Rating: 
Summary: Good book with an ending that surprised me.
Review: This book has a lot of suspense that kept me turning the pages. The ending, however, surprised me. Osbourne and Delaroche are by far the best and most interesting characters in the book. Although, Astrid Vogel is a nice addition to this good thriller. Overall, this book is one of the best assasin books I've read in my life. I am about to read the "The Unlikely Spy" to see if it is as good as this book. For readers who like action or assasin books, you will love this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Another good one from Silva
Review: This book is a very good read. Well plotted with few plot twists. The book starts with too many character introductions, but Silva recovers his plot line and the book moves at a rapid pace. The story holds your attention all the way to the end. It was hard to put down after I started reading. I recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as 'Unlikely Spy', but still a terrific read....
Review: This is a fantastic book! True, it lacks a few of the things-like the character development-that made "Unlikely Spy" an INCREDIBLE book, but I still rate it better than 90% of its' genre. If you liked Daniel Silva's 1st book, I think you'll find equal enjoyment here....I did!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Thriller That Will Keep You Glued To Your Seat!
Review: The Mark Of The Assassin (originally to be titled The Society) is an exciting, fast-moving thriller that is well-worth reading. It has it all...interesting characters, good plot and sub-plots, lots of action and some good surprises. Silva can expect another bestseller when this book goes on-sale in March (possibly April); however, it is not without some minor flaws, such as occasional weak dialogue and a few secondary characters which could have been developed more. I think you'll be able to easily overlook these flaws.
The Mark Of The Assassin is a very good second effort by Silva, but it is not as good as his previous thriller, The Unlikely Spy (which is now out in paperback). Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Recent Spy Thrillers
Review: Silva's book isn't perfect, but it's a darn good read nonetheless. His writing is far better than most spy thriller writers and is peppered with exotic European locales and interesting characters. This is a thriller for those who snooze through all the techno mumbo-jumbo of Clancy's books and their ilk. This is more of a character-driven thriller in the tradition of the better Robert Ludlum books. Excitement without the special effects. There are, of course, a few overused plot devices in this one, but all in all it's quite a fun read.
Rating:
Summary: Be wary of uninformed reviews!
Review: This book was first published in 1998, approximately three years before the horror...therefore it cannot be an allegory of the post attack world because it was written before those attacks occured. For credibility...I remember reading this novel in August of 2001.
Take it for what it is: an entertaining (though formulaic) international thriller.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Recent Spy Thrillers
Review: Silva's book isn't perfect, but it's a darn good read nonetheless. His writing is far better than most spy thriller writers and is peppered with exotic European locales and interesting characters. This is a thriller for those who snooze through all the techno mumbo-jumbo of Clancy's books and their ilk. This is more of a character-driven thriller in the tradition of the better Robert Ludlum books. Excitement without the special effects. There are, of course, a few overused plot devices in this one, but all in all it's quite a fun read.
Rating:
Summary: Will anyone get out of this, alive?
Review: An American plane is mid-air when a rocket is launched from the boat of an assassin, killing everyone on board. The United States immediately reacts, informing the public that the attackers are hostile national terrorists whose country must be subdued. The war begins. Is this the real story?This all too familiar tale mirrors the allegations of the Vietnam war all over again. Dear reader is subjected to a complicated ride of examining greed and motivations. One character has the goods on another character who is blackmailing another character. The list goes on and on. But still, this hired assassin, whose trademark for killing is three bullets to the face continues to take down one after another. Whose payroll is he on and who is next? Although the story is fairly formulaic and certainly well-suited for a major motion production, the action is non-stop and has its audience wondering who will get out of this complicated mess, alive.
Rating:
Summary: Love of Conspiracy
Review: First off, this is an interesting book and well worth reading,
but for the conspiracy buff, this would have to be a "5 star"
rating. The author sketches, over the length of this story,
such a conspiracy that could only exist in the minds of the
most imaginative of us. He presents a secret organization composed of capitalists, communists, drug lords, terrorists,
intelligence organizations from both East and West, Arabs,
Israelis and such historically opposed groups as to defy
belief, and he wants us to believe all of these opposing
forces and beliefs get together as one, all for the purpose
of pursuing actions that will benefit all of them.
A bit of belief has to be suspended in order for the reader
to accept this premise.
But the writing is so well done, and the characters so interesting, it is possible to do so.
The story starts out with the downing of a crowded US airliner
over the Atlantic shortly after takeoff, and it takes off from
there with killings so wide-spread and among such a diverse group of people, they are hard to follow. Except for the participants of course.
The hero is a CIA man, and he recognizes quickly the mark of
an assassin he has encountered before, and he begins a dogged
search for that person, and along the way has to deal with many
more deaths, which, even to him, sometimes seem unconnected.
But this is an interesting story, and it will certainly be
stimulating to many.
As said above, conspiracy buffs will salivate over this one.
But the rest of us can still enjoy a good, entertaining story.
Rating: 
Summary: Fails to Leave a Mark
Review: Some writers run aground as there careers progress, while others find greater depths. Having discovered Silva's writing through "The Dead Artist" and "The English Assassin," I've come to expect subtlety and nuance, with sympathetic characters. Silva is one of my new favorite authors. Going back to read "The Mark of the Assassin," for me, was a disappointment. While Silva's concepts and characters match those of his later books, he seems less focused here. We watch political maneuverings, clandestine meetings, brutal attacks, yet never really doubt what's going on. We see little of the main characters within the first hundred pages, and when Michael Osbourne and his wife do take center stage, they are puppets in a less than credible play. The writing is fine. Dialogue moves along. But the improbabilities and coincidences begin to mount quickly. Even as the pace picks up in the last quarter of the book, I found myself doubting the scenes. One example: the KGB trained, world-renowned assassin moves in for the kill by taking the disguise of a bicycle courier(even getting multiple piercings to look the part), but as soon as our erstwhile hero sees him from a distance, the cover is blown. Ah, too bad--all that effort for nothing. For a fast-paced story and streamlined writing, "The Mark of the Assassin" surpasses many second-rate novels. Clearly, though, with only his second book, Silva was fine-tuning his storytelling, and I had a difficult time getting lost in this tale. Having been spoiled by his newer, richer work, I finished this one with barely a mark.
|
