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Charlie Cooper is sent to Prague to investigate - and eliminate - the leader of a group of far right hooligans guilty of the murder of an Interpol agent. Cooper is on his final warning and is expected to get in and out with minimal fuss, leaving just the body of his target in his wake.

But then Cooper meets a young man who has fallen under the spell of the group's charismatic leader... will he be able to ignore his conscience and follow his orders, or will he complicate matters by trying to get the young man to safety first?

135 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 17, 2024

657 people are currently reading
56 people want to read

About the author

Mark Dawson

114 books1,853 followers
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Mark Dawson was born in Lowestoft and grew up in Manchester and Chicago. He has worked as a lawyer and currently works in the London film industry. His first books, "The Art of Falling Apart" and "Subpoena Colada" have been published in multiple languages.

He is currently writing two series. Soho Noir is set in the West End of London between 1940 and 1970. The first book in the series, "The Black Mile", deals with the (real life but little known) serial killer who operated in the area during the Blitz. "The Imposter" traces the journey of a criminal family (think The Sopranos in austerity London and you'd be on the right track).

The John Milton series features a disgruntled special agent who aims to help people to make amends for the terrible things that he has done. Mark, as a child of the 80s, will freely admit that he watched a lot of The Equalizer in his youth.

Mark lives in Wiltshire with his family.

You can find him at www.markjdawson.com or www.facebook.com/markdawsonauthor.

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Community Reviews

5 stars
726 (49%)
4 stars
535 (36%)
3 stars
174 (11%)
2 stars
14 (<1%)
1 star
5 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
Profile Image for Kristine.
3,421 reviews52 followers
December 8, 2024
4.25 Stars ⭐️

This was a short story in the fairly new Charlie Cooper series. Charlie is given an assignment that was supposed to be relatively easy - he is to assassinate the leader of a neo-nazi type group.

In the course of doing his investigation into the group, he ends up befriending a young man who is part of the group, but who seems as if he really, really wants a way out. Charlie uses him to get critical information to help with his intended job, but things get complicated when Interpol gets involved and when Charlie begins to feel a bit protective of the young kid. Unfortunately, there are consequences to that.

As always, Mr. Dawson creates a wonderful and interesting storyline which held my interest the entire way through. I listened to most of this on audio and David Thorpe did his usual great job with the narration.
11 reviews
November 3, 2024
This book delivered Mark's usual fast-paced, geographically-diverse plot which I enjoyed but didn't love. If AI ever developed a generic "action-thriller" programme ([perhaps AI already has!) it would, I suspect, pretty much follow this novel; little character development, less depth of motivation but saved from homologous dreariness by the all-action nature of the book.

It seemed to me as though Dead of Winter had been rushed (to meet a publication date, mayhap?) and the proof-readers had missed a number of points, the biggest schoolboy howler being that, for 5 Chapters, a central-casting villain, named Antononin had driven a blue BMW. Not just any blue BMW but an "electric-blue" BMW! So why, at the beginning of Chapter 24 had Antononin's car morphed into a blue Mercedes? Many BMW owners must dream of their car morphing into a Mercedes (revealing brand snobbery here!) but such a glaring inconsistency has no pace in a novel which has, at its heart, granular detail and product placement! As a retired solicitor, this error leapt off the page and so, Mark, if you want to try out my proof-reading prowess, then just drop me an email! Seriously, this book was a good romp through the snow and concluded with the "goodies" and "baddies" getting, pretty much what was due to them!
Profile Image for Ken Karcher.
184 reviews4 followers
February 2, 2025
Interesting episode

After going rogue in the last book, Charlie is trying to repair his relationship with the Group and with Control. This takes the form of removing a Brown Shirt wannabe in Prague, and failure is not an option if Charlie wants to remain with the Group. We need to remember these books are written in the past at a time when John Milton was still Number One, so I spend time looking for Easter eggs to see how Mark intends to tie it all together. This book felt like it was just dropping a couple of hints without much character development. We see Charlie becoming less enamored of the collateral cost of his profession, how that will develop is the main question. I can't wait to see how Dawson gets everything worked out.
Profile Image for Gail.
563 reviews1 follower
May 20, 2024
Another exceptional book by Mark Dawson!

Cooper is an incredible assassin because he can blend in with his surroundings and knows how to use people to complete his tasks. He is also a very thoughtful person. This is an action-filled, fast-paced thriller that you do not want to miss, and it is definitely an unputdownable book! Mark Dawson is an awesome author who knows how to keep the reader's attention to see what will happen next! Happy reading! ☺️
134 reviews
May 23, 2024
Ice cold

I personally don’t like spoiling stories for readers by giving them a brief synopsis of a book, I prefer to let them have the enjoyment you get from reading it themselves and let them interpret the story there own way by becoming absorbed in it.
What I will say is that if you are a fan of Mark’s John Milton books, then the Charlie Cooper collection is just for you.
Happy reading.
Profile Image for Tim.
43 reviews
November 25, 2024
Charlie Cooper in Prague ... A Step Up, Not Yet Back to the Heights of Books 1 & 2

3 / 5 ⭐️

The fourth Charlie Cooper novella is a definite improvement over the third but still doesn’t quite reach the heights of the first two. Cooper feels more focused and capable again, which makes the story more engaging. However, the supporting characters feel a bit flat and lack the depth to make them truly memorable. That said, the overall story is solid and keeps you invested throughout.
Profile Image for John A. Sillasen.
359 reviews4 followers
February 24, 2025
Group 15 sent an agent to infiltrate a Euro White First Group

This group has political ambition, their methods came first with a steel pipe then with flying fists. They'd already killed an Interpol agent trying to infiltrate them as one of their own. Control knew they needed another legend, they needed a chameleon. They needed Charlie Cooper.
351 reviews1 follower
June 21, 2025
good book

Mark Dawson is a great thriller writer and these Charlie Cooper books are all classic Dawson. I started out reading his John Milton books (if you haven’t read those you MUST) and now the Cooper books. All are good thrillers and fun reading. Highly recommend anything Mark Dawson writes!
Profile Image for Sam.
258 reviews5 followers
May 18, 2024
Mark Dawson has done it again, Dead Of Winter is a great short story about Charlie Cooper. The storyline is current and fast paced. Charlie is similar to Joh Milton, maybe a bit for subdued and underestimated but just as efficient in getting the job done.
180 reviews
June 5, 2024
Getting to like Cooper

When you have read every book so far by Mark Dawson, it is good that new books from New characters are available. This was a good and tense read and Charlie is growing on me. Read on...
Profile Image for Buzz.
231 reviews4 followers
July 1, 2024
Fast paced and intriguing book.

I like the Charlie Cooper character so much. Smart, but not Superman. Prague is a great place to set this story in, and the plot wasn’t too deep, which kept the plot moving along quickly.
1,181 reviews6 followers
July 3, 2024
Enjoyable Short Story

An enjoyable short story in the Charlie Cooper series. Well crafted with a good range of characters and plenty of action.Looking forward to reading more in the series.
Profile Image for Kevin Gardner.
271 reviews6 followers
October 12, 2024
A Fast Exciting Read.

This was another fast roller-coaster of a read, with short chapters and non stop action, all the things we expect from a Mark Dawson read these realy are superb thrillers. Highly recommended.
299 reviews
April 9, 2025
Good read

I love the Cooper books. I didn’t think I’d like the short-form novels, but they are the perfect read for a break from other series. Now, just need Cooper and Milton to meet up 🫢
Profile Image for Nancy.
1,311 reviews
May 19, 2024
I DO like Charlie Cooper!

This was a fast, entertaining book. Charlie has a conscience, and I like that. Everything was improbable but I liked it anyway!
269 reviews
May 20, 2024
too short

Very good…just to prove me taking notice…Antonin left the gym with Cooper in a Mercedes but arrived in a BMW !
Look. Forward to the next instalment of Cooper
2 reviews
May 27, 2024
Required Reading

The story line is believable and fast-paced. Can’t put it down! A few spelling mistakes and misplaced words All told, a great read!
Profile Image for Ann.
1,077 reviews25 followers
May 27, 2024
Charlie Cooper # 4 this time in Prague. Fast paced group 15 reads. He's no John Milton but the same genre and style that we've come to love and expect from Mr Dawson.
Profile Image for Manfred.
553 reviews
May 30, 2024
A very fast paced and entertaining Charlie Cooper novella again. This time he has to ask his conscience what to do.
Profile Image for jerry Cursons.
123 reviews1 follower
May 30, 2024
Another excellent story involving Charlie copper. If you enjoy the John Milton series you will also enjoy this series. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Profile Image for David Highton.
3,754 reviews32 followers
May 31, 2024
Another assasination job for Cooper, this time in Prague
Author 1 book
July 9, 2024
It became a little slow but Still hooked with it.
213 reviews3 followers
July 28, 2024
not bad

Not a bad story but nothing like Milton. This looks like something written in a couple of days, maybe couple of weeks. Not really interesting, a bit choppy and boring
45 reviews
November 27, 2024
Page turner.

Yet another good book. Sad to see that, currently, there only a couple left in the series to devour. !
19 reviews
December 20, 2024
Dawson does it again!

You can feel the cold weather as you read this. As you turn the pages waiting for the next shoe to drop on Cooper you might even shiver a bit!
2 reviews
September 18, 2025
perfect short

Great, easy read short story. Nice amount of dialogue, balanced with enough descriptive narrative to envisage the surrounding scenery and locale easily.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews

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