Reviews
Fall of the Assassin
I am going to tell you something I have never told anyone.
My name is Haiku. You know what I do. What you do not know is where I came from. What made me. And what it cost.
The streets of Bombay made me hard. The Shinobi made me lethal. And a girl with violet eyes who should have died in a Tokyo alley made me into something I had no training for.
Human.
For here is the Truth: I let her parents die though I could have intervened. Because I wanted her. For myself.
I am Haiku.
How could it be otherwise?
But everything has a price. And now that price would be shared by two. Because the Shinobi do not forgive and they never forget. They are coming with everything they have. Including the one person I never wanted to face again.
And what of Saxon Payne? I... do not know. Something happened to Charlie and I and we returned to the place we called home. But now it isn't. I have had dreams. Of Saxon.
They are terrifying.
In Fall of the Assassin, Book 6 of The Dark Photography Folio, everything converges.
You never had a choice. You never wanted one.
So what are you waiting for?
Book after book author Swinn Daniels leads us deeper into his mysterious characters, this time embodying the life of Haiku. Deepening our understanding of her childhood, or lack thereof, and the seedy characters she grew up around, readers quickly begin to understand just how she became the feared assassin she is today. From her first curious moments, studying the movement of animals to quickly understanding the life of a beggar and the secrets they witness and keep, her past is drawn out and exposed for readers’ pleasure. Saxon Payne is once again absent, his phone number now owned by a Joshua Stone, a photographer as well, albeit not the one Haiku seeks. Seemingly having entered a new reality, Haiku and her lover, apprentice, and friend, Charlie, must navigate the life they are thrown back into after the events in book five, “Soul of the Saviour.” Flying Charlie to the one place that feels like home, a private island in Maldives, readers slowly peel back the many layers encompassing Haiku, the mysterious assassin that’s drawn us in from the very first moment we were introduced to her. Haiku’s character trajectory is fascinating. Spanning several of Daniels’ books, she finally gets one that is nearly entirely her own. Full of love, fear, a dark past, and an uncertain future, “Fall of the Assassin” is such a captivating read. Friends like Tai-sho from long ago, the Shinobi, one last job, and a past like none other, quickly catch up to her, as this sixth novel ups the stakes. Daniels continues to deliver action, intrigue, and a story for the ages. Seemingly never ending in his ability to grasp reader’s imagination, Daniels takes us through time and a lifetime of developing inconceivable skills, all while crafting a story of love, compassion, and training. Who knew assassins had such intriguing pasts, surprising assignments, and perhaps a future free of darkness?