Author: Rob Hart
Published: June 24, 2025, by G.P. Putnam's Sons
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 320 Pages
Genre: Thriller
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Assassins Anonymous #2
Blurb: When Astrid, known in her assassin days as Azrael, stopped showing up to Assassins Anonymous, the group assumed her past had caught up with her. Only her sponsor Mark, formerly the deadliest killer in the world, holds out hope that she’s okay. Then, during a meeting, the group gets a sign, or rather, a pizza delivery. Is there another psychopath out there who actually likes olives on their pizza, or is Astrid trying to send Mark a message?
Meanwhile, Astrid wakes up in the cell of a black site prison, on a remote island. A doctor subjects her to mysterious experiments, plumbing the depths of her memory and looking for a vital clue from her past. She’ll do anything to escape, except…killing anyone. Hmm. Turns out it’s not easy to blow this joint without blowing anything, or anyone up.
My Opinion: The Medusa Protocol didn’t land for me the way Assassins Anonymous did. That first book had Mark at its center with his dry humor, reluctant vulnerability, and the strange warmth of a support group for killers trying to stay “clean.” It was sharp, funny, and surprisingly heartfelt. This sequel shifts the spotlight to Astrid, whose backstory was deliberately withheld in the first book.
Astrid’s been abducted and dumped in a secret black site off the coast of Brazil, where doctors experiment on humans, poisonous snakes form a protective barrier, and inmates wear pink or blue to signal their value. It’s a bizarre setting and Hart doesn’t hold back when it comes to the depravity. The reveal of why she’s there comes late, and the who behind it either blindsided me or wasn’t clearly seeded because it appeared to come out of nowhere. It felt more like ticking boxes rather than unfolding a layered character arc.
Still, the Assassins Anonymous (AA) meetings continue like clockwork and that consistency becomes Astrid’s lifeline. She manages to get a message out, and Mark, despite risking his hard-won “sobriety”, doesn’t hesitate to answer the call. Their bond, forged in violence and redemption, is the emotional core of the book. Astrid knows that taking out evil might mean starting her sobriety over, but she’s willing. And her AA family? They’re there, no judgment, just support.
A few familiar faces from the first book pop in and out, but they’re more cameo than connective tissue. The real throughline is the idea that even assassins deserve second chances, and sometimes, third or fourth ones too.
This book isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s brutal, bleak, and unflinching. There’s blood, gore, and some deeply unsettling Epstein-esque moments that made me queasy.
Even though The Medusa Protocol didn’t resonate with me like Hart’s earlier work, I still think he’s an underappreciated voice. His ideas are bold, his execution fearless, and I’ll keep watching for whatever he writes next.
My Opinion: The Medusa Protocol didn’t land for me the way Assassins Anonymous did. That first book had Mark at its center with his dry humor, reluctant vulnerability, and the strange warmth of a support group for killers trying to stay “clean.” It was sharp, funny, and surprisingly heartfelt. This sequel shifts the spotlight to Astrid, whose backstory was deliberately withheld in the first book.
Astrid’s been abducted and dumped in a secret black site off the coast of Brazil, where doctors experiment on humans, poisonous snakes form a protective barrier, and inmates wear pink or blue to signal their value. It’s a bizarre setting and Hart doesn’t hold back when it comes to the depravity. The reveal of why she’s there comes late, and the who behind it either blindsided me or wasn’t clearly seeded because it appeared to come out of nowhere. It felt more like ticking boxes rather than unfolding a layered character arc.
Still, the Assassins Anonymous (AA) meetings continue like clockwork and that consistency becomes Astrid’s lifeline. She manages to get a message out, and Mark, despite risking his hard-won “sobriety”, doesn’t hesitate to answer the call. Their bond, forged in violence and redemption, is the emotional core of the book. Astrid knows that taking out evil might mean starting her sobriety over, but she’s willing. And her AA family? They’re there, no judgment, just support.
A few familiar faces from the first book pop in and out, but they’re more cameo than connective tissue. The real throughline is the idea that even assassins deserve second chances, and sometimes, third or fourth ones too.
This book isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s brutal, bleak, and unflinching. There’s blood, gore, and some deeply unsettling Epstein-esque moments that made me queasy.
Even though The Medusa Protocol didn’t resonate with me like Hart’s earlier work, I still think he’s an underappreciated voice. His ideas are bold, his execution fearless, and I’ll keep watching for whatever he writes next.
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