The Ethical Assassin

A Novel

By: David Liss

Narrated by: William Dufris

No one is more surprised than Lem Altick when it turns out he's actually good at peddling encyclopedias door to door. He hates the predatory world of sales, but he needs the money to pay for college. Then things go horribly wrong. In a sweltering trailer in rural Florida, a couple Lem has spent hours pitching to is shot dead before his eyes, and the unassuming young man is suddenly pulled into the dark world of conspiracy and murder. Not just murder: assassination - or so claims the killer, the mysterious and strangely charismatic Melford Kean, who has struck without remorse and with remarkable good cheer. But the self-styled ethical assassin hadn't planned on a witness, and so he makes Lem a deal: Stay quiet and there will be no problems. Go to the police and take the fall.

Before Lem can decide, he is drawn against his will into the realm of the assassin, a post-Marxist intellectual with whom he forms an unlikely (and perhaps unwise) friendship. The ethical assassin could be a charming sociopath, eco-activist, or vigilante for social justice. Lem isn't sure what is motivating Melford, but Lem realizes that to save himself, he must unravel the mystery of why the assassinations have occurred. To do so, he descends deeper into a bizarre world he never knew existed, where a group of desperate schemers are involved in a plot that could keep Lem from leaving town alive.

©2006 David Liss (P)2006 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Incredible! Poignantly witty. Another homerun!

Your characters are so well researched. I especially enjoyed Lemual the door to door encyclopedia salesman. I too was a door to door salesman back in my day and your depiction of the day to day is spot on!

The story is complex but moves slowly…..

…. And seems mostly to be a vehicle for lecturing on vegetarianism and animal rights. Sorry I wasted my time and a credit on this.

animal rights in pigs clothing

It is too bad the description doesn't tell us this is a screed for animal rights. I tried to stomach it out, but finally gave up.

Disappointing

This was my second Liss book, and I was let down.
The story kept hinting at more to come but never really amounted to any crescendo. It was just interesting enough for me to keep listening, but I wasn’t ever enthralled.
The narrator was also extremely off putting. His voice for the main character was grating. I had to fight through it. I definitely won’t listen to any book that he reads.

Is this my David Liss?

Wow terrible diversion from his wonderful historical novels. No point to this story whatsoever. Narration was so unlike anything of his I have listened to.