By Amala Kannan

‘The Silver Bear’, meaning “great assassin” in Russia, is told in the first-person perspective by professional assassin Columbus.

He is cold, and does not care if his targets deserve to die or not. The jobs arrive from his handler, following which he spends a few weeks hunting down the target, and then completing the job – no emotions, no humanity, and no second thoughts involved.

The crux of the plot involves the assassination of Abe Mann, speaker of the House of Representatives and congressman from New York. Columbus knows the man behind the social status from past research. He knows of the corruption and the dirty linen of Mann. He knows because this target is his father.

His transition from mild-mannered child to great assassin is interspersed with flashbacks from the past, portraying Columbus as a teenager, a lover, and a rookie assassin.

Haas has managed to capture this essence of a thriller novel in just 215 pages, because of his experience in screenplays.

He was the co-writer of action screenplays 3:10 to Yuma and Wanted. He does the book justice, captivating and sustaining the reader’s interest throughout the novel.

Books do not have to be thick as long as the action is.

Haas has not left this novella hanging, and has another sequel appropriately titled ‘Columbus’.

The UrbanWire gives it a rating of 3/5.

Title: The Silver Bear

Author: Derek Haas

Genre: Thriller (fiction)

Publisher: Jove Books, New York

Price: $17.12

Available in: Kinokuniya & Times Bookstores

Book courtesy of Penguin Books Singapore.