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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 "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
"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)
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) 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 "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 "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) "...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 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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