The One Minute Assassin
Troy Cook

Reviewed by Barb Radmore

Troy Cook made his debut on the scene with the acclaimed 47 Rules of Highly Successful Bank Robbers.  He continues his work with this newest one, The One Minute Assassin. It will not disappoint those who are already Cook fans. It is a delightful second piece from an obviously talented author.

The One Minute Assassin delves into the world of politics and emphases its finest points. Luckily for us it is not based in anyway on  the current state of politics. Just because it takes place in California, there is a large man with a German accent who might have had a career in front of the cameras is not to assume that this book is based in anyway on reality. For instance, in this book the candidates number more than one hundred and include many strange characters. So that can not be true (well, maybe. Maine did have a man by the legal name of the People's Hero running for governor on the Felons United platform because felons are discriminated against.) There fore this book is in no way similar to any modern day shenanigans. Any perceived commentary must be accidental.

John Black hates politics. His family does not, especially his mother, "The Barracuda," who is an infamous and powerful  politician. His sister is one of the many candidates for governor. but when someone starts killing candidates and his sister is injured John steps up to the plate. He attempts to continue his sister's campaign while also finding who is behind the killings. The possibilities are numerous. But thank goodness two of the assassins are a modern Laurel and Hardy couple of men named Nails and Barry.  These two characters are laugh out loud creations, their ineptitude is extreme and their personalities excessive. John Black must try to stop the killings while running for governor, fending off the advances of his niece's sex obsessed teenage friend and still get the girl. He is assisted by his partner, the role of side kick played by Harley, a man with an Australian accent and a wicked attitude.

The One Minute Assassin has it all. As a thriller it has the plot and suspense to keep it going from start to finish. The characters are well delineated, perfectly developed to just this side of caricatures. It is this ability to write the fine line between wonderful absurdity and cardboard, canned laughs that makes Cook an exceptional author. He is able to reach for the laughs without giving up style and substance. It sure seems like he must be having an awful good time writing, it seeps out of the pages and is contagious. This is a just plain blast to read.

It is also nice to find an author who is willing to ignore the natural impulse to write a series and instead produce stand alone mystery/ thrillers. It is harder to start from the ground up in every book, not have the already drawn characters, settings or plot twist to fall back on.  The tone of humor, the quick realization that the book will be totally unique from the first page is similar in each book but all else is new. Thank you Troy Cook.

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