The Third Woman

This was by far the most fun thriller I've read in ages. I can't believe it took so long to be published in the States. This was a thriller that never bogged down and never got absurdly unrealistic. The plot is complex but not excessively so and and the piecing together of the different characters and clues left throughout the story is wonderfully done. Stephanie/Petra is fascinating and should get recognition as one of the "coolest" adventure/espionage characters around. I'm the type that normally reads "serious" fiction (Booker Prize authors etc). Thats not meant as bragging but as a statement of types of books I like: well-written stuff that sort of goes a bit deeper than just fast plotline and entertainmnent. So I avoid most thrillers - and I'm one of those that found "Da Vince Code" a waste of time not worth finishing. But this was fantastic stuff, I will definitely look for other books by Burnell and I strongly recommend this for fans of the genre looking for a story with a little extra literary quality.

Mark Burnell has created a page-turning nerve chilling mystery thriller genre protoganist in Ms. Petra Reuter. This novel premise is simple but still elusive, Petra a paid assasin, is at the wrong place when bombs explode and kill people in Paris. The novel follows thirteen days in chronological order after those events and tries to match Petra against the might of the Amsterdam Group (a Private Equity group with interests in Iraq and the broader Middle-East). Mark sticks to his ususal plot technqiues of kidnapping, murder, technology, car chase, and sexual situations to keep this thriller moving at a faster clip than the earlier ones. Anti-war political views are also interwoven into the characters of this novel in a deft manner without subtracting from the essence of the characters. The character development in this novel is quite rich and Mark excels in his literary approach in describing the characters and the associated scenery. It makes you relive the entire thirteen days in graphic detail, like the slow boiling hot chocolate with cinnamon sticks and the car chase in the middle of French Alps. Mark does deserve the accolades he gets from The Economist for this novel. My only pet peeves in this novel are the lack of enough plot variations and sub-plots. But in total, this Third Woman definitely has a pride of place in my Thriller category in my well adorned book shelf. Fred "G" Sanford

Burnell has put together yet again a thriller that is bound to leave loyal fans and new readers wanting more. If this is the only book you have read in the series, read the preceeding three: The Rhythm Section, Chameleon and Gemini. I still haven't decided if this is the best book of the four, but it certainly ranks as a worthy sequal to the others. It operates in true Petra style, though Patrick will finally shed her assassin's skin in this fourth novel. It has left many readers hoping for more.