The Assassin's List

Adam Drake #1

by Scott Matthews

THE ASSASSIN'S LIST is book one in the Adam Drake series - a headline-current thriller about homegrown jihadist assassins and a timid, PC correct government. An assassination of the Secretary of Homeland Security is planned at a decommissioning ceremony at an Army Chemical Depot. Adam Drake, an attorney with Special Forces experience, uncovers the plot while investigating the murder of a client's secretary. When the FBI won't act on his suspicions, Drake takes on a well-funded terrorist sleeper cell, posing as an international security service, to head off a string of assassinations on a long list of America's VIP's. THE ASSASSIN'S LIST is a fast-paced counterterrorism thriller that will satisfy your craving for action and make you think about terrorists living among us.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Adventure, Action

308 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 16, 2012

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it!

This is looking like my next favourite series 😊

I was hooked from the beginning and I like how the story was written. The author is new to me so I’ll hold off on my review for now while I adjust to his writing style, I’m happy the story wasn’t written from first person perspective or he’d have come across as arrogant and egotistic because he is so good at what he does 😂😂. I’m happy I discovered this gem

[Jim A · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprise by this ‘freebie’ for Kindle. I can’t say it was great, but it was good.

Using the basic formula of the day, Islamic extremists, Attorney Adam Drake is pulled into a plot to assassinate U.S. leaders. This scenario is familiar to anyone who has read Alex Berenson (John Wells), Vince Flynn (Mitch Rapp), or Andrew Britton (Ryan Kealy), and several others. The formula comes into play with Drake conveniently being ex Delta Force, giving him the skills needed to make the plot work.

The novel moves along a good clip and it’s made more enjoyable to me because it is set in the greater Portland, OR area. I am very familiar with a lot of the locations used by Mathews and I enjoy being able to identify with a location.

Also, unlike a lot of eBook authors, this one apparently had a competent editor as I found very few mistakes. Hats off to Mathews for that decision.

Not trying to be a spoiler (does anyone really think the protagonist isn't going to win the day?) but the ending certainly leaves the door open for follow on novels with Drake as the protag. I would really enjoy reading a second novel to see if Mathews can make it a little more suspenseful.

[Richard T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great thriller

Scott Matthews brings the war on terror to life in The Assassin’s List. Former operator turned attorney Adam Drake is recruited by his father-in-law to investigate a murder. That proves to be the catalyst for a reckoning with a homegrown group of terrorists. It’s a great read with plenty of action, fully developed characters and some near plot twists. If you like thrillers, add this to your TBR list.

[Frank Sloan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not to my taste

An otherwise good read is messed up by crude language, which is a real turn-off for me. The real deal-breaker, however, is profanity...the misuse of God's name, which has zero tolerance in my reading list criteria. I think I would have liked the book if I could have read it.

[Donna Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent writing. Couldn't put it down. I'm ex-military and I could picture what Drake was going through. Can't wait to hear more. Thanks. Alpha Co. 3rd of the 187th!

I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys Brad Thor, Vince Flynn, (GOD rest his soul), Tom Clancy or Joel Rosenberg. Please write more soon.
[email protected] ...Dana Carter 352-274-8170

[Elaine Mayes · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mundane thriller; main character is a lawyer whose background is an "operator" in the military. Secondary characters lie flat on the page. Plot is typical for this type of book; no surprises or delights for me.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanted to love this. Too much posturing - and such heavy biases on the part of the author...had trouble getting past that...I appreciate a conservative author but I don't need it force fed on me while trying to read engaging fiction. One and done.

[Frances I. Guempel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Assassins List

this book makes you think about so called home grown American terrorists. It was fast paced and kept my interest to the end

[Chaitalee Ghosalkar · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are books that make you feel that there was so much potential in it, but it got lost somewhere down the line. The Assassin's list joins the list, but loses fizz much before it begins to hold the reader's attention.

The title would make one think of a kill-list that an assassin has made, with the police in pursuit of him. Surprisingly that's not the case. It begins with a break-in supposedly meant to steal sensitive information. The protagonist, a recently bereaved widower, who's an ex-army man turned lawyer, is brought into the case.

His pursuit of the person responsible for the break-in leads to discovery of a security agency that moonlights as a terrorist training centre. Thus begins the cat and mouse chase, with some more villains thrown in, until a majority of the villains are killed by the time the book ends.

My primary concern with the book was that it was a half baked attempt at concocting a story. The author brings in Muslim terrorists, names the security agency ISIS (the full form's different), but it isn't enough to make the story engrossing. There's a romantic angle between the protagonist and an FBI agent, but it's not built up in detail. Also, what is with the author's weird obsession with Starbucks? It forms a conversation point on multiple occasions, and takes up unnecessary space.

[Tulay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrorists wars fought on U.S. soil.

Fast paced counter terrorism, in Portland. Home grown jihadist and their attempts to kill cabinet members. Drake not only lawyer, but ex Delta Force member with lots of friends that will help him any time. Knowledge and sixth sense helps him solve the security breach. FBI, DHS, local police and Secret service sometimes working together keep us safe, sometimes they succeed.

[CJ Bodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too close to reality. Really scary.

Loved the plot and the main character. His enemies step right out of the headlines today. We have a serious threat on our hands. There are too many vulnerable places in this country. We take our safety for granted.

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hillsboro, OR. Martin Research campus. Mrs. Janice Lewellyn (ex. secretary) was not thinking about her ovarian cancer but the trip to Maui for a quick vacation before starting chemo.
Janice wanted to know what Kaamil Sayf (International Security & Information Services) was doing in Mr. Martin (CEO) office.
She would not be going on a vacation.
Senator Hazelton (husband, former father-in-law, OR, Senate Intelligence Committee chair), called Adam Drake (attorney, JD, widower, US Army Delta Force vet) asking for a favor.

Meredith Hazelton (wife, former mother-in-law) greeted Adam at the door.
Dinner a few drinks, & Richard Martin (Martin research CEO) arrived & was introduced to Adam.
Barak Boca Daimari beach (Caribbean Sea). Why was Malik (aka David Barak, leader) meeting with Ryan (contact)?
Risk Management & Corporate Security. Adam met with Sam Newman (50+, Richard’s brother-in-law,

RM & CS head) & got his input.
Kaamil was next on his list.
What happened to Sam?
ISIS Pacific NW Regional Training Facility. Roberto Valencia (Latino, ex-inmate, former lieutenant)
went in, but Adam never saw him come back out.
Drake went to Pastor Steve. He knew a lot about Western culture.

What were Kaamil (lieutenant, assassin, terrorist), & Malik (aka David Barak) discussing?
Would Drake complete another mission?

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written international thriller book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huge set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great action movie, or better yet a mini TV series. To be continued. A very easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free author; Pedernales Publishing, LLC.; Guardsman Publishing; EBookStage; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[Efrain Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book With Very Believable Story

I was looking for a new author to read, and came upon Scott Matthews, the Adam Drake series, book #1, "The Assassin's List". I downloaded it from Amazon Kindle and began reading it. I found that I could not put the book down until my eyes ached with pain. Needless to say, this was my fastest read in a long time as I enjoyed the book very much. The main character, Adam Drake is very likeable as are the supporting characters in the book. I will definitely continue this series and so I am off to read book #2, " Oath to Defend " in the series.

[Rick Farlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

RADICAL TERROR ACTIVITY IN THE USA

This could be a very realistic storyline, Muslim radicals within the USA, who target American politicians for assignation through terrorist activities… Given the border policy of the current administration, letting radicals from all over the globe enter into the country, it’s not unrealistic to imagine plots against the American people. (Thankfully, we do still have the Second Amendment!). This is a good start to a new series that I’ll be reading. Recommended.

[Greg D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adam Drake is an attorney with a military operative past. He is asked to investigate the murder of a company executive's secretary after the security system had failed. But did the security system actually fail or was it hacked? If it was hacked by whom? Drake will investigate only to discover a more sinister plot that entails the assassin of government officials. But, who is behind all of this and can Drake bring it from happening?

This was a great novel. Very well written, fast paced, full of action and intrigue, and easy to read. I'll be reading more by this author. Highly recommend.

[Corey Koellner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't realize this was the first book in the Adam Drake series when I purchased it from Vinci, much less that the book was already 13 years old. It did not disappoint! Full of action from beginning to end with (nearly) believable content as relevant today as it was when first published. The former operator turned attorney (Adam Drake) investigating home-grown terrorism captures your attention and the short chapters kept the read easy and fast-paced. I will definitely read more from this Scott Matthews' series.

[Linda Goudreau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book....

Home grown terrorists.... We need to be more vigilant in this country. This book shows us what can happen if no one is thinking about what might be happening in our towns and cities. Good thing former Special Forces operatives are keeping an eye and ear to the ground. Maybe we need more ex military types doing the same. Thanks to all keeping us safe. Amarillo Turtle

[Asiaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good civilian black ops type book. A previous Delta Ops who is now an attorney gets caught up in a terrorist plot. This is part mystery, part black ops and all thrilling book. I could not stop reading it until I finished it.
This book gives an insight into the "home grown" terrorist living inside the USA. It gives a black eye to the FBI and Home Security making me wonder just how well protected America really is. Buying this book is money well spent.

[Carôle Ceres · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook version of this title, which was superbly read. I wish I’d had the confidence to buy the 3 series box set instead of just this one. This is a seriously plausible story, no heroically amazing fight scenes, just trained special ops personnel doing what they were trained to do. (With no fuss or grand standing - or false modesty).

So I’m off to buy the box set, that’s still 2 books for the price of 1.

[Carole D Hutchison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic job

This story covers many frightening thoughts and feelings about how this country has grown worse when we are worried about terrorism in this country. The author shows that you can't avoid any confusion about what is important because we need more information and belief. Great job and suspense throughout.👏👏👏👏

[Michael Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

assassination attempts to Kelly

I found this book to be very interesting and exciting. Drake is a very good character and is well written. I found the concept not hard to believe in the plan was very real in the state of the of America these. Days.. you recommend this book or really she like great thrillers and adventure..

[thomas e. linzee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This this 1st book by this author.

I found this book a slightly need twist on the typical military/terriotist book to be well written as all the bad guys got what they deserved and all the good guys survived. Made me think about about the threat of violence happening in the US today.

[Tom Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

The start of another great series I suspect

If the rest of this series is as well written as this book, I suspect I’m in for may enjoyable evenings. Great character development, well plotted and many great details. So far I would put this up with the many other great thriller series I am reading!

[J Vernon Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nonstop action!

An incredible And believable Account of the unseen heroes keeping America safe, And the steps they have to go through to achieve that. This author and his Adam drake series are at the top of my list When looking for this genre to read! Superb book! Well written and believable sequences and action.

[Maritza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lately, I have been enjoying political thrillers and this is a good addition to what I have read so far. The main character Adam Drake does a good job of taking us along on his adventures and explaining his thought process along the way. I would enjoy reading more of this character and his adventures.

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing book. While written 10+ years ago it is very current ans relevant.

A good story, lots of action and the good guys don't always get.it right.

A.good group of characters that I look forward to reading about.

That the lead character is an attorney and former special forces is a good mix.

Lots of possibilities.

[Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this a fast moving story. It was just plausible enough to be suspenseful. The main character was well rounded. The villain was highly motivated. I enjoyed the setting of the story.
However, just 6 hours after finishing, it has already started to fade in my memory. I would give another story in the series a try, but this will fall into my brain candy category.

[Sheila O'shell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drake is a Jack Reacher wannabe

Enjoyed reading but defense contractors hiring outside security companies especially ones run by Muslims is hard to believe. And one called ISIS? Seriously?
Reads like the movie hero fantasy it is.
I felt there were some serious holes in the investigation. Hope the next one is better.

[Mr Mark Hawksford · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Assassin’s List -

I really enjoyed this book. It is fast paced and full of action. It’s also something that you can imagine happening in this crazy world of ours. The end has set up the second in the series and I will definitely be looking to download it. It’s a 5 out of 5 from me.

[Charles H. Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action thriller

This is a real page turner. The action is totally believable and keeps the reader totally involved. Very interesting story of the Northwest and specifically the Portland Oregon area