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Author: Troy Cook

ISBN: 9780977627646

Troy Cook former feature film writer and director and winner of several awards for his first novel 47 Rules of Highly Effective Bank Robbers which was selected by Library Journal as one of the best debuts of the year delivers another great read with his The One Minute Assassin.

Cook’s novel is a whirlwind story of political intrigue mixed in with two clumsy assassins, an ex-football player, Dennis Nalen also known as Nails and his skinny friend, Barry Jones. Both are even thinking of unionizing their line of work! These two killers have been hired by Richard Steel or as he likes to call himself, “Tricky Dick,” who along with several others, is vying for the post of Governor for the State of California. It seems there was a recall election when the current Governor was caught “with his pants down, groping like a madman.”

The mission of these comically inept villains is to eliminate Steel’s competitors in the race for Governor. As for Steel, he is a lobbyist for Pfester Pharmaceuticals who has cultivated a cozy relationship with the Russian Mafia. Apparently, two members of this illustrious syndicate are sitting on the board of directors of the company and they also have tie-ins with all the big unions of California. They would like nothing better than having one of their own sitting in the Governor’s chair and being leader of the sixth largest economy in the world-the State of California.   

One of Steel’s opponents is Eleanor Black, mayor of Los Angeles and if elected would be the first female Governor of California. Many of Ms. Black’s relatives have been involved in politics for the past fifty years including her mother who is a senator and is known as the barracuda. However, her brother, John Black a PI who specializes in child molestation cases, wants nothing to do with politics particularly with its backstabbing and corruption. However, all of this is about to change when his sister is the target of an assassination attempt. As a result, Black and his Australian side-kick and Crocodile Dundee look alike but even more menacing are called upon to use all of their quirky and unconventional talents to find out who is trying to put his sister out of commission.

Cook effectively builds convincing tension with his wry humor commentary concerning the Russian Mafia’s twisted morality, casual murder and the inane world of California politics. Moreover, the journey to the end of the mystery with its several comic scenes proves to be more satisfying than the actual ending, wherein Cook’s cast of distinctive characters seem to be continuously crossing each others paths as the investigation of the assassination attempt on Ms. Black’s life proceeds.

Cook with The One Minute Assassin has evolved into a smooth and confident writer and one who deservedly merits to be named “Author to Watch,” by Library Journal.

 The above review was contributed by: NORM GOLDMAN:  Retired Title Attorney: Editor & Publisher of Bookpleasures. Here are  Norm Goldman's Reviews       

To read an interview with Troy Cook CLICK HERE