Customer Reviews

The Venetian Judgment (Micah Dalton)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This will probably seem like an unlikely compliment for a spy thriller in which many people are ruthlessly, brutally murdered, but The Venetian Judgment is quite beautifully written. There's no doubt that David Stone knows his stuff, as the terminology used throughout the book makes that clear, but what struck me as particularly intriguing is his writing style, which is far more lyrical and, dare I say poetic, than your typical espionage author's. Granted, some of Stone's sentences are the longest I've ever read, but at least they're full of vivid similes and metaphors that take the reader on a meandering path that's no hardship to travel. Many times, I forgot that I was reading prose written by a former intelligence officer (no insult meant to those in that profession!). It just seems to be a book written by someone who loves words more than guns and violence.

Plot-wise, I enjoyed the parallel storylines. I tend to prefer books in which the main character receives the most screentime, but I was happy to make an exception in this case because the second storyline is exciting in its own way. I also especially enjoyed the opening. After recently reading and reviewing another famous spy author who's fallen into the trap of formula, it was refreshing to read the opening of The Venetian Judgment, which plunges you straight into the action and the main character's suicidal thought processes (along with some fond descriptions of Venice).

Micah Dalton remains one of my favorite characters and his interactions with Mandy are a lot of fun. Micah sounds a little too British sometimes for my taste but I suppose Mandy's wearing off on him. As a pair they're fun but sharp, never getting corny or schmoopy. I tend to be very critical of female secondary characters but Stone does a good job of making Mandy a worthy partner for Micah.

In short, I recommend The Venetian Judgment as an atypical spy thriller. Too often in this genre all the emphasis is placed on the action without a care for how the story is imparted. That certainly isn't the case here. Here's hoping there are many more novels to come from David Stone.

I like David Stones previous books, so i was looking forward to reading this one. He is a great author but I just could not get into the book. It seemed too disjointed, and a little slow. I will still read his next book just because I think this was a speed bump in an other wise great authors career.

The Venetian Judment is the 3rd book in a series of adventures of Micah Dalton, an unvoluntarily-gone-rogue CIA operative. The first book got off to a slow start but developed well, the second was slightly better than the first one but this one is REALLY good. It's fast written, the characters are very well carved out by now and the places of events sizzle with action. I have to admit I am a hard-core crime and spy novel reader but Venetian Judgment has been the first book for a long time that really made it difficult for me to put it down. Now looking forward to the 4th part, Skorpion Directive. Thanks to Mr. Stone for entertaining me so well, please keep up your good work.

David Stone is my primary "cross the street" author. People who know me cross the street when they see me coming because I will probably begin and end the conversation by telling them about the new David Stone book, or his last one, or all of them. Instead of crossing the street, they should listen. Stone is the real deal. Even if that is not his real name.

David Stone has three novels to his credit under that name --- THE ECHELON VENDETTA, THE ORPHEUS DECEPTION, and the newly released THE VENETIAN JUDGMENT --- and combined they would make one long, wild, 1,200-page book that would read as fast as a 20-page short story. They feature a CIA cleaner named Micah Dalton, who is not in the best graces of his agency due to a penchant that compels him to pursue a course of conduct that more often than not goes against orders but results in his usually getting the job done better than anyone else. While complete in itself, each volume also picks up immediately from where the last left off.

So it is that THE VENETIAN JUDGMENT begins with Dalton in Venice pursuing a bloody vengeance against the Serbian gang of thugs who shot and grievously wounded his lover in THE ORPHEUS DECEPTION. Quickly finding himself to be persona non grata for turning the romantic city into his own personal killing field, Dalton is handed a golden opportunity to keep his hands busy and happy while possibly putting himself back into the good graces of his erstwhile employer.

A small group of CIA employees known as the Glass Cutters specializes in decryption. While working on a top secret project that involves Deacon Cather, Dalton's erstwhile mentor, one of their London members is brutally murdered after being subjected to unspeakable tortures. Worse, photographic documentation of the act was emailed to her friends, family and employer. The killing appears to be the work of Kiki Lujac, an exotic fiend who had been left for dead by Dalton in a previous encounter.

Accompanied by fellow agent Mandy Pownell, Dalton begins his quest by attempting to determine if Lujac is in fact deceased. Their inquiry kicks over a hornet's nest that results in Dalton and Pownell pursuing, and being pursued by, a shadowy group of murderers with ties to the former KGB. The ghost of Porter Naumann, Dalton's friend and Pownell's lover, is along for the ride as well, popping up at times opportune and otherwise, and dispensing advice to Dalton. An aside here: Stone handles the existence of this shade incredibly well. In lesser hands, the appearance of a ghost in the middle of a narrative would be silly; in Stone's capable hands, the occurrences are Shakespearean in quality. He even provides an almost-plausible explanation, made more so by the fact that the shade never appears to anyone else, including Pownell.

What Naumann does not reveal, however, is that Lujac has managed to insinuate himself into the life of Briony Keating, another Glass Cutter. Keating, a very capable 62-year-old New York divorcee with a voracious sexual appetite, is quite taken with Lujac, even as she senses that all is not right with him. For his part, Lujac is feeding Keating's appetite and biding his time for the moment when he can treat himself to a repeat performance of his actions in London. The suspense, to say the least, is heart-stopping, with the storyline cutting back and forth between Dalton and Pownell escaping the jaws of death and Keating seemingly jumping wholeheartedly into them. There are a number of endings that wrap (almost) everything up, leaving just enough threads for yet another volume.

Stone is a marvel. Possessed with a canny sense of how the world works and a historical view that hasn't been distorted by the talking heads, he pulls back the curtain and reveals the hidden history of the last 60 years while never once losing the sense of his narrative. You will want to read this one twice. At least.

David Stone has an advantage over other writers in his genre (Espionage/Thriller) in that he is using a `cover name' to protect his identity. The fact of the matter is, he was born into a military family and has served as both an intelligence officer and investigator for a state-level law enforcement agency. Therefore, the first-hand knowledge he brings to the table when creating a new novel is filled with such minute detail he has no choice but to keep his identity a secret.

David Stone's `spy' novels are not filled with martinis, romance and fancy cars (like any James Bond novel) or over-done chase sequences (like any Jason Bourne novel). With the release of his 3rd novel - "The Venetian Judgment" - the reader is once again drawn deeply inside the modern spy game where being `burnt', `out of the cold' or in `deep cover' are realities his lead characters face on a daily basis. Not to mention regularly getting caught in the middle of national and international crises!

"The Venetian Judgment" picks right up from where Stone left off with his previous novel, "The Orpheus Deception". Lead character and professional `cleaner' for the CIA, Micah Dalton, has been laying low in Venice after his involvement in a brutal battle with a Serbian gang in which his lover was shot. His job as a `cleaner' involves being sent on missions to clean up any messes made by other CIA operatives --- a job he does with quiet efficiency. When he is sent a strange box containing what appears to be a stainless-steel glass cutter, Micah recognizes the gift to be a sign that a defunct spy group known as the Glass Cutters were in danger.

Micah proceeds to team up with a half-British/half-American associate, Mandy Pownall, who is called in to investigate the brutal murder of an elderly woman in London that was a former colleague of theirs --- and former member of the Glass Cutters. Stone's narrative does not only include the Stone/Pownall investigation but also focuses on another member of the Glass Cutters, Briony Keating, who is residing in a Hudson Valley country manor in upstate New York. She realizes she may be on the hit list of whatever group is hunting members of her former team and at the same time dealing with the sudden disappearance of her military son who may have been abducted by the Taliban while stationed in Eastern Europe.

The identity of the rogue group that is hunting down the Glass Cutters may turn out to be an old enemy of the U.S. --- marking the start of a new Cold War. There may also be plant high up in the CIA working to undermine their mission and paint a negative image of the U.S in the global press. The action moves back and forth --- with Dalton's mission taking him from Venice to Santorini and eventually to Istanbul - in pursuit of an assassin they feel may be responsible for the brutal murders. The action is appropriate and not over-done here and the intelligence mining and terminology so intricate you really have to be on your toes to keep up with this smart thriller.

When asked if his stories were based on his own experience, David Stone said, "If they were I'd be dead now, although I've had my times. But not even I can drink like Micah Dalton. He's kind of like me, only younger, smarter, meaner, better-looking, and he has the liver of a Norse God." Here's hoping we see more of Stone's `Cleaner' as this engaging espionage series continues to thrive!

Not only is David Stone a master of the espionage genre, he is a consummate writer as well. He has a marvelous sense of humor, which shines through much of the dialogue and exposition and frequently had me laughing out loud. The juxtaposition of thrills and witticism is one which Stone carries off admirably in The Venetian Judgment. Of the three Micah Dalton novels I have read thus far, this one is my favorite. It is perhaps the best crafted-- and represents a seamless continuation of its two predecessors, but without lapsing into repetition. The off-stage characters (e.g.,Cora Vassari) are inconspicuous in their absence, whereas the on-stage carry-overs (Porter Naumann, Mandy Pownall) continue to shine. I am SO looking forward to savoring The Skorpion Directive!

Enjoyed the book very much. It arrived on time in excellent condition.

This is a hat trick for "David Stone." Waiting for the next to make it a four-bagger!

The plot is stuck in the last book. Same bad guy. Same puzzle regarding a mole. Time to change direction. This was work getting thru. Not what the reader expected from this author.

Length:: 3:34 Mins

Here we have a spy novel with good integration into real history. Would you like it? Would this book make a good gift? In this short video book review I'll tell you without giving away the plot. Join me! Frank Derfler, author of "A Glint in Time"