Reviewed by Jay V.
TITLE: Assassin Fish
SERIES: Desert Fish
AUTHOR: Amy Lane
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Publishing
LENGTH: 339 Pages
RELEASE DATE: January 13, 2026
BLURB:
Eric Chistiansen—not his real name—has been looking for sanctuary for a long time. He finally thinks he’s found a crime syndicate that might watch his back while he tries to disentangle himself from his highly lucrative, highly illegal job as a killer for hire, albeit a picky one. He’s ready to hang up his guns for some peace.
Brady Carnegie came to this little slice of desert between Meth and Hell because he wanted to help bring crime down. He’s deeply disappointed to find that his new boss and others in the department are crooked. But Brady has stumbled onto the key to ending the corruption plaguing the stretch of desert he’s coming to love, if he can stay alive long enough to use it.
Brady finds unexpected allies in the same unlikely group that’s sheltering Eric and starts to realize that the good guys may not wear badges, and the bad guys who do have enough to lose to put his new friends at risk too. Brady’s always been a solid law and order man, but he finds himself shifting allegiances like the desert sands shift beneath his feet.
As Eric grows more protective of the earnest deputy, it becomes clear that a true warrior never gets to hang up his guns, and redemption doesn’t come without a price. Can a hidden nest of vigilantes bring justice to their barren land while the cop and the hitman find comfort in each other’s arms? Or is the cost of redemption only measured in blood?
REVIEW:
The Victoriana boys are back. Eric is trying to find a place he might be able to settle & the little desert conclave seems to foot the bill. Brady has transferred into the police force in the area that seems to have reduced crime. When Brady falls into an unsavorily situation that involve church leaders, police & politicians, things begin to unravel.
Anything with Sunny & Ace is always top of my list. I love those guys from when they were first introduced in Racing for the Sun. Even if they aren’t the main character, they always provide some kind of warped levity. With that said, there is a lot of cross characters from other books & occasionally I had to stop for a minute to remember who was who, but it’s nice to see continuation from all the Fish books & any time they pull their combined talents together, you’re in for a fun ride. Would I say you should read the ones before? Well, I always recommend Lane’s book as they are all so well written & great characters/MCs.
It’s hard not to like Lane’s writing as it’s sharp & descriptive without getting too lost in itself. The story is slightly predictable but the ride is always the fun part, finding out how they’ll solve the issues and not get in more trouble. This is listed as the start of a new series within the universe and it will be fun to see the dynamics of this ‘chosen family’ neighborhood. Morally grey characters are much more interesting. With that said, as I said earlier, enjoy the ride (no pun intended).
RATING: 
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