Book Review: Path of the Assassin (Scot Harvath Series #2)

 

Path of the Assassin is the second book in the long-running series of novels by Brad Thor set around the character, Scot Harvath. This novel, which was published in 2003, is mostly a reset of the story but does tie into the first book, The Lions of Lucerne, at the beginning. The events of this book are set about a year after those of the prior novel. Harvath is up for a promotion within the Secret Service, but he is also tracking down the remaining conspirators who were involved in the kidnapping of the President from the first novel. During a mission, one of his targets is taken out by a mysterious assassin who has ties to terrorist attacks throughout the Middle East. From there, the storyline involves a cat-and-mouse game between Harvath and the assassin.

The hardcover version of the book is a little under 400 pages. It reads very similar to novels that are in the same genre such as the Red Sparrow novels and the Mitch Rapp novels. It has a very good blend of action and suspense and Thor does set the fictional events of the book within the real world as much as possible (e.g., referencing the 9/11 attacks and the very real unrest in the Middle East and the pissing contests between different US agencies). It is a very good follow-up to the first book and even surpasses the first book in terms of quality. If you liked the first book or are just a fan of the spy novel or international action thriller genres, this is absolutely worth the time to read.