November 19, 2007
In this muddled follow-up to 2006's engaging The Assassins Game
, Robbins attempts to create suspense by revisiting the multiple attempts made on Fidel Castro's life in the early 1960s. Professor Mikhal Lammeck—an expert on political murder—arrives in Cuba on the eve of the much-rumored U.S.-supported invasion at the Bay of Pigs, but soon finds himself transformed from detached academic into participant. Thrust into this murky world of double-crossings and shadowy government missions, Lammeck becomes privy to a conspiracy involving a former U.S. marine sharpshooter. Robbins has set himself a daunting task in maintaining tension and interest when the reader knows Castro will survive. Unfortunately, the author doesn't manage to overcome the challenges he sets for himself, and his efforts to weave together fictional characters and historical events are heavy-handed at best.
December 15, 2007
In the first Mikhal Lemmeck novel, "The Assassins Gallery", Lemmeck was assigned to head off the assassination of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In this slow-moving and excessively talky novel, 16 years have passed, and Lemmeck, though overweight and overage, is still just as lethal. Robbins attempts to capture the complex schemes brewing in postrevolutionary Cuba. By 1961, Castro had been the target of numerous assassination attempts but had foiled them all. Now enter Lemmeck and the CIA, as the countdown to the Bay of Pigs begins. Robbins's richly drawn characters include spies, mafiosi, and ordinary Cubans trying to live their lives. He does an excellent job creating background for the historical and political reasons so many people and nations wanted Castro dead. What's lacking, however, is the tense and exciting spirit of the chase that this book's predecessor conveyed. In "Assassins", we knew that FDR died, but howNazi poison or natural causes? Here, contrastingly, readers know that Castro lives. Also, a major historical knockout punch is badly telegraphed. For larger collections. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 10/1/07.]Robert Conroy, Warren, MI
Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
February 1, 2008
Professor Mikhal Lammeck, last seen in The Assassins Gallery (2006), when he was charged with foiling an attempt on FDRs life, returns for another brush with history. In 1961, with the world still stunned by Fidel Castros rise to power, Lammeck goes to Havana to witness what he believes will be the dictators assassination. He doesnt realize that he will become the key to the success or failure of the scheme. Along with building suspense, Robbins dialogue-heavy tale includes fascinating reflections on the complexities of who to trust and how to choose ones allies, all of which provides considerable insight into the cold war at its peak. Surprises await along the way, although the biggest twist might be obvious to a history major. The novel concludes with two sets of annotations: one to reference while reading and the second to use only after the entire novel is finished. This betrayal game should be played by anyone with a love forblendings of history and suspense; fans of Stephen Hunters Havana (2003), also about a planned assassination of Castro, will be especially interested.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)