Tag: The Medusa Protocol

Three Hitmen and a Baby

by Rob Hart

DETAILS:
Series: Assassins Anonymous, #3
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication Date: June 16, 2026
Format: eARC
Length: 304 pg.
Read Date: May 30-June 2, 2026

What’s Three Hitmen and a Baby About?

After the events of The Medusa Protocol, things have really settled down for the members of the recovery group. Up until the events of this novel, of course. Valencia gets word of some family trouble in California, and she needs to go help—but she can’t take her three-year-old with her. So Mark, Booker, and Astrid, her “uncles” (yes, even Astrid—Lucia’s not so great with gender concepts), volunteer to watch her. How hard could it be?

Spoken like people who haven’t spent that much time on their own with a toddler. Incidentally, 12-Step rules or not. If you’re going to watch someone’s child for a few days—you’d better know their last name. Our trio learns that the hard way. I’ll leave it at that.

At the same time, one debt that Mark owes a Russian mobster becomes due. They (on behalf of someone else) want Astrid dead. And who better to take care of that than her friend, Mark. They don’t care that Mark isn’t killing anymore, and they’d care even less to learn that Mark was her sponsor. And you don’t have to be a Friend of Bill to know that the relationship between sponsor and sponsee isn’t supposed to be ended with a murder. Then again, the mobster knows about Mark’s ex- and their child. So, he does have two compelling reasons to throw his sobriety out the window.

All in all, these three (ex-)hitman have quite the struggle.

Why did I pick this up? Why did I keep reading?

I can’t imagine stopping this series now. When the publicist emailed me about the book, I jumped on it without thinking.

I kept going because the story wouldn’t let me go. We get the comedy of these (former) professional killers being utterly inept when it comes to taking care of a toddler. And then this between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place that Mark finds himself in.

What’s the Underlying Theme?

This book is about a couple of things at the core—there’s the found-family connection between the members of this group—and a couple of other people they’ve collectively added along the way. But that’s something that’s been part of this series from the beginning (and will almost certainly continue to be).

The other core of this book is making amends. Step 9 of Assassin’s Anonymous—like all 12-Step Programs—is making amends. Now, it’s impossible to make amends to those they’ve killed. So they’ve each had to come up with ways to do that. Sometimes, it’s service. Sometimes, it’s talking to loved ones of the victim.

Not only do we see some attempts at amends to victims. We also see the toll that not being able to make them takes on members of the group. The nightmares, the way they’re haunted not by their past sins but their inability to do anything to ameliorate the situation or amend for them.

So, what did I think about Three Hitmen and a Baby?

I had a blast with this—and I’m having a hard time coming up with new things to say about this series (seriously, this would’ve been posted a week ago otherwise).

I do think this is slightly more successful than The Medusa Protocol overall, which is not to cast aspersions on book two. There’s less globe-trotting in this book than in either previous book, but that doesn’t keep the cast from being international. It just ramps up the pacing. This all happens in a much more contained period of time, keeping the pressure on throughout. There’s little downtime or breathing room (and most of that involves entertaining a three-year-old).

Hart really has the balancing act between light-hearted moments, soul-searing introspection/disclosure, and action down pat. The jokes about John Wick and other action films keep coming and haven’t lost their punch. There’s a great scene where Mark and Booker talk about their preferred entertainment and critique action tropes that I’ve read at least three times, just to watch Hart fill out these characters a bit (particularly Booker, we know Mark well enough now).

The way this one resolved was rewarding both plot-wise and character-wise, and did set up book four in a pretty solid manner, too.

This one really shouldn’t be missed, my friends/readers/utter strangers who happen to see this.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Putnam | G.P. Putnam’s Sons via NetGalley in exchange for this post which contains my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

The Medusa Protocol

by Rob Hart

DETAILS:
Series: Assassins Anonymous, #2
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication Date: June 24, 2025
Format: eARC
Length: 320
Read Date: June 19-20, 2025

What’s The Medusa Protocol About?

I’d written about half of this section, and wasn’t quite satisfied with it, and took a quick glance at the Publisher’s Description and realized that 1. I was echoing it in an unnerving way, and 2. It was better than i could deliver. So, I’ll borrow it and save myself from plagiarism accusations:

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.

Looking for Astrid

The group at the meeting splits into two groups—some head for safety, just in case someone’s coming for someone in addition to Astrid. Mark and Booker take the sign of the disgusting pizza as a signal to go looking for Astrid.

This is where you get your thirst for adventure slaked. They take a globe-trekking route while hunting for clues, pick up an ally or two along the way, go up against some pretty lethal guys—and really lethal snakes.

They do this with aplomb, nerve, and some really bad jokes.

Astrid’s Story

Meanwhile, Astrid faces two challenges—figuring out where she is, why she’s there, and how to make the best of the situation until she can find a weakness to exploit and get out of there. None of that will be easy.

But also, whatever this doctor is doing to her causes her to relive some of the bigger moments in her life—things she’s never really put behind her, but she has to look at them anew, and maybe a bit more intensely than she usually does.

The stakes are high (higher than she realizes), and without support, she has to rely on what she’s picked up from the meetings and her own grit to make it through each day.

Sobriety

While Assassins Anonymous showed the meetings, Mark hitting rock bottom, and choices to pursue this group’s particular expression of sobriety, The Medusa Protocol focuses on taking responsibility for your actions, making amends, and maintaining one’s sobriety. While none of the 12 Steps seem particularly easy, these things seem like harder work to me—and it’s good to see that reflected honestly.

(There’s some other things along these lines, but we can talk about that after you’ve read this book.)

The decision to stay sober—especially in the circumstances these characters find themselves, fighting for their lives against people who don’t have any problem taking a life, when a lifetime of reflexes tells them to do something else—takes a monumental effort. It takes monumental effort for more “traditional” 12-Step program attendees, too. But this makes for more exciting reading—it should, however, remind the reader what their friends/acquaintances go through on a daily basis.

I really admire Hart for this focus in these books, and hope these keep coming if only for it.

So, what did I think about The Medusa Protocol?

There’s part of me that wants to copy and paste most of what I said about Assassins Anonymous last year here. There’s also part of me that wishes I’d re-read or listened to it before this—not because I need the refresher, I just had fun with it. Yet…I think this is a better novel. It’s not quite as fun—Astrid’s POV is too prevalent for that and her sense of humor isn’t what Mark’s is (this is a good thing)—but the story is more emotionally developed, Astrid’s trauma is deeper-seated, and that comes through in the flashbacks (obviously).

Also, the Big Bad of the first book is a pretty standard kind of bad guy for the genre. The person responsible for Astrid’s plight, on the other hand, is just evil. Like a gut-twisting, I don’t want to think there are people like this in the world, kind of evil—sadly, it’s probably the most realistic part of this book.

I’m afraid I might give the impression that this book is so heavy on the trauma, the emotions, the recovery struggles, and so on that it’s not a Thriller. Sorry if I did. This is a rollicking, rocking Thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat with the kind of action you expect in a Thriller about a group of former (and current) assassins. If you liked the action, the humor, the pacing, and all the thriller aspects of the last book, don’t fear—it’s still there. It’s just the percentages of the book devoted to each are a little different. Mark is still a prominent character, and you can’t get away from his sarcasm, his humor, and his efficiency in a fight scene. That goes for the other people in the program, too. And when Astrid gets to do her thing, either in the present or in flashback—I’m telling you, it’s good stuff.

I had a blast with this, enjoying the opportunity to reconnect with characters like Mark, Astrid, Valencia, Booker, and so on. The one new face (at least) that will recur? Oh, I’m looking forward to getting to know them a lot more. The new characters we meet that we definitely won’t be seeing again? They’re as good as you want them to be.

Oh, and the titular Medusa Protocol itself? That was really cool.

There’s no reason not to pick this up if you’re in the mood for a thriller that embraces and yet puts a twist on the conventions. Would it help to have read Assassins Anonymous first? Yeah, but you’ll get in the groove pretty quickly if you haven’t.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Putnam Books via NetGalley—thanks to both for this. Sorry that it’s up late.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.