Title: Tears of an Assassin
Author: D.J. Power
Publisher: Page Turner Press and Media, LLC
ISBN: 979-8-89174-009-9
Pages: 328
Genre: Adventure / Historical Fiction
Reviewed by: Paula Mattis
Hollywood Book Reviews
D.J. Power’s Tears of an Assassin is an exemplary piece of fiction which aptly portrays the rough life of a Marine. The entire narrative revolves around the life of a man called James “Jim” Coleman, who joined the Marine Corps in his early twenties.
Jim Coleman, the protagonist, is portrayed as a former US Marine Recon Sniper who is currently a part of a top-secret branch of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He is portrayed as a brave and assertive Marine who gets pulled into the Quantico and CIA because of his exceptional shooting skills.
The story kick-starts with Jim babysitting his son for the night. While doing so, he listens to the news, stating that “Saigon has fallen.” The North Vietnamese Communist Refugees had attacked South Vietnam three years after the withdrawal of the US troops from that region. Hearing this devastating state of the South Vietnamese citizens, Jim engages in a nostalgic reverie about his posting in Vietnam. His recollection of his past life and his tenure as a Marine serve as the entire plot of this book.
Tears of an Assassin is an amalgamation of both adventure and historical fiction because of the adventure-filled life of Jim and the horror-filled fate of the South Vietnamese civilians (due to Diem’s horrendous dictatorship). D.J. Power has realistically portrayed the journey of a Marine, right from Jim’s training days in the Marine Corps till his tenure at the CIA. He aptly depicts the harsh realities of military life in his book. He mentions the punishments given to the Marine recruits, their tough training, the strict schedule that is to be followed to the ‘T’, and the cruel way the instructors mess with the recruiters’ minds. Jim’s bout of training at Parris Island and his record-breaking shooting skills turn out to the point where his life takes a massive turn. Jim is pulled into this top-secret project involving Quantico and the US Government. D.J. Power provides the readers with a lot of foreshadowing, by doing so, he tries to create a mystery-filled ambience about this plot, which will always keep the readers at the edge of their seats. Despite the various complexities involved in this narrative, D.J. Power makes his plot powerful and exciting.
Overall, this book was a very fascinating and gripping adventure. Readers will be able to relate to the character of Jim Coleman to a massive extent because of D.J. Power’s writing. Also, because of the author’s non-complex style, readers would be able to resonate with the harsh and cruel punishments subjected to the recruiters by the instructors. Throughout the book, the progression of Jim’s character – from a person wanting to save his Catholic beliefs – to a Marine who is ready to break the rules for his job, has been portrayed well. Due to this noticeable progression in Jim’s character, the readers can envision Jim being a Marine Sniper because of all the hardships and hurdles he was subjected to. D.J. Power has not only used his experience in the military to efficiently portray the truth of ‘military life’ but also to make his book gripping enough, so much so that the readers won’t stop reading it until they reach the end and know the truth. This book is highly recommended if you love an action-packed story involving lots of adventures and historical events.