The silver bear - Derek Haas

When you need to get rid of a Presidential candidate, you need THE SILVER BEAR.

Columbus, the most respected and feared hitman in the criminal underworld, has killed many times using many weapons, including his bare hands. An assassin at the top of his profession, immune to the pressure of his chosen life, gliding silently beneath the view of law enforcement, he is what the Russians call a Silver Bear.

When Columbus takes the contract on a congressman running for President, he discovers that his quarry is tied to his own mysterious past. Soon, he's fighting to stay alive - and to make sure his target does not...

Derek Haas is the author of THE SILVER BEAR, the Barry Award-nominated HUNT FOR THE BEAR, and DARK MEN. Derek also co-wrote the screenplays for 3:10 to Yuma, starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, and Wanted, starring James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, and Angelina Jolie. He is currently working on the Sky Living TV series Chicago Fire. Derek lives in Los Angeles.

Visit his website at derekhaas.com or follow him on Twitter @popcornhaas.

A short, sharp, electric shock of a book
Shots Ezine

Plenty of action and Columbus survives a series of exciting close escapes
Canberra Times

A thrilling page-turner - a cross between the Jason Bourne movies and the classic assassin film Leon. Read it before it turns into a movie too.
Jenni Falconer, Company****

A moody, gloomy but curiously gripping tale
Literary Review

Highlights of Haas's cinematic thriller include a cross-country junket, quick reversals, lightning violence and a surprising denouement...Lean work, with every word counting and adding up to more than most authors land in twice the space
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Well written, fast-paced, and engaging...a thrilling account of a professional killer at his peak...The cross-country hunt is a fast read; fans of James Patterson and Jeffrey Deaver will enjoy
Library Journal

Blunt and to the point...had me hooked from the beginning. I found myself completely caught up with this character, and those around him, and I couldn't let go of the book until I knew the final outcome.
Book Club Forum

Brilliant, intense portrait of a professional hit man...Hired to murder an improbable victim, his intrinsic alienation sees him seemingly proceeding towards his own death, the assignment hastening the inevitable. The balance and rhythm of Haas's first novel are exemplary as Columbus struggles to stay ahead...cinematic-style story construction, cliffhangers and urgent narrative pace. This is the kind of novel that leaves you uncomfortably uncertain of what you feel and whether it is proper to identify with Haas's protagonist.
The Australian

Races along. In a word: FRAUGHT
The Weekend Gold Coast Bulletin, Australia