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Mark Sava #1
The Colonel's Mistake
Mark Sava, former CIA station chief of Azerbaijan, lives a quiet life as a professor at Western University in the city of Baku. But his peace is shattered by both the assassination of a high-level American during an international oil conference and the arrest of CIA operations officer Daria Buckingham for the crime. Sava knows the Iranian American Buckingham well―he personally trained her―and doesn’t believe she had anything to do with the murder, so he visits a CIA control center to discuss the situation with the new station chief. When no one answers the outside intercom, Sava overrides the security code and stumbles upon the grisliest scene of his career. Now, he can’t help but wonder if he really knows Buckingham as well as he thought… Determined to find out, Sava soon finds himself and a partner caught in the middle of the new Great Game―a deadly intelligence war over oil that has Iran, China, and the United States clawing at each other’s throats. Meanwhile, Colonel Henry Amato, assistant to the US national security advisor, is keeping a close watch on the situation from Washington. His stake in the Great Game is high―and personal. From the shadows of the world’s most volatile region to the highest levels of Washington politics, The Colonel’s Mistake takes readers on an unforgettable ride where the good, the bad, and the brutal play a deadly chess game of global espionage.
329 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2012
193 people are currently reading
915 people want to read
About the author
Dan Mayland
5 books102 followersDan Mayland is an author and professional geopolitical forecaster, helping nonprofit, private, and government organizations navigate a changing world. His Mark Sava spy series and his latest novel, The Doctor of Aleppo, were informed by his experiences in the Caspian region and Middle East. Raised in New Jersey, Mayland now lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and two children, in an old stone farmhouse he and his wife have restored. More information about Dan and his books can be found at danmayland.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews
November 16, 2021
Mark Sava’s long tenure as the CIA Station Chief in oil-rich Azerbaijan has made him one of America’s leading experts on the country’s next-door neighbor, Iran. Now retired but still living in Baku, he is teaching at a local university and working on a book. He can’t help but continue to take a personal interest in the Agency’s operations in the region. When a CIA operations officer operating under non-official cover is picked up by Azeri secret police for murder, he goes on high alert. And when she gets word to him from prison and drags him into the case, he knows the days ahead will be filled with danger. Thus opens The Colonel’s Mistake, a Middle Eastern spy story that’s the first of Dan Mayland’s series of espionage thrillers featuring Mark Sava.
A CIA OFFICER UNDER SUSPICION
Daria Buckingham has faced suspicion throughout her career in the CIA. She is the daughter of an American and, as her Irani first name suggests, an Iranian mother. Now that suspicion has mushroomed with her arrest for murder. Because the man who died was a former US Deputy Secretary of Defense. Daria was alone with him when he died. And the official who runs all Agency operations in the region is convinced she murdered him. But Mark Sava doesn’t believe it. He knows her well. She had been one of his best operatives. In hope of preventing her murder by the Azeris, he begins to pull strings to secure her release.
SUSPENSEFUL TO THE LAST IN THIS MIDDLE EASTERN SPY STORY
The Colonel’s Mistake is a complex story that most readers are likely to find not just suspenseful but baffling, too, until its final chapters. The principal players include:
** the deputy National Security Advisor responsible for affairs in the region
** the Azeri minister of national security
** the Iranian general who commands the Presidential Guard
** rebels fighting the mullahs within Iran
** a former Navy SEAL now working for hire, and
** the CIA Division Chief for Middle Eastern and Central Asian Affairs
** as well as Mark and Daria.
The relationships among these characters only slowly become apparent—and those relationships prove to be the key to understanding the tale. Along the way, however, you’re likely to gain new insight into the politics of the region and the dynamics of power within the upper reaches of the Iranian government.
THE LATEST INCARNATION OF THE GREAT GAME
As Mark Sava knows only too well, “people had been killing each other over control of Central Asia and its resources for nearly two hundred years. First it was the British versus the Russians, then it was the Americans versus the Soviets, and now it was a free-for-all, with Russia, China, and the West all clawing at each other’s throats over oil. It was the latest incarnation of the Great Game.”
Keep in mind that this novel appeared in 2012 during Barack Obama’s first term as President of the United States. The Iran Nuclear Deal was sealed in 2015, toward the conclusion of his second term. The events that transpire in this story may seem farfetched but might well have been thought less so then, a decade ago.
However, even then, Dan Mayland had a clear grasp of the challenge facing the United States. “The one constant in Iranian-American relations,” he writes, “was that whenever Washington came up with a plan to gain the upper hand—whether it was installing the Shah, or backing Saddam Hussein in the Iran-Iraq was, or selling the mullahs arms in 1986—it somehow always wound up making things worse.” And this Middle Eastern spy story he wrote is a dramatic example of just how very badly things can go wrong.
GEOGRAPHY OF THE REGION
Americans are famously ignorant of geography, and few regions of the world cause many of us more confusion than the Middle East and particularly the Caucasus on its northern fringe. Despite the long-running US war in Iraq, only a tiny fraction of our citizenry has a clear picture of the relations among Iraq’s neighbors to the north and east, the several nations that hug the shores of the Caspian Sea. Among them are Russia, Iran, and Azerbaijan, three countries that figure prominently in this novel. With the continuing apprehension among US policy-makers toward Iran, it would make sense for all of us to gain a greater grasp of the geographical relationships in the region.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Mayland’s author website tells us that he “is the author of the Mark Sava spy series and The Doctor of Aleppo, novels informed by his long love of history and experiences in the Caspian Region and Middle East. While Azerbaijan was a particular focus beginning in 2005, Mayland also conducted research in Iran prior to the 2009 uprising, in Bahrain shortly after the eruption of the Arab Spring, in Georgia’s Pankisi Gorge in 2013, on the Turkey-Syria border after the fall of Aleppo, and more recently in refugee camps on the island of Lesbos, Greece.”
In addition to writing novels, Mayland is a geopolitical forecaster. He holds a degree in history from Dartmouth College. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and children.
A CIA OFFICER UNDER SUSPICION
Daria Buckingham has faced suspicion throughout her career in the CIA. She is the daughter of an American and, as her Irani first name suggests, an Iranian mother. Now that suspicion has mushroomed with her arrest for murder. Because the man who died was a former US Deputy Secretary of Defense. Daria was alone with him when he died. And the official who runs all Agency operations in the region is convinced she murdered him. But Mark Sava doesn’t believe it. He knows her well. She had been one of his best operatives. In hope of preventing her murder by the Azeris, he begins to pull strings to secure her release.
SUSPENSEFUL TO THE LAST IN THIS MIDDLE EASTERN SPY STORY
The Colonel’s Mistake is a complex story that most readers are likely to find not just suspenseful but baffling, too, until its final chapters. The principal players include:
** the deputy National Security Advisor responsible for affairs in the region
** the Azeri minister of national security
** the Iranian general who commands the Presidential Guard
** rebels fighting the mullahs within Iran
** a former Navy SEAL now working for hire, and
** the CIA Division Chief for Middle Eastern and Central Asian Affairs
** as well as Mark and Daria.
The relationships among these characters only slowly become apparent—and those relationships prove to be the key to understanding the tale. Along the way, however, you’re likely to gain new insight into the politics of the region and the dynamics of power within the upper reaches of the Iranian government.
THE LATEST INCARNATION OF THE GREAT GAME
As Mark Sava knows only too well, “people had been killing each other over control of Central Asia and its resources for nearly two hundred years. First it was the British versus the Russians, then it was the Americans versus the Soviets, and now it was a free-for-all, with Russia, China, and the West all clawing at each other’s throats over oil. It was the latest incarnation of the Great Game.”
Keep in mind that this novel appeared in 2012 during Barack Obama’s first term as President of the United States. The Iran Nuclear Deal was sealed in 2015, toward the conclusion of his second term. The events that transpire in this story may seem farfetched but might well have been thought less so then, a decade ago.
However, even then, Dan Mayland had a clear grasp of the challenge facing the United States. “The one constant in Iranian-American relations,” he writes, “was that whenever Washington came up with a plan to gain the upper hand—whether it was installing the Shah, or backing Saddam Hussein in the Iran-Iraq was, or selling the mullahs arms in 1986—it somehow always wound up making things worse.” And this Middle Eastern spy story he wrote is a dramatic example of just how very badly things can go wrong.
GEOGRAPHY OF THE REGION
Americans are famously ignorant of geography, and few regions of the world cause many of us more confusion than the Middle East and particularly the Caucasus on its northern fringe. Despite the long-running US war in Iraq, only a tiny fraction of our citizenry has a clear picture of the relations among Iraq’s neighbors to the north and east, the several nations that hug the shores of the Caspian Sea. Among them are Russia, Iran, and Azerbaijan, three countries that figure prominently in this novel. With the continuing apprehension among US policy-makers toward Iran, it would make sense for all of us to gain a greater grasp of the geographical relationships in the region.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Mayland’s author website tells us that he “is the author of the Mark Sava spy series and The Doctor of Aleppo, novels informed by his long love of history and experiences in the Caspian Region and Middle East. While Azerbaijan was a particular focus beginning in 2005, Mayland also conducted research in Iran prior to the 2009 uprising, in Bahrain shortly after the eruption of the Arab Spring, in Georgia’s Pankisi Gorge in 2013, on the Turkey-Syria border after the fall of Aleppo, and more recently in refugee camps on the island of Lesbos, Greece.”
In addition to writing novels, Mayland is a geopolitical forecaster. He holds a degree in history from Dartmouth College. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and children.
October 21, 2012
Full Review originally at Fantasy Book Critic
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: This is a debut spy thriller that I read a few months ago. It’s a fresh new take on the Great Game taking place in central Asia. As with most spy thrillers, they often take the road & tropes that has been beaten to death. This book however doesn’t take that path and marks itself as a special debut.
The reason for its special nature is that it does things differently and it doesn’t have a superspy as its protagonist but one that has more in common to George Smiley than James Bond. Mark Sava is the main focus of the story and is a professor at a university in Azerbaijan. He is pulled into the main storyline when an ex-associate of his, Daria Buckingham is held as the main culprit in a murder of a US diplomat. Having a very clichéd beginning however doesn't detract from the overall ingenuity of the story. The author then slowly starts laying out his set pieces that make the story stand out.
Based in Azerbaijan and with the plot moving to various countries in the nearby area, the author keeps the story from becoming all too stereotypical. This story is based on the geo-political structure in the Middle East region as well as central Asia with the focus on Iran and other oil-rich countries. Having a very taut storyline that has a few twists plus with the author's background knowledge of the prevalent politics of the region makes this story a very rich one as well as an entertaining one. This story will also showcase a different side to the conflict that we often read about but don’t have a real clue about.
Characterization is another strong point as the author gives enough of a background for the main character but also gives many clues for the reader to know that Mark Sava is a cipher that is yet to be revealed completely. The side character cast besides Faria doesn't get much time and so isn't as three-dimensional as Mark & Faria. However there are a couple of side characters that I hope will get broader roles as the series progresses. Again with first books in a series, it’s a tight line that authors strive to balance and it will depend on the readers to believe whether he straddled it comfortably or not.
For all those bored with the same old CIA spy crap that involves over zealous soldiers, too-cool-to-be-true gadgetry and cardboard villains, this is the book for you. Dan Mayland writes a smart thriller that educates as well shines a clarifying light on the muddled nature of the geo-politics involved in oil-rich central Asia. This was another debut that stood simply because of the different path taken by the author in regards to a spy thriller story. Do yourself a favor and do not miss this one as I will be eagerly awaiting The Leveling (second book of the Mark Sava series) to see what the author has in store for us and his characters.
June 6, 2021
Eurovisionathon challenge square: Azerbaijan
Listened to the audiobook via Audible and Kindle Unlimited!
A spy novel set in Baku about Mark who used to work in the CIA but finds himself witnessing some brutal killings that need to be solved. When a former co-worker is accused of one of these murders, he decides to prove her innocence and find the real culprits. It was an interesting concept but the pacing at times was extremely slow.
Listened to the audiobook via Audible and Kindle Unlimited!
A spy novel set in Baku about Mark who used to work in the CIA but finds himself witnessing some brutal killings that need to be solved. When a former co-worker is accused of one of these murders, he decides to prove her innocence and find the real culprits. It was an interesting concept but the pacing at times was extremely slow.
November 25, 2012
My friend and classmate Dan Mayland has produced a bare-knuckled thriller that is an exemplar of the genre. Mayland's protagonist is Mark Sava, a cynical ex-CIA operative -- he's kind of like a down-at-heels American James Bond, without the clothes and gadgets -- who gets sucked into a brutal series of killings related to a shipment of stolen uranium and some pan-Islamic skulduggery. The plot is incomprehensible gibberish, but the atmosphere of obscure Central Asian backwaters and the rot and decay of former Soviet satellites is crisply sketched. The milieu is out of Graham Greene or Casablanca, seedy places where spies and turncoats run amok and bribery and duplicity is the lay of the land. Good, tough, quick-moving stuff. The first of a series.
December 27, 2012
Can you imagine a half dozen US government employees getting killed on-the-job in a foreign country and the US Government not making a huge deal out of it, especially if Iranian agents were the prime suspects? Can you imagine a senior US official changing his name and no one figuring it out, despite the background check necessary for his job? Can you imagine a CIA employee committing treason and no one really caring? These are just a few of the leaps of faith required to buy into this novel. Add to those the author's inability to build suspense or to construct characters with emotions deeper than the ability to recognize physical beauty, and you'll wonder how you could've made it to the end of this silly and superficial book.
September 6, 2012
I read this as a free Amazon Prime borrow based on the reviews. After reading it I have to say: Anybody who gives this book a 4 or 5 star rating needs to start reading better espionage novels. There is no way this book deserves all the buzz it is getting. This book was OK - nothing more. Seriously, there's better stuff out there - go find it!
April 4, 2019
Fast-paced, action-packed spy thriller. Of course, there was much that stretched the realm of the believable and I didn't love the ending, but this book was what I wanted it to be--a good escapism novel. 3.5 stars.
February 4, 2017
Good read
Enjoyed reading. Always like the tough but gentlemanly attributes of both Sava and Decker. Plan to read more of these.
Enjoyed reading. Always like the tough but gentlemanly attributes of both Sava and Decker. Plan to read more of these.
July 31, 2012
The former CIA station chief of Azerbaijan returns to his prior life to rescue his protege.
Mark Sava has left the intelligence world for a job as a university professor in the city of Baku. But when Daria Buckingham is charged with the assassination of an American official, his conscience forces him to come to his former colleague's aid. Sava's quest for truth propels the story. To uncover the truth, he must revisit his old network of relationships. They feature government agents and revolutionaries alike. At each turn he must reassess his perception and question everything he believes to be true, about people and their motives, abroad and in the United States. Sava's moral compass illuminates the landscape. It lets most readers experience Western Asia as they never have before.
The protagonist is a fine creation. He's a trained man of honor with a practical and cynical bent. He's driven by love of fellow man and his country, and a strong sense of absolute good. Still, he puts sentiment aside when difficult choices must be made. The setting is the thing in Mr. Mayland's debut. The depictions of people, customs, and places in Azerbaijan and surrounding countries teem with authenticity. If one of the goals of a good thriller is to inform the reader without his knowing a lesson is being given, Mr. Mayland succeeds with aplomb. The writing also deserves strong mention. Mr. Mayland knows exactly what kind of story he wants to tell. Character is built through action and dialogue. The author defers to those characters. His style is unobtrusive. The pace is relentless from the get-go. Readers looking for a sublime spy story that entertains and informs have found their mark.
Conclusion: The Colonel's Mistake is to the reader's benefit.
Mark Sava has left the intelligence world for a job as a university professor in the city of Baku. But when Daria Buckingham is charged with the assassination of an American official, his conscience forces him to come to his former colleague's aid. Sava's quest for truth propels the story. To uncover the truth, he must revisit his old network of relationships. They feature government agents and revolutionaries alike. At each turn he must reassess his perception and question everything he believes to be true, about people and their motives, abroad and in the United States. Sava's moral compass illuminates the landscape. It lets most readers experience Western Asia as they never have before.
The protagonist is a fine creation. He's a trained man of honor with a practical and cynical bent. He's driven by love of fellow man and his country, and a strong sense of absolute good. Still, he puts sentiment aside when difficult choices must be made. The setting is the thing in Mr. Mayland's debut. The depictions of people, customs, and places in Azerbaijan and surrounding countries teem with authenticity. If one of the goals of a good thriller is to inform the reader without his knowing a lesson is being given, Mr. Mayland succeeds with aplomb. The writing also deserves strong mention. Mr. Mayland knows exactly what kind of story he wants to tell. Character is built through action and dialogue. The author defers to those characters. His style is unobtrusive. The pace is relentless from the get-go. Readers looking for a sublime spy story that entertains and informs have found their mark.
Conclusion: The Colonel's Mistake is to the reader's benefit.
November 9, 2012
This was an enjoyable thriller set primarily in Azerbaijan but with diversions to Iran, Iraq, France and America as the plot progressed. Basically the plot is based around US fears of Iran and to be honest after the early chapters I was fearing a rather mindless US uber alles jingoistic romp. Whilst it had some elements of that, with lots of references to mad mullahs, it was actually much better than that, with the lead character Mark Sava - an ex CIA head of station in Baku - displaying a marked weariness with US meddling in the region. That however is an aside. Primarily this is an easy read that propels itself along at a rapid rate, through a suitably intricate plot that had me wondering throughout as to how it would end. This is the first in a proposed series based around Mark Sava. Enjoyable as it was, I doubt I'll read any more.....but you never know. The next one sounds as though it is set in Uzbekistan and as I know diddly squat about that former Soviet state, it might be interesting.
August 1, 2018
The Colonel's Mistake is good thriller mainly based in Azerbaijan, an asian country formally controlled by the Soviets and now influenced by Iran.
The synopsis tells the reader that an CIA operative Daria has been arrested for murder and detained. Her former CIA mentor, (now retired), Mark is asked to help get her out. He is reinstated on contract by the CIA. But he finds things are much more complicated and are not quite right. Factions from all sides are holding secrets, telling half truths and have ulterior motives. There are more murders. radicals, revolutionists, and a theft of seriously dangerous materials. The plot travels through Iran, Dubai, Washington DC and France. Although, I enjoyed the book, it did get a bit bogged down with true to life, complicated technology and politics. On the other hand, in this day and and age, the real world is complicated isn't it?
The synopsis tells the reader that an CIA operative Daria has been arrested for murder and detained. Her former CIA mentor, (now retired), Mark is asked to help get her out. He is reinstated on contract by the CIA. But he finds things are much more complicated and are not quite right. Factions from all sides are holding secrets, telling half truths and have ulterior motives. There are more murders. radicals, revolutionists, and a theft of seriously dangerous materials. The plot travels through Iran, Dubai, Washington DC and France. Although, I enjoyed the book, it did get a bit bogged down with true to life, complicated technology and politics. On the other hand, in this day and and age, the real world is complicated isn't it?
June 3, 2012
Don Mayland's first novel "The Colonel's Mistake" is a terrific read. Mr. Mayland a former CIA operative himself, gives the book and his main character Mark Sava tons of credibility in this compelling page turner.
The plot revolves around a former CIA station chief in Baku who is trying to recast his life as a college professor and author in Azerbaijan. It doesn't take long for the action to start as former colleagues are imprisoned, visiting US corporate executives are assassinated and the entire CIA staff is murdered. Well, Mark comes back to help identify the murderers and extract his colleague from prison as a contract CIA employee while partnering up with an ex Navy SEAL. It gets harder in a hurry.
No spoilers here. This book is tightly written and highly credible--very hard to put down. I look forward to Mr. Maylands next novel in this (I hope) series. Buy it.
The plot revolves around a former CIA station chief in Baku who is trying to recast his life as a college professor and author in Azerbaijan. It doesn't take long for the action to start as former colleagues are imprisoned, visiting US corporate executives are assassinated and the entire CIA staff is murdered. Well, Mark comes back to help identify the murderers and extract his colleague from prison as a contract CIA employee while partnering up with an ex Navy SEAL. It gets harder in a hurry.
No spoilers here. This book is tightly written and highly credible--very hard to put down. I look forward to Mr. Maylands next novel in this (I hope) series. Buy it.
November 3, 2014
"From the shadows of the world's most volatile region to the highest levels of Washington politics, The Colonel's Mistake takes readers on an unforgettable ride where the good, the bad, and the brutal play a deadly chess game of global espionage"
The above quote- taken from the synopsis is SPOT ON!!!
This is a seat of your pants thriller- full of twists and turns that keep the reader glued to the page- top notch in all areas- characters are very well rounded- individual- not paint by number- but beautifully captured on page with a full pallette of colors!
Action sequences are extremely well paced and along with locations magnificiently depicted make THE COLONEL'S MISTAKE anything but a mistake for any reader who loves great storytelling and superb international thrillers!!!
RICK FRIEDMAN
FOUNDER
THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB
The above quote- taken from the synopsis is SPOT ON!!!
This is a seat of your pants thriller- full of twists and turns that keep the reader glued to the page- top notch in all areas- characters are very well rounded- individual- not paint by number- but beautifully captured on page with a full pallette of colors!
Action sequences are extremely well paced and along with locations magnificiently depicted make THE COLONEL'S MISTAKE anything but a mistake for any reader who loves great storytelling and superb international thrillers!!!
RICK FRIEDMAN
FOUNDER
THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB
April 24, 2016
Former CIA station chief, Mark Sava, is living the good life with his girlfriend Baku, Azerbaijan. Sava comes out of retirement when officials arrest his protégé for a crime she did not commit, and someone murders the entire CIA staff in Baku. Once he is knee deep in the mystery it is hard to tell who are friends and who are enemies.
Maryland’s first book in A Mark Save Spy Novel series, The Colonel’s Mistake, is an action-packed, spy thriller. Strong characters get caught up in a deadly intelligence game of global espionage. The story takes you from Paris to Dubai with other exotic stops between all described in vivid details.
The story gets you hooked from the beginning and does not let go. And, while it is the first in the series, it does not leave you hanging at the end. I look forward to other books. 4 out of 5 stars.
Maryland’s first book in A Mark Save Spy Novel series, The Colonel’s Mistake, is an action-packed, spy thriller. Strong characters get caught up in a deadly intelligence game of global espionage. The story takes you from Paris to Dubai with other exotic stops between all described in vivid details.
The story gets you hooked from the beginning and does not let go. And, while it is the first in the series, it does not leave you hanging at the end. I look forward to other books. 4 out of 5 stars.
October 1, 2012
Excellent!! This book was interesting, exciting, and gripping. Dan Mayland has a talent for making the story come alive. The Colonel's Mistake was action packed. The characters were well developed and believable. This is a gripping page turner that I highly recommend. I'm glad to hear that this will be the first in a series of Mark Sava spy thrillers! The book is outstanding and a must read.
Disclosure: I received this book for free from Goodreads, however this had no impact on my review. I rated the story for the excellent quality with which it was written.
July 29, 2015
Wow! A fast-paced thriller that keeps you glued to the book. Spy thrillers aren't normally my favorite genre, but this book caught me and held me. It is a fast read aided by short pithy chapters that lead you on to the next. Another thing I enjoyed about the book is the description of the terrain of Azerbaijan, Iran and surrounding countries. I have a better understanding of that part of the world now and a map in my mind. This is a debut novel which says it is #1 of Mark Sava books. I hope there are more of this series.
September 1, 2012
If you are a fan of spies, espionage and terrorist actions, this book is one I'm sure you'll enjoy. The author also included a map of the middle east when I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and I found it very helpful. This book is a fast moving adventure, and appears to be the first in a series. It was a quick read and I look forward to more by Mr. Maryland.
October 27, 2013
Well done ... Content associated with the politics of the region very accurate
Enjoyable read, would recommend
Enjoyable read, would recommend
July 23, 2018
The narrator of this book was HORRIBLE. Absolutely awful. And unfortunately, it impacted what my impression was of this book. I checked to make sure that the narrator for books 2 and 3 are different before deciding to proceed - at least with the Audible versions. I really like Christopher Lane- so that is something to look forward to.
I enjoy this author, I actually started with book 4 by mistake and then when I realized that I started at the end decided to go back to the beginning.
Because of that, I think I may have had higher expectations with this book after reading book 4. As a debut novel goes, I enjoyed it. I really had a problem with Daria - so much so that it took me out of the story at times. She - at least to me - came across as callous and selfish with serious anger problems, so much so that I was was completely unsympathetic towards her. I mean truly, she DID commit treason - but I guess that is neither here nor there.
Other than that - it was a good start to the series.
I enjoy this author, I actually started with book 4 by mistake and then when I realized that I started at the end decided to go back to the beginning.
Because of that, I think I may have had higher expectations with this book after reading book 4. As a debut novel goes, I enjoyed it. I really had a problem with Daria - so much so that it took me out of the story at times. She - at least to me - came across as callous and selfish with serious anger problems, so much so that I was was completely unsympathetic towards her. I mean truly, she DID commit treason - but I guess that is neither here nor there.
Other than that - it was a good start to the series.
December 26, 2020
#cookiereads The Colonel’s Mistake by Dan Mayland 🐪
Mark Sava is a former CIA station chief teaching college in Baku, Azerbaijan. One night he is dragged to the prison where he learns a high official American is murdered and his former colleague and friend Daria Buckingham is accused of the crime. Later he learns that multiple people are murdered, and he is contracted to help with this situation. Who is responsible for these murders? Who exactly is Daria? 🐪
This is a very fast paced book that takes place in over three countries (France, Iran, and Azerbaijan). I would have liked a little bit of background into the settings of the countries. Also the is emotion with the characters. These characters are so focused on moving from one place to the other I guess there is no time for emotion.
Two out of four paws. #marksava #spynovels #bookstagram #corgireads #corgiofinstagram #corgilife #bluemerlecorgi
Mark Sava is a former CIA station chief teaching college in Baku, Azerbaijan. One night he is dragged to the prison where he learns a high official American is murdered and his former colleague and friend Daria Buckingham is accused of the crime. Later he learns that multiple people are murdered, and he is contracted to help with this situation. Who is responsible for these murders? Who exactly is Daria? 🐪
This is a very fast paced book that takes place in over three countries (France, Iran, and Azerbaijan). I would have liked a little bit of background into the settings of the countries. Also the is emotion with the characters. These characters are so focused on moving from one place to the other I guess there is no time for emotion.
Two out of four paws. #marksava #spynovels #bookstagram #corgireads #corgiofinstagram #corgilife #bluemerlecorgi
November 16, 2018
Since quitting the CIA, former chief of station in Azerbaijan Mark Sava has been living a quiet life as a professor in Baku. He is pulled back into the intelligence world when Daria Buckingham, a former colleague and protegée of his is arrested by the Azerbaijani authorities in connection with the assassination of a US politician. A visit to the local CIA station to help her out has Sava walking into a bloodbath. Once he starts looking into what happened, he soon learns that he doesn't know nearly as much about Daria as he thought - and that there's a dangerous and extremely shady high stakes game at play.
An intriguing spy thriller that has me hooked right from the start. The author's familiarity with his settings definitely shows, they are excellently rendered and add an extra air of authenticity to the book. Looking forward to more from this series.
An intriguing spy thriller that has me hooked right from the start. The author's familiarity with his settings definitely shows, they are excellently rendered and add an extra air of authenticity to the book. Looking forward to more from this series.
March 10, 2025
The setup of the story is a good one. A former CIA station chief who stays in country to teach and write. He gets involved in old business to help save a former trainee of his. But, the book doesn't go any where after that. There are some twists and turns, but I wasn't anxious to see the next page. The author uses too much foul language to try to make the characters sound tuff, but it's mostly uncalled for. I gave up on the book half way through. I gave it a two and a half.
September 6, 2017
Kick ass espionage
Purchased this book as a Kindle cheapie from Amazon for beach reading, and blazed through it. It's got the right mix, i.e., unrelenting but intelligent action and multiple flawed heroes on a mission. Perfect for beach or anywhere, really. It was my first Dan Mayland book, but it won't be my last. Good stuff.
Purchased this book as a Kindle cheapie from Amazon for beach reading, and blazed through it. It's got the right mix, i.e., unrelenting but intelligent action and multiple flawed heroes on a mission. Perfect for beach or anywhere, really. It was my first Dan Mayland book, but it won't be my last. Good stuff.
August 8, 2017
Great Series Opener!
Interesting story line with plenty of action. I liked the descriptions of locations that painted the picture of places I've never been or read about. I will continue the series. Read this if you also read Alex Berenson or Brad Thor.
Interesting story line with plenty of action. I liked the descriptions of locations that painted the picture of places I've never been or read about. I will continue the series. Read this if you also read Alex Berenson or Brad Thor.
June 25, 2018
Great characters and story line!
Vivid pictures of sacrifice and commitment to protect and preserve our freedom. Redemption available to those who remain faithful honoring life and fellow citizens!
Vivid pictures of sacrifice and commitment to protect and preserve our freedom. Redemption available to those who remain faithful honoring life and fellow citizens!
July 10, 2018
Pleasant read, moved at a pace though was less credulous than I prefer (I'm more John le Carre).
I easily finished it but would have preferred more cerebral stimulation, in essence you read it without having the opportunity to work out where it's going. If you buy it hope you enjoy it.
I easily finished it but would have preferred more cerebral stimulation, in essence you read it without having the opportunity to work out where it's going. If you buy it hope you enjoy it.
August 9, 2020
Intense
if you like foreign intrigue. You will love this. It’s fiction, but almost seems it could be true. Intense situations. Kept me reading until I finished it in one day. Also explains about that part of the world.
if you like foreign intrigue. You will love this. It’s fiction, but almost seems it could be true. Intense situations. Kept me reading until I finished it in one day. Also explains about that part of the world.
September 23, 2020
Pretty good
Plot is a bit tired but characters are developed. It s but shallow and not as high as four stars but as of recently I but a bad patch of unreadable books and thus one is pretty good in comparison
Plot is a bit tired but characters are developed. It s but shallow and not as high as four stars but as of recently I but a bad patch of unreadable books and thus one is pretty good in comparison
March 24, 2023
Interesting setting and premise, but I found it a bit confused. Author seems to be trying to replicate a Jack Ryan- type hero, who knows better than the US personnel he seems to look down on. Ending unsatisfying. Meh.
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