NewCase №02 · Assassins Are Our Greatest Assets · Out now
New
The Subject
Meet Ishmael Dollah
Two decades in the C-suite sharpened Ishmael Dollah’s already lethal killer instinct. Now retired and seeking new purpose, he applies this to a new vocation – assassination. A devoted family man who lives and operates in the safest country in the world, Ishmael’s gradual transformation from a CEO into an assassin explores an ageing man’s need to recapture relevance and to find meaning in an indifferent world while righting perceived wrongs and delivering his brand of justice. Dark, funny, and calmly ruthless - this is corporate satire with a body count.
SubjectIshmael Dollah
Former TitleChief Executive
Current RoleActive Assassin
Last KnownSingapore
Ishmael’s notebook on Shesh
Shesh
Plays tennis. But not very well.
Mentors start-ups.
Has OCD.
Hates travelling.
From IIMB. Batch of '88.
Loves reading.
The Books
The Case Files
Read in order: the body count compounds.
Case01
Where it begins
Sixty Is The New Assassin
Book 1 · 2024 · Westland Books
A whisper about his daughter-in-law’s affair shatters Ishmael’s comfortable retirement. So he does what he has always done best: builds a plan, sets the targets, and executes. A debut that blends dark humour with genuine suspense.
Ishmael has found his rhythm, and every clean kill makes him bolder. But Inspector Julia Binti Shafiq is reading the same numbers he is, and they lead straight to him. Call it a novel guide to terminating employees.
The Salt In Our Veins : Stories from the Sea — Bold, Bizarre and Brave
2025, TWAGAA International
‘The Salt in Our Veins: Stories from the Sea — Bold, Bizarre, and Brave’ brings together 15 riveting stories penned by seasoned mariners, offering a rare glimpse into the extraordinary lives of those who have sailed the vast oceans. From thrilling sea voyages to moments of quiet reflection on board, from encounters with unpredictable storms to humourous mishaps at port, each tale captures the essence of life at sea, ashore, and beyond. The stories, filled with adventure, camaraderie and nostalgia, reveal the highs and lows of a mariner’s life. As the waves of time roll on, this anthology stands as a timeless testament to the spirit of sailors.
Uncharted Waters - Stories from the churn of the sea
2026, TWAGAA International
Uncharted Waters brings together thirty-five stories shaped by oceans, engine rooms, storms, silences, and long nights of reflection. These are not tales of glory, but of endurance, humour, doubt, courage, mischief, faith, loss, and transformation. Each story emerges from the churn of the sea, where certainty is rare, and character is tested daily.
From fires fought in choking darkness to laughter shared over illicit songs on a VHF radio; from improbable stowaways and near-miss disasters to moments of unexpected grace on foreign shores, these stories reveal the deeply human side of life. Some are tense, some playful, some contemplative, but all are rooted in lived and relatable experiences.
Written by people who have sailed across eras and oceans, and others who carried the sea within them long after coming ashore, this anthology is a testament to storytelling as survival, remembrance, and connection.
Uncharted Waters is not just a collection of stories – it is a shared logbook of lives lived between horizon and home, reminding us that the sea shapes not only ships, but souls.
This is a fast-paced book, quirkily humorous, and with an interesting premise: crime (in particular really vicious crime, like a carefully-plotted murder) needs the similar sort of insight, resourcefulness, ability and initiative as does business. Would a successful businessman, then, also make a good criminal?
Madhulika Liddle, Author
“
This dance between charm and cruelty makes him a remarkably nuanced protagonist. The grey in him makes him unlikeable, yet the reader can’t brush off his magnetism.
Lalitha Ramanathan, Author
“
Although the story revolves around secrecy and lies, there is plenty of humor and quick wit that keep the story light-hearted. You can’t help but root for Ishmael in his journey of reinvention.
Tori Thompson
“
This hilarious and quirky story is a quick read. The beginning had me in splits. Ishmael's antics were OTT but totally okay in his context. (I'll defend him until my last breath).
Nisha Joshi
“
There is humour, twists and turns, everything and more you want in a crime.
The descriptions are vivid, and the language is classy. It is simple, lucid, and yet sophisticated in the right places, without compromising the readability and narrative flow.
Pankaj Giri, Author
“
Sharp, darkly funny, and delightfully unhinged in all the best ways. Ishmael is the kind of protagonist you can’t quite root for but can’t stop reading about either.
Claire Reviews
“
Assassins Are Our Greatest Assets is a lighthearted, quirky, and entertaining book about a CEO-turned-assassin. It’s got a good pace and can be finished in a couple of sittings.
Srivalli Rekha Mantrala, Author
“
Shesh trusts us readers to wrestle with these dilemmas and decide for ourselves where the line between right and wrong truly lies.
Dr. Elsa Pradhananga
“
Assassins Are Our Greatest Assets follows an old-school writing style that is gripping and fast-paced for the genre. Also, the story is set in Singapore, and I have to thank the author for describing it so beautifully. The lanes, the people, the parks- all come together to complete the story.
Chitra Iyer
“
Between all this planning and action are interspersed verbal images of Singapore at dawn, at dusk, by the river, in the fancy condos and huge malls, which you may be familiar with, but also the dimly lit, dustbin lined, dingy lanes, which the reader is unlikely to know
Nira Ramachandran
“
I loved this series. It’s just up my street.
Veronika Jordan
Endorsed by K.J. Charles · Madhulika Liddle · Lalitha Ramanathan · Pankaj Giri · Srivalli Rekha Mantrala
On the Record
Media & Appearances
Interviews, podcasts, and conversations with the author.
Shesh spent over three decades building businesses before turning to crime.
Crime fiction, that is.
A marine engineer by training and an MBA by education, he has sailed across much of the known world, led companies across several industries, and spent more than fifteen years as a CEO. Along the way, he discovered that the corporate world contains almost everything a crime writer could ask for: ambition, deception, betrayal, greed—and what happens when killer instincts run amok.
His one enduring lesson? Every organisation has secrets. Every person has motives. Every decision has consequences.
Today, Shesh writes fast-paced thrillers that blend intelligent storytelling with dark humour, memorable characters, and just enough truth to make readers slightly uncomfortable.
He lives in Dubai, where he advises companies how to grow by day and commits crimes on the page by night.
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