Book Review: Time of the Assassins

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Time of the Assassins     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Hugh Holton
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural   Government Agency   Legal Setting
Series: Larry Cole # 7
Forge, Feb 2000, $24.95, 384 pp.

The notorious Baron Alain Marcus Casimir Von Rianocek is one of the world's highest paid assassins even though he is heir to the throne of the Germany's Bavaria. Though he lives the privileged life of a European aristocrat in Argentina, Alain's success as a hired killer is based on his professional life remaining anonymous.

In 1977, Chicago police officer Larry Cole ended Alain's string of twelve straight kills when he prevented the murder of a Mafia chieftain. Years later, the Baron still thinks of Cole as a personal albatross. After completing his current assignment in New York, Alain spots Cole in a restaurant and takes off like a guilty party would. His panicky race to escape costs him his anonymity.

Over the years the two men cross paths again and again but eventually one will take the other down.

Hugh Holton draws on his own experience as law enforcement official to create an excellent police procedural with international overtones. TIME OF THE ASSASSINS provides the audience with a glimpse into the mindset of a professional assassin, a rogue CIA operative and the inner workings of a shady law firm with ties to the illegal drug industry. The fascinating story line never slows down. Lovers of crime fiction will fully enjoy their time spent with this tale.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner