Every once in a while, it’s important to sprinkle in a non-SFF book for flavor. Thrillers that flirt with genre tropes hold a special place in my heart. Mix in a psuedo-military team with historical events and cutting edge contemporary science, well, you’ve got my attention. Professor Jones created this place in my heart when he raided the lost ark, and the early Sigma Force novels of James Rollins established this space as a permanent fixture. So, when I read the back of Jonathan Maberry’s Assassin’s Code, it wasn’t whether I would read it but when I would read it. In fact, I was so hooked by the publisher’s pitch that it overrode my normally OCD need to start at the first book in the series. This is the fourth book in the Joe Ledger series from Mr. Maberry. Was it a good place to join?

Normally, my completest brain wouldn’t let me start at book two, much less book four, but ASSASSINS!!!!! CODES!!!!! BOOK OF SHADOWS!!!! How could I pass it up? I don’t know either. Luckily, Johnathan Maberry wrote it so that the new reader gets enough information to follow along without confusion. I’m sure there were winks and nods that I missed, but the book stood enough on its own. This thriller rolled on the strength of Joe Ledger as a character, and it succeeded.

TL;DR: Thriller that uses history, science, and horror tropes to build a fast-paced, energetic tale. Highly recommended for a fun read.

In ASSASSIN’S CODE, the fourth book in New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry’s Joe Ledger series, Joe Ledger and the DMS go on a relentless chase to stop an ancient order of killers from plunging the entire world into Holy War.

When Joe Ledger and Echo Team rescue a group of American college kids held hostage in Iran,the Iranian government then asks them to help find six nuclear bombs planted in the Mideast oil fields. These stolen WMDs will lead Joe and Echo Team into hidden vaults of forbidden knowledge, mass-murder, betrayal, and a brotherhood of genetically-engineered killers with a thirst for blood.

Accompanied by the beautiful assassin called Violin, Joe follows a series of clues to find the Book of Shadows, which contains a horrifying truth that threatens to shatter his entire worldview.

They say the truth will set you free…
Not this time.

The secrets of the Assassin’s Code will set the world ablaze.

One of the big problems with jumping into the middle of a series is that most of the characterization has been done. Sure, characters change but the foundations are set. While most of the secondary characters suffer from this, the main character Joe doesn’t. It’s easy to see how much character-building went on in the first three books, but we get a lot of Joe’s character immediately. This is due to the alternating points of view (POV). Joe’s chapters are first person, and everyone else gets a close third person POV. Normally, switching POVs like this would annoy me, but it worked here. I think that being in Joe’s head allowed who he is to be presented without having to read the previous novels. The switching POV added to the faster pace of the novel as well. The introduction of the character Violin in this novel allowed me to see how Mr. Maberry handles characterization overall. I can’t say that I ever liked Violin, but as a player in the game, she’s enjoyable to watch. She, like many of the characters, is a hyper-capable operator. As we learn about her and her backstory, it’s obvious we’re just skimming the surface of who she is and what exactly the organization she belongs to is. She was a distinct character without dipping too much into her personality or her story.

The novel takes place mostly in Iran. The scenery description is utilitarian more than to flesh out the story, and this fits with the speed of the narrative. Pausing to admire the marvels of Iran would have slowed the novel down. Instead, we get enough scenery for a sense of location and in times, claustrophobia as fights take place in a room.

The plot was pretty straightforward but was interspersed with historical narrative that fills in the backstory of what’s really going on. It balanced action scenes with moving forward to solve the mysteries. For me, the action scenes worked best. I admire Mr. Maberry’s ability to provide a good mix of action and detail. I also enjoyed that the action sequences had an effect on Joe’s psyche and soul. The violence didn’t happen in a vacuum with the psychological consequences sliding off Joe’s Teflon mind. No. Violence has repercussions that go beyond the physical. Violence and killing come with a cost, and Joe pays it.

Joe saved the world too easily for me, but this is an idealized world with uber-competent people being awesome. It’s right up against the superhero genre like it bumps up against the horror genre. Think James Bond with psychological consequences and science-based horror. This doesn’t allow for a lot of depth, and with the action speeding along, there isn’t much time for reflection and contemplation. There are moments where the characters dig into the meaning of certain answers and histories. These moments would be powerful but they are overplayed to show just how important they are. In one way, it fits with Joe’s personality/mental illnesses. On the other, it’s overbearing. A little more subtlety in the writing would have made some consequences of past actions more moving.

Assassin’s Code is an excellent thriller. It was an entertaining mix of tropes that provides a unique spin on those tropes. This shows why the Joe Ledger series is popular. I’m surprised it’s not a movie series, yet. This book would work well as either a movie or better yet a Showtime series. It’s cinematic, fast-moving, and action packed. There’s enough mythology and world-building for one to delve into Joe’s universe. If you like thrillers, if you like action novels, Assassin’s Code is a must read. Highly recommended.