Phoenix by Mark Dawson

Title: Phoenix

Author: Mark Dawson

ASIN: B0727XMNYG

Genre: Espionage Thriller

Print Length: 104 pages

Plot synopsis: British agent and assassin, Beatrix Rose, is sent to Venezuela to track down a missing scientist. While there she makes contact with a character from another of Dawson’s series, John Milton. Together they do more than simply capture the missing scientist – they discover a secret that will change Beatrix’s life forever.

I have been following Mark Dawson for a while, in his capacity as an excellent tutor of self-published authors. However this is the first of his novels that I have read and it is easy to see why he is so popular. This is a fast paced, action packed story with an intriguing ending, more reminiscent of a short story that leaves you wondering what Beatrix Rose will do next. The narrative is punchy and the characters well developed and the sense of place (i.e. the setting) is excellent. I found the dialogue a little clunky and stilted and the main action scene a little confusing, hence my three star, rather than four star, rating, nevertheless, this is a book that is well worth reading.

What others thought

At the time of writing there were 96 reviews on Amazon.co.uk, all of which were 3* or above, giving an average rating of 4.8*. On Amazon.com, there were 91 reviews, again all were 3* or above, giving an average rating of 4.8*. On Goodreads.com there were 175 ratings (including 39 reviews) of which 173 were 3* or more, giving an average rating of 4.4*

At the time of writing the proceeds from Phoenix go to fund cancer treatment for Mark's friend, Emma.

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