Julie's Reviews: The Travelers

Author: Chris Pavone
Series: None
Publication Date: March 8, 2016
Publisher: Crown Publishing
Pages: 448
Obtained: Amazon Vine
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Fast paced, spy thriller
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab!

Summary: It’s 3:00am. Do you know where your husband is? Meet Will Rhodes: travel writer, recently married, barely solvent, his idealism rapidly giving way to disillusionment and the worry that he’s living the wrong life. Then one night, on assignment for the award-winning Travelers magazine in the wine region of Argentina, a beautiful woman makes him an offer he can’t refuse. Soon Will’s bad choices—and dark secrets—take him across Europe, from a chateau in Bordeaux to a midnight raid on a Paris mansion, from a dive bar in Dublin to a mega-yacht in the Mediterranean and an isolated cabin perched on the rugged cliffs of Iceland. As he’s drawn further into a tangled web of international intrigue, it becomes clear that nothing about Will Rhodes was ever ordinary, that the network of deception ensnaring him is part of an immense and deadly conspiracy with terrifying global implications—and that the people closest to him may pose the greatest threat of all. It’s 3:00am. Your husband has just become a spy. ~amazon.com  

Review: Let's get this out of the way immediately, there is not one truly likable character in Chris Pavone's The Travelers but this reader was perfectly fine with that because well it's a spy novel. Will is a travel writer for the magazine, The Travelers, which means he gets to spend a ton of time overseas in wonderful locations. He also has shoe boxes in his closet full of different currency, which I found ingenious. He's also a bit of a cad. He likes to think he's a good guy but a good, married guy doesn't give in to flirting. Of course if he doesn't, then there is no novel.

Chloe isn't exactly wife of the year but it's not to hard to figure out who she is and what she does.  Malcolm is obviously shady but how shady is he? Who exactly is he and whom does he work for? How far does it reach?

I loved trying to figure out how this was going to play out. Which side were the characters on? In the spy game is there really good vs. evil or many varieties of gray. At times the plot can get a bit convoluted but I tend to forgive that in these types of books. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and what made them tick, even if I didn't particularly like them, by the end I knew why they acted the way they did. It's not like spies are the most honest people; they lie for a living.

If you are looking for a novel that is an escape in some great world locations, then The Travelers is for you.  This would definitely make an excellent, fast-paced movie and I look forward to it being in the theaters at some point.








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Julie's Review: The Accident

Author: Chris Pavone
Series: No
Publication Date: March 11, 2014
Publisher: Crown Publishing
Pages: 400
Obtained: publisher via netgalley
Genre: thriller
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Insider look at publishing with a bit of espionage thrown in
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab

Summary: As dawn approaches in New York, literary agent Isabel Reed is turning the final pages of a mysterious, anonymous manuscript, racing through the explosive revelations about powerful people, as well as long-hidden secrets about her own past. In Copenhagen, veteran CIA operative Hayden Gray, determined that this sweeping story be buried, is suddenly staring down the barrel of an unexpected gun. And in Zurich, the author himself is hiding in a shadowy expat life, trying to atone for a lifetime’s worth of lies and betrayals with publication of The Accident, while always looking over his shoulder. Over the course of one long, desperate, increasingly perilous day, these lives collide as the book begins its dangerous march toward publication, toward saving or ruining careers and companies, placing everything at risk—and everyone in mortal peril. The rich cast of characters—in publishing and film, politics and espionage—are all forced to confront the consequences of their ambitions, the schisms between their ideal selves and the people they actually became. The action rockets around Europe and across America, with an intricate web of duplicities stretching back a quarter-century to a dark winding road in upstate New York, where the shocking truth about the accident itself is buried. ~crownpublishing.com

Review: You know those books where you can't really talk about the book without giving it away, yup you guessed it, The Accident is one of those books. Mr. Pavone definitely knows how to hook you in and keep you hooked.

The Accident gives the reader some insight in to how the publishing world works, with some espionage thrown in to make it even more intriguing. I highly doubt that every manuscript that lands across an agents or editors is a threat to their life. I do believe that there are some agents and editors who are looking for that manuscript to push them to the upper echelon or maybe rescue their career. There are a lot of characters and moving parts in the beginning of the book, but it becomes pretty clear who the "players" are even if you don't know the full picture.

Mr. Pavone has the gift of slowly revealing the pieces of the puzzle until the last piece is added and it all makes sense. It is a gifted storyteller than can make me gasp out loud when it all comes together. It is not the type of book where you get attached to the characters. It is a plot driven novel but that doesn't mean that the characters aren't developed, they are well-rounded. They have depth and layers to them. Plus you aren't always sure of their true intention which makes them even more interesting.

I enjoyed everything took place during a 24 hour period. It added to the intensity and urgency of the novel. For fans of thrillers, you won't want to miss The Accident.


This is the Hashtag Book for February. You can follow our discussion at #TheAccident on Twitter.





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