The Assassin

Always feel comfortable reading a Mark Dawson story. His quite incredible account of a corrupt western world waging war against Syria and ISIS nears its conclusion here in Book 4.
Isabella the daughter of Beatrix Rose has been in hiding with Maia, a prototype super soldier who is ready to turn on her creators. In Mexico they are recovering and honing their skills to undertake an operation that will grant them access to those responsible, those who now have to die.
Matters are complicated by Bloom’s hidden agenda; Pope’s in hiding, to keep a low profile and keep his family safe. He isn’t doing too well, his family hate him for the mess he made, he is living alone, but close by,to protect them. Realistically his body and tradecraft are shot by an increasing alcohol dependency.
When Atari, this mysterious fixer finds him and persuades him Isabella needs rescuing he is torn between duty and promises made to her Mother.
At times confusing, deliberately, as the various strands come together. It seems everyone has secrets; the whole truth is never shared and the players struggle to accept who is on whose side. Various agendas are brought together by Bloom to try and place the U.K. ahead of the world in this programme of DNA manipulation to create a super asset, assassin. The USA programme has stalled but the leading scientist is reluctant to admit that the cancers affecting the M class have the power to kill the project. They have assumed Maia and Isabella are dead but when they fall fail of the Mexican justice, they plan to capture them. Along with Pope they know too much about the joint allied approach to foment war in Syria and Iraq and can’t be allowed to share details with the press. Atari claims those are his organisation’s motives but Pope is driven by guilt thinking he has previously let Isabella down and left her for dead.
Confusing it maybe, thrilling it definitely is and even having read the preceding three novels it only slowly becomes clearer to this faithful reader.
I must say the various parties’ motives and their total disregard for life seen in these stories becomes evident in this novel. Men mostly, driven by money, political dogma and scientific discovery are finally shown in their true identities. The sense of evil is blurred on all sides rather than our perceived and historical enemies.
The lack of empathy, conscience and integrity demonstrated by the players means the killing is seen more like an eradication of vermin. So the plot is tidied up and protagonists are removed without a passing tear. A bit like Kill Bill. Perhaps with one final caveat Isabella has one person still in her sights at the end of this instalment signalling that another book is needed, perhaps.
The author has done a terrific job bringing it all together and leaving few annoying what ifs and then whats.
I loved the set scenes which he builds up and then allows to play out in almost cinematic technicolour. His descriptive writing is clear and he paints vivid set pieces which appeal to all our senses.
The body count rises but no-one seems that innocent or too nice to survive.
A book for all fans of action adventures and modern thrillers. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The assassin by Mark Dawson.
A very enjoyable read with likeable characters.
Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, is the most dangerous city in the world. And when a mission to break the local cartel’s grip goes wrong, Isabella Rose, the Angel, finds herself on the wrong side of prison bars. Fearing the worst, Isabella plays her only remaining card…
British agent Vivian Bloom is determined to be the first to reach her, certain she will lead him to other operatives he’s under pressure to hunt down. But US agents are circling too. And with the shadowy Prometheus group pulling the strings, Isabella knows that she and her mentor, the Asset, are living on borrowed time…
Lots of actions too. I loved the ending too. Some characters I loved others I didn't trust like ivanosky atari aleksandra teddy or king. I am looking forward to reading more from Mark Dawson.  5*.

I've read all of the Isabella Rose thrillers but I have to say, I think they have run their course now. Unlikely plot twists and dubious storylines have turned this into a 'could be missed' rather than 'mustn't miss' series.

Mark Dawson has created some interesting protagonists in John Milton, Beatrix Rose, and Isabella Rose. Isabella’s foray into Ciudad Juarez promised lots of excitement, but I missed much of her character which seemed to be left at home.

Isabella Rose has been on the run with Maia for almost a year. Now they are in Mexico and have a plan. At times it does not seem like the plan is working but have faith here. Vivian Bloom has to be the one who finds Isabella first. He has to make haste as she has gotten herself into a Mexican jail and on her way to prison in short order. Maia has disappeared but they are definitely wanting her too. Maia may be ill and they need to get her to a lab to see what is happening. You wonder as events begin to happen if the girls are on their plan or things have gone completely out of their hands. I thought the start was a little slow but in no time it picks up and keeps you involved to the end.

Very thrilling and will keep you enthralled and riveted to every page. At first I had to re read a few bits but once I got the hang of the storyline I felt that the story was gripping and I was soon eager to read the rest of the book.

Book # 4, in the Isabella Rose series

This latest is one fascinating story where we are plunged into constant action and are overloaded with visual details. Mr. Dawson knows how to draw his readers into a plot filled with excitement and enticed them with charismatic players. Isabella and Maia are kick-ass characters that take center stage and entertain us from the opening page till we reach the slam-bang finale.

Both are assassins have been together for a year now it is time to put their dangerous plan to action……cunning, wit and everything comes out in this thrilling story. Although it is a fascinating one it quite stretches credibility but is fun to read. Mr. Dawson pushes his plot at a hectic pace through a world of unsavory characters and delivers a gripping page turner.

This story is all action and very violent at times, definitely not for the faint-hearted. To match the mood we find a dialogue that can be quite colourful at times…. We have loads of supporting characters some recurring and some new players to treat us. But don’t worry if you pick up at this point this latest story stands well by itself.

Mr. Dawson provides maximum excitement in all his series. I am a fan for many years now and have enjoyed all of his series. He is quite a storyteller.

I

DNF. This is not a stand alone and it was more than difficult to get into the story arc as the plot line is predicated on the previous books in the series. I did not finish it, nor is it fair to give it a rating based on my frustration with trying to figure it out. Per my rating scale, one star means DNF. HOWEVER, the characters seem interesting and the plot seems intriguing, but it is absolutely necessary to start at the beginning of the series to even begin to understand!

I have previously read the first John Milton book and requested this book as I enjoyed that. This really didn’t disappoint. I was sucked in right from the first pages. The book is well written and engaging from start to finish. Occasionally I felt like I was missing sons background and, when I got to the end, discovered that there is a series about the main character’s mother which is maybe being referenced. I will definitely be reading more of Mark Dawson’s books in the future.

Mark Dawson's newest book is about an assassin in training Isabella Rose. This story takes place in the world of his John Milton series but is no a Milton book.

Isabella and her trainer Maia are on the run. Various government groups and a private military contractor are looking for them. So they are hiding out in Mexico. Making money from robbing drug dealers, till the cartel figures out what they are up to.

When their handwork gets them noticed various agents come looking for them. Both friends, a former agent named Pope, and enemies are all working to catch up to the two women.

A well-paced thriller is what Dawson knows how to write. The Assassin is loaded with action scenes each with a build up and aftermath.

My only critique is Dawson obviously is not familiar with firearms. For instance, there is a scene where a character checks to verify a firearm is loaded. Then once happy knowing the gun was loaded, racked the slide. Unfortunately racking the slide on a loaded gun ejects a round, giving the hero one less shot in the next firefight.

Aside from some minor firearm tropes that many authors fall into, this is a well-written book. It is the kind of page-turning adventure that leaves you wanting to know what will happen in the next book.

Not having read the first books in this series I struggled to get familiar with characters. I should have realised that it was book 4 and maybe started with book 1 to three first.

It took me longer than usual to read through this book. Don't know why. The characters were well developed, the plot was twisty and complicated. I just could not get into the story. I gave four stars because there were some tense moments and, as I said before, the characters were fleshed out well. If you are looking for something to read, take a chance here, you may enjoy it.

As a fan of Mark Dawson's work, I had high expectations of this book and, true to form, Dawson delivered.

Whether from familiarity or just the fact that he is a good author, but I raced my way through the book, cheering on the good guys and booing the bad. the only problem with reading a book in two or three sittings is that you quickly run out of book to read.

Fabulous book in the series, I have read lots of books by Mark Dawson and they are all great thrilling reads. Highly recommended.

Thisc was my first read in what appears to be series.
Now whilst others have said it could be read as a standalone, I personally think it would have benefitted me to have read previous ones in order first.
In my honest opinon I'm a bit middle of the road about this book.
A decent enough read, but hasn't really left me wishing to purchase the others in the series.