Assumed Identity (Paragon Large Print) [Large Print] [Paperback]

David Morrell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1994 | Series: Paragon Large Print

From the author of The Covenant of the Flame and The Fifth Profession. Brendan Buchanan is an undercover intelligence operative who has impersonated more than 200 people in the last eight years. But now his multi-personality occupation threatens to destroy him.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The creator of Rambo and author of the bestselling The Fifth Profession has not lost his touch; this is a thrill-a-minute adventure novel. During his career as an undercover Army Special Operations agent, Brendan Buchanan has taken on more than 200 assumed identities. But when his cover is blown on a drug sting in Mexico, he is forced back on the identity he knows the least--his own. Buchanan receives a desperate SOS from Juana Mendez, the operative who posed years before as his wife. Determined to save her, Buchanan travels across the U.S. and ultimately back to Mexico accompanied by fearless, sexy Washington Post reporter Holly McCoy, who knows a lot about covert operations and is planning a feature on Buchanan. During their travels, they uncover a bizarre tale of a missing opera diva, her billionaire industrialist lover and his plot to destroy ancient Mayan ruins in order to exploit the world's greatest untapped oilfield. With all the action of a James Bond adventure and just a dash of the melancholy of John le Carre, this is a terrific suspense thriller, but it will probably be even more satisfying on the silver screen where the novel's lack of emotional or intellectual resonance will be subsumed in the highly kinetic adventure. Major ad/promo; movie rights to Universal; BOMC alternate.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Another bloated action-thriller from Morrell (The Covenant of the Flame, 1991, etc.), who once wrote lean and mean but now enfolds his still-clever ideas in overblown, often bombastic plots. Here, he takes a nifty notion--a top-secret agent losing his own identity amidst his many false personae--and goes nearly nowhere with it, fast. During the past eight years, Brendan Buchanan has been scores of men, playing each with the skill of a de Niro. His newest role is that of Ed Potter, renegade ex-DEA agent; his goal, to take down a pair of vile twin Mexican drug-dealers. But while meeting the twins in Canc£n, Buchanan/Potter is spotted by Bob Bailey, an oil worker who knew him as ``Jim Crawford'' when the two were held hostage by Iraqi forces. Bailey's approach forces Buchanan to kill the dealers, leading to the spy's arrest, torture, and a head wound that exacerbates his growing confusion about his many roles. Bribed out of jail, Buchanan flees to the US only to be targeted for blackmail by Bailey, working with a sexy reporter; moreover, Buchanan is warned by his superiors that this time he'll get no new i.d.: He's out of the field. But after Bailey is killed by Buchanan's superiors, the agent is back in action when he gets a postcard from an old partner asking for help. Linking up with--and bedding--the reporter, Buchanan follows a twisty trail that leads him to the Mexican jungle, a billionaire's bloody oil conspiracy, and a fatal re-creation of an ancient Mayan gladiatorial game. Meanwhile, the insubordinate agent's superiors have marked him for death.... Morrell squanders his ace--his spy's acting skills (compare Jack Higgins's similar but more cleverly played premise in Eye of the Storm, 1992)--and too often substitutes noisy action for suspense. But the vile villains, gorgeous women, and manly doings, however silly, may still mollify the author's many fans. (First printing of 100,000) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 670 pages
• Publisher: Chivers North Amer; Lrg edition (December 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 079271959X
• ISBN-13: 978-0792719595
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,352,553 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice read, November 1, 2005

By 

Highlanderthal "LONE WOLF" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Assumed Identity (Mass Market Paperback)

This book above all books delivers. The best description of this profound novel is how fast-paced it is. Excellent story-telling from beginning to end. This ranks in the tops. I have never read a novel that has been this continually climatic. Read it and see for yourself.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, August 25, 2005

By 

Michele S "Michele" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Assumed Identity (Mass Market Paperback)

OK, people- here I go again about Morrell.

There is just no such thing as a "not so good" Morrell book. Some are better than others, that is the case with all authors. But they all deserve 5 stars. if you look at some of the other books I read, I read various types of books. I also like to read books from the same author, one right after the other. All of Morrells books get 5 stars. i wouldn't do that with Laura Lippman, Sidney Sheldon, Dean koontz or Marian Keyes.

Also, recently I emailed DM and you know what? He EMAILED me back- how cool is that? I can't wait for his next book to come out...counting the days.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely one of the greatest books!, August 9, 2005

By 

bond007 (L.A., Cali) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Assumed Identity (Mass Market Paperback)

Assumed Identity is the best book I've ever read. Unbelievable action, exotic locations, great diverse characters, and an ingenious plot. David Morrell is sheer entertainment for any reader. His fantastic storytelling plays out like your watching an action movie. There's a fearsome villain that makes for a great showdown at the end of the book. A pure page-turner and a top-notch novel from Morrell.