Baker concludes that, in Macbeth's words, an assassination "is a poisoned chalice." In a wide-ranging and informative history, Baker also explores the evolution of assassinations. Since 1945, fewer and fewer assassins work alone. Rather, assassinations are increasingly more likely to be carried out by political and religious terrorists or by the security services of certain states to eliminate dissidents. Russia, Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, and many other governments have utilized targeted killings when they consider their security to be under threat. An eye-opening exploration of the history of killing, On Assassinations shows us that the days of individual assassinations has ended, and a new era of mass murders and state-sponsored killings has begun.