About the Book

Inspired by a true story, an internationally famous husband, and wife Private Investigation team reveal their spellbinding encounters with the world’s largest criminal cartel in Asia. The Assignment is a fascinating and gripping journey that sends chills through you from beginning to end. You cannot put The Assignment down and whatever you do, don’t tell anyone how it ends.

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Synopsis

The Assignment is a suspense novel inspired by a true story. Desi and Rob Riley were clandestine agents for the CIA. Desi was operating in Beijing, China. Rob was serving elsewhere when he learned Desi had been arrested for espionage and was being interrogated by China’s ruthless Central Investigation Department (CID) known to be among the most brutal when it came to torturing prisoners. The CIA knew how close the Riley’s were and they were extremely concerned that Rob might be willing to trade Sino-American intelligence for Desi’ release. They reached out to Rob’s handler only to learn that Rob was no longer on assignment and subsequently he became the target of a coordinated multi-US agency international manhunt to either apprehend him and if necessary terminate him before he reached China. Rob’s unrelenting journey to reach China is a fascinating tale of ingenuity and bravado. After weeks of the most challenging historical diplomatic negotiations ever between the United States and China, the United States miraculously secured Desi’s release. After that, the Riley’s resigned from the CIA hoping to put their haunting nightmares behind them. Rob became a successful private investigator, and Desi joined a prestigious law firm in Los Angeles. Life was good until they received a telephone call that changed their lives and sent them swirling on a voyage of terror taking them back full circle to relive the horrors of their past.
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A few Customer Reviews

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THE ASSIGNMENT

My late father was a Green Beret and Lt. Col. in the US Army Special Forces, and served in several wars, conflicts and covert ops from Normandy and Israel to Laos and Korea to being a military ‘Advisor’ for the CIA in early Nam, and, with that background, this book interested me. It reads like a screenplay for the next spy thriller from Hollywood. Dialogue well done. Nice twist w/ Craig Johnson & Bennett Lowe. Read it in 1 sitting. Good action sequences. You feel like you’re inside the heads of the characters. Like the romance between Desi & Rob. Nice tie-in to previous abduction/torture issue.

Master Spies – Fascinating Story

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a fast and curious read, which I feel is important since the plot is so interesting that you will want to read it through quickly to its final resolution. Knowing that it is inspired by the true and heartbreaking story of a young man who really was murdered in Vietnam, not too long ago, makes it all the more chilling. I wondered as I read a particularly bothersome event if, in fact, that episode actually took place. Also, being a young college student during the Vietnam War, it felt good to learn about the Vietnam of today as well as of yesteryear. On the romantic side, I enjoyed the male and female detectives/husband and wife sleuth team, who are truly ‘special agents’ and so in love with each other. I also recommend this book because it’s a slightly different kind of espionage novel. Learning how spies really operate and the risks they take is an education in itself.

 

The Assignment

The book is well written and is based on a real story. During my reading I was able to picture in my mind when the characters engaged in their roles throughout the book. Once you start reading, it is quite difficult to stop until you reach the end. At all times throughout the book I was curious to know what would happen next. Mr. Mann’s writing style is clear, concise and quite descriptive especially when he is describing the intelligence briefings, planning and shooting scenes, not to mention the sex scenes. It also gives you an idea of how the intelligence community works throughout the world and how easy an operative can die as the result of an operation gone badly. One can only imagine the circumstances under which Jason found himself, that cost him his life. It is a great book to read, and I recommend it to anyone. I hope you enjoyed as much as I did.