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  Praise for Assassin’s Lullaby

  “Jam-packed with crosses, double-crosses, murders fair and foul, Assassin’s Lullaby is anything but sleep inducing. An edge-of-your-seat thriller stretching from Israel to Russia to Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, it is a novel both grand in scale and incredibly intimate.”

  —Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times

  bestselling author of Sleepless City

  “Assassin’s Lullaby magically combines relentless action, psychological suspense, and emotional drama for a high-stakes thrill ride.”

  —Jayne Ann Krentz, New York Times

  bestselling author of All the Colors of Night

  “Assassin’s Lullaby is a master class in crime fiction. It’s a beautiful and moving noir creation, and if it is indeed a lullaby, then Mark Rubinstein is singing and writing in a new octave.”

  —Richard C. Simons, MD, former President,

  American Psychoanalytic Association

  “In Assassin’s Lullaby, Mark Rubinstein is at the top of his game. As with all his suspense novels, he grabs you by the throat with his first sentence and then puts you on a roller-coaster ride of action and suspense. He is a master at misdirection, which adds dramatically to his storytelling. You will love Rubinstein’s latest.”

  —Joseph Badal, award-winning

  author of The Carnevale Conspiracy

  “Mark Rubinstein is a member of the ‘real pro’ club when it comes to thrills, reversals, and creating gripping, real-time storylines, and Assassin’s Lullaby will only advance his reputation.”

  —Andrew Gross, New York Times

  bestselling author of The One Man

  “Eli Dagan is one hell of a very human assassin, and this is one hell of a story.”

  —Peter James, bestselling author of the Roy Grace series

  Praise for Mark Rubinstein’s Other Books

  The Storytellers

  “Psychiatrist and thriller writer Rubinstein (the Mad Dog Trilogy) collects more than 40 interviews with suspense and thriller writers in this fresh compendium of ‘candid thoughts, opinions, inspirations, frustrations, backstories, and . . . sources of creativity.’ . . . Thriller writers—and fans curious about the process—are in for a treat.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Just look at this lineup: Lee Child, Patricia Cornwell, David Mamet, Meg Gardiner, Scott Turow, Kathy Reichs, James Rollins—and that’s only a small fraction of them. This writer’s guide to the genre takes the form of interviews with big name authors, experts in crime fiction, writers with proven track records and plenty of knowledge to share. A nice companion piece to the slew of more traditional how-to-be-a-writer books on the market.”

  —Booklist

  Beyond Bedlam’s Door

  “Nobody knows the fascinating world of forensic psychiatry better than Mark Rubinstein, and he has given it to us in a brilliant book that is essential reading for everyone who likes crime fiction. Beyond Bedlam’s Door is bone-chilling and thrilling, full of smart, strong stories. It belongs on your bookshelf!”

  —Linda Fairstein, bestselling author of the Alex Cooper series

  “Beyond Bedlam’s Door is a real page turner. As an internist, I see many patients presenting with physical complaints who have undiagnosed emotional problems. These stories are important for all physicians to understand and use in practice to care for the whole patient. Dr. Rubinstein shows us firsthand his skills at listening and investigating beyond the obvious. He is a master storyteller.”

  —Kimberly Simons Patterson, MD, Exempla Good Samaritan Hospital, Lafayette, Colorado, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine

  “These fascinating true stories of discovery in psychiatric practice and court settings are compelling, dramatic, and often stranger than fiction. They are true page-turners—I couldn’t stop reading! The worlds of the law and psychiatry often are an odd match, but Mark Rubinstein masterfully demonstrates his ability to bridge those worlds through his careful assessments, presented in clear fashion, unfazed by pressures to bend the truth.”

  —Roger Rahtz, Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst, New York City

  “Beyond Bedlam’s Door offers an intriguing glimpse into a psychiatrist’s world. Dr. Rubinstein is a skilled storyteller, and his recollections of provocative and challenging clinical and forensic cases make for a highly enjoyable and fascinating read for psychiatrist and patient alike.”

  —Donna Sutter, MD, MPH, Psychiatrist and former Clinical Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine

  “In Beyond Bedlam’s Door, Dr. Rubinstein shows a working psychiatrist who is compassionate and curious, always making his patients’ welfare his priority, even while negotiating the complex terrain of forensic psychiatry. Very few psychiatrists can communicate the best of what we do with such humble awe and respect for the complexities of the human mind.”

  —Howard Welsh, MD, former Director,

  Psychoanalytic Institute, and Clinical Professor

  of Psychiatry, NYU Langone Medical Center

  “Mark Rubinstein’s intriguing book, Beyond Bedlam’s Door, explores the gritty truths about psychiatric practice. Rubinstein accomplishes an amazing feat—intertwining stories from practice and the courtroom that are simultaneously bursting with resiliency, sordidness, and hope!”

  —Helen M. Farrell, MD, Psychiatrist and

  Forensic Psychiatrist, Harvard Medical School,

  and Instructor, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

  The Lovers’ Tango

  “Mark Rubinstein knows his stuff. A gripping legal drama powers this novel at a torrid pace. The tension in these pages never lets you go. But Rubinstein is a born storyteller. He knows that what goes on outside the courtroom is just as important as what happens inside.”

  —Michael Connelly,

  bestselling author of the Harry Bosch series

  “Legal thriller, medical mystery, and hauntingly suspenseful tale of a couple trapped in their final dance, Mark Rubinstein’s The Lovers’ Tango is a masterful story. The novel is powerful and poignant and kept me riveted through the last daring reveal.”

  —Linda Fairstein, New York Times

  bestselling author of the Alex Cooper series

  “In The Lovers’ Tango, Mark Rubinstein proves that Nicholas Sparks is not the only author who can masterfully blend suspense, tragedy, and romance into a timeless story of love, loss, and the beguiling mystery of memory. Here is a story within a story, all entwined around a pair of lovers locked in a tragic dance. Once it starts, you’ll be unable to tear yourself away as you’re carried relentlessly forward to the novel’s surprising and poignant ending.”

  —James Rollins, New York Times

  bestseller of The Sixth Extinction and War Hawk

  “The Lovers’ Tango is much more than a riveting courtroom drama. It is a powerful love story that kept me reading long after I should have been in bed.”

  —Phillip Margolin, New York Times

  bestselling author of Woman with a Gun

  “Mark Rubinstein’s The Lovers’ Tango is a sultry, elegant piece of romantic noir. It has a terrific legal backdrop that merges the tale into a steamy courtroom thriller focusing on human frailty and the limitations of what we see before us.”

  —Jon Land, USA Today bestselling author of Strong Darkness

  “Mark Rubinstein is a superb storyteller. His novels tap into the deepest of human emotions.”

  —Raymond Khoury, bestselling author of the Sean Reilly series

  Mad Dog House

  “I stayed up all night to read Mad Dog House. I didn’t plan on it, but when I got into it, I couldn’t put it down. It was fantastic, riveting, suspenseful, twisting, loving,
horrific.”

  —Martin West, film and television actor and filmmaker

  “The characters in Mad Dog House are compellingly real. It was a great read!”

  —Ann Chernow, artist and writer

  “In Mark Rubinstein’s Mad Dog House, the characters—all well developed and dripping with authenticity—propel the novel along with style and edge-of-your-seat excitement.”

  —Judith Marks-White, author of Seducing Harry and Bachelor Degree and columnist, “The Light Touch,” Westport (CT) News

  “Mad Dog House is a gripping, harrowing, and provocative psychological thriller, featuring a plot packed with action and intrigue, staggering and brutal twists, and deeply disturbing possibilities. The author has a gift for delivering gut-punching surprises while raising unsettling questions about the basic nature of human beings and the inescapable hold of the past.”

  —Mysia Haight, www.pressreleasepundit.com

  Love Gone Mad

  “Love Gone Mad is a beautifully crafted suspense novel. The characters are people you care about; the story is fast paced and cleverly plotted.”

  —Scott Pratt, bestselling author of the Joe Dillard series

  “I quickly found myself caught up in Love Gone Mad—part love story, part Halloween, and part legal thriller.”

  —Elissa Durwood Grodin, author of Physics Can Be Fatal

  “Rubinstein’s second foray into the fiction arena (after Mad Dog House) is an intense thriller that promises readers surprising twists, heart-pounding suspense, and a bird’s-eye view into both the mind of a madman and a dizzyingly realistic account of how it feels to be stalked as prey.”

  —Library Journal

  Mad Dog Justice

  “What price must a man pay for doing a very bad thing for a very good reason? That is the question Mad Dog Justice poses, and the answer is written with great skill and creaks with tension and truth.”

  —Simon Toyne, author of the internationally

  bestselling Sanctus Trilogy and The Searcher

  “Mad Dog Justice speeds along with more turns than a Vespa cruising through traffic. It’s a smart, twisting thriller that grows into the weightier issues of friendship, vengeance, and betrayal.”

  —Andrew Gross, bestselling author of

  Everything to Lose and The One Man

  “Mad Dog Justice thrums with relentless intensity and suspense. Rubinstein has created a palpable cast of characters who stay with you long after you finish the book.”

  —Jessica Speart, author of A Killing Season and Restless Waters

  “Reading Mad Dog Justice is akin to being on a treadmill that’s been programmed to perpetually increase speed until your heart threatens to burst from your chest. The tension in this novel accelerates to breakneck speed, and just when you think you might get a reprieve, Rubinstein shocks you again.”

  —Joseph Badal, author of The Lone Wolf Agenda

  Mad Dog Vengeance

  “Fans of The Sopranos will love this fast-paced thriller of Italian mafia versus Albanian gangsters versus an everyday guy who just wants to protect his family. Loved the explosive end!”

  —Lisa Gardner, New York Times bestselling

  author of Right behind You and the D. D. Warren series

  Assassin’s Lullaby

  Also by Mark Rubinstein

  Fiction

  The Lovers’ Tango

  Return to Sandara: A Novella of Love and Destruction

  Mad Dog House (First in the Mad Dog Trilogy)

  Mad Dog Justice (Second in the Mad Dog Trilogy)

  Mad Dog Vengeance (Last in the Mad Dog Trilogy)

  The Foot Soldier, A Novella of War

  Love Gone Mad

  Stone Soup

  Nonfiction

  The Storytellers: Straight Talk from the Planet’s Most Acclaimed Suspense and Thriller Authors (Blackstone)

  Beyond Bedlam’s Door: True Tales from the Couch and Courtroom (Thunder Lake Press)

  Bedlam’s Door: True Tales of Madness & Hope (Thunder Lake Press)

  The Growing Years: The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center Guide to Your Child’s Emotional Development (Atheneum)

  Heartplan: A Complete Program for Total Fitness of Heart & Mind (McGraw Hill) with Dr. David L. Copen

  New Choices: The Latest Options in Treating Breast Cancer (Dodd Meade) with Dr. Dennis P. Cirillo

  The Complete Book of Cosmetic Surgery (Simon & Schuster) with Dr. Dennis P. Cirillo

  The First Encounter: The Beginnings in Psychotherapy (Jason Aronson) with Dr. William A. Console and Dr. Richard C. Simons

  Assassin’s Lullaby

  MARK RUBINSTEIN

  Thunder Lake Press

  Copyright © 2022 by Mark Rubinstein

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

  Thunder Lake Press

  24338 El Toro Rd., #E227

  Laguna Woods, CA 92637

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. It is a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to people, living or dead is purely coincidental. Occasionally, real places or institutions are used novelistically for atmosphere and are employed in a fictional manner. There is no connection between the characters or events in this novel to any real-life people, places, organizations, or companies of any kind.

  Ordering Information

  Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the “Special Sales Department” at the address above.

  Orders by US trade bookstores and wholesalers. Please contact BCH: (800) 431-1579 or visit www.bookch.com for details.

  Printed in the United States of America

  Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Rubinstein, Mark, 1942-, author.

  Title: Assassin’s lullaby / Mark Rubinstein.

  Description: Laguna Woods, CA: Thunder Lake Press, 2022.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2021925365 | ISBN 978-1-941016-31-2

  Subjects: LCSH Assassins--Fiction. | Organized crime--Fiction. | Psychological fiction. | Thrillers (Fiction) | Suspense fiction. | BISAC FICTION / Thrillers / Crime

  Classification: LCC PS3618.U3 A77 2022 | DDC 813.6--dc23

  First Edition

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  For Linda

  In every life, there lurks catastrophe.

  —Eli Dagan

  1

  Knowing his life depends on stealth, Eli Dagan moves warily with the tide of pedestrians streaming along East Forty-Second Street.

  Walking amid the late-morning crowds, he does a peripheral check of his surroundings, grabs glimpses of people in store-window reflections, and watches for danger that could come from any direction.

  He’s always been a hard target—tough to kill—because he’s able to think exactly like those who would ambush him. That’s one of the secrets of being a good assassin. And of staying alive.

  It’s reflexive to notice everything. He misses nothing—sights, sounds, smells, movement. It’s all processed in milliseconds as his brain whirrs through the possibilities that could bring about the end of life.

  Nothing distracts him: not the press of people or the clot of traffic, the blinking WALK–DON’T WALK signs, the blare of horns, the hiss of air brakes, the wail of sirens, or the clatter of jackhammers.

  Because no matter where he may be, he’s focused on one imperative: survival.

  There’s a chance he’s being followed this morning—maybe by Chechens, or they could be Albanians. Or Russians—the most likely p
ossibility given the jobs he’s done for various Russian mob factions over the last few years.

  The two guys he noticed on the subway are still near enough to make the back of his neck feel even colder than normal in the frigid February air. One wears a dark blue parka with the hood pulled over his head. The other is bareheaded and wears dark sunglasses. Each time Eli thinks he sees them, they somehow manage to disappear.

  He picked them up easily on the subway platform while he was waiting for the uptown local. And he’s kept track of them on the streets where he’s been meandering in a seemingly aimless way for the last fifteen minutes. No matter how skilled these guys may be, it’s tough to tail a moving target. Static shadowing is more effective when one man picks up where the other leaves off.

  He’s taken the usual precautions: he left the apartment through the garage exit, rerouted himself twice, ducked in and out of a few stores, and watched for anyone on the subway who appeared suspicious. Yet, there’s a good chance they’re still on his tail.

  The life he’s been living has primed him to be suspicious in even the most ordinary situations.

  Is it paranoia, now at a full boil?

  Is this any way to live? Maybe it’s time to get out of the life.

  He’ll think about that later. Right now he’s gotta focus on what’s going to happen very soon. There’s no room for distraction.

  He’s glad he decided to take the Beretta. Funny how when the piece is tucked into his waistband at the small of his back, it bites into the skin. But after a while, the pressure lessens and it’s easy to forget the pistol is there. It just seems to disappear, as though it no longer exists.

  If only guilt worked the same way.

  At the intersection of Vanderbilt and Forty-Second, he turns abruptly and heads down the ramp into the southwest corner of Grand Central Terminal.