Jackal." - Steven Konkoly, Amazon bestselling author of the Jakarta Pandemic and Black Flagged
"King of Swords is a great read for anyone who enjoys thrillers like those by Forsyth and Ludlum. Forsyth's first, and best, book, Day of the Jackal, is one of my favorites. I've read it at least five times over the last thirty years, and it always gets my pulse quickening. King of Swords has the same effect and reads much faster, with surprises that keep you guessing right to the end. You want to just turn the pages as fast as you can push your kindle forward button. I have a feeling King of Swords will be one of the books I come back to again and again. It's that good. I like the author's other books, having read most or all of them, and their all good, but this one is in a different league. This is a no excuses heavyweight you could put up against any of the big names, and they'd be in trouble. Whatever kind of tequila he's drinking I'd say keep it up, because with novels like this pouring forth, I've got no need to read any of the big traditionally published names anymore. Russell Blake is an example of an Indie author who is surpassing many of the best of the name writers, and KOS should put him right in the same ranks as them." - David A
"I've read a few of Blake's novels and found them diverse in voice and message therein. My favorite was The Geronimo Breach but this latest has a kind of will of its own. The reader can't help but respect the bad guy along with the MC. If I read the subtext right, then I realized who the real bad guys are - I'm not spoiling the plot, so you'll have to decide for yourself on that score. If you like your plots quick, deep and faithful, I'd give it a read..." - Write Into Print
An excerpt from Russell Blake’s novel King of Swords
follows Night of the Assassin
King of Swords by Russell Blake
King of Swords is an epic assassination thriller set in modern Mexico against a backdrop of cartel violence. Captain Romero Cruz discovers an assassination plot to kill the Mexican and U.S. presidents at the G-20 conference in Cabo by "El Rey" - a super assassin responsible for some of the world's most shocking killings.
Purchase King of Swords
About the Author
Russell Blake lives full time on the Pacific coast of Mexico. He is the acclaimed author of the thrillers: Fatal Exchange, The Geronimo Breach, Zero Sum, The Delphi Chronicle trilogy (The Manuscript, The Tortoise and the Hare, and Phoenix Rising), King of Swords, Night of the Assassin, The Voynich Cypher, Revenge of the Assassin, Return of the Assassin, Silver Justice, JET, JET II – Betrayal, JET III – Vengeance and JET IV – Reckoning.
Non-fiction novels include the international bestseller An Angel With Fur (animal biography) and How To Sell A Gazillion eBooks (while drunk, high or incarcerated) – a joyfully vicious parody of all things writing and self-publishing related.
“Capt.” Russell enjoys writing, fishing, playing with his dogs, collecting and sampling tequila, and waging an ongoing battle against world domination by clowns.
A Note from the Author
Night of the Assassin is the prequel to King of Swords, which chronicles the story of the super-assassin, “El Rey” and his plot to execute the presidents of the U.S. and Mexico at the G-20 summit in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. During the chaotic and breakneck writing of that epic tale, I was constantly struck by fleeting insights into the mind of the killer, some of which I captured in glowing detail in that tome. But even as I put King of Swords to bed, I couldn’t shake the sense of unfinished business. I’d go to sleep and have vivid dreams, and they were always the same – about the characters in my book. Specifically, they were about the assassin’s past. It was like a disease. I couldn’t stop thinking about him.
That’s unfamiliar to me, for the most part. I had the same general sense when I got done with Al, from The Geronimo Breach, but I had no compulsion to write another book about him, fascinating as his character was. I felt closure at the end of that work. I’d told Al’s story, as well as I could, and there wasn’t more I felt I could add. There were no more words that needed writing.
But I no sooner finished King of Swords than I started making notes for a prequel. Which is really the wrong way to go about it. I’m a simple man. When starting a story, I always like the ‘Once Upon A Time’ part at the beginning, and ‘The End’ at, well, the end. But that’s not how it panned out for me this time. I felt driven to write about the assassin some more, and to mine his background. What created a man who could dispassionately terminate people’s lives for a living? What drove him to do the unthinkable? Was he a monster in the traditional sense? Did he kick dogs or swerve to hit them in the road? Did he put his socks on before or after his underwear?
It was fascinating to me, because El Rey was alive in my head. You see, I knew the answers to the questions I was asking, for once in my life.
And so it came to pass that I have the opportunity to share with you what I gleaned from him. Night of the Assassin is a shorter work written to flesh out the making of the beast, and is best read as a companion piece after King of Swords. It can certainly be read first, but I suspect it will be more satisfying and resonate more if read King first, Night second, then the sequels. That’s how I envisioned it, but you’re free to do as you like. Even if read as a stand-alone or first, Night should entertain and satisfy. I’d just recommend it after King.
Night of the Assassin is a classic prequel, in that it doesn’t repeat information already memorialized in King of Swords – so there may be some gaps that don’t seem to make sense until both novels are read. Night’s purpose, other than to thrill, is to explain, to afford illumination into one of my most fascinating characters yet. El Rey’s past, or at least the highlights of it, are alive on the page. If I’ve done my job right, you’ll be hurtled along on a ride like no other, to be at times shocked, titillated, revolted, sad, and ultimately, swept into a dark world of cartel killers and violence, drug deals and paid executions, love and loss.
Enjoy this humble offering, with my compliments.
Your servant,
Russell Blake
Go to excerpt from King of Swords
Night of the Assassin
Chapter 1
Midnight, Five Years Ago
The lights from Contessa, the 160-foot Christensen super yacht, glowed off the calm surface of the harbor below the Grand Bay Hotel in Barra de Navidad, twenty-six miles northwest of Manzanillo, Mexico – the primary deep water port on the Pacific coast of mainland Mexico. It was a calm spring night, the air heavy with the scent of the ubiquitous tropical flowers, beaded with moisture from the cloudbursts that had sulked over the hazy, humid day. Crickets sang their mating cries to the broiling heavens, the only sound on the water besides the dull thumping of the disco beat emanating from the massive boat’s salon, which lay beneath the superstructure that supported a four passenger helicopter and a complement of jet skis.
The creaking lines of the yacht strained as the tide rolled in and the moon’s perennial pull drew higher the water level in the marina; the heavy ropes that secured the ship to its long dock keened in futile protest. Armed security men clad in black windbreakers patrolled the concrete walkway that curved the length of the exclusive private marina, the unmistakable outline of Heckler & Koch UMP submachine-guns a silent testament to their intent. The battle-hardened men chartered with the safety of those aboard the yacht were dead serious, resonating a constant state of readiness against threats from any approach. The drug cartel skirmishes had escalated over the past two years – the guards had been in some blistering f
irefights with rival groups and seen more than their share of blood. These were men for whom killing was routine, and they drew their pay with the understanding that any day might be their last.
A radio crackled as the group checked in with one another, each member confirming that all was calm. The routine was to monitor everyone’s status every fifteen minutes throughout the night. If danger came, it often did so in the wee hours, and the group’s leader was keenly sensitive to possible fatigue or boredom – a luxury that could prove fatal on that detail.
Peals of shrill female laughter pierced the night as the salon sliding door opened to allow three scantily clad young Mexican women onto the rear deck, to where the ashtrays were located near a well-stocked bar and a sumptuous oversized hot tub. The girls were regular company for the owner of the boat, Sylvio Contreras, the number one warlord in Sonora and the head of the Zapata cartel. Not one was older than nineteen, the youngest seventeen – ‘Papi’ Contreras liked his meat fresh and tender, the more so since he’d had his fiftieth birthday the prior week. He could certainly afford the best, and there was a constant stream of eager girls interested in renting their charms; Contreras controlled a significant chunk of the Colombian cocaine and Mexican methamphetamine traffic that made its way through Sonora to the United States, and his annual personal take from the trade exceeded one billion U.S. dollars per year.