Today marks the launch of the third book in Rob Hart’s Assassins Anonymous series, Three Hitmen and a Baby. I’ve known Rob for several years and was a little surprised when it dawned on me I’d never had him on the blog. Today’s interview corrects that oversight.
For those who don’t know, Rob worked as a publisher for
MysteriousPress.com and was a class director at LitReactor. He 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 NPR; The Warehouse, which sold in
more than twenty languages around the world; the Ash McKenna series of private
eye novels; and more other woks than space permits, and, since this is the
Internet, space permits a lot.
One Bite at a Time: Welcome to the blog, Rob. I was at Yonder the night you test drove the first
chapter of Assassins Anonymous. Like everyone else there, I was blown
away. I know better then to ask an author where they get their ideas, but I
need to know how you came up with a twelve-step recovery program for
professional killers.
Rob Hart: For a very long time I had an idea on the
backburner of my brain, about a bunch of assassins in some kind of group
therapy setting. I thought it would be funny to take a bunch of characters like
that and stick them in a circle to talk about their feelings. One day it dawned
on me that I could do that with the recovery process—which includes both steps
and an amends process, which creates a bit of a container for the story. As
soon as I thought of it in those terms, pretty much the whole thing clicked.
OBAAT: The books are violent and laugh-out-loud funny,
sometimes simultaneously. How are you able to combine the two without
detracting from the effect of either?
RH: I just think that’s where my voice falls naturally. I
like to have a good time and laugh, but I also like to consider things
seriously. Sometimes it takes a little modulation in the editing process, but
for the most part, these books are just a joy to write.
OBAAT: Among the many things that makes this series special
is how Mark keeps finding himself in mortal danger and has to get out of it
without killing anyone, yet you never ask the reader to suspend too much
disbelief. Do you outline those scenes, storyboard them, rehearse them, consult
with martial arts and weapons experts, meditate, what?
RH: That part is a ton of fun. I do have a fighting
background—I train in Muay Thai, but also previously trained in Krav Maga, and
dabbled in BJJ and boxing. So in terms of how to choreograph a fight scene,
what happens to the human body, etc… that’s all me just pulling from
experience.
I do occasionally storyboard stuff, if it’s a bigger action
sequence, because geography is important to a good action scene. And I do a lot
of research, both on lethal and non-lethal weapons. But that’s the thing: the
more limitations you have, the more creative you have to be. Shooting someone
in the head is easy; sending Mark into a room full of people wielding guns, and
he has to make it out without dying and without killing anyone? That
takes some effort. But it also makes things way more fun.
OBAAT: On a panel at Left Coast Crime in 2025 you said you
do an editing pass of your books working from the last chapter to the first.
I’ve done that on my most recent books and now swear by it. What does the
back-to-front approach accomplish for you and what made you think of it?
RH: I honestly don’t know; I can’t remember if I thought of
it, or if someone suggested it to me. But, yes, starting with the last chapter
and moving through to the front of the book is something I usually do on the
third of fourth pass of editing. It puts fresh energy into the ending, and it
helps to see things out of order sometimes, so you can think differently about
how the plot fits together.
OBAAT: As a PI fiction guy, I have to ask what the deal is with
Ash McKenna. The books are clearly collectors’ items, as I see them online with
prices ranging from $30 to almost $60.
RH: I’m not sure anyone is actually paying that, but god
bless ‘em if they are…
When Polis folded I held onto the rights. We poked around a
little, and a lot of places interested in putting out a five-book backlist also
want a new book to go with it. I’m not interested in writing more Ash at the
moment—I like the ending I gave him—and my other stuff is already tied up.
But also, the books are being developed for TV. The team
behind it is brilliant, the pilot script is amazing. So I’m going to hold onto
them a little while longer. They’re a scratch-off lotto ticket at this point.
If the show moves forward, they could be worth a lot more.
Those books will be back eventually. I’m just not currently
in a rush.
OBAAT: What’s next for you? Will there be more in the
Assassins Anonymous franchise?
RH: Indeed! So the third book, Three Hitmen and a Baby,
comes out imminently. (Editor’s Note: ‘Imminently’ = today.) The fourth
is called City of Killers. It’s set in Bangkok, and it’s a very fun
premise, plus has a very cool payoff for people who’ve read all the books. That
should be out in June 2027.
After that, I’m out of contract. If the series continues to
do well and there’s an appetite for more and I still have ideas—sure, I’d love
to write these characters for a long time. But the market dictates. So if you
really want to make sure Mark and his friends stay alive, buy multiple copies,
give them as gifts, tell friends, leave reviews… every little bit helps.
