Book Review: The Ethical Assassin

Reviewed By: Shirley - RAM

The Ethical Assassin     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
David Liss
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Thriller   Psychological Suspense

At the age of seventeen Lem has just graduated from high school and has been accepted to Columbia University. Money is short however so he has taken a job selling encyclopedias to raise funds. He is good at it.

At one stop he is about to close when someone walks through the trailer door and shoots the man and woman. Assassin and ethical are an unexpected dichotomy but this assassin does not want to kill Lem. Instead Lem gets drawn into a strange world of thieves, drugs, a crooked cop and animal rights activism.

This novel is blessed with a very original plot. You won¹t guess what is coming next. Liss writes with a sense of place and people that quickly puts the reader into the picture. The philosophical ramblings slow the story now and then but may be necessary to explain the assassin.

Now to the animal issues. As a farmer I know that most family farms pay careful attention to the health and comfort of farm animals; it is their income after all. Perhaps not so true of corporate megafarms, though they are not the target here. I know less about research facilities but certainly do know the LD tests are not conducted as portrayed in this story.. Please remember you are reading fiction here. However if you like issue-oriented thrillers you may enjoy this.

Shirley - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Shirley - RAM