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Formats
Paperback Details
  • 01/2018
  • 978-1735275109 B079J58C2Q
  • 333 pages
  • $12.99
Ebook Details
  • 01/2018
  • 1735275107 B079J58C2Q
  • 333 pages
  • $2.99
Mark Zvonkovic
Author, Contributor
A Lion in the Grass
Set over the course of six decades, A Lion in the Grass documents the despair and hope of a spy who suffers the murder of friends and enjoys the success of mentoring protégés. The story is told through alternative viewpoints of Raymond, his protégés, and the French villain. The novel digs deeply into questions of love, self-doubt and hatred, all foisted upon Raymond during a career from which, he discovers, it is impossible to retire. An octogenarian at the end, Raymond learns that the Frenchman is plotting to kill again. To thwart the Frenchman’s plot, the old spy and his protégés must engage in one last mission.
Reviews
Midwest Book Reviews

A Lion in the Grass
Mark Zvonkovic
https://www.markzvonkovic.com
Dos Perro Press
9781735275109, $12.99 Paper, $2.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Lion-Grass-Mark-Zvonkovic/dp/1735275107

A Lion in the Grass covers six decades in a sweeping epic story of a spy with dubious ethical and moral values. It is narrated from the viewpoints of three characters (Raymond, his proteges, and the French villain) whose lives entwine in an uncertain dance of danger.

Readers of historical fiction and intrigue will appreciate that the story line moves between social, political, and psychological drama as Mark Zvonkovic considers the evolution of international conflicts and how the acts of individuals affect outcomes not only in their lives, but those around them.

Portraying the main character as a killer who is adept at his job and yet able to mentor others to foster the underlying goals of spying makes for a different focus than most suspense stories with a black-and-white approach to good and evil forces.

Raymond Hatcher's development, as is those of his entwined compatriots and enemies, is an intrinsic thread to a multifaceted story that offers no linear progression or easy answers. This may stymie readers who look for a set course in the action and character influences, but it will delight others who look for more complex stories with a multitude of threads and subplots that wind up fairly neatly concluded by the story's end.

The action is fast-paced without losing track of character development and many of the subplots built along the way. Time is taken to present and consider underlying motivations and influences as each character grows into their job and psyche: "...it was comforting to think he could match the pace of the river. He believed the river's greatest power came from its steadfastness, and it was exhilarating to think he could imitate it...He had changed dramatically on account of his training and he was afraid that she, a pacifist, would see it and be disappointed."

Cognizant of the fact that many lies will be told, with fabricated lives invented for the sake of his involvement in the OSS and beyond, Raymond's changing orders preclude ordinary relationships and endeavors. He struggles with his choices and their consequences, both in the world arena and in his own life's evolution.

Fans of Ludlum, Clancy, and other writers who hold the ability to craft high-impact spy scenarios within the broader scope of world events and interpersonal relationships will relish the attention to detail and the realistic action and perceptions cultivated in A Lion in the Grass.

Its strong ability to weave thriller and suspense elements into a historical saga steeped in spicy psychological entanglements makes A Lion in the Grass a top pick for those who like their spy novels sweeping, embracing changing times, changing relationships, and characters who grow into their duties and abilities.

Formats
Paperback Details
  • 01/2018
  • 978-1735275109 B079J58C2Q
  • 333 pages
  • $12.99
Ebook Details
  • 01/2018
  • 1735275107 B079J58C2Q
  • 333 pages
  • $2.99
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