Rick Van Etten '71
ROBERT VANCE IS A MAN WITH A SECRET…
Robert Vance is a magazine editor who works from home and lives in a house full of books. His neighbors think of him as a quiet, unassuming man. His passion for pheasant hunting with Preacher, his German wirehaired pointer, is typical of sportsmen living in the Midwest. But what isn’t so typical—and what his neighbors don’t know—is that occasionally Robert hunts something besides pheasants. Robert hates bullies and injustice. When someone has a problem with either, he or she can hire Robert to make the situation right. But Robert isn’t—in his own mind—just a contract killer. He lives by a set of rules that dictate who, where, and why he can kill. So when a well-meaning citizen discovers Robert’s latest target and winds up being charged with the killing, Robert must take steps to ensure the man’s freedom.
STEPS THAT WILL MOST LIKELY INVOLVE KILLING AGAIN…
Robert Vance is a magazine editor who works from home and lives in a house full of books. His neighbors think of him as a quiet, unassuming man. His passion for pheasant hunting with Preacher, his German wirehaired pointer, is typical of sportsmen living in the Midwest. But what isn’t so typical—and what his neighbors don’t know—is that occasionally Robert hunts something besides pheasants. Robert hates bullies and injustice. When someone has a problem with either, he or she can hire Robert to make the situation right. But Robert isn’t—in his own mind—just a contract killer. He lives by a set of rules that dictate who, where, and why he can kill. So when a well-meaning citizen discovers Robert’s latest target and winds up being charged with the killing, Robert must take steps to ensure the man’s freedom.
STEPS THAT WILL MOST LIKELY INVOLVE KILLING AGAIN…
A RUTHLESS SEXUAL PREDATOR…A YOUNG WOMAN DETERMINED TO SEE JUSTICE DONE. . . AND AN AGING HITMAN BEGINNING TO DOUBT HIS ABILITIES . . .
Robert Vance is a quite, work-at-home magazine editor who occasionally moonlights as a contract killer. He's on his way to retirement after making some serious mistakes on his last assignment and violating one of his own immutable rules, no collateral damage. But he is drawn back into the dark world of assassinations when a friend is targeted. He knows he should stay away; he's not as fast nor as sharp as he used to be, and his confidence is waning. But when he learns his friend's daughter might be in the crosshairs of a predator, he can't stay on the sidelines.
HE'S ABOUT TO BREAK ANOTHER RULE - NEVER GET PERSONAL.
Robert Vance is a quite, work-at-home magazine editor who occasionally moonlights as a contract killer. He's on his way to retirement after making some serious mistakes on his last assignment and violating one of his own immutable rules, no collateral damage. But he is drawn back into the dark world of assassinations when a friend is targeted. He knows he should stay away; he's not as fast nor as sharp as he used to be, and his confidence is waning. But when he learns his friend's daughter might be in the crosshairs of a predator, he can't stay on the sidelines.
HE'S ABOUT TO BREAK ANOTHER RULE - NEVER GET PERSONAL.
VANCE’S FOURTH RULE OF CONTRACT KILLING: NEVER TARGET A POLITICIAN. BUT NO ONE SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THEIR FAMILY.
Robert Vance is ready to retire from his moonlighting gig as a hitman and enjoy a quiet life. But when the sister of a former client is murdered, he’s reluctantly pulled back in—this time, to deliver justice.
The target? The arrogant son of a corrupt congresswoman. Assassinating a politician would trigger a firestorm of investigation, but eliminating her son skirts Vance’s own code…barely.
To reduce the risk, he plans to stage the hit as an accident. But the job grows more complicated when Vance finds himself increasingly drawn to his client—an emotional entanglement that could prove deadly.
Robert Vance is ready to retire from his moonlighting gig as a hitman and enjoy a quiet life. But when the sister of a former client is murdered, he’s reluctantly pulled back in—this time, to deliver justice.
The target? The arrogant son of a corrupt congresswoman. Assassinating a politician would trigger a firestorm of investigation, but eliminating her son skirts Vance’s own code…barely.
To reduce the risk, he plans to stage the hit as an accident. But the job grows more complicated when Vance finds himself increasingly drawn to his client—an emotional entanglement that could prove deadly.
Rick Van Etten is a former college English instructor, corporate communications professional and retired magazine editor whose numerous articles and features have appeared in Gun Dog, Wing & Shot, Sports Afield, Ducks Unlimited, Game & Fish, Petersen's Hunting, Farm & Ranch Living and Reader's Digest. An Illinois native and lifelong upland bird hunter, Rick now lives in Iowa with a middle-aged Irish setter and an elderly tortoiseshell cat. He's now authored three Robert Vance books.