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Agent Micah Dalton #3
The Venetian Judgment
An explosive new thriller from the New York Times bestselling author. CIA cleaner Micah Dalton has taken his revenge against the Serbian gang who shot his lover. Then he receives a mysterious jade box containing a stainless steel glasscutter. Someone is sending him a very serious message, a message that will force him back into action against a foe out to unleash chaos upon the world...
560 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 16, 2009
13 people are currently reading
254 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
January 2, 2018
Another brilliant book about Micah Dalton the CIA's 'Fixer'..
It took me a while to get into the book but that was because I had so much things going on, when I was finally able to sit for longer than 10mins to read I was suddenly caught up in Micah and his war against the Serb mafia.
I'm already 50% through the next book and it continues not too long after this one.
If you enjoy spy stories then the Micah Dalton series is one I'd absolutely recommend.
It took me a while to get into the book but that was because I had so much things going on, when I was finally able to sit for longer than 10mins to read I was suddenly caught up in Micah and his war against the Serb mafia.
I'm already 50% through the next book and it continues not too long after this one.
If you enjoy spy stories then the Micah Dalton series is one I'd absolutely recommend.
February 26, 2015
Great book in a really good series, very similar to the Jonathan Quinn books, but well worth a read even if you're not a fan of those.
It shows all the usual aspects of spycraft and a few you might not have considered, has interesting takes on some historical and international events and makes you think without getting over complicated.
If I have one complaint, it's the character of Mandy Pondel, the English rose who by the birth of her mother is as true to the American government as Bond ever was to the British!! I know they must use a bit of a fictional license to create interesting characters, but really she seems like Roger Moore shaved, put a wig, become submissive to a American version of Bond, put on a dress and off he\she went!! I know they've got to relate to as many people as possible, but really think this creation did more for the Yanks than for us Brits!!
It shows all the usual aspects of spycraft and a few you might not have considered, has interesting takes on some historical and international events and makes you think without getting over complicated.
If I have one complaint, it's the character of Mandy Pondel, the English rose who by the birth of her mother is as true to the American government as Bond ever was to the British!! I know they must use a bit of a fictional license to create interesting characters, but really she seems like Roger Moore shaved, put a wig, become submissive to a American version of Bond, put on a dress and off he\she went!! I know they've got to relate to as many people as possible, but really think this creation did more for the Yanks than for us Brits!!
April 15, 2010
It starts with great action when Micah Dalton, CIA agent in the field, takes down a Serb gang that shot his lover. After he hooks up with Mandy Ponwall,a CIA agent who brings news about a retired code breaker CIA agent tortured and murderd. She was part of the glass cutter group which were the code breakers. The book in itself is a little disjointed and hard to get into until about page 200. It takes you on a miandering path with its parallel story lines and vivid descriptions that make scenrios vivid. Mandy is a little piquant tries to stay ahead of Micah. Micah provides the necessary push for the finalewhich I leave to your interest.
August 7, 2015
LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS AUTHOR!!!!! I never thought I'd find a love as strong as for Ludlum (Bourne era - not the Covert One distortion series that Ludlums manuscripts have evolved into). WOW are these amazing reads......cannot wait to dive into the Skorpion Directive. The ending of the Venetian judgement was just so..........delicious. Then, I jumped onto the author's website & devoured a little interview with him. I'm NOT the only person who reads who is not enthralled with le Carre???? Amazing! I LOVE THIS AUTHOR!!!! Such gritty and uncomfortable scenes and characters and please, please, don't let Dalton recover enough to stop conversing with Naumann's ghost.
June 25, 2013
I gave it the entire first 162 pages but just wasn't enjoying it. Still, I skimmed the rest of the book but didn't find anything interesting. Talking to his dead partner was minimal. Lots of jumping around and very little "cleaning."
May 11, 2009
A little slicker than the last two but it held together well. Lots of technical spy stuff also, I liked it.
December 24, 2017
Henny Bogan does The Venetian Judgment
It helps to know that author David Stone is a military historian and Venetian Judgment is his third novel featuring CIA agent Micah Dalton. Several oblique references are made to events which occurred in the first two books in the series. The reader is left with the task of connecting these previous events to the present – while sorting out the multiplicity of characters and events happening now. This is not easy. Fast-paced alright, but the best parts were more languidly paced and were far more captivating.
Thrill-seekers will be pleased with several shoot-em-ups using the latest kill machines and there’s also a good sea chase. Oh, and a possible mole in the CIA, which is the central nexus of the plot. Just to make us feel less secure in homeland America, Stone lets us know that our terrorist enemies use some exquisitely gruesome torture and killing techniques. The book title is misleading, since most of the action does not occur in Venice, where even the mere mention of Venice draws in lovers of that fabulous city, including me. Much of the story is centred in Turkey and Greece, but the best part of the plot is set in Garrison New York, near West Point. It is here that Briony, a sixtyish librarian/spy - who uses terms like “desultory adultery” - is being romanced by a much younger terrorist stud. My soul, she even invites him to bring his camera to their first liaison and how she deals with him is a highlight of the book.
Alas, Micah is a lowlight, a one dimensional contrarian who has survived terrorist attacks and wants revenge. He is over-played to the same extent that Briony is under-played. Micah is a “cleaner” for the CIA and one wonders how he is connected to the “glass-cutters”, another mysterious term. All very arcane. I’m also totally flummoxed by how Micah, a supposedly intelligent agent can suddenly turn a terrorist who tried to kill him, into a trusted aide. Is this the stuff of a super spy who believes it is better to befriend your enemies than to kill them? James Bond would have iced him while lighting his cigarette.
It helps to know that author David Stone is a military historian and Venetian Judgment is his third novel featuring CIA agent Micah Dalton. Several oblique references are made to events which occurred in the first two books in the series. The reader is left with the task of connecting these previous events to the present – while sorting out the multiplicity of characters and events happening now. This is not easy. Fast-paced alright, but the best parts were more languidly paced and were far more captivating.
Thrill-seekers will be pleased with several shoot-em-ups using the latest kill machines and there’s also a good sea chase. Oh, and a possible mole in the CIA, which is the central nexus of the plot. Just to make us feel less secure in homeland America, Stone lets us know that our terrorist enemies use some exquisitely gruesome torture and killing techniques. The book title is misleading, since most of the action does not occur in Venice, where even the mere mention of Venice draws in lovers of that fabulous city, including me. Much of the story is centred in Turkey and Greece, but the best part of the plot is set in Garrison New York, near West Point. It is here that Briony, a sixtyish librarian/spy - who uses terms like “desultory adultery” - is being romanced by a much younger terrorist stud. My soul, she even invites him to bring his camera to their first liaison and how she deals with him is a highlight of the book.
Alas, Micah is a lowlight, a one dimensional contrarian who has survived terrorist attacks and wants revenge. He is over-played to the same extent that Briony is under-played. Micah is a “cleaner” for the CIA and one wonders how he is connected to the “glass-cutters”, another mysterious term. All very arcane. I’m also totally flummoxed by how Micah, a supposedly intelligent agent can suddenly turn a terrorist who tried to kill him, into a trusted aide. Is this the stuff of a super spy who believes it is better to befriend your enemies than to kill them? James Bond would have iced him while lighting his cigarette.
August 26, 2021
Lots of action, but I just didn’t quite get drawn in to it. Perhaps because it bounces between a lot of locations and characters, and I didn’t read it straight through. Might be better for bringing on vacation when you can read it more continuously, than the stop and go reading of busy life.
February 5, 2020
I liked the first two Daulton reads, this one not so much.
October 18, 2020
Complex book and difficult to follow - the ending seemed to be from a different story. I don't expect to read the other books in the series.
December 13, 2021
Great spy novel. Lots of twists and turns. Dalton as a government assassin, a cleaner, is portrayed as a gentle soul underneath it all. A very good read, flowed well and very enjoyable.
June 2, 2024
Great job in the continuation of the series.
November 27, 2024
Found this very hard to get into
September 15, 2013
Oh dear...I confess ...I liked it and its easy to just skim right over what you DON'T want to dwell on; good pulp reading if you feel like it and he DOES do Venice well. You'd have guessed I'd find this w/ Venetian in the title (although I pulled it from Kent's eBooks!).
Well-written, good descriptions, good verbal banter (if you do for that kind of thing) - even a GOOD mystery in there. I can't think on ONE of my friends good-reading (to use the Italian descriptive rule for word order) that would actually pick up this book but if you like the genre, its goody good.
Well-written, good descriptions, good verbal banter (if you do for that kind of thing) - even a GOOD mystery in there. I can't think on ONE of my friends good-reading (to use the Italian descriptive rule for word order) that would actually pick up this book but if you like the genre, its goody good.
September 3, 2013
Love this series by David Stone. Action, mystery, plenty of plot twists, very likable characters and enough diabolical villains to keep you gripped with suspense. The stories take place in some of the most exotic places in the world. Since I have been to many of those places, I can tell that the author has been there as well by his descriptions. I would recommend this series to anyone who loves books that are impossible to put down and walk away from.
July 29, 2009
Third book in the series featuring the CIA "cleaner" Micah Dalton. Plenty of graphic violence, explosions and shootings. This time Micah is on the trail of the sadistic assassin killing the members of a top secret group in the agency. A twist in the end when the assassin meets his match, and it was not Micah.
Fast easy read. No thinking involved.
Fast easy read. No thinking involved.
May 23, 2013
Picked this up at a library used book sale. This was the first book in this series that I have read, so I missed some of the backstory behind some of the characters and the inter-book storyline.
The story itself was fairly fast paced but it jumped around a little and seemed somewhat unconnected at times. If you just want to read a thriller or are involved in the series, give it a try.
The story itself was fairly fast paced but it jumped around a little and seemed somewhat unconnected at times. If you just want to read a thriller or are involved in the series, give it a try.
August 17, 2009
book was good till the end, then he rushed through it to finish.
November 11, 2010
action packed
August 7, 2023
Enjoy these books, but the "end" rambling account about the end of the Vietnam "War" [conflict] was weak and somewhat laughable.
April 29, 2011
and one half stars
June 22, 2011
Master of espionage. Many twists and turns.
November 15, 2011
There really wasn't anything I liked about this book. I just can't walk away from a book without knowing the ending.
November 8, 2015
First read for this author. And now I see this is book #3 in the series, LOL. Well, I shall continue reading David Stone. Funny that I took so long to pick this up, then poof, all done!
November 26, 2015
Gave it away.
August 29, 2010
An interesting build-up that unfortunately fizzled out, mainly due to a rushed ending.
April 5, 2017
Interesting to a degree but a difficult read. Too many acronyms. Not the kind of book that locks you in.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews