Rob Hart

Rob Hart is the author of The Paradox Hotel, a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award that was named one of the best books of 2022 by Kirkus and NPR.

He also wrote The Warehouse, which sold in more than 20 languages around the world.

He is also the author of the Ash McKenna crime series, the short story collection Take-Out, the novella Scott Free with James Patterson, and the comic book Blood Oath with Alex Segura.

Hart's new novel is Assassins Anonymous.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

I think Assassins Anonymous is the best title I've ever had. You want something that's going to tell your reader—clearly and directly—what the story is about. With this one, you have a pretty strong sense of what it is you're going to get.

What's in a name?

The main character is named Mark, and that was for two reasons: Mark seemed like a good hitman-style word (the mark is the target, and he's being targeted by someone in the book). But also, I liked the idea of writing a character who was, on one hand, the world's deadliest assassin, but on the other hand, was just a regular, unassuming guy you could be standing in line with at the bank. Mark is a nice, solid name, with nothing fancy on it.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your new novel?

I think I'd be shocked that I'm actually making a living, doing this!

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

Beginnings are generally pretty easy for me. I tend to know where I want to start. Endings are a little harder—I know the emotionality I'm aiming for, but creating the container is a little harder. I went through a lot of different ideas for how to present it in this one, before I landed on the ending it has. But the truth is, the middle parts are the hardest. Because you want to keep the story going, you want to keep tension high but not overwhelm the reader, and you want the journey to make sense. It's when I'm writing the middle parts that I wonder whether a book might truly come together. Luckily they sometimes do!

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

Every character is me working something out for myself, so all my main characters are me, to some degree. It's like therapy, except I get paid instead of my therapist. Obviously I don't know what it's like to kill someone, but I know what it's like to look at my past, regret things that I've done, and want to be better—but wonder how that's even possible. Beyond that, I think Mark is a pretty funny—witty, acerbic, ready to crack a joke to break the tension. I like to think I'm pretty funny, but that's for other people to decide.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

Two things: this one dug deep into my movie queue. I love action movies, and in particular hitman movies. My favorite of all time being The Professional. I wanted to pay homage to that genre the best I could. But also: I fight train, first in Krav Maga and now in Muay Thai, and it's fun to do that and then go write some action sequences. I like to think it makes the job a little easier for me, because I know what it feels like to get punched in the face.

Visit Rob Hart's website.

My Book, The Movie: Potter's Field.

The Page 69 Test: Potter's Field.

The Page 69 Test: The Warehouse.

The Page 69 Test: The Paradox Hotel.

--Marshal Zeringue