Death of a Spy (A Mark Sava Spy Novel)

Mark Sava, former CIA station chief of Azerbaijan, investigates the death of his first boss and discovers a secret with devastating global implications at the crossroads of his past and the present. Mark Sava has married his former colleague and girlfriend, Daria Buckingham, and the two are enjoying a peaceful life with their young daughter, as much as that is possible for the owner of a spies for hire business in Central Asia. When one of his employees dies of an apparent heart attack, Sava feels compelled to investigate, for this is no ordinary hire. The deceased is the man who recruited Sava into the CIA and changed the trajectory of his life forever. Then, a mysterious painting at the scene of the employee’s death catapults Sava back in time and forces him to reconcile his past with the developments around him. Soon he is embroiled in a game of global misdirection, where the stakes are far higher than one man’s death.

Mr. Mayland is a certified master of credible espionage. While his biography makes mention of his travels and adventures in the Central Asian locations depicted in this and his prior books, there is no mention of any past employment in the foreign service. It is hard to believe. Death of a Spy features his trademark expertise in European and Asian geopolitics, regional conflicts, military strategies, and tradecraft. It is an instantly transportive piece of fiction that places the reader firmly in a relatively unknown and often misunderstood region of the world.

This installment of the Sava series features fascinating revelations concerning the protagonist’s background. At its core is a mysterious painting which hooks the reader from the story’s outset. What happened to its artist and why is she so important to Sava? The novel’s pacing reflects the plot’s credible nature. Sava’s careful investigation precedes the discovery of a powder keg which ultimately explodes and leads to a rich and satisfying conclusion ripped from today’s headlines.