The Rhythm Section [Mass Market Paperback]

Mark Burnell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 5, 2000

Her life was destroyed when the plane carrying her family crashed. Now Stephanie will do anything for revenge....Recruited by a covert intelligence organization, she makes a deal. Complete their lethal assignments and they'll let her kill the murderers who destroyed her family. Young, smart, and beautiful, she becomes an assassin with two covers--"Petra," a terrorist-for-hire in Germany, and "Marina," an international businesswoman in London.

Immersed in the brutal, high-stakes world of international terrorism, Stephanie begins to ask some deadly questions. Is the organization telling her the truth, or are they using her for a darker reason? Is avenging her family worth losing her soul? And will the organization that created her let her go--or is she already the next target? She's got one chance to escape--if she lives long enough to take it.

"Drums and bass are the rhythm section. Your heart is the drums, your breathing is the bass. You get those two sorted, then you're sorted. You can't panic when your breathing's under control and you've got your pulse in check. It's not physically possible."

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

After the death of her parents and brother in a plane crash over the Atlantic, Stephanie Patrick descends into a life of prostitution and dissolution. She begins to pull herself together when a journalist tells her that the crash was no accident, that it was a terrorist bombing covered up by the world's intelligence agencies. Then the journalist is murdered, and Stephanie is recruited into a shadowy law enforcement agency to become a killer. If the plot of this first novel sounds a little like the movie and TV series La Femme Nikita, that's understandable. But Burnell manages to inject some new life into the tired premise. Stephanie is a tough, resilient heroine, seriously challenged by the multiple personalities she's forced to don, while focused laserlike on avenging her family's death. Even the terrorists emerge as more than cardboard cutouts, especially in the climactic scene in which Stephanie confronts her antagonist. What begins as a B-movie knockoff ends as an entertaining meditation on the futility of terrorist brinkmanship. George Needham --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Excellent....Chillingly convincing....Burnell really knows how to hold attention." -- --Orlando Sentinel

"Thrilling...adroitly crafted....an unusual protagonist." -- --Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Avon (December 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061030015
• ISBN-13: 978-0061030017
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,877,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite the Page Turner, August 11, 2001

By 

bibliomane01 - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rhythm Section (Mass Market Paperback)

As the jaded consumer of hundreds of thrillers I'm something of a tough audience, but Mark Burnell's debut novel was a genuine page turner and I was very impressed with it. Yes, the plot bears more than a passing resemblance to "La Femme Nikita" and yes, the book is a little too long and drags a bit in the middle, but Stefanie Patrick is much too interesting a heroine and Burnell much too good a storyteller to let small quibbles get in the way of "a crackling good yarn." The book is about how a drug-taking prostitute a few steps from her final fix is transformed into the dreaded Petra Reuter, unstoppable international assassin. There is plenty of sex and violence and a plethora of repulsive terrorists - in short, enough to keep the average thriller fan happily engaged for hours. I'm looking forward to Mr. Burnell's next foray with bated breath.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars la femme nikita, in print, February 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rhythm Section (Hardcover)

This highly readable thriller closely parallels that fine movie 'la femme nikita': down-and-out junkie gets turned into government assassin. The author does a good job of getting under the skin of the heroine, exposing the vulnerability under the shell of the ostensibly cold-blooded killer, and also exploring the dimensions of international terrorism. Well-written and action-packed.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars So So, September 24, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Rhythm Section (Hardcover)

A good premise used successfully in La Femme Nikita but well-executed in this book. Plot is good, with unexpected twists and turns and in fact hits a little too close to home!!Generally well written.
However, suspend your discriminating thought powers (drug addict prostitute becomes a super slueth and has epiphany re revenge). The lead character is too hokey and her characterization is quite muddled and inconsistent. The plot devices work only if you believe the good guys and the bad guys are selectively stupid, overlooking the obvious and our gal is not.