The Hitman Book | AB & F Solutions LLC

The Hitman Book

Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors is a book written under the pseudonym Rex Feral whose real name is Nancy Crampton-Brophy and was published by Paladin Press in 1983. Paladin Press owner Peder Lund claimed, in an interview with 60 Minutes, that the book started life as a detailed crime novel written by a Florida housewife, and that the format was later changed to appeal to Paladin's reader base accustomed to the publisher's non-fiction books on military, survivalist, weapons and similar topics. The book portrays itself as a how-to manual on starting a career as a hit man, fulfilling contracts. However, after a number of lawsuits claiming that the book was used as a handbook in several murders, the publication of the book was stopped. It marked "the first time in American publishing history that a publisher has been held liable for a crime committed by a reader."[1]

Paladin Press published the book under Nancy Crampton-Brophy's pseudonym "Rex Feral" in 1983.[2] The book is written as if by an actual experienced assassin, as a how-to manual on contract killing, however, in 1998 the Washington Post reported that the author was really a divorced mother-of-two who simply fabricated much of the material based on mystery novels and movies.[3][4] The book goes on at length about studying "the mark", learning the mark's movements and routine, and silently moving in for the profitable kill, and offers advice on weapon selection and techniques.[5]

On March 3, 1993, a triple murder was committed in Montgomery County, Maryland, by a man who used the book as his guide.[6] James Perry, who had been imprisoned for a violent crime, was caught, convicted, and sentenced three times to death.[7] He had been hired by Lawrence Horn, who sought to receive the proceeds of a trust fund that resulted from his ex-wife's suing a hospital over injuries to their son.[7]

On May 21, 1999, Paladin Press' insurance company agreed to settle the case out-of-court, against the wishes of Paladin Press themselves, who were confident that they would prevail in court on First Amendment grounds; however, Paladin's insurance company balked at going to court again, figuring expenses for a lengthy trial in federal court, plus the posting of a bond in case they lost and appealed, would have cost much more than the settlement.[10] Under this settlement, Paladin's insurance policy paid several million dollars to the families of those killed by the murderer, while also agreeing to destroy the remaining 700 copies of the book in their possession and surrendering any rights they had to publish and reproduce the work.[7] Jon Ford, Paladin's editorial director, called the settlement "economic censorship."[10]

The book was also cited as a source of information in a similar crime committed by Robert Vaughn Jones in 1999.[11] In 2000, Paladin Press was sued again as a result of Hit Man. The lawsuit was a result of the 1998 attempted murder of Bobby Joe Wilson by her ex-husband, Robert Leslie Goggin, who allegedly hired Robert Jones to kill her in order to get money from her life insurance policy. In court, Jones testified that Goggin recruited him to kill Wilson. Jones said he then purchased Hit Man. In her lawsuit, Wilson outlined two dozen points of advice from the book that Jones followed to the letter in planning to kill her. The suit was eventually settled out of court in 2002.[11][12]

After the legal cases, Paladin no longer published the book, and allowed the remaining undestroyed circulating copies to sell out.[4] Copies exist on the Internet (notably IRC), often accompanied by the spurious claim that the book is now in the public domain.[5] Paladin Press claims that the rights are still held by the author.[13] It can also be purchased used from independent sellers. It is believed that 13,000 copies were sold, although Reason Magazine estimates there are 20,000 copies of the book in existence.

In 1999, a book Titled Deliberate Intent: a lawyer tells the true story of murder by the book, was released by lawyer, author, and First Amendment scholar, Rod Smolla.[14] Deliberate Intent described his involvement in the notorious "Hit Man" case, where Smolla successfully represented the families of three murder victims in the court case against Paladin Press. The book was later made into a television movie and actor Timothy Hutton portrayed Smolla.

On August 6, 2000, a television film by Fox and the FX Cable Network titled Deliberate Intent was aired in the U.S. based directly on the book and the case.[15][16] It starred Timothy Hutton, Ron Rifkin, Clark Johnson, Penny Johnson Jerald, Cliff DeYoung, James McDaniel, and Yanna McIntosh. Peder Lund, Paladin Press' owner, was played by Kenneth Welsh. It was directed by Andy Wolk, produced by Howard Braunstein and Michael Jaffe, with music by Harald Kloser.[17] In the drama, which clearly parallels the Horn case,

The legal team then proceeds to tie the book to the case of a Motown recording engineer (McDaniel) who gets a hitman to murder his ex-wife, their paraplegic daughter [sic] and the son's nurse. By proving that the hired killer followed 22 of the 26 steps shown in Paladin's book, they're able to bring home the point that freedom of speech laws should not protect material that is produced for the purpose of aiding and abetting murder.[15]

Cover of the 1983 book Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors published by Paladin Press, a how-to guide for those seeking to pursue a career as murderers for hire. The book was involved in a First Amendment case in which a circuit court said the First Amendment did not protect the book. (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia via fair use)

As the title suggests, the book Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors is a how-to guide for those seeking to pursue a career as murderers for hire. It was written by Rex Feral, a pseudonym some believe belongs to a Florida woman, who originally wrote the book as a crime novel. The book was published by Paladin Press in 1983 and sold approximately 13,000 copies while it was on the market. It became the subject of two suits in federal court, both with First Amendment implications.

isn't sure if she's an average Romance reader, or even an average reader, but a reader she is, enjoying everything from literary fiction to philosophy to history to poetry. Historical Romance was her first love within the genre, but she's fickle and easily seduced by the promise of a good read. She approaches every book with the same hope: that she will be filled from the inside out with something awesome that she didnÊ¼t know, didnÊ¼t think about, or didnÊ¼t feel until that moment. And she's always looking for the next mind-blowing read, so feel free to share any suggestions!

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Your IOI Account can also be used to download the additional digital content included with the HITMAN 3 Deluxe Edition; The World of Hitman digital book and original game soundtracks for HITMAN 1-3. (Your Deluxe Escalations, suits, items and director commentary can be accessed in-game)

This is my book summary of Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins. My notes are informal and often contain quotes from the book as well as my own thoughts. This summary also includes key lessons and important passages from the book.

James Clear writes about habits, decision making, and continuous improvement. He is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, Atomic Habits. The book has sold over 10 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 50 languages.

Agent 47: Birth of the Hitman is a prequel comic book miniseries for the hit stealth video game franchise; Hitman, a series of third-person stealth action games by Danish developer IO Interactive. The comic book series was released on November 1st, 2017, published by Dynamite Comics, and focuses on the young 47, fellow clone 6, and his soon-to-be handler, Diana Burnwood, and their separate exploits before they joined the ICA; the International Contracts Association.

The comic book series wrapped up on June 20th, 2018, a few months before Hitman 2 came out, in which this comics' events are acknowledged and referenced several times, and it clarifies some of the events only alluded to by characters in Hitman (2016). This comic would be further referenced in Hitman 3 at least once in every level. As such, this comic series is the backbone for the story of what IO Interactive dubs the World of Assassination Trilogy, meaning this comic does have some Continuity Lockout involved.

An Omnibus edition that compiles all six issues into one book was released at the end of the run (and can be read for free if you have a Amazon Prime membership!), which fixed a few errors, as well as making a few color palette changes.

Hitman is one of the stealth genre's most iconic games, putting us in the shoes of the elusive Agent 47. He's instantly recognisable from his bald head to his barcode, and that wasn't an accident. In the upcoming book The History of the Stealth Game, it's revealed that IO Interactive wanted to "create a brand that could stand the test of time, like Coca-Cola." 2b1af7f3a8