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melodys_library's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I might have preferred to read this in print or digital format. The audiobook felt really slow.
bende0000's review
3.0
Interesting premise but the pacing was odd and I wish there was more showing rather than so much telling. The ending was weird too. It felt info dumpy with all the politics. Meh book.
inesgarherr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
daja57's review against another edition
3.0
A black American woman with young twin sons successfully defends her family against an attempt to kill them by a night intruder. Feeling to her mother's farm in Martinique, she starts to recall the events that led up to this point: her frustrating career as an FBI agent leading to her recruitment as an intelligence agent targeting Thomas Sankara (a real figure), president of Burkina Faso.
This is a classic espionage novel, set at the height of the Cold War, and structured like a normal thriller. But its emphasis on the everyday practices of the intelligence agents, on the humdrum details of the bureaucracies and the shabby morals of those who work in the service, reads much more like a John Le Carre spy novel (such as The Spy Who Came In From the Cold) and even more like a Graham Greene (I was repeatedly reminded of The Quiet American) than anything with James Bond or Jason Bourne.
But I felt it didn't quite succeed like those two classics did. The characters didn't convince me. I suppose the narrator-protagonist was supposed to be an American Mom whose over-riding concern was the defence of her children but the ease with which she killed in the first few pages, her lack of guilt, and the lack of reaction from the authorities rather undermined her later moral qualms.
I found this book was an uncomfortable chimaera: half classic all-action thriller, half world-weary novel.
This is a classic espionage novel, set at the height of the Cold War, and structured like a normal thriller. But its emphasis on the everyday practices of the intelligence agents, on the humdrum details of the bureaucracies and the shabby morals of those who work in the service, reads much more like a John Le Carre spy novel (such as The Spy Who Came In From the Cold) and even more like a Graham Greene (I was repeatedly reminded of The Quiet American) than anything with James Bond or Jason Bourne.
But I felt it didn't quite succeed like those two classics did. The characters didn't convince me. I suppose the narrator-protagonist was supposed to be an American Mom whose over-riding concern was the defence of her children but the ease with which she killed in the first few pages, her lack of guilt, and the lack of reaction from the authorities rather undermined her later moral qualms.
I found this book was an uncomfortable chimaera: half classic all-action thriller, half world-weary novel.
bhnmt61's review
4.0
Marie is an FBI agent whose career has stalled. Frustrated and ready for something new, she takes an assignment offered to her by an outside agency, to try to gather info on Thomas Sankara, the charismatic, popular president of Burkina Faso. Sankara was a real person, so the book is an intriguing mix of fact and fiction. There are some parts of it that don’t work so well, and for a spy novel, it has an oddly contemplative, reflective tone. But it’s still a compelling story.
bookschaosnart's review against another edition
4.0
An FBI agent who becomes a spy almost unwittingly and her unintentional contribution to the overthrow of an African country while falling in love or at least lust with the country's leader/dictator. Solidly written and a true spy thriller.
laura_rico's review
challenging
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
irissiri's review
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
I really liked the premise but there wasn’t really the spy aspect that the novel promised and it felt like it moved way too fast
kdela's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0