Boardroom Assassin: Executive Vengeance
R L Hare
Independently Published (2025)
ISBN: 979-8294838102
Reviewed by Jill Rey for Reader Views (12/2025)
Author R L Hare has penned a courtroom thriller that spans the continent, from the glossy wooden courtrooms of North Carolina and the public state park bathrooms to the high-rise Seattle apartment buildings and tree-covered running paths. Rick Frown is a powerful corporate executive who thrives on power and control, but Detective Kolonik refuses to back down. The bathroom where the body of a young woman is found in North Carolina’s Mecklenburg State Park appears to be another random, senseless killing, but there are several pieces of evidence that don’t seem to add up. Cat hair, a coffee cup, and a hairbrush—all seemingly benign pieces of discarded trash, are actually important pieces of evidence leading Detective Elena Kolonik back to Mr. Frown.
As readers sit through the court proceedings and enter the minds of both Frown and Detective Kolonik, it is clear these two are not going to give up without a fight. With Frown’s fate in the jury’s hands, he’ll stop at nothing to ensure he remains a free man. But Detective Kolonik has one unsolved case in her storied career that still haunts her, and she’s not keen to add another one. Blending courtroom drama with psychological suspense, Hare pens an enticing legal thriller. Entwining psychological elements into this courtroom drama, Hare takes readers inside the mind of a truly twisted man, hungering for power, thriving on competition, and thirsting to get away with it.
Through stakeouts, seemingly dead ends, and a jury on the edge, Boardroom Assassin: Executive Vengeance is a chilling tale. Throughout this read, I found myself oscillating between Rick Frown’s innocence and Elena Kolonik’s determination as Hare so expertly navigates their minds. Readers quickly grasp onto each of the breadcrumbs Hare scatters about as this story slowly unfolds into one of determination, manipulation, and deceit.
As we’re transported between the hunter and the hunted, Boardroom Assassin: Executive Vengeance is a strategic whirlwind of intrigue, absolutely keeping readers glued to the page as the chase is on. The second in The Elena Kolonik Files series, fans of crime fiction, suspense, and action with a touch of psychological thrills will enjoy the original, R.L. Hare’s Boardroom Assassin, as well as this second installment.