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Review
Praise for Chameleon:
‘Chameleon is a Casablanca for the 21st century’ Boris Starling
‘Bigger and slicker in every way than his first novel. If you buy no other thriller this holiday season, buy this one’ The Economist
Review
Praise for Chameleon: 'Chameleon is a Casablanca for the 21st century' Boris Starling 'Bigger and slicker in every way than his first novel. If you buy no other thriller this holiday season, buy this one' The Economist
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
Following on from Chameleon, which in a way restarted the series, the third book follows the ongoing conflict that Stephanie ie Petra Reture faces in her next assignment in the Far East. The ongoing battle for her life and her soul from inside Magenta House.
The story does bring back characters from both the previous novels and continues their interactions with Stephanie/Petra. For some there are glimpses of more to come, for others there are final resolutions.
At the end you feel that this was a nice book but not quite of the level reached in the previous books. In many ways the main character development doesn't come until the end and so it feels more like a set up for the next novel, rather than a fully finished book of its own.
The story does bring back characters from both the previous novels and continues their interactions with Stephanie/Petra. For some there are glimpses of more to come, for others there are final resolutions.
At the end you feel that this was a nice book but not quite of the level reached in the previous books. In many ways the main character development doesn't come until the end and so it feels more like a set up for the next novel, rather than a fully finished book of its own.
Format:Paperback
This is third novel to feature Stephanie Patrick (aka Petra Reuter) and the first one I've read. I'm not sure if reading the previous two would have made my understanding of her life any more acceptable; I rather think not. I do have 'The Third Woman' on my shelf to read which I will do if only to see if the raison d'etre of this character improves with age.
The girl is no doubt a mess but she does provide entertainment of a sort for the reader. I remember Modesty Blaise years ago and thought then that there is always a place for a hard-hitting female character to go alongside (if not better) the likes of Bond, Quiller etc. Then along came Nikita and Ripley and since then a plethora of sci-fi thrillers where females take the major playing role. They're all good, some are better than others. Petra Reuter has a way to go yet for me to enthuse about her and her actions.
Even so, this book is fairly easy to read. I don't think I've come across one single novel where so may different handguns have been used. I was half-expecting someone to pop up with a wartime Webley but the author managed to restrain himself on that one.
As Steph's boyfriend finally says to her, 'I hope you're collecting Airmiles' but, of course, it's Petra who's doing the flying. The storyline develops rather too slowly for me; much time is wasted on describing the clothing of just about everybody who crops up in the book and most - but not all - change their clothes regularly. Still, at the end we are left with a demoralised killer, friendless, homeless so what better way to start afresh in the next book.
Worth a read, especially if on holiday but don't expect fireworks.
The girl is no doubt a mess but she does provide entertainment of a sort for the reader. I remember Modesty Blaise years ago and thought then that there is always a place for a hard-hitting female character to go alongside (if not better) the likes of Bond, Quiller etc. Then along came Nikita and Ripley and since then a plethora of sci-fi thrillers where females take the major playing role. They're all good, some are better than others. Petra Reuter has a way to go yet for me to enthuse about her and her actions.
Even so, this book is fairly easy to read. I don't think I've come across one single novel where so may different handguns have been used. I was half-expecting someone to pop up with a wartime Webley but the author managed to restrain himself on that one.
As Steph's boyfriend finally says to her, 'I hope you're collecting Airmiles' but, of course, it's Petra who's doing the flying. The storyline develops rather too slowly for me; much time is wasted on describing the clothing of just about everybody who crops up in the book and most - but not all - change their clothes regularly. Still, at the end we are left with a demoralised killer, friendless, homeless so what better way to start afresh in the next book.
Worth a read, especially if on holiday but don't expect fireworks.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This was my first "Stephanie Patrick" novel , but may not be my last. The central character is a fascinating , schizophrenic one ; Stephanie is a normal middle class journalist to her lover and friends , but this is cover for her secret life as an assassin. This novel sees her hunting for a mysterious former Serbian warlord in Africa and the Far East , suspected head of a people smuggling network called Gemini. I found her character plausible and the plot intricate and complex. Needless to say , it eventually becomes too difficult for Stephanie to maintain her two personas as her past and her professional "duties" overwhelm her. So on one level this novel explores the confusion and loneliness of one part of the dichotomy that is the central character and the ruthlessness and enterprise of the other . On the other level we have the plot itself which darts from city to city and involves a myriad of oriental and Eastern European characters from the espionage and international criminal fraternities.Probably my favourite part of the novel were the insights given into the horrors of the Bosnian War through the Magenta briefings and key characters in the novel, which brought it to life more than most factual reports. This is a good book with plenty happening in it to sustain interest, but not a page turner. However it is definitely worth reading and I may well read some of Burnell's other "Stephanie" novels in future.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
You'll like Stephanie
Each book in the Stephanie Patrick series gets better. After the quite astonishing rip-off of Luc Besson's film "La Femme Nikita" in The Rhythm Section, which was nevertheless... Read more
Published on 10 Nov 2005 by Mr. A. C. Gilbert
The 'Nikita' of Soho, London
I don't know about you but I hate it when an author gets under my skin. Mark Burnell seems to have done just that. Read more
Published on 31 July 2003
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