Review - The Perfect Assassin

Title:   The Perfect Assassin

Author:  James Patterson; Brian Sitts

Series:   Doc Savage Thrillers #1

Publisher:  Grand Central Publishing

Genre:   Mystery & Thrillers

Format:  Kindle ARC

No. of Pages:   336

Date of Publication:   November 15, 2022

My Rating:   5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

Prof. Brandt Savage—grandson of the legendary action hero Doc Savage—is forced into a top-secret training program where he discovers his true calling...as the perfect assassin.

Dr. Brandt Savage is on sabbatical from the University of Chicago. Instead of doing solo fieldwork in anthropology, the gawky, bespectacled PhD finds himself enrolled in a school where he is the sole pupil. His professor, “Meed,” is demanding. She’s also his captor.

Savage emerges from their intensive training sessions physically and mentally transformed, but with no idea why he’s been chosen, and how he’ll use his fearsome abilities. Then his first mission with Meed takes them back to her own training ground, where Savage learns how deeply entwined their two lives have been. To prevent a new class of killers from escaping this harsh place where their ancestors first fought to make a better world, they must pledge anew : Do right to all, and wrong to no one.

Link to purchase the series

MY THOUGHTS:

“Doc Savage” is not the typical hero to empathize with. In fact, as the sole student under the tutelage of “Meed”, the strictest of educators, he is destined to acquire the most clandestine of skills. He will undergo rigorous training as the ideal assassin, devoid of any say in his chosen curriculum. Accompanied by the enigmatic Professor Meed, Savage remains uncertain about the nature of his training and the expectations placed upon him. 

As this story moves from past to present, we learn more about Meed’s earlier life, especially from the training she received at a young age. This reflects the goal she has now for Savage. This story is wickedly fast paced as it is truly a case of survival of the fittest. 

Although I am not familiar with the Doc Savage comic books, I found the book to be quite entertaining. In fact, I was able to complete it in one sitting. It will be interesting to observe Savage’s trajectory in this series and to determine whether he will assume the role of a villain or a hero. 

Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time. He is the creator of unforgettable characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride, and of breathtaking true stories about the Kennedys, John Lennon, and Tiger Woods, as well as our military heroes, police officers, and ER nurses. Patterson has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, and collaborated most recently with Michael Crichton on the blockbuster Eruption. He has told the story of his own life in James Patterson by James Patterson and received an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

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