Originally published in TDV February 2021 issue
Assassin is the third book in the High Ground series co-authored by Doug Casey and John Hunt. The series, which can be likened to a modern day Atlas Shrugged, is set in current times and revolves around the protagonist Charles Knight, a young man who develops a moral compass as he grows to understand the statist world we live in.
The first book, Speculator, follows Charles into the jungles of Africa where he makes a killing on a speculative gold stock, while simultaneously stopping a revolution, only to have the SEC and IRS steal it all. The second book, Drug Lord, has Charles Knight returning to the US and setting up a smuggling and black market drug distribution network, while simultaneously helping a public company jump through various hurdles set by the FDA to get their drug to market legally. The book ends with Charles Knight going to prison - ironically, for his involvement in the drug he was legally trying to bring to market. The third book, Assassin, begins with Charles Knight's experience in prison (there's a mention of Ross Ulbricht), where he survives multiple assassination attempts and starts killing his would-be assassins in self-defense. That sets the stage for his next rofession: assassin. The non-aggression principle is the defining characteristic of anarcho-capitalism - but is there a moral justification for killing someone who does not pose an immediate threat to your survival?
Charles' actions in this novel provide a definite answer to this question. Not just that, the book also looks at various historical events and explores the circumstances in which an assassination ay backfire on its intended purpose. Two other highlights from the book which are sure to appeal:
Charles and his fellow libertarians create a cryptocurrency which could potentially replace assassination with a more begnin and effective solution
What happens when a third party tries to take a run at the Presidency and how the swamp monsters react to the threat
I don't want to give too much of it away, but if you haven't read the book already, I would highly recommend it, starting with the first one in the series.