Shaykitteh's World of Books

In The Perfect Kill, Robert B. Baer intertwines his own history and experiences with the "Laws" for Assassins. Unfortunately, I found that the story fell flat in many places, probably because of the way that it was told. While it's interesting to read about Baer's career, the storyline jumps to different locations and years, and then jumps back again, making it difficult to keep track of where we are and what is going on at this point. A large portion of the book uses Hajj Radwan as an example of an assassin, showcasing his talent and stealth. Contrasted with the United State's seemingly inept acts in Lebanon, I spent most of the book wondering where our talented operatives were and why the author seemed to feel necessary to praise a terrorist leader at the same time that he discussed failures by our own government.

While I enjoyed learning about the history of the wars and/or attacks in Lebanon, I was disappointed by the almost reverence the author uses when discussing Hajj Radwan. I can acknowledge that the U.S. has bungled foreign policy and relations and I can also recognize that perhaps the now-deceased leader of the Islamic Jihad Organization was good at what he did... however, I do not have to admire him nor do I want to read a book that praises his actions and skill. I lost interest in this book quickly when it became apparent that this was less a history on political assassination and more a fawning biography of one specific terrorist.

I only made it 35% before quitting, so while I am sharing my views here and on netgalley where I received the book, I will not be posting an amazon review since I did not finish the entire story. Perhaps it gets better toward the end?  I'm not holding my breath.