The Mark of the Assassin
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The Mark of the Assassin (Michael Osbourne #1)
by
Daniel Silva
When CIA agent Michael Osbourne is sent to investigate the tragic bombing of an airliner, he notices the mark of a notorious assassin on one of the dead: three bullet holes to the face. Now it's up to Osbourne to seek out the killer's employer, as well as the savage man who has evaded Osbourne for years.
Other Format, Abridged, 0 pages
Published
March 28th 2010
by Brilliance Audio
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Having read the Gabriel Allon series, I've long been a fan of Daniel Silva's writing, however had not gone back to read his earliest works, including this book featuring CIA operative Michael Osbourne. The story revolves around the terrorist bombing of a flight departing from JFK and an assassination bearing the trademark "3 shots to the face" that Osbourne recognizes from a previous murder. Osbourne has been tracking him on the side for years, and knows the trail is hot after the lat...more
This is an early effort by Daniel Silva to create another character different from Gabril Allon. The effort is patially successful. While Michael Osbourne is no Allon, neverthless this story is a good one.
Moving around the world to London, Cairo, Amsterdam, and Washington, Osbourne attempts to find the terrorists who shot down an airliner off the coast of Long Island. Osbourne's main antagonist is Delaroche, a KGB-trained expert assassin who leaves a signature on the people he ki...more
Moving around the world to London, Cairo, Amsterdam, and Washington, Osbourne attempts to find the terrorists who shot down an airliner off the coast of Long Island. Osbourne's main antagonist is Delaroche, a KGB-trained expert assassin who leaves a signature on the people he ki...more
The Mark of the Assassin is billed as part of the Gabriel Allon series, and as a prequel, I suppose there’s some truth in that. But Allon makes no appearances here, although familiar characters such as Adrian Carter do have roles. The eponymous assassin is Jean-Paul Delaroche, whose “mark” is his killing style, always three shots to the face. He’s a pretty effective antagonist. As for the protagonist, Michael Osborne, he’s no Gabriel Allon, personality wise. Most of the characters, in fact, good...more
Another reviewer could not put this book down. I could - and did after about a hundred pages. Granted the subject is topical, but the plot is unbelievable and so are the mechanics necessary to make it work. To take but one example, the fact that the wife of the CIA agent happens to be a close friend of the investigative journalist is a coincidence too far.
As for the writing: "... surrounded by the élite of Washington's Republican establishment," a waiter hands Elizabeth "...more
As for the writing: "... surrounded by the élite of Washington's Republican establishment," a waiter hands Elizabeth "...more
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This was good, but not as good as the Gabriel Allon series by Silva. It is spy/intrigue, and the protagonist, Michael Osborne, works for the CIA. It is a bit like Ken Follett's "Eye of the Needle." There is a LOT going on, some probably not really necessary. The ending however is very suspenseful, and kept my attention from the slow run-up all the way to the end. What interested me is the very secret international society of movers and shakers who has placed the puppet U.S. president ...more
A friend told me I wouldn't enjoy the book as much as the Gabriel series because of too many characters to keep straight. Perhaps this is the reason I found myself surprised I liked it so much! Actually all of his books has many characters and I found this the easiest because they were from all different countries hence it was not hard to keep track of them. In his Gabriel series there are so many Jewish characters with similar names [at least to a Southerner!:].
This one has a great p...more
This one has a great p...more
I would give this one 3.5. I am becoming a big fan of Daniel Silva and have read 4 of his books so far and find them all interesting. This one is one of the Michael Osborne series, the first one, and it is a pretty good spy novel---good characters, quick-moving story, and a decent narrator. I read the second in the series first, on my cruise, so a few of the things that happened in the first novel I already knew about before I read it. Something that happens in this book reminds me that maybe...more
One of Silva's early spy thrillers....terrorists blow an airliner out of the sky as it takes off from NYC but the terrorists turn out to be wealthy international arms dealers whose objective is to increase instability with the associated increase in the sales of their products. They also have political influence which reaches into the highest echelons of the CIA as well as the oval office. A good choice if you enjoy thrillers as Silva weaves his tale with several unexpected twists and turns al...more
A fast paced mystery which starts out a bit slow (but well paced) and keeps your reading with twists and a surprise I didn't see midway through.
To be fair though, the setup alone is half the book.
The story starts with an act of terrorism. A jet liner is shot out of the sky using an land-to-air shoulder missile, the shooter is a terrorist known to the authorities who is found dead next to the empty missile tube shot in the face three times.
Three shots to the face are the ma...more
To be fair though, the setup alone is half the book.
The story starts with an act of terrorism. A jet liner is shot out of the sky using an land-to-air shoulder missile, the shooter is a terrorist known to the authorities who is found dead next to the empty missile tube shot in the face three times.
Three shots to the face are the ma...more
Claudia
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Recommended to Claudia by:
Kara
Shelves:
suspense-fiction
Rip-roaring adventure...conspiracies at the highest levels of government and industry. A merciless assassin who shoots his victims three times in the face. Wealthy powerful men who will do whatever it takes to get power and consolidate power. Gotta love a Daniel Silva novel. My friend and I think October is the prototype for Gabiel Allon...a small trim man, good with a gun, and a talented artist. We think that idea was too good to drop. So, out with October and in with Gabriel.
Some b...more
Some b...more
If you don't mind cliches then you'll probably enjoy this book. But if scandinavian blondes with vivid blue eyes, cia agents who are as good as good, kgb baddies who are as bad as bad and have psychological problems aren't your thing then seriously don't bother. the plot is predictable. the characters are obvious and without interest and all in all the story is one that has been told a billion times before. Frankly, I was bored.
This book was on my list of hundreds of things to read, but it happened to be on the library shelf last week when I was browsing, so I checked it out. I liked it. It is fast-paced and held my interest. There is a sequel to it, then Michael Silva moved on to a new series.
I especially enjoyed his descriptions of French villages, Paris and Cairo. The assassin's skill as a painter was an inspired touch. I will read more of Silva's work.
I especially enjoyed his descriptions of French villages, Paris and Cairo. The assassin's skill as a painter was an inspired touch. I will read more of Silva's work.
This was a pretty good book. No where near the quality of his Gabriel Allon books. It was interesting seeing how a lot of the characters in the Allon series got their start. Adrian Carter, Graham Seymour, Ari Shamron, and even Herr Becker.
Having read so many books in this genre it was easy for me to find plot similarities with many books. The most striking was the end of the book being very similar to Patriot Games.
I am not sure if I will read the next book in the ser...more
Having read so many books in this genre it was easy for me to find plot similarities with many books. The most striking was the end of the book being very similar to Patriot Games.
I am not sure if I will read the next book in the ser...more
Pretty good spy thriller. I thought it had a few plot devices that were a little hard to swallow or I would have given it a 4 star. I think this was Silva's first book so I hope he gets tighter with his plotting. That is almost always what turns me off spy thriller that are suppose to be plausible, the implausible act. James Bond can get away with it because it is a cartoon, otherwise no can do.
Currently rereading all of Daniel Silva's works. Mark of the Assassin is a let down after his remarkable and complex debut work The Unlikely Spy. The Mark of the Assassin has some pretty far-fetched plot elements and just isn't believable. I look at this book as an awkward second work as the author attempts to find his style and develop the broader themes that will define his future work.
Nicely paced thriller, though a bit slow in the beginning. Michael was an interesting character, though I would have liked to see him a bit more in action. This book really showed its age as far as "technology" goes. Also, although this was written pre-9/11, I found the ideas of terrorism and shooting down airplanes full of people very familiar. Overall a good book that I enjoyed reading.
One of Daniel Silva's early novels. Michael Osbourne, an in house CIA agent at Langley, is investigating a terrorist bombing of an airliner off the coast of Long Island. This could be the work of a known assassin Jean-Paul Delaroche. The chase leads to the highest levels of government and Mitchell Elliot who owns a defense systems company.
First in a two part series. (The Marching Season)
First in a two part series. (The Marching Season)
I enjoyed "The Mark of the Assassin" by Daniel Silva. I particularly liked how one gets a feel for what it is like to work in the intelligence business. It was an exciting thriller that has encouraged me to read more from this author. I will probably read more from this author in chronological order. Thanks Daniel Silva!
Not the type of suspense novel I usually read, but my son gave it to me for my birthday, so what are you gonna do? Anyway, I liked it more than I thought I would. Silva has a way with a plot (less so with dialogue). The plot involves a sort of milktoast US president who is manipulated by his chief of staff and a major campaign donor. One would have thought it was based on G.W. Bush, except that book came out in 1998!
I am wondering if I have read (i.e. listened to) an abridged version. Because the book was short and uneventful. Perhaps because it is the first book in a series. As if it was just one prolonged introduction...
If the second half of this is any indication of where the Michael Osborne series is going, I can't wait to read more books in the series. The first half of this book was a little slow in building, but the second half more than made up for it. Next book in the series is based in Northern Ireland, so I can't wait to dig into it. Overall interesting read on a CIA agent who is forced into a desk job, but who's work takes him back into the field. I believe there is a lot more of Michael's store to ...more
My heart belongs to Silva's Gabriel Allon series, but I like how Silva spins a tale for entertainment (I listen to his stories) so this was satisfying. CIA, KGB, secrets from the past, love... it's all here!
Okay. Typical spy novel fare. Lots of killing, conspiracy, not much suspense. CIA agent Michael Osborne is on the trail of a trained assassian who used to work for the KGB. Quick, entertaining read.
LOVED this! This is my first Daniel Silva book. I really resonated with Michael and Elizabeth, and the way Mr. Silva opened the book (and presented) Delaroche, had me really resonating with him as well. He was a very unconventional antagonist.
Another great book from Daniel Silva. An American jetliner is shot down from the sky off of Long Island by a hand held Stinger missile. Exciting and revealing tale of international intrigue. Enjoy
I read this in early June, it was a good spy thriller, the fist written by this author, about 11 years ago. This week while I'm off I'm reading the next one, which brings back the same CIA hero.
It was a good story, it held my interest and I'm glad I experienced it. Not so good that I'd go out of my way to recommend it, but by the same token wouldn't discourage others from it.
This was Silva's second novel, before the Gabriel Allon series. A couple of characters are introduced here that reoccur in the Allon series; interestingly, the Israeli spy chief, Ari Shamron, is not seen in a favorable light in this novel; his character is given a different slant in the Allon series.
Read this after all the Gabriel Allon books and after The Unlikely Spy. It ties all his books together, and it's funny to see characters who appear in later books and how different they were then. Typical action-packed thriller movie quality. It seems Silva's politics have veered to the right in his old age.
Besides this one, I haven't read any other Daniel Silva books, but I certainly enjoyed this one. Lots of action and suspense. Overall, a recommended spy-thriller.
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Daniel Silva began his writing career as a journalist for United Press International (UPI), traveling in the Middle East and covering the Iran-Iraq war, terrorism and political conflicts. From UPI he moved to CNN, where he eventually became executive producer of its Washington-based public policy programming. In 1994 he began work on his first novel, The Unlikely Spy, a surprise best seller that w...more
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