Dexter
thriller
Series · thriller
David Slaton
The David Slaton series by Ward Larsen has 10 books and is best read in publication order, starting with The Perfect Assassin (2004).
- Books
- 10 novels + 1 novella
- First published
- 2004
- Status
- ongoing
- Last checked
Start here: The Perfect Assassin (2004) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Perfect Assassin
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Perfect Assassin - Book 2:
Assassin's Game
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Assassin's Game - Book 3:
Assassin's Silence
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Assassin's Silence - Book 4:
Assassin's Code
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Assassin's Code - Book 5:
Assassin's Run
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Assassin's Run - Book 6:
Assassin's Revenge
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Assassin's Revenge - Book 7:
Assassin's Strike
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Assassin's Strike - Book 8:
Assassin's Dawn
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Assassin's Dawn - Book 9:
Assassin's Edge
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Assassin's Edge - Book 10:
Assassin's Mark
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Assassin's Mark - Book 11:
Dark Vector
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dark Vector
About the David Slaton series
David Slaton is a former Mossad assassin — codenamed Kidon — trying, across nine novels and counting, to retire from a trade that keeps pulling him back in for one more impossible job. Ward Larsen, a former F-16 fighter pilot and airline pilot, launched the character in his debut The Perfect Assassin (2004, later folded into the numbered series), then relaunched him a decade later with Assassin's Game (2014), the book most editions treat as the series' true starting point. From there Slaton is chased through a globe-spanning run of nuclear plots, terrorist conspiracies and government betrayals, all rendered with the technical precision of an author who has actually flown the aircraft his characters fly.
What separates Slaton from the usual black-ops protagonist is his ongoing, mostly unsuccessful attempt at a normal life — a wife and young daughter he's constantly trying to protect and shield from what he does, which gives the globe-trotting tradecraft real emotional stakes. Dark Vector (2025) marks a shift, introducing a new co-lead, CIA officer Tru Miller, alongside Slaton for what publishers have framed as a broader evolution of the series.
Frequently asked questions
How many David Slaton books are there?
Ten entries as of Dark Vector (2025): the original The Perfect Assassin (2004), eight numbered Assassin's... novels (2014-2023), the short prequel novella Assassin's Dawn (2021), and Dark Vector (2025).
Should I start with The Perfect Assassin or Assassin's Game?
Most current editions and retailers treat Assassin's Game (2014) as the effective series opener, since it relaunched the character after a decade-long gap; The Perfect Assassin (2004) is Slaton's original introduction and can be read first if you want strict publication order.
What order should I read the David Slaton books in?
Publication order. The series closely tracks Slaton's family life and his history with Mossad and the CIA across books, so later entries assume you know what happened earlier.
Who is Tru Miller in Dark Vector?
A CIA officer introduced as a new co-lead alongside David Slaton in Dark Vector (2025), which publishers have described as expanding the series' direction.
If you like the David Slaton series
Reading order last verified .