Review of The Magdalena Gambit

[Sarah Zain]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Magdalena Gambit" by Oscar Ortiz.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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The Magdalena Gambit by Oscar Ortiz is a thriller set in a political intelligence framework similar to the James Bond series, but with an American touch.

The story began in the office of CI 5's chief director, Colonel Marlon, who was meeting with one of his top operatives in the Quadrille, Agent Delta. Three US nuclear submarines vanished. And with two of them located, the largest and most dangerous, commanded by Admiral Fullerton, remained hidden in Barranquilla, Colombia.

The Colonel assigned Delta and Karina, head of the Triple K Group, to handle this risky mission, known as Enigma 3 project. An American-Russian conflict involving different forces, mercenaries, assassins, old enemies, allies, and former partners. Secrets and wondering who is manipulating the equation. There is a lot to learn when you dive into the fifth part of Code Name Delta: The Magdalena Gambit.

Eleven chapters divided into three parts. Each section contained a set of events. The story was written in the first person, from Delta's perspective.

Events moved at a slow pace at the beginning. The plot didn't arouse my curiosity until the beginning of the second part, The Hidden Grotto. However, the pace quickened, and the events became more enjoyable after that. Delta's glimpses of humor or his attempts to annoy his boss or other characters were among my favorite aspects of the narrative.

The story contained a lot of information and details, such as how a certain weapon worked or the capabilities of the submarine, as well as names of operations and several abbreviations. Besides describing characters like Jackson Bull and the surroundings of the events, it is a precision that calls for praise.

As part of a series, the author attempted to bring together information that builds on knowledge of the previous books. However, sometimes I felt that reading them would have helped me become more involved with the events in this one. But overall, the story can be read separately.

The plot was generally strong with features that attract the readers. However, there were several points that reduced my enjoyment of reading. The writing style relied on narrative to an excessive extent. There was no attraction factor in the structure of the pages' contents, which made it uninteresting at some points. Here I discuss my paperback copy.

Unorganized overlap between events, flashbacks, or explanations of precise details. Sometimes we were in a conversation between the Colonel and Delta about the mission, then suddenly Delta recalled events about Jessica, his regular partner, and her recruitment, or about Yuri, his old nemesis, before returning to the topic.

What I mentioned previously was influential in my reading, and I consider it my point of view. In addition to the presence of some errors, some of them are subjective, but some aren't. Therefore, I rate the book 4 out of 5 stars since I believe with a few adjustments, the book could be a delightful read.

There was an explicit sexual scene and hints. There was a lot of profanity and swearing; thus, it is more suitable for mature readers. The events also include some denigrating and mentioning of a true political character, so it is necessary to note that.

I recommend it to all lovers of spies, eliminators, and informative, dangerous mission stories. It will also appeal to Bond enthusiasts.

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The Magdalena Gambit
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[Stephen Christopher 1]

I am a James Bond enthusiast so this book is right up my alley. But I will start from the first in the series and go from there.

[Priya Murugesan]

You have analyzed the book well and written a wonderful review! I love these kind of stories. Will try this series from the first book!

[Sarah Zain]

I am a James Bond enthusiast so this book is right up my alley. But I will start from the first in the series and go from there.

Thank you Stephen.
I hope it will be a pleasant read., especially with reading the series from the beginning.

[Sarah Zain]

You have analyzed the book well and written a wonderful review! I love these kind of stories. Will try this series from the first book!

Thank you Priya.
Hope you like reading the series.

[Anu Anand]

I like that the book includes humor and detailed information on weapons and submarines... would love to learn how they work, but I just hope it’s not too slow. The unorganized events aren’t my favorite, but overall, it seems like an interesting read. I might give it a try if I get the chance. Thanks for this detailed review!

[Sarah Zain]

I like that the book includes humor and detailed information on weapons and submarines... would love to learn how they work, but I just hope it’s not too slow. The unorganized events aren’t my favorite, but overall, it seems like an interesting read. I might give it a try if I get the chance. Thanks for this detailed review!

Ya I understand your point. But I found that how slow is the pace depends on each reader view.
For me it was for a while.
Hope you get the chance to read it, and to know your thoughts.
Thank you Anu.

[Seetha E]

A comprehensive review with an honest mention of all factors that appealed to you and those that didn't. I would not mind the slow pace to an extent if the book finishes well and interests me by the time I am done a quarter of the book. However, the disorganized pattern makes it less appealing. The tale does sound interesting. I may sample a few chapters before I pick this one.
Thanks again Sarah.

[Sarah Zain]

A comprehensive review with an honest mention of all factors that appealed to you and those that didn't. I would not mind the slow pace to an extent if the book finishes well and interests me by the time I am done a quarter of the book. However, the disorganized pattern makes it less appealing. The tale does sound interesting. I may sample a few chapters before I pick this one.
Thanks again Sarah.

Always happy to read your thoughts.

Ya, I would recommend sampling a few pages, but for me it became more interesting after the first part. Sample will make it less appealing. Of course it is up to you to decide the best.

Thank you for your consistent support Seetha

[Neha Panikar]

You hooked me from the introduction itself! I'm a James Bond fan and would love to catch this series. Your review is wonderful, detailed and you've stated the negatives very well. Thank you for the review! Look forward to reading more!

[Sarah Zain]

You hooked me from the introduction itself! I'm a James Bond fan and would love to catch this series. Your review is wonderful, detailed and you've stated the negatives very well. Thank you for the review! Look forward to reading more!

Thank you Neha.
Your kind words make me happy .

[Amy Luman]

I’m glad that you mentioned that the book was part of a series. While I have had good luck reading some series out of order, with others I have not been so lucky. Overall, it does sound like something that I would be interested in, but I’m still going to pass because of the whole series thing. Thanks!

[Sarah Zain]

I’m glad that you mentioned that the book was part of a series. While I have had good luck reading some series out of order, with others I have not been so lucky. Overall, it does sound like something that I would be interested in, but I’m still going to pass because of the whole series thing. Thanks!

Thank you Amy for taking the time to comment and sharing your thoughts.

[Leslie coccia]

This book seems like an intriguing addition to the series, especially for its James Bond kind of style. The first book in the series seems worth a perusing as well. Good review!

[Sarah Zain]

This book seems like an intriguing addition to the series, especially for its James Bond kind of style. The first book in the series seems worth a perusing as well. Good review!

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.