8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beowulf lives in Kirk McGarvey, November 22, 2007
An outstanding thriller. I have not read a Hagberg novel since Joshua's Hammer many years ago. It was good but there are so many excellent espionage writers today that I simply lost touch with Mr. Hagberg and his protagonist CIA operative Kirk McGarvey. Well, after reading Dance with the Dragon I am going to go back and read all the previous McGarvey books in the series. In essence, Dance with the Dragon is a tightly written, well thought out espionage story with numerous twists and turns to keep the reader on their mental toes. The plot flows with ease and just when you think you have it figured out it makes a hard turn keeping you guessing. Excellent use of detail and espionage trade craft. Fast paced with plenty of action, but presented in a realistic light so that the reader does not become jaded or fatigued.
Basically, The story revolves around a "rogue"(?) Chinese top espionage agent, General Liu, and his past and present secretive actions and life. He is a devious, sexual deviant, egocentric sociopath that prides himself on his ability to outwit and control everything and everyone in his surroundings. He is extremely successful until he goes too far and has murdered a CIA operative in Mexico. Enter Kirk McGarvey, retired DCI (Director of Central Intelligence), who is asked by the current DCI to investigate the death. Thus commences the "Dance" between McGarvey and Liu. Excellently told, David Hagberg weaves a wonderfully intricate tale of suspense, love, death, and action.
One of the highlights of this book is the superb character development throughout. Mr. Hagberg does a terrific job of fleshing out ALL his characters, warts and all. He goes to great lengths to insure the reader has an understanding of what is motivating the story's diverse cast of characters. His use of descriptive dialog between the characters is both energetic and informative and helps build the story's suspense.
Some EXTREME and graphic sex and violence. Be warned that Mr. Hagberg pulls no punches and some of the narrative could be upsetting to some readers. All germane to the story but explicit. Some strong language but in the real world of espionage this is how people talk.
Highly recommended. Excellent for that long, boring transoceanic flight or wait in the dentist office.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
unknown, September 20, 2009
The book i ordered was written by George R R Martin, the book i was sent was by another author. The company said the mix up was obvious and to return the book to the main warehouse and they would pay shipping. I am waiting at this time to see if I get my money back for the book and the shipping.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Is It a Hit or a Miss? Unfortunately, the latter., December 15, 2007
I have read all of the Kirk McGarvey novels that this author has written, this being the tenth and it was not until this one that I was disappointed in both the story line and the writing.
The entire novel is a prelude to the next one and is completely tied up with trying to unravel the mystery of the next big attack which is going to be visited on the United States.
The story is largely centered in Mexico where odd things are going on at the CIA Station there. An agent is murdered and brutally beheaded. There seems to be a link between this act and the agent's activities involving the Chinese embassy. That's just the problem. There are bits and snatches of this and that and no one can figure out what is happening. Not even the director of Special Operations, Otto Rencke can get a handle on it using all of his computer prowess. All he can say is that his computers are turning lavender. (not a good thing)
Dragged back from retirement, former Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) is asked to go to Mexico and see if he can piece together what is going on. From there until fairly near the end of the book, the story is best described as plodding and repetitive.
There are intruiging characters. Gloria Ibenez resurfaces from the previous novel, "Allah's Scorpion" (one of his best). Another woman of mystery comes forward to tell her version of events that led to the murder of the CIA agent. There is a mysterious Chinese General by the name of Liu who is loosely attached to the Chinese embassy and who is certainly mixed up in things, but how?
If the point of the story is that the business of espionage is a slow and tedious process, the point is well made as we go from interview to inquiry to discussion to interview again. You sometimes feel as though you already have read a particular chapter as they are often similar.
There is a section of the book where the author describes the post 9/11 world perhaps as well as I have ever seen it done: "Ever since 9/11 a new world order had emerged. It was the same holy war...that had been going on for fifteen centuries. Only this time the soldiers were Muslim radicals, jihadists who were filled with such holy zeal that they were willing to sacrifice their own lives for a cause that most of them could not name, let alone understand."
There is more, but it merely an aside.
What I was left with after finishing the book was the question as to why this book was not the first six chapters of the book that is surely to follow which has great promise as being a spell binder, given the nature of the threat. Hopefully, Hagberg will be up to the challenge when he writes it. This one seems to be mostly treading water to no great purpose.
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