Gemini

Stephanie Patrick #3

by Mark Burnell

The third book in the international espionage Stephanie Patrick Thriller series, soon to be a major motion picture from the producers of the James Bond film series, starring Jude Law and Blake Lively.

The third novel featuring the spicy, redoubtable but tender Stephanie Patrick finds her still paying back her obligations to Magenta House, and living an apparently normal civilian life in London. But then a remarkable new issue envelops her, forcing her back into her former life. Scientific and weapons secrets and personnel are being sent via the people-smuggling routes from China, through Albania and the former Yugoslavia to Europe and Britain. Stephanie's personal feelings for one of the victims of this trade causes her to make a rare professional mistake, and the consequences are far-reaching, vicious and challenging, even for her skills and expertise. Mark Burnell has written another gripping, intelligent thriller.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery

432 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2003

Reviews

[Susy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
Why so many characters (this time luckily not all similar, Russian names lol), so many connections, so many details and entanglements? It's making it all way too complicated, not making it better but taking away from the experience.
There are quite a few war atrocities described in too much detail to my liking (considering what this book is about and it's genre).
Also I feel like I'm growing tired of Stephanie/Petra: sex as Petra is ok because it is Stephanie who is in a relationship with Mark?? This is just a repetition of #2. So she knows it is/will be not ok. And there were other details that I found to be illogical seeing what had happened in book 1 and 2.
I care less and less about Stephanie and am even starting to find her annoying. So I don’t really care what happens to her, making liking this book even harder.
Again, I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt and rounding it up to 3 stars. But I surely hope #4 will be better.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third of four Stephanie Patrick thrillers which I am very happy to have finally read. I absolutely love this book and this series. At this point it may even be my favorite. I like the way the story starts out with a brief description of what's currently happening with a quick allusion to who Petra originally was. Then it jumps right into the story. Lots of characters, destinations, plot twists and a very enjoyable ending.

[Michael-Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy Stephanie and Mr. Burnell is a most excellent writer. I just wonder if this series isn't a little too much "Gothic Romance" influenced -- I read via audio books and must fast forward past the many very intimate scenes as I find them boring and unnecessary to the narrative, which he takes a long time attending to anyway. I guess he has found a track into the movies as Rhythm Section was made and now Gemini is in the works. The scripts are his too it seems and the first film was drastically altered to fit into 120 minutes.
I am happy for his success though and don't begrudge him -- and I assume many disagree with me.

[Adam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read it on holiday, as with the first 2 books in the series. The first one, Rhythm Section, was excellent, with exciting pace and an original theme, but the follow up, Chameleon, started to slip back into hit girl/spy formulaic pulp fiction. Gemini continues this trend; it's part Nikita, part Bourne, and tries to tick all the boxes before ending with a "let's continue the series" open ending that was weak/lazy.

[Gregory Weisler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another strong entry in this series. Burnell, uses book to include some of the horrific actions that were carried out by various groups during the Bosnian War and later. Although we are removed from this time by over two decades, when Burnell wrote this book it was still pretty fresh, and I think brave of him to include, although certainly hard to read. I'm lookin g forward to the fourth and (I believe) final book in this series.

[Bklynsouth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I so much wanted to love this book, but I walked away only liking it and just liking it. Stephanie/Petra was a bit overreaching in some of the stories in the book. I personally could do without the graphic sex scenes not that I am prude, but we get it, it's rough and tumbles on the assains part, it's the world she lives in.

[Dick Ulmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really have enjoyed this series, with all the twists and turns. Back under the direction of Magnolia House in order to protect her Russian boyfriend, Costia, she is trying again to work for her freedom. Much chaos ensues.

[Deborah Sagor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will it ever end?

This book was exhausting! Her life is exhausting! This saga runs at maximum overdrive with barely any down time. It never goes where you expect. I need to rest before I begin the last of this series!!

[Cem · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in Stephanie Patrick series and like the others i enjoyed very much reading it,this four books each of them very much gripping all of them are excellent, it's sexy exciting and very readable the author has done an excellent job

[Brooke Hill · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was so hard to get into for me. I also hate how there’s a new love interest in every single book. Finally picked up toward the end, but not as good as the first two.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author loves nothing so much as an infodump about the backstories of his evil war criminals, unless it's describing their guns in tender detail. But I still love Stephanie.

[Phyllida · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another outing for Stephanie Patrick. This time Serbian criminals.

[Christine Roff · Rating 4 out of 5]

With its rapid pace, this book is an exciting read. Running through the story are descriptions of some of the horrific events of the Bosnian war, which are disturbing, as you would expect.
I found the only downside was the amount of characters with similar names, sometimes making it difficult to remember who was who.

[Susan]

Here I have read book three. This lady is a true Jason Borne.
She is also so ingrained on behaving this way that it is disgusting the things she has to do to try and get the bad guys.
I will read book four and then hope her life gets better.
I do like this set of books though.

[Eugene Bogorad · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible. Couldn't even finish it.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnc

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

As thrilling as the first 2 but with a different edge. Good read that took me to long to finish due to obligations.
On to The Third Woman. I'm determined to enjoy it more quickly!

[Laura Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

the series keeps getting better & better, although with all the events that go on it can get a little confusing occasionally.

[Ty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Good Read!!

[Stuart Lennon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great yarn with the heroine causing international havoc. The whole series is a good read.

[Boris Feldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Petra Reuter Vol III. In fairness, reading this in paperback may have caused me to like it less. Plot a little scattered, hard to follow. But still Petra.