The Assassins (The Judd Ryder Books) - Hardcover

Everything a reader could possibly want will surely stand with the year's best thrillers. "David Baldacci"

Rich settings, beautifully crafted characters, and a compulsively readable storyline.... Outstanding. "Douglas Preston"

A perfect piece of thrilling entertainment. "Steve Berry"

A master class in suspense "Lisa Gardner"

Terrific local color, fascinating historical details, and an insider's knowledge of spycraft.... As fast as a sniper's bullet "Robert Crais"

Real-world politics and ripped-from-the-headlines authenticity in a roller-coaster of action and suspense "James Rollins"

A classic last-man-standing story of deceit and betrayal "Nelson DeMille"

Delivers on everything it promises: devious players, shifting alliances, and no one you should trust. "Brad Meltzer"

Cold War thriller writing at its best. "Peter James"

A furiously wild ride. I loved it! "Catherine Coulter""

"Everything a reader could possibly want ... will surely stand with the year's best thrillers." --David Baldacci

"Rich settings, beautifully crafted characters, and a compulsively readable storyline.... Outstanding." --Douglas Preston

"A perfect piece of thrilling entertainment." --Steve Berry

"A master class in suspense" --Lisa Gardner

"Terrific local color, fascinating historical details, and an insider's knowledge of spycraft.... As fast as a sniper's bullet" --Robert Crais

"Real-world politics and ripped-from-the-headlines authenticity in a roller-coaster of action and suspense" --James Rollins

"A classic last-man-standing story of deceit and betrayal" --Nelson DeMille

"Delivers on everything it promises: devious players, shifting alliances, and no one you should trust." --Brad Meltzer

"Cold War thriller writing at its best." --Peter James

"A furiously wild ride. I loved it!" --Catherine Coulter

Six master assassins -- each a legend in the dark corners of international espionage -- band together to steal a fortune from the middle of a war zone. But the mission goes tragically wrong, and they retreat into the shadows.

Now THE ASSASSINS are back.

Former military spy Judd Ryder is walking to his D.C. home when he spots a man coming out of his row house who looks like Ryder and is wearing his clothes. As Ryder slows to follow, the imposter is killed in a hit-and-run that's no accident. Was the man the intended victim, or was it Ryder himself?

Soon Ryder learns that the key to the mysterious events of the past and to his double's murder is an infamous Cold War assassin, the Carnivore. Two of the last people to see the Carnivore were Ryder and CIA trainee Eva Blake, and someone is using them to lure him out.

From Washington D.C. to Marrakech and Baghdad, the assassins wage a final battle -- this time against one another -- fighting for their reputations and Saddam Hussein's long-missing billion-dollar fortune. In the end, only one can be left standing. Caught in the crossfire, Judd and Eva go on the run while desperately unraveling the tangled past and battling not only for their lives, but for their destinies.