ARC Review: Death of A Spy (A Mark Sava Novel #4)

Death of A Spy (A Mark Sava Novel #4) by Dan Mayland

Publisher: Richard Curtis Associates, 2014

334 pages, kindle edition

Source: Netgalley

Genre: Thriller

Link: Goodreads

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Life has never been better for Mark Sava, the former CIA station chief of Azerbaijan. He's recently married, has a newborn daughter, and the launch of his spies-for-hire business in Central Asia has been a great success. Then he gets a call from the US Embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia--one his employees, seventy-two-year-old Larry Bowlan, has died of a heart attack.

Bowlan was also Sava's first boss at the CIA, so Sava feels a responsibility to personally recover the remains of his friend. He hops on a flight to Tbilisi, visits the hotel room in which Bowlan died, and is shocked when he discovers an oil painting that depicts a woman he knows all too well...

So begins four of the most violent and blisteringly personal days of Sava's life as he struggles to protect his future, and the future of a country he loves, by fighting demons from his past.

My Review:

Mark Sava is enjoying a peaceful life with his wife and daughter in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, as much as that is possible for the owner of a spies for hire business in Central Asia. When one of his employees dies of an apparent heart attack, Sava feels compelled to investigate, for this is no ordinary hire. The deceased is the man who recruited Sava into the CIA and changed his life forever. Then, a mysterious painting at the scene of the employee’s death catapults Sava back in time and forces him to reconcile his past with the developments around him. Soon he is embroiled in a game of global misdirection, where the stakes are far higher than one man’s death.

This novel was a great sequel to the earlier books in this series. The characters have gotten more domesticated compared with the earlier books, however, when a mystery surfaces, Mark Sava the spy for hire cannot resist uncovering the truth. I think this book reads best after reading the previous novels and really understanding the characters and their history.

The plot is exciting and exceptionally well done. The scenes are packed with adrenaline pumping action and I am always impressed by Mark Sava's cleverness as a spy. I also really enjoyed the glimpse into foreign lands and the complex government workings. Death of a Spy is a captivating book that is almost impossible to put down! Definitely a must read for all readers who enjoy spy, espionage, and action packed novels!

My Rating: