"There's a little sex and gore and lots of action, the perfect formula for the perfect
thriller."--Booklist

"Another twisty thriller from the reliable Hagberg and a welcome return for Cold War hardcase
McGarvey, who's still a cunning devil when it comes to organizing solo operations across forbidden
frontiers."--Kirkus Reviews

"Assassin is a cut above the competition, mostly because of Hagberg's gift for description, the
rapid-fire plot, and the complex nature of his hero."--Library Journal

"Grabs a reader by the lapels and refuses to relent."--Denver Post

Ex-CIA officer Kirk McGarvey is called back into action as the new Russia faces its most insidious threat
the return of Communism. Yevgenni Anatolevich Tarankov, the Tarantula, is determined to turn back the
clock in the new Russia to a time when one man ruled with an iron hand. If Russia is to survive in the family
of nations and continue on the path to an open and free society, the Tarantula must die. All that is needed
is an assassinand McGarvey soon finds that any chance for Russian democracy rests on a bullet with
the Tarantula's name on it.