W.A.R.P. #1: The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer

This book is the first in the series, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. WASP stands for the Witness Anonymous Relocation Program, and it is supposed to send potential witnesses into the past for their own protection until trial. The plan was scrapped, but an assassin, Garrick, and his apprentice are sent to the present along with the creator of the time machine. However, the assassin's mind combines with the scientist, so he gains some unusual abilities. The apprentice, Riley, is on the run from him, because he couldn't go through with his first kill. In the present, he is being protected by Chevie, a teenage FBI "agent". The agents of today are not prepared for Garrick, the killing machine assassin, as he leaves dead bodies along the way. Eventually, Chevie and Riley return to London in 1898, but Garrick is hot on their heels. They don't find many friends to help them in old London.

I found the plot interesting, but I had some difficulty identifying with the characters, except for Garrick. The author spent more time talking about the assassin's past than the other characters. I thought that Riley and Chevie were going to be the main characters, and I guess they were, but much of the plot followed Garrick. I also thought Chevie would be using her FBI skills more, she set records at the academy, but she always seemed to get captured right away before she could do anything. It sounds like Riley will be a big character in book two, and I assume Chevie's character will be developed more.