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Reviews
The Sunday Telegraph
“How
to Kill is no dry sociology of political murder. It is a history of the late 20th century punctuated by gunshots…the
action moves relentlessly on…some of the cases make for disconcerting reading…Hollington is good at showing how
these big wheels of history have crushed individuals, and also how often assassinations by governments have gone wrong. The
account of how Saddam Hussein made his name as an assassin makes sobering reading. One of the strong points of How to Kill is its demolition of conspiracy theories. An exciting account.”
Sainsbury’s Magazine
'Can one death change the course of history? This fascinating book dissects some the world's most famous murders and
their perpetrators, plus a raft of lesser-known deaths. Did Stalin die of rat poisoning? Did Mark Chapman really kill John
Lennon in order to steal his fame? Enthralling.'
Zoo Magazine, April 4 2008
"Guide to the awesome world of the assassin. Includes details on high-profile targets and stats,
but the tasty meat is investigating the means of death, including exploding telephones, bullets made of teeth and, wait for
it - a piss bomb - ten cups of boiled urine mixed with nitric acid. NB. Killing = Illegal."
Arena, June 2008
"Anyone interested in the murky world of assassination (which is pretty much all of us) should 'take
out' How to Kill, Kris Hollington's fascinating hisotry of the practice."
Publisher's Weekly (USA), July 2008
Ripped from the headlines of the 2007 killing of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan,
Hollington's informative primer on assassinations spells out the high cost around the world when governments, terrorists or
maniacs take matters into their own hands. The London-based journalist details the motives for such eliminations as political
beliefs, and the desire for power or notoriety; there are professionals who kill for profit (wolves and jackals) and the untrained
amateurs (foxes). History buffs will revel in the vivid capsule descriptions of several successful and attempted assassinations,
starting with the 1950 near-shooting of President Truman, the tag team effort of the Mafia and CIA to kill Castro in 1961,
the infamous 1975 assassination of Saudi king Faisal by his nephew and the 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy
slayings. The roll call of the politically and culturally prominent targets is lengthy, with a pope, a pornographer and two
recent presidents among them. This book is a riveting glimpse of random and sanctioned killing.
Daily Sport
"Just the book you need if you’re looking for a career change and have toyed with the idea of being a professional
assassin. But, be warned, there’s a lot more to it than popping a cap into some dude’s ass. For instance, how
are you on piss bombs? Boil up about half a gallon of urine, mix with nitric acid and voila! Watch out Mr President.
Consider also exploding aspirin, poison darts or dangerously unstable seafood.
All have the potential to create a vacancy in the upper echelons of government. Hollington has been boning up on the
4,000 or so attempts made over the past fifty years, some of them being world-changing successes, others being abject disasters.
He’s contacted organisations legal and most definitely not legal to get the lowdown on the ancient art of topping top
people.
His book is fascinating and surprisingly good fun. He clearly knows his subject. If you’re a gang leader or Prime
Minister you might want to buy it just to keep him happy."
David Pitt in Booklist (USA), July 2008
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 detail and excitement of a political thriller. Expect this account to appeal to a wide spectrum of readers, from
political-science students to history buffs to thriller and true-crime fans.
The Shortlist, March 2008
"If you think taking out a political or criminal rival is easy, think again - an assassination takes more imagination
than murder. Hollington studies cases as diverse as Saddam Hussein and, bizarrely, Woody Harrelson's dad. With techniques
ranging from karate chops to the poisoned diving suit given as a 'gift' to Fidel Castro. A fascinatingly grim read."
Seven, April 13, 2008
"This thickly detailed book, a remarkable piece of work. begins by naming Beria as Stalin's assassin and gives the
same careful treatment to all the famous assassinations."
Paul Johnston, author of The Death List and seven other
crime thrillers, writing in The Irish Tribune
"As a crime novelist, I couldn't resist How To Kill by Kris Hollington. It's a history
of the assassin rather than a selfhelp book, though it does include details of methods, targets and secret case files. Right
up my street.”
The Citizen (South Africa), April 12, 2008
"...gripping stuff, ranging from analysis of the personality traits of some of history's more famous assassins to some
of the monumental mistakes - the US helping Saddam Hussein take a violent leader of Iraq, for instance. Hollington's content
is well-researched but tremendously accessible, appealing to a wide range of readers."
Chris High
"Kris Hollington’s How to Kill is without doubt the definitive book on assassination – both eye-opening and eminently readable – Hollington has
an astute and well-placed skill that drives home the messages like well-aimed darts - [It is] a fascinating study that will
leave the reader staggered at the lengths people will go to strike at the heart of what they see as “evil”, and
shaking their heads at the thought that assassination and attempted assassination is such an everyday occurrence."
Terry Halligan, Eurocrime
"This fascinating non-fiction book is extremely well researched...[a]
most extraordinary book, probably a first in its subject matter."
The First Post - The Week’s Best
Reading
"The history of assassination is as long as it is bloody, but its results have always been unpredictable. From Julius Caesar to Alexander Litvinenko, political
murder has unleashed a cascade of unforeseen consequences. 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 killer's bullet or bomb. His case studies make for a fascinating roll call - [it soon becomes clear that]
noble causes and assassination don't sit well together."
Some Facts From How to Kill
Below are three of the more unusual stories in How to Kill
The Assassin's Manual
While How to Kill may sound like the title of an
assassin's manual, it's not. But incredibly, a book called 'Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors'
actually was! It led to at least two hits in the United States before it was banned
by the government. You can read more about this shocking book in How to Kill.
JFK Conspiracist Shoots Himself in the Foot
It’s the JFK conspiracy ‘fact’ that won’t go away. It’s in almost every conspiracy book:
the claim that Oswald could not possibly have gotten off the shots in the necessary time. Conspiracy authors always claim
that Oswald had under six seconds to get three shots off - although the Warren Commission was vague on this and most contemporary
lone gunman theorists believe he has about 8.5 seconds. In a hilarious video sequence, conspiracy author Josiah Thompson (Six Seconds in Dallas) cycles the mechanism of the rifle in 1.83 seconds, all the
while explaining that it can't be done in under 2.3 seconds! This is hard to believe, a conspiracy author debunking his own
work, but video footage of Thompson shooting himself in the foot, so to speak, is here on the internet for all to see.
Carter and the Killer Rabbit
One of the most incredible previously unknown assassination stories I have come across is the attempted
assassination of President Jimmy Carter by a short-sighted sniping serial killer with twenty hits to his name. Carter was
saved from assassination thanks to a rabid swamp rabbit (pictured) - the full story is in How to Kill
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