Micah Dalton, the lead character in David Stone’s series of espionage thrillers, is a stone cold killer (excuse the pun). And the job is starting to wear on him. At the start of Stone’s latest book, The Venetian Judgment, Dalton – a CIA “cleaner” whose connection to the agency is a little nebulous at present – is snuffing out the last remnants of a Serbian mafia gang that shot the women he loves and sent her into a coma. He is intent on following this revenge until the bitter end even if, and maybe preferably, if it means his own end as well.
But instead he finds a catharsis of sorts and throws himself into a new case. Accusations of treason and treachery are once again bringing chaos and destruction to the clandestine services section of the CIA. A retired and beloved code-breaker has been murdered in a particular gruesome fashion. And Dalton’s superior, head of clandestine ops, Deacon Cather is under suspicion of being a mole. Meanwhile, Dalton’s old nemesis Kiki Lujac is either dead or at the center of this new conspiracy.
To solve the mystery Dalton will have to survive long enough to find the answers. Doing so will take him from Venice to Greece, Turkey, and eventually back to Langley. The answers are tied up in the seemingly ancient history of the Cold War, but they will have deadly repercussions if left unchecked.
Fans of Stone and Dalton will enjoy the latest adventure with its typical blend of action, intrigue, violence, and tongue-in-cheek type gallows humor. The plot is a bit convoluted, but it is an entertaining read and there is a thread of political commentary running throughout for those who understand the debates involved.
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