USA Today Best-Selling Author & Winner of Florida Book Award Silver Medal One Perfect Shot Will Change the Course of History Christine Palmer, a young American doctor sailing solo across the Atlantic, makes an incredible discovery—a man narrowly clinging to his life in the frigid waters. But there is much more to this desperate survivor than meets the eye. David Slaton is a Kidon—a highly-trained, highly-precise, and highly-dangerous assassin. The Kidon is both the hunter and the hunted, and he and Christine are in grave danger. Will they win in this race against time? With the precision of a sharpshooter, author Ward Larsen weaves an intricate tale of espionage and intrigue. The Bourne Identity meets The Day of the Jackal “This book has it all―terrorists, nuclear weapons, murder, spies, heroes, evil bad guys and double agents. It is a book you cannot put down!” ― Military Writers Society of America “. . . plenty of action, technical detail that would do Tom Clancy proud, and a hero with almost superhuman skills.” ― Publishers Weekly “A thriller that slowly weaves the threads of various events together to create a tapestry of intrigue of the highest order. . .” ― Foreword Reviews “A must-read for anyone looking for the next great assassin saga.” ― Kirkus Reviews “There's an assassin on the loose with a clear agenda, and the characters in this thriller reach out and grab you by the throat.” ―Don Bruns, USA Today best-selling author Praise for Ward Larsen “Sure to entertain fans of Daniel Silva and Robert Ludlum . . . builds with authenticity and suspense toward a riveting climax of pure action.” —Mark Greany, New York Times best-selling author “A stunning thriller, one that ranks right up there with The Day of the Jackal .” —Steven Coonts, New York Times best-selling author “Heart-in-your-throat suspense. A hero on the brink, and nonstop action.” —Steve Berry, New York Times best-selling author Ward Larsen is a USA Today best-selling author and three-time winner of the Florida Book Award. His work has been nominated for both the Edgar and Macavity Awards. A former US Air Force fighter pilot, Larsen flew more than twenty missions in Operation Desert Storm. He also served as a federal law enforcement officer and is a trained aircraft accident investigator. Look for Amber Entertainment's film adaptation of The Perfect Assassin . Larsen’s other novels include Stealing Trinity , Fly by Wire , Fly by Night , and Passenger 19 . The Perfect Assassin A Novel By Ward Larsen Oceanview Publishing Copyright © 2006 Ward Larsen All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-933515-15-1 CHAPTER 1 Christine Palmer saw it right on schedule, a waxing three-quarters moon on the horizon. Bright and beautiful in its own right, the moon began lifting up toward the stars for what would certainly be another celestial masterpiece over the eastern Atlantic. She'd always been amazed by the number of stars you could see out here, away from the usual lights and pollution. Gentle swells made a rhythmic, hollow slapping noise against Windsom' s fiberglass hull. The only other sounds were those of the boat's rigging, which creaked and groaned in proportion to the strength of the wind. Christine raised her chin into a crisp southeasterly breeze, finding it remarkable that conditions on the open ocean could vary so greatly. The first night of her trip had been like this one, calm seas and a gentle breeze. The second night had been a singularly miserable experience. A strong weather system had rolled in, pounding Windsom with vicious winds and towering waves. Christine could do no more than keep the boat on course and the sails trimmed, all under a constant lashing of rain and frigid ocean spray. She'd spent most of that night on deck, wet and chilled to the bone. When the storm finally broke, late the next morning, she had collapsed onto her bunk, without even the energy to remove the foul weather gear that had done so little to keep her dry. That had been four nights ago. Since then, the weather had largely cooperated and Christine convinced herself, perhaps with reaching optimism, that such trying times were necessary to find true appreciation of life's more placid moments. It was a satisfying concept, and one she suspected would be quickly discarded in the next squall. Sitting at the helm, she twisted her shoulder-length hair into a ponytail and poked it through the back of her baseball cap. The luminescent hands on her watch told her it was five-thirty in the morning. The sun wouldn't be up for an hour. Christine tended to be an early riser, but sailing somehow magnified the trait. In the four days since the storm her routine had taken shape. She went to bed an hour or two after sunset, set the alarm to wake up once at midnight to check the sails, the autopilot, and the weather, then slept again until four or five. Aside from the one wakeup call, it was a natural fit for her body's circa