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Stephanie Patrick #2
Kameleony
Chapter One
She's eighteen months old. Two years ago, she was twenty-five years old.
They made love slowly but it was a hot afternoon and soon their bodies were slick. Laurent Masson was a tall man with no fat on his sinewy frame; dark-haired, dark-skinned, dark dirt beneath his fingernails. When she'd first seen him, Stephanie had thought he looked slightly seedy, which she liked. She, by contrast, had never looked more wholesome, which she also liked. Plump breasts, the curved suggestion of a belly, a dimple in the soft flesh above each buttock. She'd allowed her hair to grow; thick and dark, it fell between her shoulders down half her spine. Summer sun had tanned her normally pale skin, a healthy diet had improved her complexion.
The first-floor bedroom was small; a high ceiling, floorboards worn smooth, two tatty Yemeni rugs, a narrow double bed with a wrought-iron frame. On one wall, there was a mottled full-length mirror. On the opposite wall, there were six sepia photographs of Provence's brutal beauty.
Masson was on his back, Stephanie above him, his body between her thighs. Slowly, she rocked back and forth, trailing her fingertips across his chest and stomach. Neither of them spoke and there was no hint of a breeze to cool them. When she came, she closed her eyes, dropped her head back and bit her fleshy lower lip.
Later, Masson smoked a cigarette, rolling his ash onto a dirty china saucer. Stephanie stood by the window, naked and damp. Her gaze followed the land, falling away from the farmhouse, across the vineyard and the dirt track thatbisected it. The vines shimmered in the heat. Somewhere at the bottom of the valley, screened by emerald trees, there was the road. To the right, Entrecasteaux, to the left, Salernes. Beyond either, the real world.
"Last night, the dogs were barking all down the valley."
Behind her, Masson shifted, the bedsprings creaking. "They kept you awake?"
She nodded. "Some were howling."
"You should have spent the night with me."
"Actually, I liked it. It sounded...sad." She crossed her arms. "Sad but beautiful."
"Will I see you later?"
"If you want to."
"Do you want to?"
"What do you think?"
"I don't know. I never know what you think."
"Lucky you."
Laurent leaves. From the yard, I watch his old Fiat lurch along the track, kicking up clouds of golden dirt. When the dust has settled, Igo inside and make tea. The kitchen is cool and dark; a stone floor, terracotta walls, a heavy oak table flanked by benches. Bees murmur by the small square window over the sink. French windows open onto a terrace. A blanket of greenery laid over wooden beams provides dappled shade. Behind the house, olive trees are organized along terraces that climb the hill.
The farm belongs to a thirty-five-year-old German investment banker who was transferred from Frankfurt to Tokyo eighteen months ago. Initially, I rented it for six months through an agency in Munich. That was just over a year ago; I'm seven weeks into my third rental period. The roof leaks in places, some of the plasterwork is crumbling, the windows and doors are ill-fitting. But I don't mind. In fact, I prefer it this way. It feels more like a home. Then again, how would I know? I've lived in too many places to count but not one of them has been a home.
When the tea is ready, I take it outside. The fragrance of summer is as strong as its color, scents of citrus and lavender envelop me. I love days like this as much as the severed days of mid-December, when fierce winds scrape the harsh landscape, when rain explodes from pewter clouds that seem only just out of reach. Then, the dusty track turns to glycerin, cutting me off from the road. I always enjoy the artificial isolation that follows.
There is a large fireplace in the sitting room and a good supply of logs in the lean-to behind the outhouse. For me, there is a childish comfort in being warm and dry as I listen to the storm outside. I was raised in north Northumberland, close to the border with Scotland. Wild weather was a feature of my childhood. More than a mere memory, it's a part of me.
That's the thing about me, I suppose. I'm a collection of parts that never adds up to a whole. With me, two plus two comes to five. Or three. Or anything except four.
As far as the people around here are concerned, I am Stephanie Schneider, a Swiss with no parents, no siblings, no baggage. I live off a meager inheritance. I spend my days reading, drawing, walking. I came from nowhere and one day I'll return there. That's what's expec...
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
124 people are currently reading
611 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
April 28, 2019
2.5 stars
Again too many names and connections to be able to keep track of the plot. But this time without being invested in Stephanie’s story. It was just more of the same. Therefore a star less, this time rounded up to 3 stars but I really hope that the next instalment will be different.
Again too many names and connections to be able to keep track of the plot. But this time without being invested in Stephanie’s story. It was just more of the same. Therefore a star less, this time rounded up to 3 stars but I really hope that the next instalment will be different.
June 10, 2018
I loved the first book but struggled with this one. I don't even know what the problem was really but it didn't hold my interest. I got frustrated with all the Russian names as it was difficult to keep all the characters straight when names are similar but unfamiliar.
September 15, 2013
RATING: 3.25
Chameleon: a person given to often expedient or facile change in ideas or character. The word applies perfectly to Stephanie Patrick. Only a few years earlier, she had been living life as a professional assassin by the name of “Petra Reuter”. In the intervening years, she’s transformed her lifestyle and lives in a peaceful haven in France. She has an attentive paysan by the name of Laurent with whom she dallies, and an income sufficient to keep her comfortable for years to come. That comfort is threatened, however, when she is approached by the man she used to work for, Alexander, who represents Magenta House, a kind of syndicate promulgating various international deals and subterfuges.
Stephanie has no desire to become Petra again, to return to becoming a person who is a cold-blooded, ruthless killer. She struggles against this throughout the book, at varying times being Petra, an expedient way to do what is necessary. Alexander has several plans for her. First, she is to find the person who murdered one of their operatives. Secondly, she is to find a Russian by the name of “Koba”, a chameleon in his own right. And thirdly, she is to purchase a biological weapon.
Normally, any of these assignments would be fairly easy for her to accomplish. What she doesn’t bank on is falling in love with a man by the name of “Kostya” Komarov, a Russian who has as many secrets as Stephanie does. They are 2 people who have survived only because they have only trusted themselves. Will they be able to move from the world of intrigue that they inhabit and into a lasting relationship?
Although I was fascinated with the metamorphosis of the Stephanie/Petra character, I found myself less mesmerized with the events that transpired in the book. Slowly paced and overly complex in its plotting, it was difficult and confusing to keep track of all the multitudinous threads in the book. I wished that Burnell had concentrated on Stephanie’s assignments. Instead, every person that she interacted with also had various activities that they were involved in. I essentially lost track of the plot and was totally confused by that and the sheer number of characters.
Another element that made reading the book difficult was that Burnell switches between third and first person point of view constantly throughout the narrative. I didn’t really see the rationale behind using this device. I think the book would have been more effective told from a first or third person point of view, but not both.
One area where Burnell excelled was in the action sequences. He communicated a vivid sense of danger and excitement in these scenes. Burnell also does a nice job of portraying the various European and Russian settings where the book takes place. The conclusion of the book sets up a terrible dilemma for Stephanie, and there is no indication of how it will turn out until the last moment. I would have enjoyed this book far more if the plot had been streamlined and the focus been on how Stephanie, operating at times as Petra, accomplished what she needed for herself and for the organization.
Chameleon: a person given to often expedient or facile change in ideas or character. The word applies perfectly to Stephanie Patrick. Only a few years earlier, she had been living life as a professional assassin by the name of “Petra Reuter”. In the intervening years, she’s transformed her lifestyle and lives in a peaceful haven in France. She has an attentive paysan by the name of Laurent with whom she dallies, and an income sufficient to keep her comfortable for years to come. That comfort is threatened, however, when she is approached by the man she used to work for, Alexander, who represents Magenta House, a kind of syndicate promulgating various international deals and subterfuges.
Stephanie has no desire to become Petra again, to return to becoming a person who is a cold-blooded, ruthless killer. She struggles against this throughout the book, at varying times being Petra, an expedient way to do what is necessary. Alexander has several plans for her. First, she is to find the person who murdered one of their operatives. Secondly, she is to find a Russian by the name of “Koba”, a chameleon in his own right. And thirdly, she is to purchase a biological weapon.
Normally, any of these assignments would be fairly easy for her to accomplish. What she doesn’t bank on is falling in love with a man by the name of “Kostya” Komarov, a Russian who has as many secrets as Stephanie does. They are 2 people who have survived only because they have only trusted themselves. Will they be able to move from the world of intrigue that they inhabit and into a lasting relationship?
Although I was fascinated with the metamorphosis of the Stephanie/Petra character, I found myself less mesmerized with the events that transpired in the book. Slowly paced and overly complex in its plotting, it was difficult and confusing to keep track of all the multitudinous threads in the book. I wished that Burnell had concentrated on Stephanie’s assignments. Instead, every person that she interacted with also had various activities that they were involved in. I essentially lost track of the plot and was totally confused by that and the sheer number of characters.
Another element that made reading the book difficult was that Burnell switches between third and first person point of view constantly throughout the narrative. I didn’t really see the rationale behind using this device. I think the book would have been more effective told from a first or third person point of view, but not both.
One area where Burnell excelled was in the action sequences. He communicated a vivid sense of danger and excitement in these scenes. Burnell also does a nice job of portraying the various European and Russian settings where the book takes place. The conclusion of the book sets up a terrible dilemma for Stephanie, and there is no indication of how it will turn out until the last moment. I would have enjoyed this book far more if the plot had been streamlined and the focus been on how Stephanie, operating at times as Petra, accomplished what she needed for herself and for the organization.
December 18, 2025
3.5 stars
July 31, 2019
This second book of the series had all the intrigue of a good espionage/spy novel. My problem with Burnell's books is the many, many people and places he introduces at the beginning of the book and throughout. If you can learn to pick and choose which to remember, you'll enjoy the story more. That is what works for me.
January 26, 2017
Meh, at first the book seemed exciting and I love strong female leads. As the book went along the dialog and action became a blur of similar thoughts, words and actions. I completely lost interest and skipped ahead to finish the book. I didn't miss anything.
December 9, 2010
I feel like i didn't fully grasp some of the deeper stories in the book. But it was still one hell of a good read
July 31, 2018
The second in the Stephanie Patrick series: Thinking that her secret life as assassin Petra Reuter is over. Stephanie quits the super secret life and is living in southern France.; it's a peaceful life. When a British agent is murdered the secret intelligence service named Magenta House, wants Stephanie to return as Petra to avenge his death.
Stephanie is a different woman in the three years sine she left, in fact channeling Petra is becoming a problem for her, doubt rears it's head several times in her mission. Sent to find and kill the shadowy Russian criminal Koba isn't that easy. Flying between New York, Moscow and Paris she attempts to stop Koba from selling a lethal biological bomb that could kill inn the tens of thousands in a horrific death.
Another complication is Stephanie has fallen in love with a Russian criminal, who just might be Koba himself.
Burnell does a great job of detailing the effects of this biological weapon, the ins and outs of the Russian underworld and as always Magenta House and its chief, Alexander who pulls Stephanie's strings.
Hard to find but with EON Productions filming to the first book, Rhythm Section, I'm sure this whole series of four novels will be reprinted.
Stephanie is a different woman in the three years sine she left, in fact channeling Petra is becoming a problem for her, doubt rears it's head several times in her mission. Sent to find and kill the shadowy Russian criminal Koba isn't that easy. Flying between New York, Moscow and Paris she attempts to stop Koba from selling a lethal biological bomb that could kill inn the tens of thousands in a horrific death.
Another complication is Stephanie has fallen in love with a Russian criminal, who just might be Koba himself.
Burnell does a great job of detailing the effects of this biological weapon, the ins and outs of the Russian underworld and as always Magenta House and its chief, Alexander who pulls Stephanie's strings.
Hard to find but with EON Productions filming to the first book, Rhythm Section, I'm sure this whole series of four novels will be reprinted.
February 17, 2022
Read this book if you like secret societies, vigilantes, and a political landscape.
Stephanie Patrick thought she could retire, but that is far from the truth when you work for Magenta House. If they need you, they will find you. Stephanie is living a life of content when she's approached for "one more assignment." Falling back into her old ways but also trying to hold onto her humanity, she tries to find a balance that will get her out alive.
Well, I liked the first book a lot better in this series and don't know if I love the way Stephanie is evolving. She comes across as a love sick teenage girl a lot versus the bad ass we all know and love from the first book. I enjoyed following the storyline more but don't think I will keep with the series.
Stephanie Patrick thought she could retire, but that is far from the truth when you work for Magenta House. If they need you, they will find you. Stephanie is living a life of content when she's approached for "one more assignment." Falling back into her old ways but also trying to hold onto her humanity, she tries to find a balance that will get her out alive.
Well, I liked the first book a lot better in this series and don't know if I love the way Stephanie is evolving. She comes across as a love sick teenage girl a lot versus the bad ass we all know and love from the first book. I enjoyed following the storyline more but don't think I will keep with the series.
July 13, 2022
Stephanie....living in France, puttering around and relaxing, rendezvousing with men who catch her fancy.....until one day someone from her past pays her a visit and talks her into coming out of retirement and back to her previous life.
As a hit woman. A very very good hit woman.
And in the interest of trying to buy her permanent freedom, she agrees to her former employer's request. And reunites for a brush up survival course with her trainer/mentor.
Espionage, blood, torture, beatings, the rare female in this male dominant field...Stephanie? Petra?
As a hit woman. A very very good hit woman.
And in the interest of trying to buy her permanent freedom, she agrees to her former employer's request. And reunites for a brush up survival course with her trainer/mentor.
Espionage, blood, torture, beatings, the rare female in this male dominant field...Stephanie? Petra?
June 22, 2023
Stephanie has retired and is content living in the French countryside....until she emerges to get Back To It, while struggling with her myriad of identities, least of whom she seems to like is Petra.
I'd still recommend to not f*ck with her and even more so to avoid the Russians she has found herself tangled up with. Nasty business.
Also this book shifts between 1st and 3rd person narration, which is kind of like the literary equivalent of motion sickness.
I'd still recommend to not f*ck with her and even more so to avoid the Russians she has found herself tangled up with. Nasty business.
Also this book shifts between 1st and 3rd person narration, which is kind of like the literary equivalent of motion sickness.
September 24, 2019
I read some of the other reviews, and yes, there are a lot of names and characters to keep track of. It seems like that'd be a pretty standard requirement of the life of an international spy/assassin/thief. Of course, I've never lived that life, so entertainment may have mislead me. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to start the next in the series.
February 11, 2020
Honestly, the only reason I really read this book was because the cliffhanger at the end of the first book with Frank... which we got NO answers about. I'm invested enough in this series that I'll keep reading, but I hate when plot lines don't get finished. Maybe in the next book?? It is impossible to keep the characters straight. I just try to grasp the main plot and attempt to hold on to that.
May 21, 2023
I thought that this was a great second book in the Stephanie Patrick / Petra Reuter series. Yes, there are a lot of characters in the story to follow but many of them were in the first book, 'The Rhythm Section'. And there are some great new characters in this book including Konstantin Komarov among others. I really enjoyed it maybe more than the first novel.
December 2, 2019
The plot was okay, the research on Russia was top-notch (I could pick on some tiny points like Lubjansky Proezd vs. Prospekt, and that it's one-way down towards the Moskva river). But the storytelling was just meh. Deux ex Machina - twice?! Come on!
February 25, 2020
Sequel to The Rhythm Section. While I understand the heroine's motivation in the first novel - revenge for the murder of her family - I'm not sure her motivation in this second book was as solid. I don't think I have the patience for a third adventure.
May 22, 2020
Jason Bourne has nothing on this lady!
More adventures as Stephanie's life takes an unexpected turn. Just when you think you know what's going on, you discover you're don't! Can't wait for the ongoing saga to continue!
More adventures as Stephanie's life takes an unexpected turn. Just when you think you know what's going on, you discover you're don't! Can't wait for the ongoing saga to continue!
May 16, 2021
I thought the original Petra “movie” was great and I heard he wrote the script. This is second in series and the plot is just marginal. Petra, good, bad guy she loves, bad.......secret agency controls Petra
lots of evil Russians, some good ones , blah, blah. Not sure about reading more..
lots of evil Russians, some good ones , blah, blah. Not sure about reading more..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2022
2nd in the series and didn’t disappoint. Stephanie kept me on the edge of my seat. Boyd showed up again too. Lots of twist and turns and the ending wasn’t expected. Well written and the characters come alive on the page.
March 21, 2024
Good read.
Not as hard to get into as Rhythm Section started.
Love the twists and turns. Can't wait til Stephanie finally gets revenge on Alexander but, since there are 2 books left, I figure I have some reading to do before that! At least I hope that's how it all ends!
On to Gemini!!
Not as hard to get into as Rhythm Section started.
Love the twists and turns. Can't wait til Stephanie finally gets revenge on Alexander but, since there are 2 books left, I figure I have some reading to do before that! At least I hope that's how it all ends!
On to Gemini!!
January 3, 2025
Disappointing
This read as if the writer didn't have much of a story and needed to fill it with unnecessary detail to pad it out. Padding with travelogue description. For the most part, nothing happens. When it does, it is uninspired. A tedious and disappointing read.
This read as if the writer didn't have much of a story and needed to fill it with unnecessary detail to pad it out. Padding with travelogue description. For the most part, nothing happens. When it does, it is uninspired. A tedious and disappointing read.
February 25, 2019
i loved it. I love this character and it was a great story.
March 19, 2019
Not as good as the first one in the series
March 6, 2020
Well written
But it delved too deep into the characters psyche. Found myself fast forwarding. I enjoy the historical & geographical facts, but it too was a little much.
But it delved too deep into the characters psyche. Found myself fast forwarding. I enjoy the historical & geographical facts, but it too was a little much.
March 12, 2020
slow and grim, and not in an interesting way.
Read
February 18, 2021Not as great as Rhythm Section but captivating anyway!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2021
DNF. Started good with promise, but bogged down too much in the middle. Like others have said, too many characters with weak links to the story.
May 16, 2021
this is the second book in this serie and its excellent like the others i definitly recommend it if you like this genre ,my favorite ,i am sad that mark burnell doesnt write any more
October 31, 2021
This series is my third with a woman as the central character in a spy thriller/ International crime story. I think this is the best written so far.
January 24, 2022
3,5 stars ... just because of the description of Russia in the post-Soviet era.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews