Mark 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.
As a fan of the thriller genre, its easy to like the very entertaining Rogue by Mark Sullivan. The action is relentless, the story is fast paced and the hero is intriguing. Thriller fans are not looking for literary masterworks. If we wanted literature, we could read The Great Gatsby. These books are not going to be discussed with Life of Pi in book clubs. This is popcorn fair for fans of James Bond and 24. The benchmarks of the genre are the hell for bent heroes, the adrenaline fueled action, and the pure entertainment value. Throw in a convincing, if outlandish plot, and enough action to keep you reading way past your bedtime, and you have the makings of a series. Trust me, when I read to 4:00 am, its got to be good.
Robin Monarch, orphaned at a young age in the worst area of Argentina, barely survived by becoming a thief. Now, after a stint in the US Army, he is employing his unique skills as a CIA operative. He puts together a team, at the request of his boss, John Slattery, to break into a scientist's lab and steal secret Al Qeada archives supposedly kept in a computer system. The mission goes south, and the factory ends up destroyed when the scientist comes to work early, but not before Monarch stumbles on to the fact that there is no Al Qeada archives on the computer but instead a massive "Green Fields" file containing information about a secret weapon system being developed by the scientist. Suspecting a double cross, Monarch quits the agency. Slattery, however, is not done with Monarch and wants him to find the Green Fields weapon.
Several months later, Monarch is back to his old tricks of being a thief. While dating Lacey Davenport, the heir to a billionaire English noble, he breaks into a stateroom of their family friend and liberates a priceless emerald necklace and other jewelry from the woman. But shortly thereafter, he and Lacey are caught in the midst of an assassination plot against a Russian gangster. Monarch steps into the fray, and using his unique skills, is able to foil the killing. The Russian, Belos, invites Monarch and Lacey to his Cypriot house to advise him on security measures.
Meanwhile, Slattery has learned that the Green Fields devise is in play, and that Monarch is with Belos, and sets in motion a plan to force Monarch, with Belos help, to once again to try to steal the devise. But he has Belos make Monarch think the devise is the triggering mechanism for a nuclear bomb, instead of the actual Green Fields weapon that Slattery covets.
When Lacey's life is put in danger, Monarch gathers his old team together and goes after the supposed nuclear trigger. They must fight off Russian gangsters, ruthless Russian forces, and Slattery yet again before stealing back the devise, rescuing the girl and saving the world from another scary weapon.
Careening between the back alleys of the poorest sections of Argentine, to firefights involving tanks and soldiers, to cat burglary and torture, Sullivan pulls out all the stops in this hyperkinetic action packed story.
Although Monarch may be too much like the legendary "Robin Hood" to be believable the weapon system ultimately seems to have been a reject from some bad science fiction movie, the novel works if you do not think too hard and just read it for the thrills and action.
Its fun, its sleek, and very entertaining. What more could a thriller fan want late at night.
"THINK BOURNE. THINK BOND. THINK BAUER. THINK BETTER" - Nothing like raising expectations! The author tries to blend a number of things here, Bourne, Robin Hood and a bit of Mission Impossible and, in my view, none of them really work and it all ends up as a bit of a mess. Far too many unanswered questions or lack of logic that you are not supposed to notice because of the pace of the book. Robin Monarch is a CIA operative (ex special forces of course!) with a history rooted in an Argentinian criminal community (but it's all right - he's a good guy really). On an operation he sees something that makes him resign and then go rogue. Throw dodgy CIA activities, conspiracy plots, the Russian Mafia, dictators and all sorts of stuff, mix them up badly and you end up with Rogue. It just lacks logic and tension and at times is so silly it makes you laugh. Don't take this one seriously and if you love the Bourne stories, avoid this. In fact this should probably be avoided anyway unless you have very undemanding tastes or want to read something light and forgettable. Maybe I am being harsh, but some of the reviews and the over the top cover blurb may give you the impression this is an intelligent thriller. It ain't.
“Rogue” by Mark Sullivan, published by St. Martin’s Minotuar.
Category – Mystery/Thriller
If you are looking for a thrill a minute, or maybe a thrill a page grab a hold of this book and don’t let go.
Robin Monarch was in the Special Forces before joining the CIA. He and his team are now being called on to locate and steal a weapon that will make all present weapons obsolete. In fact whoever controls this weapon could very easily control the world.
Robin, as a young man, was brought up by parents that were both thieves. Upon their tragic death, he joined the “Brotherhood of Thieves” and honed his trade before joining the CIA.
Robin is disillusioned by the botched assignment and leaves the CIA. He, unfortunately, becomes involved with the Russian Mafia and his coerced into stealing the weapon. He finds that not only is the CIA looking for this weapon but also the Russian Mafia, a Chechen Dictator, and the Chechen Mafia.
Robin was content with all of them while fighting a deadline to bring in the weapon or have a young lady killed that he put into grave danger.
The pace of this book is warp-speed and the pages fly by and the reader will probably lose track of time. A fun book to read that changes from page to page and has one rooting for Monarch from page one.
Mark Sullivan is yet another author who is working with James Patterson as a co-author in the hopes that Patterson's name will serve as a midwife to an ultra-successful career in books. I have not read the Patterson/Sullivan collaboration but I did enjoy the audiobook version of this solo effort by Sullivan.
Rogue starts with CIA operative Robin Monarch breaking into a Turkish research lab to steal a series of files called "Green Fields." Green Fields is supposed to be the collected archives of Al-Qaeda, but when Monarch gets curious, goes against his orders and opens a few of the files he discovers that he was being used to steal something altogether different and he decides to walk away from the CIA in mid-operation without saying a word in explanation. Time passes and Monarch uses his skills to become a professional thief (of the Robin Hood persuasion). Eventually he is snared in a complicated web of deceit that has him going after Green Fields yet again.
Robin Monarch is an amalgam of other legendary characters. I already mentioned Robin Hood. The traumatic death of his parents reminded me of Batman...
Rogue is a diverting book that has an unconventional hero. Robin Monarch is a thief who worked for the CIA a short while. He has a complicated past that he's running away from but continues to shape his present. This one's recommended to readers who like globe-trotting adventure and political espionage. It kept me on the edge of my seat plenty of times, but I did get the impression that Robin often wasn't the smartest guy in the room. I don't mind heroes who don't have all the answers, but I feel like he made it easy for the bad guys a little too often. I could see the double cross in this book coming 10 miles in advance. Plus, I think Monarch has wretched taste in women, and it continually gets him in trouble. I couldn't stand Lacey. Ugh. I feel like this book is aiming more towards the James Bond kind of spy thriller than a more straightforward action series. If that's what you're looking for, then you'll like this.
The action scenes were pretty good, and like I said, it did have some good suspenseful moments, but it's not up there overall for me as read. More on the average side. I know my opinions are biased because I was also listening to the Orphan X books, and that's about my favorite thriller series right now. On its own, this is a good read, but it doesn't compare to that series at all.
Where do I even begin with this review?! The book started out slow ad never did pick up. The most boring Thriller ive ever read in my life!!
The author kept explaining the storyline between the characters over and over again which bore me to death and never got better.
I wish I hadn't read this book but in a way am glad I did cause I learned that this author write really boring Thriller stories that involve CIA Agents!!!
In this audiobook of Mark Sullivan's "Rogue", Jeff Gurner brilliantly brings to life Robin Monarch's world of espionage and thievery. Using different voices and accents, Gurner presents a believable portrayal of each character and draws the listener in from from beginning and holds their interest all the way through to the end!
The story centers around Robin Monarch who worked for the government but went rogue when he discovered what was really behind the assignment he was working on. In Robin's line of work, though, he is never safe and ends up tangled with the Russian Mafia.
The story line itself was good and deserves between 4 to 4-1/2 stars, but Gurner's talented presentation of the story popped it up to a 5 star rating for me.
If you are a fan of thrillers, spy novels, action novels or just a good story, this audiobook is one not to miss!
Thank you to Macmillian for offering this through the First-Reads program!
Fast paced thriller that I enjoyed though I did get a bit bogged down in the plot and the large number of players. Robin Monarch is very likeable Robin Hood character who's pushed into going Rogue after a mission appears to go very wrong in Istanbul. What follows is a speedy race from one place to another, with all sorts of villains drawn in desperate to get their hands on the 'something' that's gone missing. Who's bad, who's good is a recurring theme in the book with some nice twists and turns. It's easy to read. The short chapters, rather like James Patterson's, help. Easy to visualise some of the action scenes which are well thought out and described, if a bit over the top - but who cares. This is adrenaline pumping stuff in the Bond style and I'd read more about Robin.
I discovered this author this year when I read the wonderful book Beneath A Scarlet Sky. While that book was historical fiction it was based on true events and people. I so enjoyed that book that I want to read all of his books and went back to the beginning with Rogue. I have also read his books with James Patterson. Rogue is a typical fast-paced thriller. The main character is forced into searching for the trigger of a nuclear device in order to keep it out of the hands of terrorists.
4 1/2 ***** One terrific ride....full of exciting situations, bad guys, good guys, and plenty of derring-do! Rogue is the first of three novels by Mark Sullivan involving a Robin Hood-like character, Robin Monarch....a perfect opening novel. Robin grew up in the slums of Buenos Aires, the son of criminal parents. He spent his childhood involved in gangs and was taken in by a Catholic Nun who ran a clinic and home for wayward children. Robin, then, devotes his adult life as a thief for hire....stealing from wealthy bad folks and giving most of what he stole to Sister Rachel. He is assisted in most of his endeavors by a small group of interesting, and likeable folks made up of childhood friends and associates from his days with the CIA. In Rogue, he is hired by the CIA to find a 'trigger' that is about to be auctioned off to the highest bidder....the 'trigger' being part of a nuclear device that could destroy countries. From the US, to Argentina, to England, to parts of the former Soviet Union, Robin and his gang meet with obstacles at every turn, some of which defy credibility! All in all, Rogue is a fast, enj0yable, fun read.
429 pagine. Lo riscrivo in lettere che lo fa sembrare più lungo: quattrocentoventinovepagine.
Che un thrillerone “tra Mission Impossible e The Bourne Identity” – come strilla la copertina – faccia desiderare di arrivare alla fine non per scoprirne gli arcani ma per poterlo finalmente chiudere… no, non è un buon segno.
Quando poi: il protagonista fascinoso-le-donne-cadono-ai-suoi-piedi non mostra alcuna complessità caratteriale, la trama è una ininterrotta sequenza di scene action scritte-perchè-ci-facciano-un-film, i personaggi di contorno sono piatti come un ago di pino caduto dall’abete natalizio (e di plastica parimenti fatti), il mondo è in pericolo ma per 350-e-passa facciate non è chiarissimo il perché…
Quando ancora: il finale si trascina preventivamente un po’ via, la sensazione di già letto e ancor più probabilmente già dimenticato ti avvinghia, ti rendi conto di aver saltato una ventina di pagine sull’ebook per un click sbagliato ma in fondo non è che la cosa abbia nociuto più di tanto…
Insomma, anche no. Anche quando lo affronti solo per accompagnarti verso il sonno, perché in fondo ti lascia lì un bel po’ di nervosismo.
This one only became interesting to me when Robin went rogue, when he realized that those he trusted sent him to do some dirty work that would benefit them, not the country they all worked for. Things became more interesting when you learned of Robin's past, the gang that he belonged to, the reason he had the "rules" and how the friends that he grew up with were there to help him figure things out and do the right thing. I found I didn't mind Robin's Robin Hood ways, some of them deserved what happened to them and the ones that got the help so needed it.
I did love how Robin exposed things, loved that it was so public, loved that the "bad guys" knew that they were done. I liked how Robin and his gang laid down their own punishment on the one that got away, it was fitting.
It will be interesting to see how Robin responds to the job offer.
This was a slow burn for me. Robin Monarch was an interesting, if not so predictable secret agent with a secret past. I loved the ending and the unexpected double crosses, but I honestly felt there was too much going on and I found it difficult to always follow the action. To be fair, I started this and then read a 2 books in between. I picked it back up on a flight home. Coincidently, it was very similar to another book I had just read, so three stars might be harsh. I love Sullivan's 2 historical fiction work , so having to clear that expectation didn't help ether. I will read into the series and see if I can give Monarch more of of my full time attention.
The author tries to bill Monarch as a modern-day Robin Hood (even giving him the first name "Robin"). Much like Robin Hood, he steals from the rich to help the poor. Unfortunately, Monarch is not all that discerning in the victims from which he steals, even stealing from people who care about him. His lack of morality turned me off to him fairly early on. Had the author limited the thefts to Russian oligarchs and other individuals deserving of such acts, it would have left a better impression. The remainder of the novel also felt a bit sophomoric. I do not intend to continue with the series.
I read this because I really loved a WWII novel by this author. This really isn't my favorite genre. I felt like I was either in a James Bond movie, or a Mission Impossible one. Some of the things that happened felt so far fetched (but maybe that is the case in books like these?) but I admit the suspense had me keep reading to find out how Slattery would get caught up to his actions. I liked the idea that a boy from the slums can arise to higher levels and help those around him. Overall, suspense pretty good but believability is kind of out there.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Rogue is a great thriller in the vein of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan or Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne. I found this book after reading the third book in this series (which stood alone). This book did not disappoint. I listened to the audiobook, which was well-performed with accents and emphasis where needed. It's a fast read, and was perfect to keep me on the treadmill for a few extra miles so that I could hear 'just one more chapter' again and again.
It's a fast read, with tension on every page. If you like spy thrillers, and international intrigue, this book is a great read.
This is a remarkable thriller you'll find hard to put down. Robin Monarch was once a top level CIA operative ... that is until he just walks away during an operation. Now, who is he? He's a thief stealing from the super-rich. But he's caught in a trap and is forced to complete the operation he had walked away from. The mission: obtaining the secret archives of Al-Qaeda. Well written and fast action.
This book was pure fun, if there had been more character development I would have been very tempted of giving 5 stars, but alas the characters are extremely one dimensional and cookie cutter archetypes.
Normally that would mean there isn’t a chance in hell I would give this book even the 4 stars, but as I said it was fun to read, and half the time I had my head playing me the mission impossible theme. If you like the old show, you will enjoy this book.
I really enjoyed this relatively thriller/mystery. Kept me guessing and routing for the thieves. Monarch was my hero and his passion for he liking sister was inspiring I read Sullivan's two historical novels first and for me they were more gripping and profound.
That being said I will read and expect to enjoy everything Mark Sullivan writes. He us amazung
This was a great introduction into Mark Sullivan and Robin Monarch his hero of the book. The ability to win fights is impressive. It is good that some are lost along the way as well. Once the rogue is exposed and the tale spins out, the victories are all the better. We like the Wentworth's and see them as unlikely to reappear in other books--but the ladies have a good sense of adventure as Mark Sullivan writes them in this book.
Although action-packed thrillers are not something I generally read….“Rogue” was almost impossible to put down after the first few pages. Along with a strong storyline and a fascinating array of characters, Sullivan is an incredibly talented writer with a gift for incorporating unexpected twists and turns. Not only have I now discovered another great writer to follow, but there are also two more books in the series to add to my reading list.
The kind of writing one has come to expect from Sullivan - flawless. However, I was sometimes muddled when it came to some parts of the plot. The characterization of Monarch is excellent.
and memorable, though. I had just finished reading Sullivan's book on Italy during World War II, so it's hard to compare anything to the excellence of that.
Fast action thriller, couldn't put it down. Kept my attention right to the end. Lost a point on the passwords. Does Mr Sullivan not realize passwords change regularly? However this overlooked, it did not deter my enjoyment of a brilliant read.
It’s ok, if you like fast paced generic “Bourne” style books BUT there’s not much depth, wit or detail. Some will no doubt enjoy it, because it is great escapism and a page turner but it’s not for me. Halfway through I just did not care enough about the plot or characters to finish it. In my opinion Chris Ryan and Andy McNab do this style of fiction better.
Once again the expert story teller, Mark Sullivan, has woven an excellent tale of spies and deception. This book is extremely difficult to put down. This is the 5th book in succession written by Mr. Sullivan which I have read. There will be a 6th in succession.