King of Swords (Assassin series #1)
Read King of Swords (Assassin series #1) Online
Authors: Russell Blake
King of Swords
Russell Blake
© 2011
Rave reviews for Russell Blake books:
"The best thriller I've ever read. How often do you hear a review say that? Well. that's what I'm saying. Other reviews describing it as near perfection and incredibly well written aren't lying. Russell Blake is on par with the biggest names in the business. And I mean Grisham, Turrow, Ludlum, Forsyth, Brown. The plot is intricate and completely unexpected at every turn. Al Ross is a hateful, extremely well-written character with believable complexity and nuance, plunged into a global conspiracy nightmare he's ill-equipped to survive. Don't want to spoil the end, but it's a barn-burner. Overall, the best read ever."
jennifer989
"The artistry in this work as the brush strokes build layers, brings you to wonder if something like this could be true! That's the work of a true artist. Many works of fiction have a main character that is so scrubbed up that he no longer resembles a human male. No problems with this one. You start out despising him, then start to feel sorry for him, until finally you almost like him and wish him well - although that outcome seems unlikely, the way the story develops. This is almost a 'How to..' for budding writers. How to write without one word or one sentence that could be edited out! Tight narrative, great story, scary scenario. I almost never give five stars, but this has earned it!"
K. McDicken
"Russell Blake is fast becoming my favorite new author. Take an unlikely main character, a scarily probable conspiracy, a government run amok, cocaine dealers, commandos, whores, a burro, and a tightly meshed action/intrigue plot, and you have what to me is the most original thriller of the year. I don't want to spoil the ending but it completely blew me away, and how the suspense was sustained to the last few pages as a surprise was great. I loved Fatal Exchange and had tears of laughter running down my face for How to Sell A Gazillion Ebooks, and now spent a big chunk of my night reading till 4AM to get to the end of Geronimo Breach. Highest recommendation for a highly original and entertaining novel."
Semi-Used
"Okay, I'm from the other side of the pond (you can find most of my reviews and on the UK site) and I'm not a patient/forgiving reader if the writer confuses me or dawdles in their narrative. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself going along with the easy style and broad strokes of the narrative. The plot is very skillfully contrived but the real art I found was in the affinity I found myself unable to resist with the down-on-his-life main character, Al. I also love burros after following Al's steady transition as he encounters hurdle after hurdle. I laughed aloud in some scenes (I won't spoil it) when Al is, let's say...compromised. I loved the ending but also wished the story hadn't ended - so for that reason I'm taking the trouble to recommend it."
Write Into Print
For the "
Zero Sum trilogy
"
"Blake's latest is absolutely amazing. I literally could not put down my Kindle until I finished all three books in the trilogy! Russell Blake has a very unique talent at painting a beautiful story with words, and the Zero Sum trilogy practically reads like poetry. 5 stars aren't enough to rate this wonderful trilogy: 10 stars would be more accurate!"
Amber Norrgard
"Russell Blake's Zero Sum Trilogy is truly amazing. I initially downloaded Book 1 because it was free and before I was done I had purchased the Book 2 & 3 bundle. This is my first time reading a book from Russell Blake and I felt privileged to have found a book written so intelligently with such a powerful impact.
Nicolas Griffen is a character that you will grow to despise. A Wall Street financier associated with organized crime and government agencies using the stock market to make huge amounts of money to the detriment of others. Dr. Steven Archer is determined to stop this activity by publishing a website to expose Griffen and his associates for what they really are. When he is discovered to be the owner of the website life is forever changed as he is now the target to be destroyed.
This trilogy will take you on a extremely fast paced and unexpected roller coaster ride of the fight between good and evil. Zero Sum is an addicting complex thriller that you will not be able to put down. I highly recommend this book, it is writing at it's best.
I look forward to reading more from Russell Blake."
Marilou George (The Kindle Book Review)
"I read a review of the Zero Sum trilogy on Steven Konkoly's blog, and then several reviews here, so I took the plunge. I mean, I don't know a put from a call (though I did get a short lesson from Mr. Blake when I mentioned that) but that didn't stop me from enjoying this thrill ride. I was recuperating from a medical procedure, so I read all three books over the weekend. I even kept a map of one of the locations open on the computer and that made the story all the more vivid. The hero was smart, made good use of his resources, yet still kept a bit of naivete that had some almost disastrous results. There was a bit of irony at the end, but it worked. I'd like to see more of Steven Archer..."
Ms. Nancy L. Barth
For "
Fatal Exchange
"
"Fatal Exchange is a page-turning roller coaster ride of action, adventure and thrills. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this presumably debut offering from Russell Blake. It's an awesome read. I couldn't put it down, and stayed up all night to finish it, no exaggeration. Six Stars, if they had that high a review!"
Katherina J.
"This is a book that took me completely by surprise. I thought I'd give it a shot based on the Amazon description and 5 star reviews, and it quickly became a page turner I couldn't put down. The plot is complex, sort of like a Forsyth or Ludlum, and the characters are gripping. It's a real novel. Can't wait to see what Blake does next."
Anthony M.
"A woman on the airplane sitting next to me was entranced with the book and recommended it to me, and I have to say it's a great read by a complete unknown. Kind of like caramel pop-corn in the guilty pleasure department. It tastes so good you don't want to stop munching. A must read for action or intrigue junkies."
David A.
"Fatal Exchange is a gritty," edge of your seat" thriller by first time author Russell Blake. The author cleverly combines a well paced, CSI styled crime thriller, with a "no holds barred", plausible international conspiracy. […] I can honestly say, that if I could find more books like Fatal Exchange, I would be left with absolutely no reason to read some of the "Brand" name authors on the market today."
Steven K.
"This book is in a class by itself. The main plot of the book is exciting and scary (and maybe a little graphic). The pacing is fast, the descriptions are visceral and the twists are unexpected."
Stacy K.
For
"
How To Sell A Gazillion eBooks In No Time
(even if drunk, high or incarcerated)"
“How to Sell a Gazillion eBooks In a Year is by far the most important book ever written on any topic, although I exclude the Bible since the Bible wasn’t exactly written in the way we mean the word “written.” But other than that, Gazillion does it all. For everyone. A can’t miss, sure fire Gazillion hit-a-thon from the master of them all.”
- John Lescroart, NY Times bestselling author of over 20 novels, including The Vig, The 13th Juror, Treasure Hunt, Damage, Second Chair and a host of others
“…a joyously vicious satire and parody that makes sport of John Locke, and indeed of the whole brave new world of self–publishing and self–promotion. If you don’t find Mr. Blake outrageous, and indeed offensive, you would seem to be missing the point. And the same thing goes if you only find him outrageous and offensive.”
- Lawrence Block, bestselling author of Telling Lies For Fun & Profit, The Liar’s Bible, A Drop Of The Hard Stuff, and Getting Off
“Anybody who’s ever read a self-help book will appreciate the cynical humor from the nimble mind of Russell Blake in this parody. Piercing sarcasm, the ability to turn a phrase into a missile and an impressive vocabulary (he makes up words if he doesn’t know an appropriate one – I’ve asked him, but still don’t know what a Gazillion is) combine into a book that is alternately rant, grovel, trash-talk and Bizarro-world counsel. Irreverent fun.”
– David Lender, author of Trojan Horse, The Gravy Train and Bull Street
Excerpts from Russell Blake’s books
The Geronimo Breach
By Russell Blake
The Geronimo Breach
is a breakneck-paced thrill ride that pits a despicable protagonist against the world's deadliest adversaries. When a pilfered object goes missing, he unwittingly becomes the object of a murderous jungle manhunt to retrieve a stolen secret so shocking it would alter the world's balance of power.
Go to
The Geronimo Breach
excerpt
Fatal Exchange
By Russell Blake
Fatal Exchange
is the story of Tess Gideon, an iconoclastic female Manhattan bike messenger with an appetite for the wild side embroiled in a rogue nation’s Byzantine scheme to destabilize the U.S. financial system. As the body count climes, Tess is targeted for extermination by a rogue nation's torture squad while being stalked by a brutal serial killer.
Go to the
Fatal Exchange
excerpt
Zero Sum
By Russell Blake
The
Zero Sum
trilogy chronicles the saga of an entrepreneur battling a malevolent Wall Street predator in an international chess game turned deadly. From the hill towns of Italy to the rooftops of Buenos Aires, from New York boardrooms to the alleys of Havana,
Zero Sum
is the epic tale of a hunted man battling for survival against insurmountable odds.
Go to the
Zero Sum
excerpt
Copyright © 2011 by Russell Blake
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law, or in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, contact
[email protected].
About the Author
Russell Blake lives full time on the Pacific coast of Mexico. He is the acclaimed author of the thrillers:
Fatal Exchange
,
The Geronimo Breach
,
Zero Sum
,
The Delphi Chronicle
trilogy,
King of Swords, Night of the Assassin, Revenge of the Assassin,
and
The Voynich Cypher
.
Non-fiction novels include the international bestseller
An Angel With Fur
(animal biography) and
How To Sell A Gazillion eBooks (while drunk, high or incarcerated)
– a joyfully vicious parody of all things writing and self-publishing related.
“Capt.” Russell enjoys writing, fishing, playing with his dogs, collecting and sampling tequila, and waging an ongoing battle against world domination by clowns.
King of Swords is a work of fiction. Any resemblance between the characters and real people, living or dead, is coincidental. Having said that, the backdrop and historical context of the novel is based in fact. The drug war in Mexico has been an ongoing confrontation between government forces and the ever-strengthening cartels – now the largest illegal drug trafficking network in the world, whose primary target market is the United States.