I've never read any of John le Carre's novels but from what I've seen reviews of, this isn't even his best. So to say that it makes me want to read more of his work is a testament to the novel.

Gail and Perry, a lawyer and a teacher, decide to take a romantic trip to Antigua. There they meet a man named Dima and his family. In no time at all, they find themselves buried in international secrets and dealing with the Service. How much can two non-spies help?

The novel is written in an odd way. In some segments, there's a frame story. Some are in first person. Others are in 3rd. Some present tense, some past tense. We bounce around first between Perry and Gail, then over to one of the three agents that work with them. Despite what I thought, it really makes for a quick read.

The story itself was engaging. You wanted to know what happened to Perry, Gail and Dima. You wanted to see if everything would turn out alright and how the subplots ended up. Though I found myself a bit ambivalent toward Natasha's story, I still wanted to figure out just what happened.

Which brings me into something I didn't like so much - his characterization of the females in the novel. They were all GORGEOUS except for the god-loving Tamara. Every male character commented on how beautiful Gail was and I feel like she was there more for beauty than for her brains. She's a lawyer and the only time it really comes up is when she has to sign something. Sometimes, she even seems a bit flighty. Though, I did appreciate her aggrivation at her treatment as the "weaker sex" during certain points.

The ending came about as I expected it to. Using something that is literally from the newspapers made it that way, but it also gives the story a more realistic depth that I think readers of this type of fiction could appreciate.


(Disclaimer: I received this book as an advanced uncorrected proof from Viking)