Customer Reviews

The Orpheus Deception

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I listened to this book on CD and was struck by how different readers can really set the tone for a character and a book. Erik Davies did a good job with this novel; however the reader of "The Echelon Vendetta", Firdous Bamji is the true voice of Micah Dalton in my opinion.

David Stone shows another side to a complex character masterfully and I look forward to more about Micah Dalton. There is humor and very poignant moments in this novel that for those who have never served their country might not get. For those that have and do, you will appreciate the nuances of this novel and have a whole new appreciation for the predatory nature of your comrades past and present.

If you are looking for another great author to fill in the time it will take for another Micah Dalton thriller to be released you will take great pleasure in Daniel Silva's novels about an Israeli spy Gabriel Allon!

It's been a long time since I read a book where I completely lost track of time and THE ORPHEUS DECEPTION did it!!! It was so terrific that it starts where THE ECHELON VENDETTA left off.....I loved that!!! I fell 'in love' with Micah while reading David Stone's incredible, intelligent debut thriller and then even more so with this new one. What a fantastic character he is and I'm so glad that, with this new book, it has developed into a series...and what a marvelous one it is!!!! His other characters such as poor, suffering Fyke, the lethal Gospic, Mandy, Brancati, etc.....they all come to life with David Stone's marvelous words. THE ORPHEUS DECEPTION grabs you with the first page and never lets go until the riveting last page. This is a sizzling thrill ride....compelling, mesmerizing with breath-taking non-stop action!!! David Stone is the master of chapter endings....just one more...just one more....suddenly it's one in the morning!!! It's the sign of a really good book when you cannot stop thinking about it after several days of ending it and it's difficult to even start reading another book as everything seems so boring in comparison!!! It was lovely to see a softer, more gentle side of him in Micah's relationship with Cora Vasari but just as much exciting to see him in action with that lethal Kiki and Vigo....and ohhhh that ending....just the perfect 'right on' scene!!!

This new book picks up with Micah Dalton the CIA cleaner as the central
character. Dalton is now living in Venice on the run from the CIA. An
assassination attempt is made on him during a marathon race in Venice.He
is nearly killed. The perpetrators are found to be a blonde woman who is posing as a runner in the marathon. She has been sent after Dalton by a
Serbian warlord named Branco Gospic. A piracy act is done on the ship
Mingo Dubai. The boat is captured by the pirates to be used later. Then
he is sent to rescue a CIA agent,Ray Fyke who is imprisoned in Changi Prison in Singapore. He is joined by another CIA agent named Mandy Pownall. There is also a mysterious ship named Orpheus. All of these combine to create a giant conspiracy. There is a final showdown with Serbian thugs in the Port of Chicago. This is a good action book that will make for good reading.

There was little research done for this book was written, and it appears to have been written by a non-military person. Oil tankers do not make 40 knots, not even over powered aircraft carriers make anything close to this speed. Also a 500' ship does not maneuver or change speed very quickly, nor can a oil tanker be easily converted to a hygienic ship for soy milk (plus when trading with the US it would have to prove it meets all sorts of FDA regulations). Ospreys are terrible helicopters, extremely expensive to buy and operate, and are only operated by the US Military. It would be easy (and much cheaper) to operate an armed helicopter from a boat. I can also not believe that spy satellites would not have recognized when a bay suddenly became over 500 feet shorter. These are only a few of the technical problems with the book.

In addition to this, David Stone seems have strong dislikes, and to see things as all black and white. I have been to Singapore, and I would not describe it as negatively as David Stone. Compared to many places in the world, it is very pleasant, and people in the country are generally quite happy.

It was entertaining enough, but low in quality, which seems to be common in this genre, and is why I normally avoid it. I much prefer an author that strives to make the scenario realistic since, among other things, you can learn something from the novel. Unfortunately, many people do not recognize that a novel is fantasy, and this one obviously is.

David Stone is an incredible author. He is good at characterizations, he's good at plot, he's good at plot twist, he's good at setting the atmosphere and he's good at keeping the reader in suspense. His first book featuring Micah Dalton, The Echelon Vendetta, was superb, and so is this one.

Orpheus Deception picks up where Echelon Vendetta leaves off. I won't go into detail in case someone reads this and hasn't read the first book (but you do really really want to read it). It begins with another attempt on Dalton's life, again in Italy, which is thwarted in the nick of time. From there, an agent from London comes to him with an assignment: he is to somehow release an ex-agent, a Brendan Fitch, who is rotting away in a prison in Singapore. Fitch had signed on as a member of the crew for a tanker called the Mingo Dubai, which was boarded and taken by pirates. However, the Singapore government insists that it sunk, and that Brendan was drunk at the time it happened, thereby causing it. But what's worse for poor Fitch is that his jailers have discovered that he's an agent -- and he has to be retrieved before they can torture any info from him. If this was the entire story, it would still be good, but it's not, by a long shot! This is just the very beginning of an incredible adventure.
Never a dull moment, lots of cliffhanging, and action, action action. I loved this book, I love this author, and I absolutely cannot wait until he comes out with another one. Recommended for those who enjoy a bit of intrigue and some incredible action

Precious little is known about author David Stone (a pseudonym) other than that he has engaged in a series of honorable careers, fighting the good fight on behalf of the United States in the military --- with federal intelligence agencies and state-level law enforcement agencies here and abroad --- and comes from an esteemed line of gentlemen who have done the same. One gets the feeling that he has been one of those individuals of whom George Orwell so famously spoke: the rough men who stand ready in the night to do violence against those who would harm decent people who sleep peacefully in their beds. Stone's protagonist, CIA cleaner Micah Dalton, is one of those rough men as well, an old-school agent who runs strongly counter to the perfumed princes who attempt to rein him in.

THE ORPHEUS DECEPTION begins with Dalton on the run, being pursued by his erstwhile employer for his actions at the close of THE ECHELON VENDETTA. For a cleaner, Dalton more often than not leaves behind an even bigger mess. What infuriates his bosses is that he is usually right. It doesn't help his cause though that he insists he is being haunted by the ghost of Porter Naumann, his friend and fellow CIA agent whose brutal death began, and ended, the series of events taking place in THE ECHELON VENDETTA.

Naumann may really be a spirit, or he may be the unfortunate psychological manifestation of an hallucinogenic by-product that Dalton involuntarily ingested. In any event, he is there in Dalton's perception, dispensing advice, even as THE ORPHEUS DECEPTION begins with an almost-successful assassination attempt upon Dalton performed at the behest of Branco Gospic, a Serbian warlord. Gospic is exercising a vendetta of a personal and professional nature against Dalton, and Dalton is determined to respond in kind, even as he is relentlessly pursued by his former employer. However, Dalton is given what is in effect a "get out of jail free" card when a seemingly unrelated event begins to unfold in the Java Sea, where a freighter, the Mingo Dubai, is hijacked and its crew, save two --- a shipsmate and a quisling --- is murdered.

The Mingo Dubai disappears, and the shipmate, a drunken Englishman named Brendan Fitch, is found, cast adrift. Fitch's tale of sea piracy is discounted, and he is blamed for its disappearance due to dereliction of duty. It is quickly discovered, however, that Fitch is Raymond Fyke, a former CIA agent who had disappeared several years before. The CIA wants Fitch back and offers Dalton, who had previously worked with Fitch, the chance to redeem himself by springing Fitch from a Singapore prison with a brutal reputation. Dalton, of course, is reticent to trust his erstwhile boss, not only with his own life, but also with that of Fyke, whose return is desired by the CIA for the purposes of plugging what they regard as a leak.

Fyke, though, has knowledge of more immediate import. He knows that the Mingo Dubai was hijacked, but to what purpose? As Fyke and Dalton slowly come to realize what it is to be used for, and at whose behest, the agents become involved in a race against time to thwart a plot aimed at America's heartland. And meanwhile, Gospic is still pursuing Dalton for yet another reason.

There is never a dull moment in THE ORPHEUS DECEPTION. The plot will make every hair on your body stand on end, and the characters --- from Gospic to Dalton to a minor character running a dry cleaner in a third world hellhole --- are fascinating, particularly the women. Push this book and its predecessor to the top of your "must read" list.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

CIA cleaner Micah Dalton is still recuperating from his escapades especially the drugs he was forced to take (see THE ECHELON VENDETTA) as he continues to chat with the ghost of former peer Porter Naumann. Whereas the spirit keeps warning Micah to be cautiouns as all hell is about to break loose, Micah and his girlfriend Cora Vasari attend Naumann's funeral in Tuscany.

However, in reality, Dalton is hallucinating as he bleeds in a Venusian hospital after a female marathon runner stabbed him with a piece of glass. Serbian mob kingpin Branco Gospic had called for the hit after Dalton interfered with his operations making him look weak when he beat up two thugs. The Gospic gang also has hijacked a tanker off Indonesia killing the crew and murdered everyone who attended a party hosted by a rival. Meanwhile, Dalton receiving his next assignment, leaves the hospital, stops for some action with Cora, and accompanied by British agent Mandy Pownall goes into the field to rescue the only survivor of the tanker murders, rogue Special Air Service agent Ray Fyke, who is a guest resident of Changi Prison in Singapore.

This is a superb action thriller in which the reader needs to ignore their plausibility metric meter and instead put on their seat belt and helmet to join Dalton on his wild international caper. The story line is fast-paced from the onset even when the hero lies in a hospital bed and never slows down as blood flows except for sexual interludes. Fans who enjoy over the top thrillers will appreciate Dalton's second globalization adventure, an exciting tale impossible to put down.

Harriet Klausner

What a treat to have discovered this author, who makes the reading exciting and suspenseful from the very first word. No trouble getting into his books, and it's obvious he is an exceedingly bright and experienced man. His choice of locations for the action are part of the fun, as well, especially if you have travelled. This book was in perfect condition upon arrival and is treasured. Virgene Buthman

I am a David Stone fan. Local bookstores didn't have this title but
Amazon.com did and at a great price.

An above average thriller, tho wordy, will hold your interest. The plot will keep you, despite some right wing humor. Just fun, not mind changing.