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Darkness and Blood
A former American spy in hiding and his former CIA handler find themselves on the run in Europe after they unearth shocking top-secret information. Against a backdrop of paranoia, late night whistle blowing and high-level back stabbing, Steve Haberman's latest thriller, Darkness and Blood, is the sequel to The Killing Ploy. Sometimes being overly suspicious can keep you alive.
270 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 15, 2018
24 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 19, 2018
Darkness and Blood by Steve Haberman is a thriller along the lines of David Baldacci. Pablo de Silva is awakened in the middle of the night. He doesn't know by whom but suspects it is the estranged husband of the woman with who he shares his bed; he is a bad guy and didn't like being left. Pablo and Gabriella have a pleasant, quiet life in a small chateau in France, purchased years ago by Pablo's father. Turns out it wasn't the husband but his former CIA handler with a problem on his hands.
The characters, particularly Pablo are well-drawn and have depth. Pablo has an interesting mind and following him as he figures out the mystery is both entertaining and revalatory. I did not see the end coming. I rarely read thrillers, but I listen to them almost exclusively and reading on is a different experience. Another book that makes my mistrust of the government become more deep-seated than ever.
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.
I received a free ARC of the book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
The characters, particularly Pablo are well-drawn and have depth. Pablo has an interesting mind and following him as he figures out the mystery is both entertaining and revalatory. I did not see the end coming. I rarely read thrillers, but I listen to them almost exclusively and reading on is a different experience. Another book that makes my mistrust of the government become more deep-seated than ever.
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.
I received a free ARC of the book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
September 14, 2018
I'm a little conflicted about how to rate this book. The writing was good, but I felt like the plot developed too slowly. There was a fair amount of information needed to set up the story, but I found myself struggling to get through the first quarter to half of the book.
The characters were well-developed, but almost to the point of "Why do I need to know this?" Which I think is part of the reason that it felt like the first part of the book was slow. I think some additional editing would have been helpful to the book, but the story line was good and it kept me going.
I received a copy of this book at no cost, in return for my honest review.
The characters were well-developed, but almost to the point of "Why do I need to know this?" Which I think is part of the reason that it felt like the first part of the book was slow. I think some additional editing would have been helpful to the book, but the story line was good and it kept me going.
I received a copy of this book at no cost, in return for my honest review.
July 13, 2018
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. A twisty ride through several intelligence agencies. Well written, deep characters and lots of secrets. I truly enjoyed this book and kept the pages turning to see what would happen next. This is the first book by Steve Haberman I've read but it certainly won't be the last. Darkness and Blood hooked me from the first page and didn't let go until the end.
July 5, 2018
Darkness and Blood grips you from the start!!!
The story intensified until the very end of the
book with a surprise ending.
Tension, intrigue, drama, suspense with thrills,
chills and plenty of twists and turns is heightened
to mountainous proportions keeping the reader
on the edge of their seat.
We travel from the United States to England,
Paris, then back to the United States.
The scenery, smells, noises, dust and fear are
communicated so vividly and detailed, the reader
travels with and experience what the characters do.
You feel as if you are there.
Pablo de Silvia is an ex-CIA agent in hiding. He is
awaken from a nightmare when he hears a noise.
Turns out his former handler in the CIA, Stuart
Bishop had found him. The purpose is to enlist
Pablo in the quest to discover who killed a former
agent friend, why plus find what the information
the deceased must have discovered.
The story will chill and haunt you as you help
uncover the top secret information that was
sent to the dead man.
The international cover-up is explosive and
everyone is trying to discover where the deceased
hid the information before an international event
explodes in their faces.
The characters are cleverly crafted, well defined,
interesting and intriguing working with a life and
death plot where reality leaves each one struggling
to survive.
I volunteered to read Darkness and Blood. Thanks
to Facebook’s Cozy Review Crew for the opportunity.
My opinion is my own.
The story intensified until the very end of the
book with a surprise ending.
Tension, intrigue, drama, suspense with thrills,
chills and plenty of twists and turns is heightened
to mountainous proportions keeping the reader
on the edge of their seat.
We travel from the United States to England,
Paris, then back to the United States.
The scenery, smells, noises, dust and fear are
communicated so vividly and detailed, the reader
travels with and experience what the characters do.
You feel as if you are there.
Pablo de Silvia is an ex-CIA agent in hiding. He is
awaken from a nightmare when he hears a noise.
Turns out his former handler in the CIA, Stuart
Bishop had found him. The purpose is to enlist
Pablo in the quest to discover who killed a former
agent friend, why plus find what the information
the deceased must have discovered.
The story will chill and haunt you as you help
uncover the top secret information that was
sent to the dead man.
The international cover-up is explosive and
everyone is trying to discover where the deceased
hid the information before an international event
explodes in their faces.
The characters are cleverly crafted, well defined,
interesting and intriguing working with a life and
death plot where reality leaves each one struggling
to survive.
I volunteered to read Darkness and Blood. Thanks
to Facebook’s Cozy Review Crew for the opportunity.
My opinion is my own.
April 25, 2018
First sentence: Pablo de Silva, ex-CIA agent, awoke from the restless sleep of a man on the run.
About the story: When a former American spy, Pablo de Silva, and his former handler, Stuart Bishop, discover top-secret information, they must use their wisdom and wits if they want to remain alive.
My thoughts: Darkness and Blood is the sequel to Haberman’s The Killing Ploy. While I thought its predecessor was an interesting read, I felt Darkness and Blood was so much better. It seemed Haberman had a better handle on the characters. While some of the dialogue didn’t always seem like what CIAs would say, it didn’t put me off. It was more developed in this book than the first.
My only complaint while reading is that there were times in the narrative when I had to re-read a sentence. I like italics to show when a character is thinking. To me, it helps separate the dialogue and the narrative, making the scene more clearly. There weren’t a whole lot of italics within the story, except for when someone speaks French.
As always, the backdrop of the story was great. It took me from the comfort of my own home and I felt I was there along with Pablo and Stuart.
Darkness and Blood was a quick and fun read. I love spy novels and this didn’t disappoint! Although it is a sequel, I don’t think it matters in which order the books are read. The plots are completely different and we get to know enough about the characters in the second book to thoroughly enjoy it.
*For more book reviews, visit https://angelakaysbooks.com/book-revi...*
About the story: When a former American spy, Pablo de Silva, and his former handler, Stuart Bishop, discover top-secret information, they must use their wisdom and wits if they want to remain alive.
My thoughts: Darkness and Blood is the sequel to Haberman’s The Killing Ploy. While I thought its predecessor was an interesting read, I felt Darkness and Blood was so much better. It seemed Haberman had a better handle on the characters. While some of the dialogue didn’t always seem like what CIAs would say, it didn’t put me off. It was more developed in this book than the first.
My only complaint while reading is that there were times in the narrative when I had to re-read a sentence. I like italics to show when a character is thinking. To me, it helps separate the dialogue and the narrative, making the scene more clearly. There weren’t a whole lot of italics within the story, except for when someone speaks French.
As always, the backdrop of the story was great. It took me from the comfort of my own home and I felt I was there along with Pablo and Stuart.
Darkness and Blood was a quick and fun read. I love spy novels and this didn’t disappoint! Although it is a sequel, I don’t think it matters in which order the books are read. The plots are completely different and we get to know enough about the characters in the second book to thoroughly enjoy it.
*For more book reviews, visit https://angelakaysbooks.com/book-revi...*
May 18, 2018
Blood and Darkness starts with Pablo de Silva, an ex-CIA agent in hiding, as he is roused from his sleep one night by his former handler, Stuart Bishop. Bishop tells him that a former colleague and friend is dead, in strange circumstances.
Our 2 spies are now in a race to discover what happened to their friend, stumbling upon government secrets on the way and trying to avoid the agencies working against them.
From the start of this book, we are drawn in the story, we are with them, we are deeply involved. The psychology of our 2 characters is also very well written, for instance we can literally feel de Silva constant tiredness and his eagerness to go back to retirement.
My only critic is related to some of the plot items in the book. It is not an action book, it is more of a spy story after all, but I felt that, at time, our 2 heroes are handled vital bits of information on a plate, instead of it being the result of their cleverness or investigation. It seems at times they are more like spectators in the story.
But it wouldn’t fair to say Pablo and Stuart are passive! Not at all, we are in for a big ride, literally crossing oceans and involving some of the most powerful governments agencies in the world. There is also a lot of action, just don’t expect lot of gunfights or fighting.
And I must say, the ending, both clever and surprising, really got me, it really shows what angry spies can do when they take matter into their own hands!
Our 2 spies are now in a race to discover what happened to their friend, stumbling upon government secrets on the way and trying to avoid the agencies working against them.
From the start of this book, we are drawn in the story, we are with them, we are deeply involved. The psychology of our 2 characters is also very well written, for instance we can literally feel de Silva constant tiredness and his eagerness to go back to retirement.
My only critic is related to some of the plot items in the book. It is not an action book, it is more of a spy story after all, but I felt that, at time, our 2 heroes are handled vital bits of information on a plate, instead of it being the result of their cleverness or investigation. It seems at times they are more like spectators in the story.
But it wouldn’t fair to say Pablo and Stuart are passive! Not at all, we are in for a big ride, literally crossing oceans and involving some of the most powerful governments agencies in the world. There is also a lot of action, just don’t expect lot of gunfights or fighting.
And I must say, the ending, both clever and surprising, really got me, it really shows what angry spies can do when they take matter into their own hands!
February 22, 2022
I received a free copy of Darkness and Blood from Voracious Readers Only, after starting the book I realized it was a sequel. You can read this book without having read the first one, I was a little confused at first with the characters. I found that I had to keep going back to see who was who, there were a lot of characters mentioned that could have been left out. The plot was really good, and Pablo and Stuart worked well together. I think the author used too much detail sometimes and not enough when needed. The further I got into this book the more I wanted to read, I had to complete the mission with Pablo and Stuart. I will definitely read more of Steve Haberman
June 15, 2020
The unquestioned trust of the political world is questioned.
What do governments share with their citizens and what do they hide? Some secrets can leak, how then can the be contained? Where do they stop their efforts; or do they?
What do governments share with their citizens and what do they hide? Some secrets can leak, how then can the be contained? Where do they stop their efforts; or do they?
July 29, 2021
Wow. A political plot with a twist. The characters are really brought to life by this author. It's a game of cat and mouse and you keep hoping the mouse won't get caught. I also loved the fantastic ending.
August 5, 2021
I received a copy of this book free from VRO and this is my voluntary honest review.
Good writting. Well done. Interesting!
Great characters.
Plenty chills,and twist and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat.
Read and enjoy.
Good writting. Well done. Interesting!
Great characters.
Plenty chills,and twist and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat.
Read and enjoy.
November 30, 2021
It was a good book to read. However it would have been better if the characters were slowly and properly introduced, which would have made it easier to get a grasp of what is going on, instead of the characters appearing abruptly. Overall it was a good book to read.
January 14, 2022
A free book from Voracious Readers thank you
A story filled with the details of how governments and their allies manipulate to protect their own interests. Fiction with a little fact makes for great writing.
Strong, believable characters. Entertaining reading.
A great spy thriller.
A story filled with the details of how governments and their allies manipulate to protect their own interests. Fiction with a little fact makes for great writing.
Strong, believable characters. Entertaining reading.
A great spy thriller.
May 11, 2021
I received a free copy of this book to review. It was a great book filled with suspense, intrigue and drama. I feel it was slow to start but still gripped me through to the end.
August 5, 2021
Excellent written spy novel. The characters as well as the plot have depth. You will find yourself on adventure
Unraveling mysteries as the spies go from one scene
To another. Enjoy the read
Unraveling mysteries as the spies go from one scene
To another. Enjoy the read
October 20, 2021
I received this ebook through the Vorachious readers website in exchange for a review. This book had a gripping plot, but i found it finished very suddenly!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews