Synopses & Reviews
“A history of the twentieth century punctuated by gunshots. . . . An exciting account.” --Sunday Telegraph (UK)
Exploding telephones, pipe-guns, bullets made of teeth, aspirin explosives, cobra-venom darts, a rifle that shoots around corners, exploding clams, samurai swords, karate chops, poisoned umbrellas, and a fuel-laden light aircraft. Sometimes even a regular gun. These are just some of the methods that have been used over the last ?fty years to speed four thousand VIPs to a premature end.
Wolves, Jackals, and Foxes is not an encyclopedia of assassination but rather a gripping history that charts the development of the modern world through the eyes of the assassins that tried to alter it. An experienced investigative reporter, Kris Hollington exposes shocking unknown stories of assassination. Surprising conspiracies and remarkable connections are uncovered throughout.
Hollington relates the story of the man who shot Uday Hussein seventeen times, the remarkable career of the CIAs “black sorcerer,” reveals how an East German Stasi agent, an American B-movie actress, and a Saudi prince conspired to commit one of the most important assassinations of the twentieth century, uncovers the terrible history of South Africas brutal assassination squad and exposes for the ?rst time the secret society that ensured racist assassins in the South never paid for their crimes. It also features previously classi?ed information from the Secret Service, including the story of how President Jimmy Carter was saved from a snipers bullet by a rabid swamp rabbit.
This book is the first to study in detail not only the causes and surprising consequences of assassination, but also the crucial seconds of the act itself and the psychology of the killer in an effort to understand why some assassinations succeed where others fail---and what might be done to prevent them. It is also the ?rst book to examine the fascinating facts and ?gures of assassination, revealing everything from the success rate by type of weapon and the escape and survival rates of assassins to the most popular time of year and location for an attack.
The definitive book on assassination, Wolves, Jackals, and Foxes shows that sometimes, one murder can change the world.
Review
“This is the definitive history of the assassin.” --Zoo Magazine
“Just the book you need if youre looking for a career change and have toyed with the idea of being a professional assassin. . . . Fascinating and surprisingly good fun.” --The Daily Sport
“This fascinating non?ction book is extremely well researched...[a] most extraordinary book, probably a ?rst in its subject matter.” --Eurocrime
“Kris Hollington looks at modern assassinations and attempts from the Cold War on, and his conclusion? Try as they might, public figures---and therefore the course of history---will always be vulnerable to the killers bullet or bomb. His case studies make for a fascinating roll call.” --The First Post
Review
Too often writers about political assassination turn an inherently interesting topic into something dry and dull. Not here. Hollington's discussion of the famous, the infamous, and the little-known assassins who have changed the world is lively and exciting, without sacrificing insight or sociological import. A British investigative journalist, Hollington explores not just the people who carried out the assassinations (or, in some cases, attempted them) but also the impact their actions had on the course of history. Lavrenti Beria, for example, is widely believed to have murdered Joseph Stalin, but in doing so, he certainly saved millions of lives. Is he a villain or a hero? The book is full of colorful characters on both sides of the law, and it contains numerous surprises (actor Woody Harrelson's father was a hired killer, although theories linking him to the assassination of JFK appear to be groundless). The writing style combines straightforward journalistic prose with the dramatic David Pitt
Synopsis
This work illustrates that sometimes, one murder can change the world. "Wolves, Jackals, and Foxes" is a gripping history that charts the development of the modern world through the eyes of the assassins that tried to change it.
About the Author
Kris Hollington is a journalist living and working in London. He has written a number of investigative pieces on subjects as diverse as African drug smugglers, diamond mining, art theft, murder, armed robbery, and police corruption for The Sunday Times, The Guardian, The Mail on Sunday, and The Evening Standard.