Good story premise, lots of deception and spying, but a bit jerky with large chunks of the story being not well delineated and left to the imagination of the reader. There is a big Indian angle to the whole story with a South India based terrorist cell working with the Iranians to create havoc in the West, which is a pretty tall story. The author has definitely tried not to mangle up the Indian names and to get the place names and the rest of it correctly, but has slipped up quite a bit, but still, I suppose better than the armchair Indophiles touting tired old perceptions of India.

Marchant a spy with MI6 is hell bent on clearing his father's name. Marchant senior, while head of MI6 was hounded out of office on suspicion of being a traitor and died soon thereafter. Marchant gets involved in a devious plot set in motion by the Iranians supported by a conflicted mole within MI6, and manages to help abort a couple of assassination attempts.

I guess Jon Stock has a bit more to go with the story. Hopefully the next ones would be better.3 s Eleanor597 131 Shelved as 'dnf'

booooooooooooored2 s Jeffrey896 121

The fall of the Soviet Union has changed the focus of the classic espionage novel. No longer is the literature dominated by KGB - CIA confrontations, spycraft and gamemanship. At the same time, the global reach of terrorism has fundamentally changed the geopolitical atmosphere. Authors must be prepared to tell stories that have a global reach. Dead Spy Running is a spy novel that is at home in this new world order. Instead of focusing on the machinations of the KGB, Stock mixes in terrorism, the Middle East, extraordinary rendition, waterboarding, and India. The mix results in a tightly written novel, which, while not at the Le Carre peak, is a good tale for espionage fans seeking a spy novel for the 21st Century.


Daniel Marchant, a suspended agent, and Leila are lovers and junior spies attached to MI6. Marchant’s father was the former head of MI6, but was cast out of the service because there were several terrorists attacks in England that MI6 was unable to stop. Marchant's father suspected that there was a mole helping the terrorists, but was unable to prove it. After leaving the service, he passed away. His downfall has resulted in suspicion being cast on his son. Marcus Fielding, the new head of MI6, however, thinks the young Marchant has a bright future and has had a bum rap.

At the start of the novel, Marchant and Leila are preparing to run in a marathon in London. As Marchant is running, he spots a suspicious man with an odd belt containing unopened cartons and a large gps watch. Marchant immediately suspects that the man is a suicide bmber. He reports back to Leila, who states she will get in touch with MI5. Meanwhile she hands Marchant her phone to contact her. Marchant soon learns that the American Ambassador is in the race and is being targeted. Marchant starts to talk to the bomber and learns he is from India, and has been coerced into trying to detonate the bomb by threats on his child. The Americans get involved and somehow, the plot is foiled.

Marchant should be a hero, but he is hung out to dry by Harriet Armstrong, the head of MI5, and James Spiro, the CIA London chief. The CIA has evidence that Marchant's father met up with Salim Dhar, an Indian terrorist in Kerala, India. Dhar may be involved in the averted marathon plot and the Americans believe he was also involved in successful attacks against American Marines. They believe that Marchant knows where Dhar is. Armstrong gets Fielding to agree to let Marchant be questioned by the Americans, and the Americans use water boarding in Britian. Fielding tells them not to move Marchant out of Britain. But when the water boarding does not work, the Americans fly Marchant to Poland to use other means of getting him to talk.

Fielding finds that the connection between the marathon attack and Dhar is weak. Learning that Spiro broke their agreement about keeping Marchant in Britain, Fielding breaks Marchant out of custody and sends him to India to hunt down Dhar. Fielding hopes Marchant can learn why Marchant's father visited Dhar. Marchant lived in India as a young man, and knows people there.

So Marchant travels to find Dhar, while Fielding tries to put the pieces together in Britain. The Americans, however, believe that Marchant and Dhar are connected and start a manhunt for Marchant.

Fielding learns that Leila, who is the apparent hero of the marathon plot, is also working for the Americans. Fielding does not understand how she did not support Marchant's story. When Marchant's phone is found in his apartment, with a direct dial to the marathon bomber, Fielding, is convinced that there is more to Leila's story, and sets out to protect Marchant.

The Americans, however discount Fielding's theories and trust Leila enough to allow her a prominent place in the guards of the President in New Dehli at the Lotus Temple, a Bahai temple. Leila's mother is a Bahai. As the American manhunt for Marchant tightens, Fielding learns that Leila may have a connection to Tehran. Marchant eventually meets with Dhar, and learns the reason his father met with him, and sees evidence that Dhar plans to assassinate the President. Dhar gets away from Marchant and meets with his contact, who gives him information as to how to carry out his plan. Leila, Marchant, Dhar and POTUS have a date with destiny on the steps of the Lotus Temple.

There are the usual betrayals and a few surprises in this quick moving spy novel. It’s a good story, but there was never any doubt as to who were the bad guys, and Marchant' role in the novel was not compelling enough. Surprisingly, Fielding, the head of MI6, did a lot of the investigative work. Still Jon Stock has some chops, and will be an author to watch in the new world of spy novels.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full reviewespionage read-in-20112 s Tony1,501 88

Ten years ago, I read and loved Jon Stock's debut thriller The Riot Act -- about a young counter-cultural class warrior forced to go undercover. It was lean, taut, and had a corker of an ending. Four years ago, I was rather less taken with his followup, The Cardamom Club, which had problems of pacing, over-elaborate plotting, and somewhat sappy romantic content. Now comes his third book (the first of a projected trilogy), which bears all the hallmarks of the blockbuster international spy thriller.

The story kicks off at the London Marathon, where suspended MI6 agent Daniel Marchant happens to be running with his girlfriend, a fellow MI6 agent. Exciting events transpire, and soon thereafter he finds himself in the custody of his own people, and eventually the CIA. It seems his father, who had been head of MI6, was forcibly retired under suspicious circumstances, and now the son is under suspicion as well. More heartpounding events transpire and Daniel soon finds himself on the run from MI5, MI6, and CIA, all while a plot may be unfolding to kill President Obama (the unnamed "new guy") as he visits India.

The pacing problems of Stock's second book are gone, as the story switches back and forth in short bursts between Daniel's attempt to stay alive, flashbacks to his training and relationship with his girlfriend, and the heads of various intelligence agencies snarling at each other in plush offices. While this back and forth construction works for pacing purposes, it also means that the story becomes somewhat fractured between these two fronts, as neither Daniel nor the bureaucrats take center stage. Thankfully, toward the end, these two story lines begin to converge and everything gets a little more fluid and more exciting.

Stock's made no apologies for the influence of John Le Carre and the recent Bourne films on this book -- which is a good thing, since fans of either will find themselves on familiar ground. The intense bureaucratic infighting will appeal to fans of Le Carre, while Daniel's attempt to stay one step ahead of the various intelligence services will appeal to fans of Bourne. On the whole, it's a solid page-turning thriller, with all the requisite insider detail and international color. It gets especially good once on Indian soil, as Stock's familiarity with India enables him to bring a lot of local color to the story. Overall, a solid entry in the international spy thriller genre.novels2 s The Book Whisperer (aka Boof)343 254

Good stuff - quick paced and page-turning. The book opens with suspended MI6 spy, Daniel Marchant, spotting a suicide bomber while running the London marathon. The bomber has to stay running above the 8 minute mile speed or he and all those around him will blow up (remind you of anything?). Despite the already-used formular, this was still really well done and hooked me from the off. The rest of the book follows Marchant across several continents while he tries to a) trace the perpertrators and b) clear his fathers name of being a mole in MI6.

I really enjoyed this book, and it is one I would highly recommend as a holiday read (or when you can't be uninterupted due to the vast number of characters popping in and out that requires your full attention to keep up).

This is the first in a triplogy (and the end of book 1 is nicely set up for the next installment) and apparantly Warner Bros are already signed up to the movie rights. I can definitely see this transfering well on to the big screen and giving Jason Bourne a run for his money.arc-and-review-copies british-authors crime-mystery-thrillers ...more1 Evanston Public Library665 66 Read

I know, I know... This isn't a romance, nor is it a gentle read. This is a spy novel, pure and simple in the style of John Le Carré, Robert Ludlum, and Ian Fleming. What makes this better than the average book is the subtly of the storyline. A few years ago, I read Bangkok 8 by John Burdett. At the time, I was intrigued by Burdett's character, Buddhist police detective, Sonchai Jitplecheep's, half Thai-half American perspective. When reading Dead Spy Running, I felt that same feeling of watching different viewpoints unfolding in front of me. Instead of solely focusing on the conflict of East vs. West, Jon Stock used fallen MI6 agent Daniel Marchant to explore the complexities of spying in a post 9/11 (and post 07/07) world, and the differences between U.S. and British intelligence missions.

-Juliette S.
fiction1 Sean Randall1,937 44

Certainly a high-octane thriller, I can see why people contrast Marchant's escapades with those of Bourne and Smiley. ludlum lacks le Carré's contempt for the Americans, of course; here, there's a great scene where an MI6 officer completely fubar's the CIA following him and I think that's one of my favourite's of the book (chapter 23, if anyone wishes to read an extract as a point of reference).

There's also an inevitability about the British working with the Cousins, of course, but I suppose that's no degradation in the literary quality of the genre - simply a method of keeping up with the Joneses.

As far as the action goes, I enjoyed it all quite a lot. Finances permitting, I'll certainly want to buy the sequel.1 Stephen474

First time author Jon Stock has created an exciting International thriller. It's a clash between competing security agencies, MI6, MI5, the CIA and international terrorists. I only hope that the Wake County Library System buys this book. It is a well-paced exciting thriller that doesn't let you down for one minute. It is as fresh as today's headlines and doesn't miss a beat . A terrific first novel and a must read!!1 Dale Flower123

Well I picked this up from a charity shop for 70p and wasn't really expecting much. How wrong was I?! Absolutely loved it as it turned out to be the exact kind of book I . Fast paced with plenty of twists and turns. I will be keeping an eye out for the next in the series!1 Joanne2,613

Terrorist cells, disenfranchised MI6 agent, disagreement among the services, waterboarding...we've read this before. Stock lost me at the waterboarding.didn-t-finish mystery1 Denise6,796 124

Quick, fast-paced read. Good if you're in the mood for action rather than a deep and meaningful book with character development.read-20121 Klaus Langkilde3 5

Could not put it down. Read it in three days. GREAT. Go get it! Waiting for the movie to come out in 2013.1 Druss 670 13

First read of the author. Great start. Pacy story, twists and turns. Will read the next one.spy Sam Allen1,396 8

Pacey thriller - enjoyed this one. Keith Mills115

A good, complex plot, but lacking real, believable characters (they are cyphers). For me a truly successful book needs both. Kelley AC13 1 follower

Exciting. Unexpected twists. Very British. Nitish54 4

It's bad. Squid McFinniganAuthor 3 books32

Just couldn't get into it. The opening was promising but it faltered after that and I couldn't feel enough for any of the characters to wonder what was going to happen to them next. Slg18

Page turner until the end Speesh409 29

Shut the doors, lock the windows, hide the phone put the car away. Once you start, you're not going anywhere until you finish reading this one.

More addictive than the contents of a warehouse just the other side of the Mexican border, more twists and turns than the road up into the mountains from Innsbruck to Seefeld we travelled on this last summer.

You really shouldn't reckon on putting 'Dead Spy Running' down until you're done.

This is the first in the current Marchant trilogy (I say 'current' mainly in the hope of there being more than the three Jon Stock has written so far). Here we're introduced to the character of Daniel Marchant, but in a way that feels right, as if we're joining him and his story, his life, not at the start, but kind of a fair way in. It's clear that a lot has happened before we join Marchant; in his childhood, his younger days, his previous career as a journalist abroad and his early days in 'the Service.' He comes with a lot of baggage. Not least that his father was a previous head of the MI6 he now works for. But, by not being introduced to him at the beginning of his story, it felt almost as if this book was a number two, or three and I did have to check that it was indeed the first of the series. I d this feeling. It means that facts about why he is who and how he is, are dotted around for us to find. We learn who he is gradually and intriguingly. So the character develops and folds out for us and his decisions and actions make sense as he progresses through the story. Hope that makes sense?

Marchant has been suspended by MI6, then gets caught up in an incident involving the London Marathon, the American Ambassador and a suicide bomber loaded down with explosives. For us it's clear he's the hero, but after an investigation by the CIA, he's deemed quite the opposite. Obviously someone somewhere wants his name blackened. Things get worse from there on. He gets taken off to Poland by the CIA, to help them with their enquiries, if you know what I mean. Later he travels over to India, where his father was stationed, where he grew up and where he still seems to have family...All the time he is constantly followed, constantly on his guard and constantly under suspicion for being something he may or may not be. You have to keep your wits about you nearly as much as he does once you get involved with this story, that's for sure.

While reading 'Dead Spy Running' I was really pleased to come to think of none less than the great Len Deighton at his best. Sharp dialogue, concise, water-tight plotted story, plenty of action and a spy with cool and attitude. Indeed, for a totally modern, thoroughly up-to-date, 21st Century spy thriller, it was interesting that I found one of the best moments was involving a character who could have just stepped out of a Len Deighton-type Cold War spy novel, 'Hugo Prentice', playing by, to quote; 'Moscow rules, British style'. And playing the, what could be described as, somewhat over enthusiastic CIA chief Spiro at his own game. Laughed out loud, with a 'take THAT!, at that incident. The old dogs can still show the young pups some new tricks.

But there's also something to think about. Some work for the brain, as well as the eyes. Sometimes, you just have to stop, stare into space and let the ramifications of what may or may not have happened sink in. "So... if he's doing that, to him, then that must mean that she's also...but then if they do that, then that would mean..." Nothing for it but to read on, asap.

Personally speaking, it would have been better if I'd read this first one first, not the second ('Games Traitors Play') first. Some of the secrets revealed here, would have had their full intended shock, rather than just giving me the complete picture of incidents I was already familiar with because I'd read number two first. Read on their own, one and two are perfectly self contained. You could absolutely get the maximum out of them as individual books. But if you're going to read the whole trilogy, you owe it to yourself to give yourself the total available pleasure by reading them in the published order.

If you're looking for a British spy of the old-school for the new age, a spy not afraid to go out on a limb and a story that races along, barely pausing for breath, with characters you , care about and celebrate with when they stick it to the 'enemy' (even if that's the Yanks!); then you'll find this a really excellent, convincing and absorbing novel. A novel to keep you on your toes and glued to the chair. Jasbr892 13

Ab und an tauche ich wirklich gern in die Welt von MI5, MI6, CIA & Co. ab. Und wer das mag, liegt mit diesem Buch total richtig. Denn weniger als Marathon-Killer-Terrorist stehen für meinen Geschmack die verschiedenen Geheimdienste im Mittelpunkt, die sich anscheinend gar nicht leiden können :) So spionieren sie sich gegenseitig aus und behindern sich, anstatt zusammenzuarbeiten. Es ist ein einziger Machtkampf - ob das in der Realität auch so ist? Ich hoffe nicht...

Die Handlung des Buches spielt in London und in Indien, obwohl der Londoner-Teil nicht gerade groß ist. Leser meiner Rezis wissen, ich liebe London und es war schön, dass mal ein paar Sehenswürdigkeiten der Stadt genannt wurden, ansonsten hätte es aber auch in jeder anderen Großstadt spielen können. Die Indien-Teile waren dagegen richtig schön beschrieben, sodass man sich direkt hineinversetzen könnte.

MI6-Agent Daniel Marchant ist wirklich ein sehr sympathischer Agent. Er ist derzeit suspendiert - aufgrund einiger Eskapaden, bei denen Whisky eine große Rolle spielte. Aber genau wegen diesen "Fehlern" muss man ihn einfach mögen. Eigentlich tut er nur das Richtige, wird dann aber von MI5 und den Amerikanern verdächtigt, in einen vereitelten Terroranschlag verwickelt zu sein. Seine Bemühungen, seine Unschuld zu beweisen, sind sehr spannend und es ist toll, als Leser hautnah dabei zu sein.

Mit den anderen Figuren hatte ich etwas meine Probleme. Denn es sind eine Menge, mit unterschiedlichsten Zuständigkeiten. Ich kam da wirklich das ein oder andere Mal durcheinander, wer jetzt nach England, Amerika oder in den Iran gehört. Dass es noch einen Maulwurf gibt, der für mehrere Seiten arbeitet, macht das nicht leichter. Aber wenn man sich ein bisschen konzentriert und ab und zu mal zurückblättert, der versteht auf jeden Fall, was passiert.

Der Schreibstil ist angenehm, aber sehr emotionslos. Das passt relativ zu der kalten Atmosphäre zwischen den Beteiligten, die in der Geschichte herrscht. Bei den Indien-Teilen gibt es viele indische Begriffe - das ist schön, weil es authentisch wird, unterbricht aber doch an der ein oder anderen Stelle den Lesefluss, weil man über unbekannte Wörter stolpert.

Ein bisschen schade fand ich es, dass der Titel "Der Marathon-Killer" zwar Programm ist, aber schon nach wenigen Kapiteln keine Rolle mehr spielt. Natürlich sucht man die Drahtzieher hinter diesem versuchten Anschlag, allerdings hätte ich mir ein bisschen "Marathon" gewünscht. Das war dann doch relativ schnell abgehakt.

Insgesamt hat mir das Buch gut gefallen, allerdings hat mir an der ein oder anderen Stelle das gewisse Etwas gefehlt. Dadurch, dass ich manchmal ein bisschen durcheinander kam, wer wer ist, wurde mein Lesegenuss etwas eingeschränkt. Deswegen gibt es von mir 3 Sterne. Jacki (Julia Flyte)1,298 190

While I don't agree with the publisher's claim that this is as good as the Bourne novels, this is a perfectly acceptable thriller to pack in your holiday suitcase. Reading it reminded me in many ways of the British TV series Spooks: it's equally fastpaced and equally unrealistic. The storyline centres on Daniel Marchand, an MI6 officer who has been suspended after his father (the former chief) was linked to an Indian terrorist and forced to resign. Daniel and his girlfriend Leila (another MI6 officer) are running the London Marathon together when he sees a man running behind the American ambassador armed with a bomb. He averts disaster, but MI5 and the Americans are suspicious about why he was on the scene and whether he himself is involved with terrorists. So he's on the run, trying to clear his name and his father's name.

The momentum of the book keeps you reading but there are a few structural problems. The main one is that there are two storylines which don't fully come together: without giving too much away, our hero doesn't really play a role in the book's climax. There are plenty of twists and action, but these are often squandered - delivered as throwaways rather than being maximized. Stereotypical characters make silly decisions (the head of MI5 repeatedly being a prime example). Poor proofreading also means that there are some continuity problems that are unnecessarily distracting.

However as I say, it's all quite readable and dead exciting in parts. The ending sets it up for a sequel and if there is, I'll probably read it. But it's not the new Bourne. Juliette Swett88 4

I know, I know... This isn't a romance, nor is it a gentle read. This is a spy novel, pure and simple in the style of John Le Carré, Robert Ludlum, and Ian Fleming. What makes this better than the average book is the subtly of the storyline. A few years ago, I read Bangkok 8 by John Burdett. At the time, I was intrigued by Burdett's character, Buddhist police detective, Sonchai Jitplecheep's, half Thai-half American perspective. When reading Dead Spy Running, I felt that same feeling of watching different viewpoints unfolding in front of me. Instead of solely focusing on the conflict of East vs. West, Jon Stock used fallen MI6 agent Daniel Marchant to explore the complexities of spying in a post 9/11 (and post 07/07) world, and the differences between U.S. and British intelligence missions.read-suspense Esther Bradley-detallyAuthor 3 books44

A friend told me about Dead Spy Running. Said it referenced Baha'is, or those persecuted in Iran as a substory, and the main stuff was about spys, and water boarding, and the English, American, Polish, and Iranian spies, a tale rich with intrigue.

It was a gripper; I am biased because I am a Baha'i and very little fiction thusfar covers any mention of this Faith. But Jon Stock kept the pace going; didn't mention names, but conditions, and I found it informative as far as spy machinery goes, and kept turning the pages for more, more.

It's about survival, the survival of Daniel Marchant, a suspended M16 officer and the book opens with Marchant beginning to run the London Marathon. I felt connected to the character immediately.
The book jacket says, "Breakneck Thriller that updates the spy novel for the twenty-first century."
I'd have to agree Larry1,435 82

David Manchard is the spy on the run. He is the son of the former MI-6 head and his father's disgrace and his own suspended status are closely linked. This book has an opening that is among the most interesting and electrifying that I've read. In addition, the quality of Stock's writing is quite assured, and all of the characters are complex and interesting, even the bit players. How Manchard stays alive and learns the truth makes an absorbing book. There is a passage involving water-boarding along the way that is among the more excruciating descriptions of intelligence technique in fiction. (I recently read Joel Elliott's The Organization. Both books give me hope for the future of the spy novel.) David86

3 stars for the clever title alone ... sorry, you won't appreciate that until you read it. d it, good entertainment, but falls prey to my pet peeve: the woman protagonist, while having believable motives, is way too much of a super-hero. The male protagonist remains realistic with the exception of being the world champion at resisting water-boarding torture (What are the odds?). I could imagine an author being given the assignment, "Write about what the children of the Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy characters grow up to be" and coming up with this story. Includes a priceless scene about the lengths to which some ex-Eastern Bloc Ex-Cold War spy bureaus will go to keep some revenue flowing in ... Bill362

A pretty good first effort. The plot was well thought out, the writing was solid, but the characters were quite superficial. The book starts out with a bang--a marathon runner with a bomb strapped around his waist who is shadowing the U.S. ambassador to England, how disaster is avoided, and eventually the CIA taking a British intelligence officer rendition style to a secret prison in Poland to waterboard information out of him. Unfortunately the story line weakens a bit but is still an enjoyable read with a surprise ending--if you haven't paid attention to the clues along the way. Carmen3,780 23

The American ambassador to England is running in the London Marathon. Two British agents are also running. They are suspicious of one of the runners; he has a belt with cylinders on it. Daniel runs near him and starts up a conversation. He comes to believe that the runner was forced to be a bomber. Somehow they are able to save all the participants. But then the book moves into Daniel being accused of setting the whole thing up because his dad had also been a British spy and had been accused of treason. This is where the book weakens for me. mystery-and-thrillers Selina GriffinAuthor 0 books7

I bought this because the start is about an ex MI5 agent who, at the start of the London marathon, thinks he sees someone with a bomb. I assumed (wrongly) that a large part of the book would be taken up with the marathon and a kind of "speed" thing where the guy gets tired and our hero has to encourage him and urge him on for chapters and chapters, while they tell stories to keep morale up. This wasn't the case. I enjoyed the book, but had come into it with the wrong idea, which marred my enjoyment somewhat! J A90 13

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