DEATH TO ORDER A MODERN HISTORY OF ASSASSINATION

A MODERN HISTORY OF ASSASSINATION A fascinating study of the sharp edge of international diplomacy

- Jonathan Gordon, Callum McKelvie, John Beales

Author: Simon Ball Publisher: Yale University Press Price: £25 Released: Out now

The term assassination in a historical context immediately brings to mind high-profile, sometimes still hotly debated, cases. Today, assassination, being the premeditated killing of an individual for ideological or political reasons, is prohibited under international law. Even so, as Simon Ball's new examination of assassination through the 20th century makes clear, that doesn't appear to have stopped it from being important. From Archduke Ferdinand to John F Kennedy, the killing of prominent political figures had a massive impact on the shaping of the 20th century.