The Orpheus Deception

February 18, 2008
Readers hungry for sex, bloody action and flag-waving patriotism will best appreciate this sequel to Stone's debut, The Echelon Vendetta
, which likewise starred CIA agent Micah Dalton. The disparate elements of this testosterone-fueled thriller gradually come together, including a stabbing in Venice; the hijacking of a freighter in the South China Sea; a rogue SAS (Special Air Service) agent, Ray Fyke, imprisoned in Singapore's notorious Changi prison; and a Serbian mafia leader with grandiose ambitions. Each piece of the puzzle carries its own carnage and enough international intrigue to effectively make Dalton and his putative allies the only ones who can salvage the situation. Stone handles with aplomb such details as weapons technology, bureaucratic bumbling and ship navigation in treacherous seas, then tests the limits of human endurance with his heroes Dalton and Fyke. Though the plot hangs together well enough, the resolution takes a gigantic suspension of disbelief and leads to a less than satisfying denouement.

May 1, 2008
A disappointing follow-up to Stones The Echelon Vendetta (2007), starring CIA cleanerMicah Dalton. This time Dalton, on the run from his superiors, takes on an assignment that he hopes will put him back in the good graces of the agency. Without familiarity with the first book, this one is nearly incomprehensible. Plus, the pseudonymous Stone, a veteran intelligence officer, uses his heros dreamlike visions to convey information that wouldnt be available otherwise, a device that is both confusing and unbelievable. Only for fans of the first book or libraries committed to collecting the entire series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)