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Michael Osbourne #2
The Marching Season
When the Good Friday peace accords are shattered by three savage acts of terrorism, Northern Ireland is blown back into the depths of conflict. And after his father-in-law is nominated to become the new American ambassador to London, retired CIA agent Michael Osbourne is drawn back into the game.
He soon discovers that his father-in-law is marked for execution. And that he himself is once again in the crosshairs of a killer known as October, one of the most merciless assassins the world has ever known...
He soon discovers that his father-in-law is marked for execution. And that he himself is once again in the crosshairs of a killer known as October, one of the most merciless assassins the world has ever known...
512 pages, Paperback
First published March 2, 1999
1587 people are currently reading
3237 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Silva
164books9,142followersDaniel Silva was born in Michigan in 1960 and raised in California where he received his BA from Fresno State. Silva began his writing career as a journalist for United Press International (UPI), traveling in the Middle East and covering the Iran-Iraq war, terrorism and political conflicts. From UPI he moved to CNN, where he eventually became executive producer of its Washington-based public policy programming. In 1994 he began work on his first novel, The Unlikely Spy, a surprise best seller that won critical acclaim. He turned to writing full time in 1997 and all of his books have been New York Times/national best sellers, translated into 25 languages and published across Europe and the world. He lives in Washington, D.C.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 462 reviews
February 18, 2017
This '98 story contained good Silva writing, but lacked a successful conclusion. The prescient Mr. Silva even mentions the nefarious Osama bin laden. Lots of deaths and for what? Billionaires? 6 of 10 stars
January 16, 2013
Rereading Daniel Silva’s early work has been doubly enjoyable. First, the stories were well written, but more importantly to me was to see how Silva drew from the antagonist, Delaroche, from The Mark of The Assassin and The Marching Season, and parlayed him into Gabriel Allon in the future works. While Delaroche admits to being an assassin, he states on more than one occasion that he is not a murderer. Also, Delaroche has talent as a painter and, of course Allon has the cover of being an art restoration expert in that series and considers himself an assassin, not a murderer.
Finally I, as an avid reader, am thankful that Silva abandoned his Osbourne protagonist in favor of Allon. The Israeli assassin and art restorer is much more interesting than another CIA operative. as far as thrillers go.
Finally I, as an avid reader, am thankful that Silva abandoned his Osbourne protagonist in favor of Allon. The Israeli assassin and art restorer is much more interesting than another CIA operative. as far as thrillers go.
April 8, 2021
This one was a little disappointing. Perhaps Silva gave up on these characters to move on to the Allon books. I kind of liked Osborne and the first book was better. Really not too much more to say. I’ll give his next series a shot though. It’s lasted a long time and must b solid at the very least.
February 23, 2021
Not the greatest. First book was 4 stars this one 50% as good. Too many different and strange subplots and basically disjointed theme of the story. You had to read book one to not like this one. If you pick this one up without reading book one then you'll find it doesn't really make sense. Pass unless you really really like Daniel Silva and want to tarnish his memory ;)
December 2, 2009
*** SPOILERS! *** SPOILERS! *** SPOILERS! ***
I am afraid I found "The Marching Season" rather sloppy,
meaning that the scenario was not always convincing
and in some aspects it contradicted the previous book
("The Mark of the Assassin"), for a number of reasons
(in no particular order):
1) Obsourne appears to have forgotten that it knows the
identity of the killer, referring to him only as October, and
not mentioning his real name at all, even though he has
read his file and knows who he is (in fact, he expoilted this
knowledge at the end of the previous book to unerve the
assasin).
2) In the previous book, the Director orders the elimination
of October, to cover up all tracks to his organization. October
manages to escape, pressumably eliminating in the process
his would be killers. However, in "The Marching Season" there
is no information on how October managed to escape. Even
more strange, there is no explanation as to why October
chooses to work again for the guy who set him up. In fact,
the Director is having face to face meetings with October,
without being afraid that the latter will kill him, even though
October has killed for less.
3) In "The Mark of the Assassin", October is about to quit,
having enough money. Even though the loss of his girlfriend
may have made him having second thoughts, it does not
appear that he was so desperate to get back to business,
being forced also to ruin a handsome face. Furthermore,
he goes and kills the plastic surgeant without even trying
to make it look like an accident (the guy was drank and alone
so it would have been relatively easy to do so), thus alerting
the authorities.
4) October continues to use the boat house in Amsterdam
that belonged to his killed girlfirend. I can't believe that he
does so so easily, without being afraid that the authorities
will be able to track it down and put it under observation.
5) The way the organization meets and after each meeting
destroys a villa, is the best way to attract attention. First
of all, it is rather difficult for people who are having senior
positions in intelligence agencies or private/public organizations
to disappear of the face of the earth for 2-3 days, at least
3-4 times a yeat to attend such meetings. Second, the blowing
up of the meeting place is bound to eventually attract attention.
Even if you can get away with it in a remote part of some desert
or jungle, you cannot expect not to raise interest when you
do it in Mykonos, probably the most famous Greek island.
Especially, with the members of the organization having to stay
in different hotels in Chora (the village was too small to house them),
and then trying to find a not that small number of Range Rovers
with dark windows (how many of those can you find in a Greek
island?), march as a convoy to the villa, have the meeting and
then just after departure blow the villa up. I mean, the Greek
police and intelligence services are not top class but their
people are not mentally retarted either.
6) I cannot understand why the people watching the house
with the guns in N. Ireland were still there when the terrorists
went to kill them. By that time, MI5 and CIA knew what the terrorists
would do and therefore they should have removed their
people from around the house, in case they attract attention.
7) Everybody knows that you don't use the famous Downing
Street no. 10 door to get into the PM's house. This is only
used for official visits. There are many other entries to the
house, and much less conspicuous ways to get in. I cannot
imagine a MI5 or CIA person using that door at 3am! A
reporter hanging around would make a story the next day.
8) I find difficult to believe that the Queen knows by heart
the code names of secret operatives. Furthermore, handing
Osbourne his knighthood in a face to face meeting with only
the two around, as if it is a London souvenir, also is not plausible.
I am sure her Majestry in her long career has awarded knighthoods
to a number of secret agents and there must be some formal
procedure about it.
9) Finally, overall I found the story rather boring, just a single
thread of action going on, with mostly predictable turns.
Certainly, not the best moments of Daniel Silva. I wonder if
it is a mere coincidence that Osbourne disapperead after
this second adventure of his to be replace by Gabriel Allon.
Having said the above, I have thoroughly enjoyed the rest of
Daniel Silva's books and I remain a great fun of them.
George
I am afraid I found "The Marching Season" rather sloppy,
meaning that the scenario was not always convincing
and in some aspects it contradicted the previous book
("The Mark of the Assassin"), for a number of reasons
(in no particular order):
1) Obsourne appears to have forgotten that it knows the
identity of the killer, referring to him only as October, and
not mentioning his real name at all, even though he has
read his file and knows who he is (in fact, he expoilted this
knowledge at the end of the previous book to unerve the
assasin).
2) In the previous book, the Director orders the elimination
of October, to cover up all tracks to his organization. October
manages to escape, pressumably eliminating in the process
his would be killers. However, in "The Marching Season" there
is no information on how October managed to escape. Even
more strange, there is no explanation as to why October
chooses to work again for the guy who set him up. In fact,
the Director is having face to face meetings with October,
without being afraid that the latter will kill him, even though
October has killed for less.
3) In "The Mark of the Assassin", October is about to quit,
having enough money. Even though the loss of his girlfriend
may have made him having second thoughts, it does not
appear that he was so desperate to get back to business,
being forced also to ruin a handsome face. Furthermore,
he goes and kills the plastic surgeant without even trying
to make it look like an accident (the guy was drank and alone
so it would have been relatively easy to do so), thus alerting
the authorities.
4) October continues to use the boat house in Amsterdam
that belonged to his killed girlfirend. I can't believe that he
does so so easily, without being afraid that the authorities
will be able to track it down and put it under observation.
5) The way the organization meets and after each meeting
destroys a villa, is the best way to attract attention. First
of all, it is rather difficult for people who are having senior
positions in intelligence agencies or private/public organizations
to disappear of the face of the earth for 2-3 days, at least
3-4 times a yeat to attend such meetings. Second, the blowing
up of the meeting place is bound to eventually attract attention.
Even if you can get away with it in a remote part of some desert
or jungle, you cannot expect not to raise interest when you
do it in Mykonos, probably the most famous Greek island.
Especially, with the members of the organization having to stay
in different hotels in Chora (the village was too small to house them),
and then trying to find a not that small number of Range Rovers
with dark windows (how many of those can you find in a Greek
island?), march as a convoy to the villa, have the meeting and
then just after departure blow the villa up. I mean, the Greek
police and intelligence services are not top class but their
people are not mentally retarted either.
6) I cannot understand why the people watching the house
with the guns in N. Ireland were still there when the terrorists
went to kill them. By that time, MI5 and CIA knew what the terrorists
would do and therefore they should have removed their
people from around the house, in case they attract attention.
7) Everybody knows that you don't use the famous Downing
Street no. 10 door to get into the PM's house. This is only
used for official visits. There are many other entries to the
house, and much less conspicuous ways to get in. I cannot
imagine a MI5 or CIA person using that door at 3am! A
reporter hanging around would make a story the next day.
8) I find difficult to believe that the Queen knows by heart
the code names of secret operatives. Furthermore, handing
Osbourne his knighthood in a face to face meeting with only
the two around, as if it is a London souvenir, also is not plausible.
I am sure her Majestry in her long career has awarded knighthoods
to a number of secret agents and there must be some formal
procedure about it.
9) Finally, overall I found the story rather boring, just a single
thread of action going on, with mostly predictable turns.
Certainly, not the best moments of Daniel Silva. I wonder if
it is a mere coincidence that Osbourne disapperead after
this second adventure of his to be replace by Gabriel Allon.
Having said the above, I have thoroughly enjoyed the rest of
Daniel Silva's books and I remain a great fun of them.
George
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2018
There is still today a very weird (and racist) thought among many people that terrorists are only brown-skinned Arabic or Middle-Eastern Muslims, and that white Christians are solely victimized horribly throughout the world (and in the United States especially) and never the victimizers. This, of course, goes against the facts. (, and also: )
It’s a narrative uncomfortable to a lot of people, but it’s the truth: white non-Muslim men commit most of the world’s terrorist acts. White men have been doing it far longer and more effectively. Anyone who studies European history knows this.
Daniel Silva’s 1999 novel “The Marching Season� (a direct sequel to his novel “The Mark of the Assassin�), focuses on the long and fruitful white terrorist tradition of the United Kingdom involving the age-old hatred and violence between the Protestants and the Catholics. In case you don’t know, those are not Muslim sects. They are Christian sects.
For centuries, the Republicans (Catholics who want nothing to do with England) and the Loyalists (Protestants who want Ireland to unite with England) have been battling it out in Parliament as well as in the streets, oftentimes with bloody consequences. Tens of thousands have died since the 17th century (the century many scholars argue is the official start of what is called “The Troubles�).
Perhaps the most familiar terrorist organization after the PLO and Al-Qaeda, the IRA (Irish Republican Army) has been plotting and committing bombings and assassinations since the late-�60s. But they aren’t the only terrorist groups at work in the UK.
In 1998, The Good Friday Agreement was reached that essentially cemented the relationships and sovereign rights of Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and the UK. While many argue that it’s not perfect, it has managed to bring about a semblance of peace between all parties.
Of course, this is a problem for those who profited and capitalized on The Troubles, namely companies and weapons dealers who are funded by war and strife. In Silva’s novel, a fictional group known as the Society works to undermine the Good Friday peace accords by funding an Irish terrorist organization who is against the peace accords.
CIA analyst Michael Osborne, who barely made it out of “The Mark of the Assassin� alive, has been called out of retirement to head a CIA unit in the UK in the hopes of quelling and ending the new terrorist group. Reluctantly, Osborne agrees, but only because his father-in-law has been chosen by the President to be the new Irish Ambassador.
Meanwhile, the assassin known as Delaroche, is still alive and active. Thought to be killed at the end of the last novel, Osborne has had his suspicions. Recent assassinations have had a familiar Delaroche aroma about them, but few people at Langley believe that Delaroche is even alive. The Society, of course, is working to keep Osborne, and his father-in-law, out of the way. Permanently.
Once again, Silva has written a taut, edge-of-the seat suspense thriller in the Tom Clancy mold. In truth, “The Marching Season� has more than a few major similarities with Clancy’s classic novel “Patriot Games�, but at least Silva is copying from the best. (“Patriot Games� is one of my favorite Clancy novels.)
The action and suspense never lets up in this one, and the end almost guarantees a follow-up novel in the Osborne series.
It’s a narrative uncomfortable to a lot of people, but it’s the truth: white non-Muslim men commit most of the world’s terrorist acts. White men have been doing it far longer and more effectively. Anyone who studies European history knows this.
Daniel Silva’s 1999 novel “The Marching Season� (a direct sequel to his novel “The Mark of the Assassin�), focuses on the long and fruitful white terrorist tradition of the United Kingdom involving the age-old hatred and violence between the Protestants and the Catholics. In case you don’t know, those are not Muslim sects. They are Christian sects.
For centuries, the Republicans (Catholics who want nothing to do with England) and the Loyalists (Protestants who want Ireland to unite with England) have been battling it out in Parliament as well as in the streets, oftentimes with bloody consequences. Tens of thousands have died since the 17th century (the century many scholars argue is the official start of what is called “The Troubles�).
Perhaps the most familiar terrorist organization after the PLO and Al-Qaeda, the IRA (Irish Republican Army) has been plotting and committing bombings and assassinations since the late-�60s. But they aren’t the only terrorist groups at work in the UK.
In 1998, The Good Friday Agreement was reached that essentially cemented the relationships and sovereign rights of Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and the UK. While many argue that it’s not perfect, it has managed to bring about a semblance of peace between all parties.
Of course, this is a problem for those who profited and capitalized on The Troubles, namely companies and weapons dealers who are funded by war and strife. In Silva’s novel, a fictional group known as the Society works to undermine the Good Friday peace accords by funding an Irish terrorist organization who is against the peace accords.
CIA analyst Michael Osborne, who barely made it out of “The Mark of the Assassin� alive, has been called out of retirement to head a CIA unit in the UK in the hopes of quelling and ending the new terrorist group. Reluctantly, Osborne agrees, but only because his father-in-law has been chosen by the President to be the new Irish Ambassador.
Meanwhile, the assassin known as Delaroche, is still alive and active. Thought to be killed at the end of the last novel, Osborne has had his suspicions. Recent assassinations have had a familiar Delaroche aroma about them, but few people at Langley believe that Delaroche is even alive. The Society, of course, is working to keep Osborne, and his father-in-law, out of the way. Permanently.
Once again, Silva has written a taut, edge-of-the seat suspense thriller in the Tom Clancy mold. In truth, “The Marching Season� has more than a few major similarities with Clancy’s classic novel “Patriot Games�, but at least Silva is copying from the best. (“Patriot Games� is one of my favorite Clancy novels.)
The action and suspense never lets up in this one, and the end almost guarantees a follow-up novel in the Osborne series.
March 7, 2025
Rating: 4 stars
I read both books in this series consecutively. I've also read the first 16 books in Silva's Gabriel Allon series (in order). The two books in the Osbourne series take place mostly prior to the Allon series, but characters from the Allon series appear in the Osbourne series. Although I deeply enjoy these books, they are often difficult for me to read due to the amount of hate, intolerance and violence within the plots. Even though this book was published in 1999, it is not difficult to find that fictitious events mirror current global tensions, actions and horrors.
SUMMARY: When the Good Friday peace accords are shattered by three savage acts of terrorism, Northern Ireland is blown back into the depths of conflict. And after his father-in-law is nominated to become the new American ambassador to London, retired CIA agent Michael Osbourne is drawn back into the game. He soon discovers that his father-in-law is marked for execution. And that he himself is once again in the crosshairs of a killer known as October, one of the most merciless assassins the world has ever known.
I read both books in this series consecutively. I've also read the first 16 books in Silva's Gabriel Allon series (in order). The two books in the Osbourne series take place mostly prior to the Allon series, but characters from the Allon series appear in the Osbourne series. Although I deeply enjoy these books, they are often difficult for me to read due to the amount of hate, intolerance and violence within the plots. Even though this book was published in 1999, it is not difficult to find that fictitious events mirror current global tensions, actions and horrors.
SUMMARY: When the Good Friday peace accords are shattered by three savage acts of terrorism, Northern Ireland is blown back into the depths of conflict. And after his father-in-law is nominated to become the new American ambassador to London, retired CIA agent Michael Osbourne is drawn back into the game. He soon discovers that his father-in-law is marked for execution. And that he himself is once again in the crosshairs of a killer known as October, one of the most merciless assassins the world has ever known.
May 24, 2012
I DON'T HIDE MY REVIEWS, BUT THEY DO CONTAIN SPOILERS.
This is in Silva's line of Michael Osbourne books.
Osbourne is a former CIA agent who has rejoined the service. He's done so because his father-in-law, a retired U.S. senator, has been named to an ambassador post to Ireland, and Osbourne senses danger.
Osbourne never crosses paths with Silva's main protagonist -- on-again, off-again Israeli agent-assassin Gabriel Allon, who stars in most Silva novels.
But the two men do have in common their encounters with commercial assassin, Jean-Paul Delaroche, who was trained behind the Iron Curtain, and is literally a bastard. Initially Delaroche was sent to the West as a "sleeper"(still in his teens) for political missions, but now he's a free-market hired gun.
Delaroche -- who seemed pathologically dispassionate when executing people or dealing with his handlers -- is, sadly, not the worst bad guy in this book. (As an aside, Delaroche likes to paint, just like Allon does/did. These days Allon does art restoration, but little original work.)
Osbourne and Delaroche form an impromptu alliance toward the book's end, as both struggle to be free of the cabal that is trying to rile up Irishmen again to violence (Prods vs. the papists, as usual).
The cabal, it turns out, is a shadowy "working group" of national intelligence services and major criminal and terrorist interests, etc.
These seemingly odd bedfellows use the shadow group to outsource killings that would be too politically sensitive for any government agency to take on, and to instigate negative events that somehow advance a nation's secret agenda. In "Marching Season," for example, the group decides to kill a new peace movement in Ireland that would be "bad" for the illegal weapons industry.
Near book's end, back in the States, Delaroche attempts to assassinate Osbourne's father in law, but Osbourne surprisingly lets the killer escape. That's because Osbourne has figured out who hired Delaroche. Osbourne instead reserves his ire and energy, working behind the scenes to dislodge from American intelligence services the career official (a woman) who was part of the same shadow group, which had commissioned the father-in-law's death. She's the U.S. "delegate" to the cabal, and Allon's revered Israeli boss, Ari Shamron. (It kills me to think that Shamron, who appears in all the Allon books, consorts with such dreck.)
Delaroche eventually repays Osbourne's kindness by unilaterally (without pay) taking out the woman, after she suddenly retires and moves to Europe.
I was touched by the moment in the book when Osbourne muses that he and Delaroche are quite similar after all. It was only chance that assigned Osbourne the role of patriot and Delaroche the role of criminal killer. They use the same skill set for different ends.
The book's close suggests that Delaroche is able to retire from his career as a killer, and even form a meaningful relationship with an Irish woman terrorist who seems to want out from all the death and violence. Knowing Silva, however -- who's expert at re-purposing his characters -- I wonder if the woman, named Rebecca, will go the distance in her relationship with Delaroche.
This is in Silva's line of Michael Osbourne books.
Osbourne is a former CIA agent who has rejoined the service. He's done so because his father-in-law, a retired U.S. senator, has been named to an ambassador post to Ireland, and Osbourne senses danger.
Osbourne never crosses paths with Silva's main protagonist -- on-again, off-again Israeli agent-assassin Gabriel Allon, who stars in most Silva novels.
But the two men do have in common their encounters with commercial assassin, Jean-Paul Delaroche, who was trained behind the Iron Curtain, and is literally a bastard. Initially Delaroche was sent to the West as a "sleeper"(still in his teens) for political missions, but now he's a free-market hired gun.
Delaroche -- who seemed pathologically dispassionate when executing people or dealing with his handlers -- is, sadly, not the worst bad guy in this book. (As an aside, Delaroche likes to paint, just like Allon does/did. These days Allon does art restoration, but little original work.)
Osbourne and Delaroche form an impromptu alliance toward the book's end, as both struggle to be free of the cabal that is trying to rile up Irishmen again to violence (Prods vs. the papists, as usual).
The cabal, it turns out, is a shadowy "working group" of national intelligence services and major criminal and terrorist interests, etc.
These seemingly odd bedfellows use the shadow group to outsource killings that would be too politically sensitive for any government agency to take on, and to instigate negative events that somehow advance a nation's secret agenda. In "Marching Season," for example, the group decides to kill a new peace movement in Ireland that would be "bad" for the illegal weapons industry.
Near book's end, back in the States, Delaroche attempts to assassinate Osbourne's father in law, but Osbourne surprisingly lets the killer escape. That's because Osbourne has figured out who hired Delaroche. Osbourne instead reserves his ire and energy, working behind the scenes to dislodge from American intelligence services the career official (a woman) who was part of the same shadow group, which had commissioned the father-in-law's death. She's the U.S. "delegate" to the cabal, and Allon's revered Israeli boss, Ari Shamron. (It kills me to think that Shamron, who appears in all the Allon books, consorts with such dreck.)
Delaroche eventually repays Osbourne's kindness by unilaterally (without pay) taking out the woman, after she suddenly retires and moves to Europe.
I was touched by the moment in the book when Osbourne muses that he and Delaroche are quite similar after all. It was only chance that assigned Osbourne the role of patriot and Delaroche the role of criminal killer. They use the same skill set for different ends.
The book's close suggests that Delaroche is able to retire from his career as a killer, and even form a meaningful relationship with an Irish woman terrorist who seems to want out from all the death and violence. Knowing Silva, however -- who's expert at re-purposing his characters -- I wonder if the woman, named Rebecca, will go the distance in her relationship with Delaroche.
December 17, 2017
Very entertaining with plenty of suspense and deception that keeps the reader intrigued.
December 5, 2021
Daniel Silva is the master of the genre and this is another entertaining fun read with thrills, spills as somewhat cartoonlike characters beat eachother black and blue across the world. It does require a certain suspension of belief, especially when the Queen does a cameo, or you will nitpick your way out of what is an enjoyable read.
I read this book twice by accident and the second time was no more memorable.
I read this book twice by accident and the second time was no more memorable.
November 17, 2018
I am sometimes a voracious reader. Vacillate between Ta-Neishi Coates, Allende, Clinton, Comey and Orwell. The writers I cited are interesting and important but not always fun.
Silva knows how to do espionage, thrillers, love interest; and boy it is fun! We do read to know "we are not alone," but sometimes what a delight to simply read.
Kinda like a good John MacDonald mystery but different genre! Of course you need to straddle different eras and mores. Some of us can!
Silva knows how to do espionage, thrillers, love interest; and boy it is fun! We do read to know "we are not alone," but sometimes what a delight to simply read.
Kinda like a good John MacDonald mystery but different genre! Of course you need to straddle different eras and mores. Some of us can!
October 24, 2021
Man, Silva is good! I had read every one of his novels but this one. They're all good, but this one stood out. Pacing, locations, complexities of character- all there. When I first discovered Silva, I started reading, and usually, out of order. But that's okay. He fills in backstory well.
Looking for a great spy vs. spy? You've found it with this one.
Looking for a great spy vs. spy? You've found it with this one.
March 29, 2017
I read the first Michael Osborne novel quite a long time ago and really enjoyed this follow up. I love the Gabriel Allon novels, but I find myself wishing that Silva had written more with Osborne.
December 18, 2023
Daniel Silva's "The Marching Season" is an enjoyable international spy thriller. It's been a few years since I read the first book, "The Mark of the Assassin", but Silva does a great job catching the reader up on the most important details.
Although it's a sequel, "The Marching Season" has a fresh plot for the reader to experience, that dovetails nicely into the continued plot from the first book. Silva does a great job of writing characters with depth and emotions; I enjoyed reading the perspectives of both the protagonist and antagonist. After two books of waiting, the climax is what made me give "The Marching Season" four stars. I feel the character journeys reached a deserving conclusion.
Although it's a sequel, "The Marching Season" has a fresh plot for the reader to experience, that dovetails nicely into the continued plot from the first book. Silva does a great job of writing characters with depth and emotions; I enjoyed reading the perspectives of both the protagonist and antagonist. After two books of waiting, the climax is what made me give "The Marching Season" four stars. I feel the character journeys reached a deserving conclusion.
July 10, 2024
This is a very early Silva book, the second and last (as of now) of the Michael Osborne series (thank goodness!). Some characters appear in his much more famous and better written Gabriel Allon series. This one is poorly conceived and much makes no sense in light of Osborne #1, especially with respect to the assassin October. The Osborne character is a lightweight compared to Allon. And the secret entity composed of the heads of spy agencies and criminals and others is ridiculous. Glad I did not read the Osborne series until well into the Allon series.
July 9, 2018
Overall the writing is good and interesting, but unfortunately the story is flawed. A few times characters did things they shouldn’t have been able to do, just to move the story along. One character in particular changed his behavior to conveniently take the story a direction the author wanted. The ending didn’t really resolve anything. It’s like the author wanted both the good and bad win, which they both did.
November 16, 2018
After languishing on my shelf for years (because this book didn't feature Gabriel Allon), I finally pulled the plug and jumped right into a great thriller. This series features Michal Osbourne, American CIA agent who's back in the action after leaving the agency the year prior. Michael is assigned to a case involving the peace accords in northern Ireland, but is soon dragged into a much deeper web of deceit, featuring an old adversary. Lots of action and intrigue. Another solid read from Silva.
January 19, 2025
This took a bit to get going but once it got going had some really exciting action sequences and intrigue! I read this because of the Northern Ireland angle and the Good Friday Accords--and I enjoyed the story of the Ulster Freedom Brigade and the best sequence in this for me was the one in Belfast! Really intriguing appearance of Gerry Adams! Would have liked even more focus on the Northern Ireland conflict.
My complaint is I was less interested in the personal story of Michael Osborne though it won me over towards the end! It makes me CRINGE hard how Daniel Silva describes women!! This book was published a long time ago but still some of the descriptions made me roll my eyes--let's do better men!!
My complaint is I was less interested in the personal story of Michael Osborne though it won me over towards the end! It makes me CRINGE hard how Daniel Silva describes women!! This book was published a long time ago but still some of the descriptions made me roll my eyes--let's do better men!!
January 13, 2022
Another good read from Daniel Silva. Compelling story, especially in today's environment.
March 21, 2019
Já no final do livro, o Delaroche diz ao Osbourne que a única coisa que sabe do Director era que ele era inglês e que tinha uma rapariga nova chamada Daphne, mas na realidade já tinha estado com ele, a última vez em Amesterdão. Ou seja, podia perfeitamente identificá-lo...mas, alguns pormenores à parte é sem dúvida um bom livro.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2012
Daniel Silva has become the go-to guy for realistic espionage thrillers; his Gabriel Allon series has been cited by intelligence professionals as an example of how to do the business right. So what in hell happened with The Marching Season?
This was his third published novel; maybe he was still learning the ropes. There's nothing technically wrong with his prose. The settings are well-realized, and some of the ancillary characters present well. That's to be expected of Silva, and that bit he delivers.
The parts you don't expect from him? A secret international cabal manipulating world events for profit, essentially SPECTRE without Blofeld. Hyper-competent, omni-talented secret agent men as the protagonist and one of the villains. Lengthy biographical info-dumps on each character as he/she is introduced (and not just major characters, either). Complex special operations that take mere minutes or hours to assemble, not the days or weeks that Allon (and real life) requires. It was somewhere after Our Hero’s second tête-à-tête with the Queen (yes, the one with the corgis) � or was it his briefing with Tony Blair? or the pally conversation with the President? � that I spent much the rest of the book checking the cover to see if it was written by one of Ludlum’s ghostwriters.
If you must read this, expect a typical pulp thriller, not the work you get with the Allon series or even The Unlikely Spy, Silva’s freshman hommage to Ken Follett. There are some good parts, but there’s a lot that will get your head shaking. I think I’ll give the prequel (The Mark of the Assassin) a pass and go back to the Silva books that have marked him as a successor to Le Carre.
This was his third published novel; maybe he was still learning the ropes. There's nothing technically wrong with his prose. The settings are well-realized, and some of the ancillary characters present well. That's to be expected of Silva, and that bit he delivers.
The parts you don't expect from him? A secret international cabal manipulating world events for profit, essentially SPECTRE without Blofeld. Hyper-competent, omni-talented secret agent men as the protagonist and one of the villains. Lengthy biographical info-dumps on each character as he/she is introduced (and not just major characters, either). Complex special operations that take mere minutes or hours to assemble, not the days or weeks that Allon (and real life) requires. It was somewhere after Our Hero’s second tête-à-tête with the Queen (yes, the one with the corgis) � or was it his briefing with Tony Blair? or the pally conversation with the President? � that I spent much the rest of the book checking the cover to see if it was written by one of Ludlum’s ghostwriters.
If you must read this, expect a typical pulp thriller, not the work you get with the Allon series or even The Unlikely Spy, Silva’s freshman hommage to Ken Follett. There are some good parts, but there’s a lot that will get your head shaking. I think I’ll give the prequel (The Mark of the Assassin) a pass and go back to the Silva books that have marked him as a successor to Le Carre.
November 23, 2021
Daniel Silva wrote two books featuring Michael Osbourne of the CIA before he created Gabriel Allon, the art restorer and spy/assassin. Michael Osbourne is something of a lone wolf whereas Gabriel Allon always works with a team of agents. The Allon books also seem to have a higher body count, but I wasn't really counting. Three characters from the Osbourne books show up in the Allon novels Ari Sharon, who doesn't have much to do here but eventually becomes head of the Office for whom Gabriel works and Grahame Seymour who is the assistant director of MI6; he's more involved in the operations in this book; and Adrian Carter of the CIA, who is Michael's control agent.
The book itself takes a while to get started. It revolves around a breakaway Loyalist group in Northern Ireland that is trying to scuttle the peace process of the Good Friday accords. The plot is to kill the newly appointed American Ambassador to get America out of the negotiations and throw the process into turmoil. Once the plot begins to take shape, the book picks up speed. The Marching Season is the second Osbourne book and it would have helped to read them in order (which I did not do) since there are references made to things that happened in the first book. Silva adds some real people into the story (Tony Blair; Queen Elizabeth; Gerry Adams; Bertie Ahearn and David Trimble (although they have little to do). Itr's surprising that he didn't use Bill Clinton who was the President of the US at the time of the accords, but mazybe he wanted to give his fictional president a more political stance.
Once again, Silva distinguishes himself by his research. Although the book is not a primer on Anglo-Irish relations, one has a better sense of the Northern Irish situation by reading it.
The book itself takes a while to get started. It revolves around a breakaway Loyalist group in Northern Ireland that is trying to scuttle the peace process of the Good Friday accords. The plot is to kill the newly appointed American Ambassador to get America out of the negotiations and throw the process into turmoil. Once the plot begins to take shape, the book picks up speed. The Marching Season is the second Osbourne book and it would have helped to read them in order (which I did not do) since there are references made to things that happened in the first book. Silva adds some real people into the story (Tony Blair; Queen Elizabeth; Gerry Adams; Bertie Ahearn and David Trimble (although they have little to do). Itr's surprising that he didn't use Bill Clinton who was the President of the US at the time of the accords, but mazybe he wanted to give his fictional president a more political stance.
Once again, Silva distinguishes himself by his research. Although the book is not a primer on Anglo-Irish relations, one has a better sense of the Northern Irish situation by reading it.
July 19, 2017
I very much enjoy Daniel Silvia's work - in fact, I have read almost every book that he has written, including the entire Gabriel Allan series, other than the most recent. The Marching Season was the second and last book in the Michael Osborne series and it was written in 2004.
The fact that the book was written so long ago made it particularly interesting as it offered a great contrast to Silvia's more recent work. And that contrast was quite striking. The writing was of much the same quality as Silva's more recent books but the plot was not nearly as sophisticated. It involved a secret organization which aimed to control armed conflict on a worldwide basis. It seemed to me like SPECTRE of James Bond fame. As such, it was very unlike the real world situations brilliantly described in Silva's more recent work.
The characters, in the main, were a bit on the shallow side although my bias, as a result of the unlikely plot, may have colored that opinion. Even great writers, as I believe Silva is, must go through a developmental process rather than springing fully fully formed and brilliant from the head of a cabbage.
Having said all that, I would still recommend The Marching Season to readers who enjoy reading novels on espionage, particularly those written by Silva, although, you may want to read the first Michael Osborne book before this one.
The fact that the book was written so long ago made it particularly interesting as it offered a great contrast to Silvia's more recent work. And that contrast was quite striking. The writing was of much the same quality as Silva's more recent books but the plot was not nearly as sophisticated. It involved a secret organization which aimed to control armed conflict on a worldwide basis. It seemed to me like SPECTRE of James Bond fame. As such, it was very unlike the real world situations brilliantly described in Silva's more recent work.
The characters, in the main, were a bit on the shallow side although my bias, as a result of the unlikely plot, may have colored that opinion. Even great writers, as I believe Silva is, must go through a developmental process rather than springing fully fully formed and brilliant from the head of a cabbage.
Having said all that, I would still recommend The Marching Season to readers who enjoy reading novels on espionage, particularly those written by Silva, although, you may want to read the first Michael Osborne book before this one.
April 14, 2019
I enjoyed book 2 in this series after having read all of the Allon books. The narrator does a great job with the accents too. It's interesting to see the genesis of the Allon characters here as is also present in the first installment of the Osbourne series. Similarities exist and include Adrian Carter, Ari Shamron (albeit small), the artist assassin, the countryside hideaway, to name a few. Lots of killing in this one.
The secret society and the director are scary and based on reality, sadly. I kept conjuring up these global societies comprised of oligarchs. Not a pretty thing. It all comes down to money and power.
Here we've got the Irish/English conflict and folks who want to keep the fight going. So many who are for a cause in the end are useful idiots I'm afraid. Silva writes what he knows and it's a scary world out there. Now, I don't think there's a 3rd book in this series so I may be done until Silva releases the next Allon book and I'll have to wait until next year!
The secret society and the director are scary and based on reality, sadly. I kept conjuring up these global societies comprised of oligarchs. Not a pretty thing. It all comes down to money and power.
Here we've got the Irish/English conflict and folks who want to keep the fight going. So many who are for a cause in the end are useful idiots I'm afraid. Silva writes what he knows and it's a scary world out there. Now, I don't think there's a 3rd book in this series so I may be done until Silva releases the next Allon book and I'll have to wait until next year!
November 20, 2021
This is the second book in the Michael Osbourne series by Daniel Silva and I read this one first. This is written on the backdrop of historical conflicts between Ireland and Britain and hence gives the reader a short sneak peak into that part of the history.
I loved how Michael's character has been well set in this book and doesn't necessitate the need to read the books in chronological order.
Like all Daniel Silva's books, it picks up pace from Chapter 1 and is a page turner. The reader travels through continents and countries along with the main characters and the meticulous plot is commendable. The best part is you don't particularly hate the enemy as his thought process and background character has also been dealt in detail.
I will definitely read the next books.
I loved how Michael's character has been well set in this book and doesn't necessitate the need to read the books in chronological order.
Like all Daniel Silva's books, it picks up pace from Chapter 1 and is a page turner. The reader travels through continents and countries along with the main characters and the meticulous plot is commendable. The best part is you don't particularly hate the enemy as his thought process and background character has also been dealt in detail.
I will definitely read the next books.
June 17, 2014
During the early years in Northern Ireland when they were
trying to find peace three attacks in Belfast, Dublin
and London shattered all hope for peace. A new group called
the Ulster Freedom Brigade has shattered the peace process
and they have only one goal. To destroy the peace process.
Michael Osbourne has gotten out of the CIA bitter and
disillusioned but his father in law is chosen to be the next
ambassador to Britain and Michael is drawn into a battle
with some of the most violent men on earth. I believe that
this is one of Daniel Silva's earlier books from around 1999
but I've read all of his books and this one is as good as
his later novels.
trying to find peace three attacks in Belfast, Dublin
and London shattered all hope for peace. A new group called
the Ulster Freedom Brigade has shattered the peace process
and they have only one goal. To destroy the peace process.
Michael Osbourne has gotten out of the CIA bitter and
disillusioned but his father in law is chosen to be the next
ambassador to Britain and Michael is drawn into a battle
with some of the most violent men on earth. I believe that
this is one of Daniel Silva's earlier books from around 1999
but I've read all of his books and this one is as good as
his later novels.
February 2, 2021
My least favorite of any of Daniel Silva’s work. None of the main characters seem to have any redeeming qualities and I certainly can’t figure out why Michael and Elizabeth are together as they seem to hate each other. Overall the storyline feels completely unrealistic. I much prefer the Gabriel Allon series and am glad that’s the character Silva decided to create a long running series with versus Michael Osborne.
March 16, 2021
I did something I don’t typically do by reading this book immediately after reading the first one. This does tie up a few loose ends from The Mark of the Assassin but is built on a new, separate story line.
I did come away feeling like Silva was in a hurry to wrap this one up as a lot of events seem to happen very quickly and without a lot of the build up that I would have expected.
I’m ready to head back to the Allon series now!
I did come away feeling like Silva was in a hurry to wrap this one up as a lot of events seem to happen very quickly and without a lot of the build up that I would have expected.
I’m ready to head back to the Allon series now!
June 24, 2016
This was the second book of the series; it was a continuation of the first book, and really should be considered a two-book story.
I enjoyed the books, although it was a little strange in the way the full story was "solved", and I was a little disappointed in the loose ends. Hopefully, there will be another book to continue the story. I'll definitely keep my eye out for one.
I enjoyed the books, although it was a little strange in the way the full story was "solved", and I was a little disappointed in the loose ends. Hopefully, there will be another book to continue the story. I'll definitely keep my eye out for one.
January 15, 2021
“A man who sees ghosts can no longer behave like a professional.”�
Not bad, not great but exactly what you expect from Silva - a decent thriller, some characters with some depth and a brief escape from reality. A quick dip into the politics and terrorism of Northern Ireland at the time of the Good Friday peace agreement...satisfying enough!
Not bad, not great but exactly what you expect from Silva - a decent thriller, some characters with some depth and a brief escape from reality. A quick dip into the politics and terrorism of Northern Ireland at the time of the Good Friday peace agreement...satisfying enough!
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