4 out of 4 stars
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The Last Assassination by James E. Doucette is an intriguing and suspenseful thriller about Politics on a global scale. The events herein told do not necessarily unfold only in the tension-charged vicinities of Syria, Israel, Turkey, and their borders, but stretch further on to engulf the Russian Embassy at Turkey, the Royal Palace of Saudi Arabia, and the high offices of the White House and the Pentagon, as among the most notable ones.
The main flashpoint, the controversial bombing of a hospital at Aleppo, Syria, alleged to have been carried out by the US drones shocked the world and prompted Washington to launch a covert investigation. It was puzzling for the US military because such bombing mission was never ordered, and the possibility for someone to hack into their system is very improbable. And yet, someone has gone around their security safeguards, and a major somewhere reports to his general their successful bombing of the hospital, with payment given to the assassin that eliminated the terrorist they have hired to man the controls of the drones.
This novel is action-packed and fast-paced. And James E. Doucette has the goodwill to drop along the way pertinent clues for the discerning minds, in case they would fancy predicting the future scenes. Our knowledge of world history and current affairs would serve us well in piecing up the story. And now, imperative to be answered is the question regarding who was behind the bombing, so important to the political leadership of the US. While as to how it was done, their technocrats are dying to find out. If the motivation is just to kill and sow fear, then the terrorists could readily be the culprit. But then, given that capability to redirect the drones, why should the terrorists choose only such meager targets? They were known to stage bigger shows, of greater impact. There must be more to this incident than mere terrorism. Obviously, this was done to discredit America in the eyes of the world. Or some parties would gain from the ramifications to this disturbance on a far-reaching economic scale. Who are they?
Mr. Doucette has done a terrific job of developing the characters, with understandable motivation for what they do. Even the assassin, Philip, who started out as a stereotype for men with hardened will and nerves of steel, took on human traits when confronted with family and domestic life, despite the internal conflict raging within him. His vindictive alter ego has done quite enough, and he wanted to retire and to live a normal life. His attempt to keep secret his covert activities from his wife is just traditional with men dealing with military affairs, even when not belonging to the military themselves. You know, wives could leak out secrets, in cases circumstance make them sleep with the enemy, or they might get shocked upon knowing what their husbands do.
It is quite apparent that the author has a good working knowledge about the behavior of the men and women surrounding the President, how they react in times of crisis. Of the women, I must say, I like the character of Amanda, very impressive for a high-level negotiator, tackling down even men in high places of power. But that of “Skip” Gilmore may be said as having exhibited needless verbal fireworks. I was almost led to assume that he has some connection with the Russians, but this thread was left undeveloped.
I will recommend this novel to lovers of action thrillers, except to children who might yet be unable to comprehend the rationale behind political assassinations. And as the editing made it hard for me to find errors, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.
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The last Assassination
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