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| Plot Summary of Assassination Day |
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"
St. Martin's, Aug 2004, 24.95, 384 pp.
ISBN: 0312326378
The Secret Intelligence Office (SIS) is quite incensed that deceased Captain Ross Frazer, apparently wrote an “autobiographical fictionalized” account of his memoirs as a political assassin. Questions surround this potentially embarrassing manuscript; was Frazer an SIS agent now dead and, if yes, why wasn't his manuscript turned into the Firm for classified review and what to about the not so veiled characterizations?
SIS Agent Will Landon investigates the book and Frazer, who died nine years ago when a truck ran him over. Meanwhile the London based literary agent working on the manuscript George Ventris is visited and threatened by two cops, Detective Constable Leach and Sergeant Nicholson. Not long afterward, Ventris is murdered and his copy of the Frazer novel stolen. In New York someone kills part-time literary agent and bookstore owner Amalie Cazelet, who sent the manuscript to Ventris. Realizing there is more to this case than a simple autobiography, SIS Assistant Director Peter Ashton enters the inquiries.
The latest Peter Ashton espionage thriller continues the post Soviet adventures with a terrific tale that is as much a police procedural as it is a spy story. The fabulous ASSASSINATION DAY is a bit different from its tremendous predecessors as Ashton plays more of a background support role for much of the novel. The story line contains the usual flawed heroes struggling to adapt in an ever changing world and red herrings that leave readers wondering (outside of Ashton and Landon) who is the good guys and who are the villains.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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"This latest in Egletons remarkable Peter Ashton series drops you into a patiently developing terrorist plot. The onion begins to peel when a prominent publisher is murdered by a pair of British Jihad sympathizers bent on retrieving the galleys of a memoir written by an allegedly long dead member of the SIS.
This book has been brought to England from America by an ambitious young beauty bent on distinguishing herself as more than the gifted daughter of a rich father. At the end it is her independent spirit that leads her to make a phone call that tips the balance in favor of the SIS and the ruin of the terrorists.
Egletons wonderfully described cast of agents/civil servants, high and low on the totem pole are drawn into the case as the vetting of the book through government contacts was one of the last acts of the murdered publisher. The world of intelligence gathering and covert action does not stand still and the redoubtable Victor Hazlewood, the Director, continues to have the good sense to back Peter Ashton and his number one Will Landon as they find time to deal with murder on the continent and terror links with Russia as well as the infiltration of Jihadi soldiers and the bomb maker on to home soil.
Peter Ashton is the nonpareil of espionage heros, a James Bond with children (and a beautiful, intelligent former-agent wife), a Quiller with the good sense to carry a weapon, a John Rain who can kill with his hands but does not make a fetish of it, a Smiley with the good looks to complement his charm, a Mitch Rapp with empathy and a willingness to practice office politics. Egleton's women are strong and individually drawn as are the entire cast down to Eric Daniels, a former Military Policeman, who is quietly known as the best wheelman in the service.
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John Joyce, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Assassination Day |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Spying/Terrorism Thriller
Yes
Cloak & Dagger Plotlets:
- preventing/finding assassin
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
War-time military intelligence mission?
Yes
Who's the terrorist enemy here?
- arabs and/or muslims
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- spy
- government investigator
Age:
- 20's-30's
- 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- killer
- mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- power
The antagonists are:
- Arab terrorists
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 3-4
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Clive Egleton Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 John Joyce
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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