Title:	Path of the Assassin
	Author:	Brad Thor
	Published:	2003, Pocket Books
	No. of Pages:	511
	Cover Price:	$14.00 US

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Scot Harvath is back in the second book of the bestselling series by Brad Thor, Path of the Assassin. In this novel, Scot, who is a Secret Service Agent, is teamed up with a CIA team led by the incompetent, “Rick the Prick Morrell,” a man Scot has worked with before and a man that he loathes. Unlike Scot, Morrell cares only about finishing up a mission and becoming a hero; he has no regard for civilians or the lives of innocents, and is over his head as leader of this team.

When a 747 with several VIPs onboard is hijacked by a Muslim terrorist group, The Hand of God, led by Hashim Nidal (whose father started the group and was recently killed in a terrorist situation), Scot and the CIA team are called to the scene. However, one of the passengers on board, Meg Cassidy, has had experience with weapons and is very skilled; Meg overpowers several of the kidnappers and by the time Scot’s team is onboard, much of the drama is over. Meg is the only one who has actually seen the face of Hashim Nidal and his accomplice, and is recruited by Scot to train and help the team in the quest to stop the terrorists. Since none of the team except Meg can identify the terrorists, she is crucial to the operation.

Meg, of course is beautiful, and falls for Scot. Scot, however, is quite professional during the training and during the suspenseful scenarios where he and Meg are fighting for their lives. He promises Meg that if she consents to work with the team, he will protect her. Morrell, of course, makes dozens of mistakes that put hundreds of lives in danger.

While this book is well-written and quite fast reading, most of the scenarios aren’t all that believable. They are, in fact, sort-of comic-book-like. Scot, who is supposed to be the much-loved hero, gets overly arrogant in this novel (the ultimate turn-off for most women), and it is a little difficult to believe that someone so arrogant can come out so great in the end. In most cases, those with mega-ego like Scot are put in their places to the reader’s delight. He is, however the “good guy,” and it’s nicer when Morrell gets put in his place as he should. It also seems a little farfetched that every woman in Brad Thor’s novels is gorgeous. Is there no place for an ugly or plain woman to succeed?

Nevertheless, fans of international intrigue and spy thrillers will like Path of the Assassin. Scot is a likeable hero, albeit his arrogance, and there are enough surprises throughout the novel to keep up the interest of almost any thriller fan.

This book was purchased with personal funds and no promotion of the book was solicited by the author or publisher.

This book may be purchased at Amazon: Path of the Assassin