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Robin Monarch #2
Outlaw
While conducting top-secret negotiations aboard a tanker in the South China Sea, the U.S. Secretary of State and the foreign ministers of China and India are kidnapped, and the tanker they are on is hijacked. The “Sons of Prophecy” take responsibility and issue an ultimatum: If their demands are not met in seven days, the three will be beheaded live on the Internet.
With the presidential election in only eight days, sitting President Sands, about to leave office, calls in former CIA operative and master thief Robin Monarch and convinces him to save the diplomats before the threatened execution.
In Outlaw, Monarch and his counterpart, a mysterious Chinese agent named Song Le, embark upon a dangerous journey into the underbelly of Southeast Asia, a world of corrupt Vietnamese Army officers, fanatical pirates, Hong Kong triad leaders, and volatile mercenaries living around the red light districts of Thailand. As they get closer and closer, with time quickly running out, Monarch learns that the daring kidnapping and ransom pot diabolical plot is only a front. Behind it is another plot, one designed to alter the outcome of the election itself, a conspiracy that reaches deep inside the White House, back to the very people who hired Monarch in the first place.
With the presidential election in only eight days, sitting President Sands, about to leave office, calls in former CIA operative and master thief Robin Monarch and convinces him to save the diplomats before the threatened execution.
In Outlaw, Monarch and his counterpart, a mysterious Chinese agent named Song Le, embark upon a dangerous journey into the underbelly of Southeast Asia, a world of corrupt Vietnamese Army officers, fanatical pirates, Hong Kong triad leaders, and volatile mercenaries living around the red light districts of Thailand. As they get closer and closer, with time quickly running out, Monarch learns that the daring kidnapping and ransom pot diabolical plot is only a front. Behind it is another plot, one designed to alter the outcome of the election itself, a conspiracy that reaches deep inside the White House, back to the very people who hired Monarch in the first place.
325 pages, Hardcover
First published October 22, 2013
122 people are currently reading
823 people want to read
About the author
Mark T. Sullivan
38 books4,316 followersMark T. Sullivan (b. 1958) is an author of thrillers. Born in a Boston suburb, he joined the Peace Corp after college, traveling to West Africa to live with a tribe of Saharan nomads. Upon returning to the United States, he took a job at Reuters, beginning a decade-long career in journalism that would eventually lead to a job as an investigative reporter for the San Diego Tribune.
Sullivan spent the winter of 1990 living with a group of skiers in Utah and Wyoming, and used the experience as the foundation for his first novel, The Fall Line (1994). In 1995 he published Hard News, a thriller based on his work as a reporter, and a year later he released The Purification Ceremony, which won the WH Smith Award for Best New Talent. His most recent work is Private Games (2012), which he co-authored with James Patterson. Sullivan lives with his family in Montana, where he skis, hunts, and practices martial arts.
Sullivan spent the winter of 1990 living with a group of skiers in Utah and Wyoming, and used the experience as the foundation for his first novel, The Fall Line (1994). In 1995 he published Hard News, a thriller based on his work as a reporter, and a year later he released The Purification Ceremony, which won the WH Smith Award for Best New Talent. His most recent work is Private Games (2012), which he co-authored with James Patterson. Sullivan lives with his family in Montana, where he skis, hunts, and practices martial arts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
January 18, 2014
The action thriller genre is alive and well this winter. Case in point, the always entertaining, highly diverting and action packed Outlaw, the second book in Mark Sullivan's Rogue series.
Robin Monarch, call sign Rogue, is a thief, who joined the United States special forces, only to leave and once again become a thief, has been called to the White House. The Secretary of State, while meeting with similarly situated officials from China and India, has been kidnapped by pirates, who want untold millions to free them. The President hires Monarch and his team to find the missing diplomats. However, the Chinese and Indians have required Monarch to take a top agent from each of their countries to help.
Meanwhile, a Chinese Triad leader is actively involved in orchestrating various attacks on US, Chinese and Indian interests.
As Monarch follows leads and clues, he and his team constantly have to escape and thwart armed thugs trying to kill them. There are great action scenes, high flying stunts, cat burglary and untold gun battles and fights.
Its very entertaining.
Robin Monarch, call sign Rogue, is a thief, who joined the United States special forces, only to leave and once again become a thief, has been called to the White House. The Secretary of State, while meeting with similarly situated officials from China and India, has been kidnapped by pirates, who want untold millions to free them. The President hires Monarch and his team to find the missing diplomats. However, the Chinese and Indians have required Monarch to take a top agent from each of their countries to help.
Meanwhile, a Chinese Triad leader is actively involved in orchestrating various attacks on US, Chinese and Indian interests.
As Monarch follows leads and clues, he and his team constantly have to escape and thwart armed thugs trying to kill them. There are great action scenes, high flying stunts, cat burglary and untold gun battles and fights.
Its very entertaining.
September 4, 2017
Interesting that the president would contact Robin for this mission. Things really seemed cut and dry for most of the time. It wasn't till you got to the end that you realized nothing was what it seemed and that everything had been choreographed. That Robin was involved was a lark, but now he is one a bad man's radar and that can't be good.
January 28, 2019
Wow. I only wish I had read the Robin Monarch books in order. Unfortunately, I read Thief (3rd novel) 1st and, although I thought it exciting in part, it would have been so much more enjoyable had I read Rogue and Outlaw first. Now I will have to read Rogue (#1) last!!!
Robin Monarch is the main character in these stories. A former government agent, he is now on his own as a thief (and rogue, and outlaw).....still called on by the government to help them solve crimes.
In Outlaw, the Secretary of State has been kidnapped along with officials of both the Indian govt. and the Chinese govt. The President calls on Robin to get the Secretary back and discover who took her and why. This scenario leads to an exciting, nail-biting adventure into the dark world of the Far East as well as the U.S. government.
Though some situations seem almost unbelievable, the novel is most entertaining. Mark Sullivan has created a character along the lines of Mitch Rapp, James Bond, et.al.
Robin Monarch is the main character in these stories. A former government agent, he is now on his own as a thief (and rogue, and outlaw).....still called on by the government to help them solve crimes.
In Outlaw, the Secretary of State has been kidnapped along with officials of both the Indian govt. and the Chinese govt. The President calls on Robin to get the Secretary back and discover who took her and why. This scenario leads to an exciting, nail-biting adventure into the dark world of the Far East as well as the U.S. government.
Though some situations seem almost unbelievable, the novel is most entertaining. Mark Sullivan has created a character along the lines of Mitch Rapp, James Bond, et.al.
February 8, 2014
I kind of picked this up in error, having forgotten that I thought our introduction to Robin Monarch in "Rogue" was poorly put together. This is a slight improvement on that but it has some annoying elements that pull it back a bit. There are also a couple of typos that the publisher should have picked up on and removed. which didn't impact the story but came over as sloppy.
Anyway when terrorists snatch senior US, Indian and Chinese officials, Monarch and his small team are brought in as 'independent contractors to track them down. Monarch and his team do this on behalf of various good causes, orphanages, medical needs etc. We then have a country hopping chase with lots of action before jumping on a plane to the next one. The bad guys are generally over the top but that is almost to be expected these days. The plot is a little undemanding but it is a 'read it and forget it' thriller.
So a significant improvement on Rogue but I have held the score back for two reasons, firstly the author is trying to create a "thief" legend around Monarch and that just got too repetitive and annoying, secondly their are far too many last minute twists thrown at us when fewer and cleverer would have been better.
There is something in this series if it could be toned down a bit, not sure if I shall go for the next one though.
Anyway when terrorists snatch senior US, Indian and Chinese officials, Monarch and his small team are brought in as 'independent contractors to track them down. Monarch and his team do this on behalf of various good causes, orphanages, medical needs etc. We then have a country hopping chase with lots of action before jumping on a plane to the next one. The bad guys are generally over the top but that is almost to be expected these days. The plot is a little undemanding but it is a 'read it and forget it' thriller.
So a significant improvement on Rogue but I have held the score back for two reasons, firstly the author is trying to create a "thief" legend around Monarch and that just got too repetitive and annoying, secondly their are far too many last minute twists thrown at us when fewer and cleverer would have been better.
There is something in this series if it could be toned down a bit, not sure if I shall go for the next one though.
April 27, 2018
Some thrillers take a ripped-from-today’s-headlines scenario, tart it up, and turn it loose on a recognizable slice of the real world. If there’s disbelief to be suspended, it comes in small doses. Other thrillers, on the other hand, require you throw away that disbelief all in one chunk right up front, then let the plot unspool more-or-less naturally in the alternate world they set up – a world that looks like but doesn’t necessarily act like the world we live in.
Outlaw belongs to the second type. Once you make that leap of faith, you get an efficient, Ludlumesque international chase story. That first step’s a doozy, though.
Because I wrote this review for Criminal Element, I can't copy it here. However, you can read the entire review -- and find a lot of other good stuff -- here.
Outlaw belongs to the second type. Once you make that leap of faith, you get an efficient, Ludlumesque international chase story. That first step’s a doozy, though.
Because I wrote this review for Criminal Element, I can't copy it here. However, you can read the entire review -- and find a lot of other good stuff -- here.
August 11, 2016
I must have been in the mood for something filled with action. And there was plenty of that to be had in this novel. And while this wasn't the best book I've read in a while, it certainly kept my attention.
I liked that the language that I so despise was kept to a minimum. I didn't like that the editing was so lacking - seriously, can't Minotaur pay more attention? All that money for a hardback and parts of it felt self-published the errors were so glaring.
Next time I'm ready for an adventure that spans the globe I just might look for something by this author.
I liked that the language that I so despise was kept to a minimum. I didn't like that the editing was so lacking - seriously, can't Minotaur pay more attention? All that money for a hardback and parts of it felt self-published the errors were so glaring.
Next time I'm ready for an adventure that spans the globe I just might look for something by this author.
December 30, 2017
While conducting top-secret negotiations aboard a tanker in the South China Sea, the U.S. Secretary of State and the foreign ministers of China and India are kidnapped, and the tanker they are on is hijacked. The “Sons of Prophecy” take responsibility and issue an ultimatum: If their demands are not met in seven days, the three will be beheaded live on the Internet.
With the presidential election in only eight days, sitting President Sands, about to leave office, calls in former CIA operative and master thief Robin Monarch and convinces him to save the diplomats before the threatened execution.
In Outlaw, Monarch and his counterpart, a mysterious Chinese agent named Song Le, embark upon a dangerous journey into the underbelly of Southeast Asia, a world of corrupt Vietnamese Army officers, fanatical pirates, Hong Kong triad leaders, and volatile mercenaries living around the red light districts of Thailand. As they get closer and closer, with time quickly running out, Monarch learns that the daring kidnapping and ransom pot diabolical plot is only a front. Behind it is another plot, one designed to alter the outcome of the election itself, a conspiracy that reaches deep inside the White House, back to the very people who hired Monarch in the first place
With the presidential election in only eight days, sitting President Sands, about to leave office, calls in former CIA operative and master thief Robin Monarch and convinces him to save the diplomats before the threatened execution.
In Outlaw, Monarch and his counterpart, a mysterious Chinese agent named Song Le, embark upon a dangerous journey into the underbelly of Southeast Asia, a world of corrupt Vietnamese Army officers, fanatical pirates, Hong Kong triad leaders, and volatile mercenaries living around the red light districts of Thailand. As they get closer and closer, with time quickly running out, Monarch learns that the daring kidnapping and ransom pot diabolical plot is only a front. Behind it is another plot, one designed to alter the outcome of the election itself, a conspiracy that reaches deep inside the White House, back to the very people who hired Monarch in the first place
August 23, 2024
All in all, I enjoyed the first book of the series more than this one, as I slowly grew tired of Robin Monarch continually getting into one death-defying pickle of a problem after another. Even so, I found Monarch to be a fascinating character, and definitely someone that you’d want on your side during a conflict. For that matter, despite the endless repetition of Monarch’s dangerous intrigues, I couldn’t stop myself from looking forward to seeing how he would get himself free again. Also, as a thief with a wide array of contacts and acquaintances in the dark and dirty underworld of criminals around the globe, the author packed this novel with truly colorful characters operating far off the normal grid of any society. Thus, while I don’t plan to pick up the the third book of the series right away, at some point I will read it; and, as with the other books in the series, I expect it will that after a few pages into the novel, things will fully explode into fourth gear again for the protagonist and those around him.
July 14, 2023
Imagine the US Secretary of State on a secret mission is kidnaped and held for ransom with the other diplomats they are discussing issues with and a week away from a US presidential election. Who would you call to make it all better? I think the Seal Teams would be a first choice, but the author calls in a thief, Robin Monarch. Who asks for the Seal Teams to be on standby. A fast paced book, hard to put down and well done.
April 5, 2020
This is a entertaining novel that fans of the genre should enjoy. It's the second book in a trilogy but stands up by itself quite well. Robin Monarch is a good guy with a conscience you can root for and other characters were very interesting as well. The story strikes a nice balance between operational action and political scheming.
May 4, 2022
Extremely good reading
I just read the first book in the Robin Monarch series last week. Upon finishing the first book, I immediately checked to see if there was a second book, found it. I ordered 2nd book, & 3rd book in series. Just finished' look forward to starting book 3 tomorrow. Robin is an interesting character. Would prefer cuss words not be included
I just read the first book in the Robin Monarch series last week. Upon finishing the first book, I immediately checked to see if there was a second book, found it. I ordered 2nd book, & 3rd book in series. Just finished' look forward to starting book 3 tomorrow. Robin is an interesting character. Would prefer cuss words not be included
August 13, 2022
Amazing
The plot is thick, and twisty. An anarchist up rival, heads of state kidnapped, and a plot to blow your mind. Robin Monarch and crew are at it again, saving the world. The players are diverse, and stand to make a fortune, upending the world market to allow gambling in China. Read and be amazed.
The plot is thick, and twisty. An anarchist up rival, heads of state kidnapped, and a plot to blow your mind. Robin Monarch and crew are at it again, saving the world. The players are diverse, and stand to make a fortune, upending the world market to allow gambling in China. Read and be amazed.
August 25, 2018
Derivative garbage. Characters are introduced to injure or kill off. Uses a cliffhanger but doesn't earn the right. Plot stretches credulity. Writing is functional. I'm usually overgenerous with testosterone fiction, but this doesn't cut it.
March 10, 2020
the author accumulated the story well enough, but it all falls down powerlessly at the finale.
Rogue : Nice reading and smooth action
Outlaw : Great story and juicy action just until before the finale
Rogue : Nice reading and smooth action
Outlaw : Great story and juicy action just until before the finale
November 10, 2020
You can’t stop reading it!
Fast paced action, beautifully complex plot and , well that sums it up! There is a sting left in the tale too... off to get the next one now.....Robin Monarch?....more Robin Hood!
Fast paced action, beautifully complex plot and , well that sums it up! There is a sting left in the tale too... off to get the next one now.....Robin Monarch?....more Robin Hood!
August 10, 2021
I read and enjoyed "rogue", this first of the Robin Monarch books. This story follows the abduction of the US secretary of state and others and the attempt to get them back before their expiry date arrives. An ok read but not as intriguing as rogue and leaves the way open for his next novel.
August 29, 2021
Easy read of the vast conspiracy going off without a hitch until the fly in the ointment, monkey in the wrench character shows up. When the author calls the back seater of an F-18 a Navigator instead of a Weapon Systems Officer, well, what else is wrong?
April 20, 2024
Much better writing than the first book. However there were way too many unfinished thoughts in this book. One or two interrupted thought are okay but upwards of 20 in the book is way too many. It is quite distracting. This a book, not real life.
September 7, 2017
Another great read by Mark Sullivan. You can't put a Robin Murdoch book down!
February 18, 2018
Like the book this Robin Monarch is a trippy character glad I came across this book and the writer of the story will look into more of his stories
December 31, 2018
Patriotic, fun, wouldn't seek out again.
March 29, 2019
Yeah, I know. Totally improbable. But it's a fun, fast read. And I can hardly wait to read the next one.
March 31, 2019
Way too much violence in this one. It overshadowed the story line.
March 8, 2020
Decent plot. The delivery is an absolute mess.
October 20, 2020
This finished up the Robin Monarch series for now. Although it helps, these can be read as stand alone books. All of them were quite good.
June 2, 2022
A modern day Robin Hood type of story that is really entertaining
June 20, 2023
This is a great fast action series. I’m looking forward to reading the next Robin Monarch novel.
May 15, 2024
Robin Monarch is on of my favorite characters (thief, special forces, CIA, badass) and this is the second time I've read it - picked up a few more things than the last time and still love it!!
June 30, 2024
Good fun escapist thriller, looking forward to more.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews