The Colonel's Mistake

Mark Sava, former CIA station chief of Azerbaijan, lives a quiet life as a professor at Western University in the city of Baku. But his peace is shattered by both the assassination of a high-level American during an international oil conference and the arrest of CIA operations officer Daria Buckingham for the crime.Sava knows the Iranian American Buckingham well—he personally trained her—and doesn’t believe she had anything to do with the murder, so he visits a CIA control center to discuss the situation with the new station chief. When no one answers the outside intercom, Sava overrides the security code and stumbles upon the grisliest scene of his career. Now, he can’t help but wonder if he really knows Buckingham as well as he thought… Determined to find out, Sava soon finds himself and a partner caught in the middle of the new Great Game—a deadly intelligence war over oil that has Iran, China, and the United States clawing at each other’s throats. Meanwhile, Colonel Henry Amato, assistant to the US national security advisor, is keeping a close watch on the situation from Washington. His stake in the Great Game is high—and personal. From the shadows of the world’s most volatile region to the highest levels of Washington politics, The Colonel’s Mistake takes readers on an unforgettable ride where the good, the bad, and the brutal play a deadly chess game of global espionage.From BooklistMark Sava is teaching international relations in Baku, Azerbaijan, and the former CIA station chief for Azerbaijan doesn’t miss his old life at all. But when Daria Buckingham, one of his former field operatives, is arrested, and almost all the station’s operational staff are murdered, he rejoins the Agency as a contractor. The machinations he uncovers reach the highest levels of the U.S. and Iranian governments, and Sava finds himself on the run in Iran, Iraq, Dubai, and Paris. Author Mayland handles this debut novel (and first of a series) with the aplomb of a veteran. He makes oil-rich, little-known Azerbaijan a fascinating locale for the “latest incarnation of the Great Game.” Sava’s transformation from complacent professor to hard-edged, combative spook is skillfully handled, and the explication of Azerbaijan’s importance in the geopolitics of oil recalls the knowing thrillers of David Ignatius. There’s also plenty of action, and a violent denouement. Espionage-thriller fans won’t want to miss this one. — Thomas Gaughan ReviewMayland beautifully captures the high stakes games played in an increasingly complex world. The Colonel's Mistake is a terrific ride. --Kyle Mills, New York Times Bestselling author of The Immortalists "Dan Mayland has an excellent understanding of modern Iran." --Gene Garthwaite, author of The Persians "Dan Mayland tells a riveting spy story from the Caspian oil city of Baku. He vividly captures the mysterious, dangerous place that swarms with agents like Cold War Berlin in the 1960s." Lutz Kleveman, author of The New Great Game: Blood and Oil in Central Asia "An outstanding debut...The Colonel's Mistake has a fresh setting well off the beaten path of the run of the mill intelligence novel, and you'll definitely be rewarded for making the trip..." –William Christie, author of The Warriors of God