Rik Stone

For mature readers only. Angelita grew up with a large family in a poor and dangerous neighborhood in Recife, Brazil. She experienced several harsh events, including the death of her uncle by a dangerous criminal gang when she was eight, and taught herself many survival techniques with her brothers like pickpocketing and light scams. Suddenly, on the verge of adulthood, Angelita starts on a more criminal wealth producing path with the discovery of a valuable supply of pure heroin hidden within the walls of her uncle’s still empty apartment. A delicate balance between building her own hidden gang, while protecting her family and friends from stronger established criminal gangs, projects more dangers in navigating and surviving her criminal plans. Told in the first person by Angelita, the intense tale is full of action and suspenseful elements that will satisfy thrill fans, but it is not for readers who prefer to have an heroic protagonist to stand behind, as the story builds on the emotional complexity of surviving through criminal activity in developing a delicate perspective as touched in classics like “The Godfather” and “Scarface”. The psychological intensity is intriguing.… (más)

I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

“Birth of an Assassin” is a historical suspense thriller with amazing imagery of Russia. Jez Kornfeld runs away from home and sets out to join the Red Army. During his training, he falls in love with the beautiful Anna. Because they both choose to have a military career, they had nothing more than a close friendship. Now, his career takes a turn for the worse when military corruption is uncovered and he is set up as a scapegoat for a human trafficking business. How will he prove his innocence? Who can he trust? Where can he go?

This book brought to my attention the seriousness of human trafficking. I really didn’t grasp it fully until I read about it here and found it quite eye opening. I also thought that the historical aspect was realistic in every way. The main character had such strong morals, even when it would have been easier to run, he stayed and fought to prove himself innocent. There’s even some romance in this novel, because twenty years later Anna does finally reappear, and she still loved him. A magnificent story of love, betrayal, and courage, Birth of an Assassin is a must read suspense thriller.
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My original Birth of an Assassin audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Just after WWII, Jez Kornfeld, a young Jew whose maximum aspiration in life is joining the army, is wrongly led to the KGB headquarters when asking for the Red Army. He makes a good impression there and has a successful career. But in helping his family he will lose part of the privileges he had, and soon he will be involved in a case of prostitution and corruption, in which his own life will be in danger.

It took me a while to get into the story, but once I did I was hooked. This is an action packed thriller with interesting characters and an amazing plot, always moving forward, and with several twists and turns. This was not my typical book and I was afraid that I could have troubles to enjoy it, but I absolutely loved it.

We fist meet a fifteen year old Jez, still so young and full of illusions. His main goal in life is joining the army. The novel covers around twenty years, and in that time we witness a profound evolution in Jez. From that naive boy who joined the army, Jez became a real assassin, killing more easily each time. There will be a point which seems of no return for him, and he will have to challenge his wishes and beliefs.

There is a nemesis in this book, an evil character which will try to end Jez. He has his weak points too, he is human; but I really enjoyed how wicked he was, while still keeping it real.

And there is love too in this book. Yes, this book has it all! As you know, I am not keen on romance per say, but when it is so seamlessly intertwined with a story, and although important, it is kept on a second plane, I think it can give an extra layer of depth to the story. Here it helps to complete Jez's picture and makes the story more polished.

Dennis Kleinman's style perfectly suited the book. His voice and performance made me feel I was a witness to the story. He trapped me into it and I could not let it go. His interpretations were also spot on but I missed some more variety of voices. Sadly all characters sounded the same except for women. This is the only drawback for me, since all the other aspects of the narration were superb and the audio production was perfect.

As I have previously said, this book has it all: action, treason, corruption, friendship, and love. It is very well written and will delight everyone, even those who are not into military thrillers. I am looking forward to books two and three.

Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.… (más)

With his Jewish heritage and slight physique, Jez Kornfeld wouldn't appear to be the type of person to become a good soldier in the Red Army of post-WWII Russia, but his determination, persistence and stubborn courage convinces Colonel Petrichova to enlist him. After surviving a rough hazing in training and a special mission in Greece, Jez appears to be on a steady fast track under now General Petrichova's mentorship. However, when Jez takes action to protect his sisters from rough prosecution for their participation in a Jewish protest in mid-60s Moscow by smuggling them out of detainment and out of the country, he is unaware that his actions were observed and his career trajectory stalls. A few months later, he is placed under the command of Captain Mitrohkin, who has secretly built up a very profitable and corrupt network of sex slave smugglers preying on young rural Russian girls. Quickly, Mitrohkin sees Jez as the perfect Jewish patsy in a devious plan to undercut a mafia competitor while redirecting official suspicion and action away from himself. Now, can Jez survive false imprisonment, torture, assassination attempts and a massive manhunt in order to defend his name and exact justice where it is deserved? Although the first quarter of this book was back story, most of the novel was a tight and exciting suspense thriller constructed with the same gray morality of the Jason Bourne bestsellers. Even the back story set up was taut and interesting in its execution. Setting our hero and the political machinations within the doctrinaire culture of Communist Russia provided an interesting twist in my expectations. I did feel some segments were a stretch in plausibility, but would probably be overlooked by any fans of the typical Bond spy thriller. This was a strong, tough read.… (más)