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markhadley's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
ker95's review
4.0
It has been years since I've read an international thriller. The first third of the book or so seemed slow to me, but as the pace picked up to an incredible speed it became obvious that the stage had to be set - in character development, motive, and location.
Most of this novel takes place in the middle east, but it is without a doubt a tale of espionage, betrayal and revenge that could have taken place in any place. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it so much, but Mr. Dawson did an excellent job of drawing the reader in and keeping them in the story.
I look forward to reading more by this author, and will undoubtedly be picking up Blood Moon Rising, the second in this series. Have also shared the Kindle book with my husband who, I suspect, will enjoy it at least as much.
Most of this novel takes place in the middle east, but it is without a doubt a tale of espionage, betrayal and revenge that could have taken place in any place. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it so much, but Mr. Dawson did an excellent job of drawing the reader in and keeping them in the story.
I look forward to reading more by this author, and will undoubtedly be picking up Blood Moon Rising, the second in this series. Have also shared the Kindle book with my husband who, I suspect, will enjoy it at least as much.
ford's review
2.0
Affordable and worth a read. A decent spin on Kill Bill (without swords or martial arts, don't let the cover fool you), but certain parts should have been sliced in favor or more action. Thrillers should have at least three action set pieces. This has one. At the end. While good, it needed the other two to fulfill the requirements of the thriller genre and fully entertain. The character and plot are interesting (to me). I was never bored. This series has potential and at $2 (Kindle), I'm willing to try book #2, but it better have more action or I'm tapping out on the series. On a final note, there is part in the book that is pure exposition and should have been dramatized. A really compelling, dramatic scene wasn't in the book that would have improved it by a few notches. Not sure if it's in another book, but it should have been here.
ericwelch's review against another edition
4.0
So I started this book about a year ago, dropped it in the middle for whatever reason, and then recently began reading Ghosts, #4 in the John Milton series, which I enjoy. In that one (see my review) Milton is helped out of a jam by the Russians who want him to locate Beatrix Rose, who had been #1 in “Control’s” British secret organization of assassins. Hence the backstory in the beginning of Ghosts wherein Rose’s husband is killed after she discovers that Control is running his own little personal operation. With me so far?
So now we’re back to Beatrix Rose #1, In Cold Blood, in which she, having discovered she has cancer, has embarked on a journey of revenge to get those operatives who were involved in the killing of her husband. So she proceeds to take on hordes of Somalis bailing out an entire SEAL platoon in order to kill Joyce, #10, who had participated in the killing of her husband. She, in turn, gets rescued by the fortuitous presence of Michael Pope (more later) who is monitoring everything and uses some drones to take out some more bad guys. I never said this would be easy.
Surprisingly, the Milton book, Ghosts, does begin to tie things together. Kind of clever on the author’s part to relate the series together like a mosaic. The two series should probably be read concurrently and in order, starting with the John Milton books. They get better as they go along and the author does have a nice vocabulary. Mine is pretty good but I had to look up about half dozen.
So now we’re back to Beatrix Rose #1, In Cold Blood, in which she, having discovered she has cancer, has embarked on a journey of revenge to get those operatives who were involved in the killing of her husband. So she proceeds to take on hordes of Somalis bailing out an entire SEAL platoon in order to kill Joyce, #10, who had participated in the killing of her husband. She, in turn, gets rescued by the fortuitous presence of Michael Pope (more later) who is monitoring everything and uses some drones to take out some more bad guys. I never said this would be easy.
Surprisingly, the Milton book, Ghosts, does begin to tie things together. Kind of clever on the author’s part to relate the series together like a mosaic. The two series should probably be read concurrently and in order, starting with the John Milton books. They get better as they go along and the author does have a nice vocabulary. Mine is pretty good but I had to look up about half dozen.
allandanybooks's review
3.0
This book was prutal. And not really something that I enjoy reading in general, there was just too much violence in it.
Don't get me wrong, the plot and especially Beatrix's character were very good and very interesting but I guess this kind of violence makes me uncomfortable and therefore I did not enjoy the book as much as I could have.
If the terrorists' point of view and the hostages point of view were left out, I would have possibly enjoyed this book more and I could have given it more stars.
I think that this book would be perfect for anybody who likes book about war and about those kind of horrific situations and in my opinion this is more of a men's book than it is women's.
I will be reading the rest of the books in the series but I will have to take a little break before I can do this journey again.
* I received this title from NetGalley
Don't get me wrong, the plot and especially Beatrix's character were very good and very interesting but I guess this kind of violence makes me uncomfortable and therefore I did not enjoy the book as much as I could have.
If the terrorists' point of view and the hostages point of view were left out, I would have possibly enjoyed this book more and I could have given it more stars.
I think that this book would be perfect for anybody who likes book about war and about those kind of horrific situations and in my opinion this is more of a men's book than it is women's.
I will be reading the rest of the books in the series but I will have to take a little break before I can do this journey again.
* I received this title from NetGalley
snowcrash's review
3.0
I am always seeking thriller series centered around spies and assassins. This author has quite a number of books in this genre. In looking back, I should have started out with _The Cleaner_, the beginning of the John Milton books. There are mentions to Group 15 and Milton, but not enough to distract.
This is a short book, less than 200 pages. It is essentially a straight ahead revenge story with some subtle twists that are par for the course in the genre. Beatrix is an interesting character, but due to the length, she isn't well developed. This may be due to not going through the Milton books. Also the blurb on the back of the book is barely credible to what is in the book.
I think I'll circle back to _The Cleaner_ to get a better sense of the series and characters.
This is a short book, less than 200 pages. It is essentially a straight ahead revenge story with some subtle twists that are par for the course in the genre. Beatrix is an interesting character, but due to the length, she isn't well developed. This may be due to not going through the Milton books. Also the blurb on the back of the book is barely credible to what is in the book.
I think I'll circle back to _The Cleaner_ to get a better sense of the series and characters.
luke_harkness's review
4.0
Too short to feel full. But a great short story
Mark Dawson's novels are often a little shorter as he likes to get down to the action quite quickly. I felt this novel was just a little too short at under 200 pages (excluding all the acknowledgements and such) and therefore it only really allowed for one rise in the story.
The character of Beatrix Rose is very interesting and Dawson has made her someone that I wish to read more about as she continues to struggle in multiple ways.
I'd recommend this for those looking for a quick and easy action read!
Mark Dawson's novels are often a little shorter as he likes to get down to the action quite quickly. I felt this novel was just a little too short at under 200 pages (excluding all the acknowledgements and such) and therefore it only really allowed for one rise in the story.
The character of Beatrix Rose is very interesting and Dawson has made her someone that I wish to read more about as she continues to struggle in multiple ways.
I'd recommend this for those looking for a quick and easy action read!
imzadirose's review
2.0
Meh. It was ok. Mainly boring. Beatrix is unlikable, probably because there really wasn't any character development for her.
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