What do you think?
Rate this book
Kate Moore #1.5
The Accident: A Novel
From the author of the New York Times -bestselling and Edgar Award-winning The Expats
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.
Gripping, sophisticated, layered, and impossible to put down, The Accident proves once again that Chris Pavone is a true master of suspense.
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.
Gripping, sophisticated, layered, and impossible to put down, The Accident proves once again that Chris Pavone is a true master of suspense.
528 pages, Paperback
First published March 11, 2014
1269 people are currently reading
9334 people want to read
About the author
Chris Pavone
7 books1,913 followersCHRIS PAVONE is the New York Times-bestselling author of international thrillers including THE EXPATS and, most recently, TWO NIGHTS IN LISBON; his sixth novel, THE DOORMAN, publishes May 20, 2025. Chris's books have appeared on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and IndieNext; have won both the Edgar and Anthony awards, and have been shortlisted for the Strand, Macavity, and Los Angeles Times Book Prize; are in development for film and television; and have been translated into more than two dozen languages.
He has written for outlets including the New York Times Book Review and Magazine, the Telegraph, and Salon; has appeared on Face the Nation, Good Day New York, All Things Considered, and the BBC; and has been profiled on the arts’ front page of the New York Times. He is a member of the Authors Guild Council, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America, for which he has served as an Edgars judge.
Chris grew up in Brooklyn, graduated from Midwood High School and Cornell University, and worked in publishing for nearly two decades at Dell Magazines, Doubleday, the Lyons Press, Regan/HarperCollins, Clarkson Potter, and Artisan/Workman, in positions ranging from copy editor and managing editor to executive editor and deputy publisher; he also wrote a (mostly blank) book about wine, and ghost-wrote a couple of nonfiction books. Then his wife got a job in Luxembourg, and the family moved abroad, where Chris raised their twin boys and started writing THE EXPATS. They now live again in New York City and on the North Fork of Long Island with an Australian Labradoodle named Wally.
He has written for outlets including the New York Times Book Review and Magazine, the Telegraph, and Salon; has appeared on Face the Nation, Good Day New York, All Things Considered, and the BBC; and has been profiled on the arts’ front page of the New York Times. He is a member of the Authors Guild Council, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America, for which he has served as an Edgars judge.
Chris grew up in Brooklyn, graduated from Midwood High School and Cornell University, and worked in publishing for nearly two decades at Dell Magazines, Doubleday, the Lyons Press, Regan/HarperCollins, Clarkson Potter, and Artisan/Workman, in positions ranging from copy editor and managing editor to executive editor and deputy publisher; he also wrote a (mostly blank) book about wine, and ghost-wrote a couple of nonfiction books. Then his wife got a job in Luxembourg, and the family moved abroad, where Chris raised their twin boys and started writing THE EXPATS. They now live again in New York City and on the North Fork of Long Island with an Australian Labradoodle named Wally.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,543 reviews
July 3, 2025
We discussed this in our Mystery Library book discussion group years ago. I am now bringing my review to Goodreads.
Just thinking about this book again gives me chills. This book is one of my all-time favorites. It is full of intrigue, betrayal, murder, mystery and a maze of conundrums that puts who-dunit theories that we all think are correct...out the window! I was on the edge of my seat to the very last page. This story was as satisfying as it was gripping. This is about a manuscript. An accident. And what people will do to...
This is a thrilling adventure. Just take my word for it and read it.
Just thinking about this book again gives me chills. This book is one of my all-time favorites. It is full of intrigue, betrayal, murder, mystery and a maze of conundrums that puts who-dunit theories that we all think are correct...out the window! I was on the edge of my seat to the very last page. This story was as satisfying as it was gripping. This is about a manuscript. An accident. And what people will do to...
This is a thrilling adventure. Just take my word for it and read it.
March 29, 2016
Sometimes people know when they're about to die; sometimes they don't.
I was getting increasingly more annoyed and fed up with this book as it progressed.
This is a book which has a better German title than an English one: Das Manuskript.
The book is basically about an anonymously penned exposé that lands on a literary agent's desk, telling of the dark and murderous past of a rich and powerful media-mogul-future-politician. It also implicates the CIA in the crimes.
The whole book from there is a series of murders by the CIA of everyone who has a copy of the manuscript. Tons of people are killed off slowly and systematically through the book. I found this almost boring.
...
The most immediate and apt comparison that springs to mind when talking about this book is Robert Galbraith's The Silkworm.
These book are similar for many reasons:
1.) Both book titles are modeled after the fictional book titles which their stories revolve around.
2.) They are each the second in the series: this book is a sequel to Pavone's The Expats, and The Silkworm is a sequel to Galbraith's The Cuckoo's Calling.
2.) They both are vicious critiques of the publishing industry, although Galbraith's has more teeth.
3.) They both center around a dangerously revealing manuscript that certain people want to suppress at all costs.
4.) But most importantly, both books are noticeable downturns for the author. I gave The Cuckoo's Calling five stars, I gave The Silkworm only four stars.
This book was a bigger step-down for Pavone than The Silkworm was for Galbraith, though. I can't bring myself to give this book more than three stars.
I feel it's only fair to warn you that this IS a sequel. People will try to tell you and convince you that this is not a sequel to The Expats. It absolutely is, and if you read it it will spoil key elements of The Expats plot for you. You are warned. I'd highly recommend reading the (highly superior) book The Expats first.
Some of the surprises in this book book were... not surprising. And I could see that Pavone wanted me to be shocked by revelations at certain points, but honestly I'd called 75% of them a hundred or so pages before he'd revealed them. He had this problem in The Expats, too, but to a much lesser degree.
The twists I didn't see coming were frankly mundane and unimpressive.
The book features very rich people who constantly whine about how poor they are. If this annoys you, don't read it. I was banging my head against the desk when I had to read about a certain character whining about his $80,000 a year salary - until, chapters later, Pavone portrayed another character moaning about how he was near destitute at $500,000 a year.
Come on. As someone who is NEVER going to see this kind of money, it's very annoying to have to go through this. I can't relate to these people.
She takes the empty bag itself in hand, the crumpled pile of black leather and steel studs and zippers and clasps, with a designer's nameplate riveted to the side. A conspicuously expensive bag, the shackles of a peculiar form of slavery. She loathes the impulse that made her buy it, another lemming at a boutique, casually sliding her credit card onto the gleaming counter as if a sixteen-hundred-dollar handbag were just another daily purchase, a dozen eggs, a bottle of shampoo.
Some people enjoy reading about the rich. I don't generally fall into that category, and this book certainly doesn't have the plotting to get me to forgive this.
Another thing that was distancing me from all of the characters was their backstabbing and cutthroat natures. Everyone is out for themselves, everyone is willing to betray everyone else... it's not enjoyable. This is a very sad and painful view of the world - whether it is true or not notwithstanding.
Furthermore, there is a lot of hate in this novel. Hatred of women for other women, hatred of women for men, hatred of men for other men, hatred of teenagers as vapid and vain,... hate for everyone, pretty much. This condescending and snide attitude was not appreciated by this reader. I know Pavone is going for a kind of harsh reality and world-weary type of book here, but I don't enjoy this kind of thing.
Another mistake I think Pavone makes in this novel is that he uses tons of different (third-person) viewpoints. Whereas The Expats was written from just one person's perspective - very effectively, I might add - Pavone jumps all over the place in this novel. Is it confusing? NO. Pavone is very careful and a great craftsman. However, I feel the book loses a lot of its impact this way. Instead of following one character who is trying to piece things together, we are in a dozen heads over the course of the novel. This makes the novel less emotionally successful. It would have been much better to just follow the course and thoughts of one person.
One of the main characters, Isabel, is SO smart and SO savvy that she is nothing like a literary agent and much like a highly trained CIA agent. This is very strange. I was expecting some reveal at the end that she was really some kind of highly trained secret agent, based on her actions and knowledge. But nope. Pavone is expecting me to believe a literary agent would have this kind of survival skills to hold her own against CIA agents and assassins.
Sorry, not buying it. It was completely unbelievable.
Tl;dr - Pavone is a creative and skilled author. But I regret to inform you that this is a marked deterioration in his abilities.
Isabel, the literary agent, does not act at all like someone in her profession would.
The featuring of rich, cutthroat, shallow, and greedy characters is not appealing (to this reader).
While the book is well-crafted and rich in nuance and detail, this reader was able to suss out the majority of "twists" way before the author intended.
I was hoping for something as powerful and ingenious as The Expats (although that book was not without its flaws), but I was severely disappointed. I was initially going to give this four stars - Pavone is still a master at describing human nature - but by 75% through the book I was so tired of the killing and the moral depravity of everyone that I was incensed. I hate senseless violence and killing, especially in the context of murdering many innocent people over something like a manuscript. This book was a letdown in many different ways. Read THE EXPATS and give this one a pass. Unless you are really curious.
I was getting increasingly more annoyed and fed up with this book as it progressed.
This is a book which has a better German title than an English one: Das Manuskript.
The book is basically about an anonymously penned exposé that lands on a literary agent's desk, telling of the dark and murderous past of a rich and powerful media-mogul-future-politician. It also implicates the CIA in the crimes.
The whole book from there is a series of murders by the CIA of everyone who has a copy of the manuscript. Tons of people are killed off slowly and systematically through the book. I found this almost boring.
...
The most immediate and apt comparison that springs to mind when talking about this book is Robert Galbraith's The Silkworm.
These book are similar for many reasons:
1.) Both book titles are modeled after the fictional book titles which their stories revolve around.
2.) They are each the second in the series: this book is a sequel to Pavone's The Expats, and The Silkworm is a sequel to Galbraith's The Cuckoo's Calling.
2.) They both are vicious critiques of the publishing industry, although Galbraith's has more teeth.
3.) They both center around a dangerously revealing manuscript that certain people want to suppress at all costs.
4.) But most importantly, both books are noticeable downturns for the author. I gave The Cuckoo's Calling five stars, I gave The Silkworm only four stars.
This book was a bigger step-down for Pavone than The Silkworm was for Galbraith, though. I can't bring myself to give this book more than three stars.
I feel it's only fair to warn you that this IS a sequel. People will try to tell you and convince you that this is not a sequel to The Expats. It absolutely is, and if you read it it will spoil key elements of The Expats plot for you. You are warned. I'd highly recommend reading the (highly superior) book The Expats first.
Some of the surprises in this book book were... not surprising. And I could see that Pavone wanted me to be shocked by revelations at certain points, but honestly I'd called 75% of them a hundred or so pages before he'd revealed them. He had this problem in The Expats, too, but to a much lesser degree.
The twists I didn't see coming were frankly mundane and unimpressive.
The book features very rich people who constantly whine about how poor they are. If this annoys you, don't read it. I was banging my head against the desk when I had to read about a certain character whining about his $80,000 a year salary - until, chapters later, Pavone portrayed another character moaning about how he was near destitute at $500,000 a year.
Come on. As someone who is NEVER going to see this kind of money, it's very annoying to have to go through this. I can't relate to these people.
She takes the empty bag itself in hand, the crumpled pile of black leather and steel studs and zippers and clasps, with a designer's nameplate riveted to the side. A conspicuously expensive bag, the shackles of a peculiar form of slavery. She loathes the impulse that made her buy it, another lemming at a boutique, casually sliding her credit card onto the gleaming counter as if a sixteen-hundred-dollar handbag were just another daily purchase, a dozen eggs, a bottle of shampoo.
Some people enjoy reading about the rich. I don't generally fall into that category, and this book certainly doesn't have the plotting to get me to forgive this.
Another thing that was distancing me from all of the characters was their backstabbing and cutthroat natures. Everyone is out for themselves, everyone is willing to betray everyone else... it's not enjoyable. This is a very sad and painful view of the world - whether it is true or not notwithstanding.
Furthermore, there is a lot of hate in this novel. Hatred of women for other women, hatred of women for men, hatred of men for other men, hatred of teenagers as vapid and vain,... hate for everyone, pretty much. This condescending and snide attitude was not appreciated by this reader. I know Pavone is going for a kind of harsh reality and world-weary type of book here, but I don't enjoy this kind of thing.
Another mistake I think Pavone makes in this novel is that he uses tons of different (third-person) viewpoints. Whereas The Expats was written from just one person's perspective - very effectively, I might add - Pavone jumps all over the place in this novel. Is it confusing? NO. Pavone is very careful and a great craftsman. However, I feel the book loses a lot of its impact this way. Instead of following one character who is trying to piece things together, we are in a dozen heads over the course of the novel. This makes the novel less emotionally successful. It would have been much better to just follow the course and thoughts of one person.
One of the main characters, Isabel, is SO smart and SO savvy that she is nothing like a literary agent and much like a highly trained CIA agent. This is very strange. I was expecting some reveal at the end that she was really some kind of highly trained secret agent, based on her actions and knowledge. But nope. Pavone is expecting me to believe a literary agent would have this kind of survival skills to hold her own against CIA agents and assassins.
Sorry, not buying it. It was completely unbelievable.
Tl;dr - Pavone is a creative and skilled author. But I regret to inform you that this is a marked deterioration in his abilities.
Isabel, the literary agent, does not act at all like someone in her profession would.
The featuring of rich, cutthroat, shallow, and greedy characters is not appealing (to this reader).
While the book is well-crafted and rich in nuance and detail, this reader was able to suss out the majority of "twists" way before the author intended.
I was hoping for something as powerful and ingenious as The Expats (although that book was not without its flaws), but I was severely disappointed. I was initially going to give this four stars - Pavone is still a master at describing human nature - but by 75% through the book I was so tired of the killing and the moral depravity of everyone that I was incensed. I hate senseless violence and killing, especially in the context of murdering many innocent people over something like a manuscript. This book was a letdown in many different ways. Read THE EXPATS and give this one a pass. Unless you are really curious.
July 25, 2024
I love books in which the reader isn’t sure who the bad guy is until well into the book. I like books with espionage, double-crossing and subterfuge. The Accident has it all.
The novel begins when Isable Reed, a literary agent, is finishing reading a manuscript, which is given to her by her assistant, Alexis. The manuscript is written by “Anonymous” and provides damaging evidence affecting the CIA, Presidents, and Cable news TV, and TV Moguls.
What’s great about this novel is that those people who read the manuscript are killed. So, it’s a dangerous manuscript. Read it and you die. Talk about it, and you die. Some one/group/organization is working diligently to make sure the novel is never published or talked about. The reader is never sure who is the good guy. Is anonymous trying to bring down a politician? Or, is the politician dirty with many groups involved in cover-ups. The story is slow to unravel which makes the pace exciting. There are twists and turns.
It’s a clever story and easy to read.
The novel begins when Isable Reed, a literary agent, is finishing reading a manuscript, which is given to her by her assistant, Alexis. The manuscript is written by “Anonymous” and provides damaging evidence affecting the CIA, Presidents, and Cable news TV, and TV Moguls.
What’s great about this novel is that those people who read the manuscript are killed. So, it’s a dangerous manuscript. Read it and you die. Talk about it, and you die. Some one/group/organization is working diligently to make sure the novel is never published or talked about. The reader is never sure who is the good guy. Is anonymous trying to bring down a politician? Or, is the politician dirty with many groups involved in cover-ups. The story is slow to unravel which makes the pace exciting. There are twists and turns.
It’s a clever story and easy to read.
June 27, 2022
This was an awesome conspiracy thriller novel, the second in a series by author Chris Pavone. A manuscript for a tell-all novel about a media giant arrives at literary agent Isabelle’s desk. She can’t put it down. A few copies begin spreading, and disturbingly, just as it predicts in the manuscript, people begin to die. How is the government involved? Who is good, who is bad, and is it even possible to get away or unsee what you’ve seen? Who is the mysterious anonymous author, and what happened to him?
I enjoyed the return of former characters Hayden and Kate from the previous novel, “The Expats.” This book was non-stop twists and turns, and awesome pacing from start to finish, particularly once we get to the second half and all the little threads start to come together. There were so many moments I literally could NOT stop reading after what was just revealed. Very cleverly executed and very much enjoyed.
I enjoyed the return of former characters Hayden and Kate from the previous novel, “The Expats.” This book was non-stop twists and turns, and awesome pacing from start to finish, particularly once we get to the second half and all the little threads start to come together. There were so many moments I literally could NOT stop reading after what was just revealed. Very cleverly executed and very much enjoyed.
March 25, 2022
I really enjoyed The Accident by Chris Pavone it's a first class conspiracy novel, Isabel Reed is turning the pages of explosive manuscript revealing hidden secrets of powerful people and the Author is hiding in shadowy expat life. This was awesome audiobook
July 3, 2025
If my mother had not moved us out of N.Y when we were in elementary school, I probably would've ended up working in publishing so it was fun for me to get a glimpse of that world from this book. Told over the course of one day, morning, afternoon and night, the pace of this thriller is riveting. Plus it alternates, each chapter from one character to another, so, despite it's 481 pages, I read it in just three sittings!
May 28, 2014
If I didn’t already know the publishing industry was filled with a bunch of crazy bastards, THE ACCIDENT would have sealed the deal for me. So, of course, I was thrilled with my particular choice. But I digress. What thrilled me to no end were the constant references and insights and foresights into the world of agents and editors and writers that is publishing.
Filled with big dreams and even bigger unfulfilled promises, the odds are stacked against you before you even step up to bat. And since nobody in America reads, other than the select few on Goodreads, you can be the next big thing in a country that doesn’t read. And as this brilliant novel so aptly proves, you can even get shot or killed or stalked or sued for your trouble, so if you’re a writer or a publisher, you’ve got that to look forward to as well. Again, it’s not as wonderful as you might think, because you actually have to have a good bit of luck involved, along with talent and skill, unless you happen to have the next big celebrity reveal stashed in your hip pocket.
If you want to know how to maneuver from the A list down to C level, you might want to talk to Jeffrey Fielder, who for a middle-aged man happens to be more gun shy than he’s ever been in his life. Or maybe you want to converse with Isabel Reed, who can be seen running through the halls of the ATM agency on her way out of town. Or maybe you’d prefer to take a gander at Camilla Glyndon-Browning, who can rock your world courtesy of the closest bathroom sink. Or maybe you’d like to speak to Alexis, who might be looking for a career change or a step up in an industry filled with plenty of novels and not always the best commissions.
If you want to know how to spend your next twenty-fours, you first might want to consider how you shouldn’t spend it. What this novel does is give you a whole lot of arguments for shying away from the present predicaments contained within this 402 page heart-pounding thrill ride. It ramps up the tension around every street corner and every neighboring town, and it doesn’t really ease off the gas until you’re headed across the finish line. So, yeah, you could say I was entertained.
I received this book for free through NetGalley.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
Filled with big dreams and even bigger unfulfilled promises, the odds are stacked against you before you even step up to bat. And since nobody in America reads, other than the select few on Goodreads, you can be the next big thing in a country that doesn’t read. And as this brilliant novel so aptly proves, you can even get shot or killed or stalked or sued for your trouble, so if you’re a writer or a publisher, you’ve got that to look forward to as well. Again, it’s not as wonderful as you might think, because you actually have to have a good bit of luck involved, along with talent and skill, unless you happen to have the next big celebrity reveal stashed in your hip pocket.
If you want to know how to maneuver from the A list down to C level, you might want to talk to Jeffrey Fielder, who for a middle-aged man happens to be more gun shy than he’s ever been in his life. Or maybe you want to converse with Isabel Reed, who can be seen running through the halls of the ATM agency on her way out of town. Or maybe you’d prefer to take a gander at Camilla Glyndon-Browning, who can rock your world courtesy of the closest bathroom sink. Or maybe you’d like to speak to Alexis, who might be looking for a career change or a step up in an industry filled with plenty of novels and not always the best commissions.
If you want to know how to spend your next twenty-fours, you first might want to consider how you shouldn’t spend it. What this novel does is give you a whole lot of arguments for shying away from the present predicaments contained within this 402 page heart-pounding thrill ride. It ramps up the tension around every street corner and every neighboring town, and it doesn’t really ease off the gas until you’re headed across the finish line. So, yeah, you could say I was entertained.
I received this book for free through NetGalley.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
December 23, 2015
I rarely ever DNF, but I couldn't get through this one. There were so many problems with this book.
First off, the entire first third of the book jumped around between more characters than I can name, and the chapters were so short that I barely got to spend any time learning about each one before it switched to another. By the time I got back around to the same character again, I'd forgotten half their details. Don't even get me started on how hard it was to keep track of the minor characters. To make matters worse, the POVs included both protagonists and antagonists, so there were no shocking or surprising conflict scenes -- I always knew what everyone was planning to do all the time. And then they did it.
In other words, the predictability in this book grated at me the whole time. A lot of the supposed plot twists are heavily hinted at far too early on, and there's no suspenseful reveal. The way the story is structured makes the delivery of the key twists flat and often plain boring.
Third, the writing style. There's too much deviation from the plot at hand. There were a lot of setting descriptions awkwardly placed in the middle what were supposed to be tense sequences, and they kept throwing me off. I never felt any suspense. I never felt the need to keep reading on, the need to turn the page and find out what happens next. And in a thriller, that feeling is pretty important.
Overall, the abundance of characters, the short, choppy chapters, the sheer number of POVs and frequency of POV shifts and the complete lack of tension in the writing just killed this one for me. I got about halfway through and gave up. I did skim the rest of it quickly, but it appeared to be more of the same, and the ending didn't strike me as particularly profound or exciting either.
Really disappointed with this.
First off, the entire first third of the book jumped around between more characters than I can name, and the chapters were so short that I barely got to spend any time learning about each one before it switched to another. By the time I got back around to the same character again, I'd forgotten half their details. Don't even get me started on how hard it was to keep track of the minor characters. To make matters worse, the POVs included both protagonists and antagonists, so there were no shocking or surprising conflict scenes -- I always knew what everyone was planning to do all the time. And then they did it.
In other words, the predictability in this book grated at me the whole time. A lot of the supposed plot twists are heavily hinted at far too early on, and there's no suspenseful reveal. The way the story is structured makes the delivery of the key twists flat and often plain boring.
Third, the writing style. There's too much deviation from the plot at hand. There were a lot of setting descriptions awkwardly placed in the middle what were supposed to be tense sequences, and they kept throwing me off. I never felt any suspense. I never felt the need to keep reading on, the need to turn the page and find out what happens next. And in a thriller, that feeling is pretty important.
Overall, the abundance of characters, the short, choppy chapters, the sheer number of POVs and frequency of POV shifts and the complete lack of tension in the writing just killed this one for me. I got about halfway through and gave up. I did skim the rest of it quickly, but it appeared to be more of the same, and the ending didn't strike me as particularly profound or exciting either.
Really disappointed with this.
October 25, 2013
I enjoyed this book, but it's not as good as his first effort, The Expats. My favorite aspects of the first thriller were a nice European milieu and a probing discussion of marriage and espionage, and this lacks both. I also found this female protagonist much less likeable and realistic than Kate: her only characteristics seem to be bitterness and increasing decrepitude, and you wonder if Pavone even likes her.
The novel concerns a book called "The Accident" which is submitted to literary agent Isabel Reed. She immediately sees the potential of this anonymous exposé of a conservative media mogul and shares it with her favorite editor. As people who have seen the manuscript begin to turn up dead, she has to decide whether it's worth trying to share the truth with the world. Other questions linger, like why was the manuscript submitted to her, and who has the resources and ruthlessness to try to contain it?
The most significant issue with the novel is that it asks us to believe that book publishing is an enterprise of life-and-death importance. As someone who has toiled in those same hallways, I have to say: nope. But Pavone and his characters believe it is, which imbues their entire story, for me, with a feeling of overwrought self-importance. It's never adequately explained why the characters don't just email the manuscript to "The Smoking Gun" or something. At the very end, there is a revelation that explains why the truth is so important to some of the characters, but it comes too late to engage the reader. The question we should be asking for most of the book's length is "Whodunnit?" or similar--not "Wait, why do they care?" This is a pity because some of the plotting is clever: imagine a complicated origami animal that, as it's unfolded, makes you realize that it had a different shape to begin with than you had thought.
By the way, Kate from The Expats does appear in this book, but only glancingly. If I had to make a bet, I'd bet that Pavone actually wrote or envisioned this as his first novel, which explains its home-turf setting, returned to it after The Expats, and inserted some Kate scenes to form a little connection between them.
Review copy received from Edelweiss.
The novel concerns a book called "The Accident" which is submitted to literary agent Isabel Reed. She immediately sees the potential of this anonymous exposé of a conservative media mogul and shares it with her favorite editor. As people who have seen the manuscript begin to turn up dead, she has to decide whether it's worth trying to share the truth with the world. Other questions linger, like why was the manuscript submitted to her, and who has the resources and ruthlessness to try to contain it?
The most significant issue with the novel is that it asks us to believe that book publishing is an enterprise of life-and-death importance. As someone who has toiled in those same hallways, I have to say: nope. But Pavone and his characters believe it is, which imbues their entire story, for me, with a feeling of overwrought self-importance. It's never adequately explained why the characters don't just email the manuscript to "The Smoking Gun" or something. At the very end, there is a revelation that explains why the truth is so important to some of the characters, but it comes too late to engage the reader. The question we should be asking for most of the book's length is "Whodunnit?" or similar--not "Wait, why do they care?" This is a pity because some of the plotting is clever: imagine a complicated origami animal that, as it's unfolded, makes you realize that it had a different shape to begin with than you had thought.
By the way, Kate from The Expats does appear in this book, but only glancingly. If I had to make a bet, I'd bet that Pavone actually wrote or envisioned this as his first novel, which explains its home-turf setting, returned to it after The Expats, and inserted some Kate scenes to form a little connection between them.
Review copy received from Edelweiss.
August 6, 2016
A lot of chasing and dodging, not to mention a fairly high body count. Standard fair for a thriller. But I enjoyed this book for the very crisp descriptive writing and the dead-on characterizations of upper-crust New Yorkers in the publishing world. Or are they caricatures? Maybe some of both, but brilliant and a little bitchy in a fun way. I became engaged enough with the main characters that I looked forward to seeing what would happen to them in the end. But that didn't happen. There was no ending. Not really. The book just stops in what feels like a setup for a sequel. Very unsatisfying...in the end.
March 12, 2014
The Accident not Really Accidental
Oh wow! I could fill this review full of every single cliché on the market. The Accident by Chris Pavone is the follow up from his debut The Expats and with this one book you will be completely blown out of the water. This is a brilliant page turning thriller that leaves you on the edge right until the end of the book. The pace is breathless and stunning at the same time which literally drives you and also if you are American who do you really trust?
The Accident is stunning, fast paced 24 hours in the life of literary agent Isabel Reed, CIA Station chief Hayden Gray and book editor Jeffrey Fielder. A book called The Accident written by Anonymous has been dropped at her office and she reads it in one. The book describes how Charlie Wolfe the media mogul with enough connections to Washington insiders it is unbelievable. The Accident if published would be a like a bomb going off at Capitol Hill and Langley and there would be so much fallout. The big question is who wrote it and who will stop it from being published and the lengths they will go to.
The people who steal a peak at The Accident have a tendency to wind up dead as Hayden Gray the CIA station cheat is running an off the books operations closes down any attempt anybody knowing about the book. There are no lengths he will go to in stopping its publication as he understands what is at stake and knowing Charlie Wolfe has operated as a CIA front in some parts of Europe. People have died and having those details in the public eye is not good.
As Hayden heads from Copenhagen to New York to track down the manuscript Isabel and Jeff have to go on the run and leave the city. If this is the right thing to do we will only find out by reading the book. Isabel is being guarded unknowingly by guards sent by the author who is observing from a far, in hiding. We will only find out who the author is at the end of the book and what might have been planned for the present and the future.
The book is split in to three sections, morning, afternoon and night, who will live to see tomorrow is the big question, will the manuscript be destroyed or published. The bodies pile up when Americans with buzz cuts are brought in to play, but then again the Americans would use a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The reader is driven by a need to know what happens to whom and who knows what and who will live. The only way to find out is to read and enjoy the race against time in The Accident.
Oh wow! I could fill this review full of every single cliché on the market. The Accident by Chris Pavone is the follow up from his debut The Expats and with this one book you will be completely blown out of the water. This is a brilliant page turning thriller that leaves you on the edge right until the end of the book. The pace is breathless and stunning at the same time which literally drives you and also if you are American who do you really trust?
The Accident is stunning, fast paced 24 hours in the life of literary agent Isabel Reed, CIA Station chief Hayden Gray and book editor Jeffrey Fielder. A book called The Accident written by Anonymous has been dropped at her office and she reads it in one. The book describes how Charlie Wolfe the media mogul with enough connections to Washington insiders it is unbelievable. The Accident if published would be a like a bomb going off at Capitol Hill and Langley and there would be so much fallout. The big question is who wrote it and who will stop it from being published and the lengths they will go to.
The people who steal a peak at The Accident have a tendency to wind up dead as Hayden Gray the CIA station cheat is running an off the books operations closes down any attempt anybody knowing about the book. There are no lengths he will go to in stopping its publication as he understands what is at stake and knowing Charlie Wolfe has operated as a CIA front in some parts of Europe. People have died and having those details in the public eye is not good.
As Hayden heads from Copenhagen to New York to track down the manuscript Isabel and Jeff have to go on the run and leave the city. If this is the right thing to do we will only find out by reading the book. Isabel is being guarded unknowingly by guards sent by the author who is observing from a far, in hiding. We will only find out who the author is at the end of the book and what might have been planned for the present and the future.
The book is split in to three sections, morning, afternoon and night, who will live to see tomorrow is the big question, will the manuscript be destroyed or published. The bodies pile up when Americans with buzz cuts are brought in to play, but then again the Americans would use a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The reader is driven by a need to know what happens to whom and who knows what and who will live. The only way to find out is to read and enjoy the race against time in The Accident.
May 16, 2014
I was in the mood for a page-turning sorbet type of novel--a book that was literary, but with mainstream appeal, a story that combines thrilling, suspenseful, and propulsive tension. Pavone's book hits the spot, in ways I wasn't expecting. From the opening pages, there is a filmic cat-and-mouse suspense; a manuscript of a text called The Accident is floating around in New York's publishing world. Ambitious, successful, and quasi-successful editors and publishers, and others who are in a slump, would sell themselves to Beelzebub to snag it, and there are people who would kill to destroy it.
What does the manuscript contain, and why is it such a hot and volatile property? It is an exposé on media mogul, Charlie Wolfe, who reminds me a bit of Rupert Murdoch. There are some deep and toxic secrets from his past that he shares with the enigmatic, anonymous author. And it is all on paper.
"Digital is too easily duplicated. Too easily stolen. Any digital storage device, no matter how secure, is in the end essentially insecure. What's not insecure is a stack of paper that no one knows about. That no one will go looking for. So we typed, and printed, and destroyed the word-processing files. The manuscript exists only in word-processing form. Somewhere."
Numerous characters connive and collide, elude and ambush, maraud and murder, all for this explosive manuscript (which, with the aid of copy machines, succumbs to spontaneous generation). In my quest to find out what was just around the corner--and Pavone's settings cannot be beat--I finished this jumbo novel in just two days. And, oddly enough, despite my disappointment in the contents of the inflammatory manuscript, which is incrementally revealed within the story in an old-fashioned typeset font, and despite the rather trite denouement, I enjoyed this story, for reasons other than the author's intentions.
The inciting manuscript-within-the narrative was not well written, was in fact prosaic, and other than revealing hidden crimes and tawdry behavior, came off rather flat. The finale wasn't much cause for celebration, either. And yet...and yet...it was the incidentals of the story that charmed me. Pavone can write turf, he can make the streets of New York City thrum with an almost animal magnetism. If you liked the city and street scenes in Pessel's Night Film and Wolitzer's The Interestings, (two books wholly unlike this one or each other in content), you will groove on Pavone's talent for capturing the surroundings with immediacy and scale. In fact, anywhere this story roves--Zurich, Paris, and other places dotted along Europe, Pavone's talent and brio is evident in scenic muscle. It is that, and his tuneful cadence, that gives the energy and momentum to the narrative. Moreover, the insider's look at the publishing industry is scintillating.
Pavone is also skilled at characters, and he would be even better if he trimmed down the excess jumble of them. For purposes of story, the number of characters proliferated, and some of them were stock-in-trade. On the other hand, Pavone lit up Isabel Reed, the moral center, and the author of the eponymous manuscript, who possessed a sputtering moral compass. Hayden, the black ops leader, was more intriguing when he wasn't prefigured. If it weren't for Pavone's particular choice of story, he'd intrigue me more.
My conclusion is that Pavone is an excellent writer who is writing partly in the wrong genre for his talents. His eye for detail, and observations of human behavior and motivation, as well as his scenic depictions and apt metaphors, would be more fitting in a character composition, where he could flesh out his cast, perhaps in a domestic drama, adventure tale, or bildungsroman. Or a roman à clef. He writes in the espionage genre, but that is not his forte, in my opinion. The aspirations of this story were derivative. But, Chris Pavone, I see you peeking out from hiding undercover. Write a different kind of novel and you'll hit your stride; I will be right alongside, gobbling every word.
What does the manuscript contain, and why is it such a hot and volatile property? It is an exposé on media mogul, Charlie Wolfe, who reminds me a bit of Rupert Murdoch. There are some deep and toxic secrets from his past that he shares with the enigmatic, anonymous author. And it is all on paper.
"Digital is too easily duplicated. Too easily stolen. Any digital storage device, no matter how secure, is in the end essentially insecure. What's not insecure is a stack of paper that no one knows about. That no one will go looking for. So we typed, and printed, and destroyed the word-processing files. The manuscript exists only in word-processing form. Somewhere."
Numerous characters connive and collide, elude and ambush, maraud and murder, all for this explosive manuscript (which, with the aid of copy machines, succumbs to spontaneous generation). In my quest to find out what was just around the corner--and Pavone's settings cannot be beat--I finished this jumbo novel in just two days. And, oddly enough, despite my disappointment in the contents of the inflammatory manuscript, which is incrementally revealed within the story in an old-fashioned typeset font, and despite the rather trite denouement, I enjoyed this story, for reasons other than the author's intentions.
The inciting manuscript-within-the narrative was not well written, was in fact prosaic, and other than revealing hidden crimes and tawdry behavior, came off rather flat. The finale wasn't much cause for celebration, either. And yet...and yet...it was the incidentals of the story that charmed me. Pavone can write turf, he can make the streets of New York City thrum with an almost animal magnetism. If you liked the city and street scenes in Pessel's Night Film and Wolitzer's The Interestings, (two books wholly unlike this one or each other in content), you will groove on Pavone's talent for capturing the surroundings with immediacy and scale. In fact, anywhere this story roves--Zurich, Paris, and other places dotted along Europe, Pavone's talent and brio is evident in scenic muscle. It is that, and his tuneful cadence, that gives the energy and momentum to the narrative. Moreover, the insider's look at the publishing industry is scintillating.
Pavone is also skilled at characters, and he would be even better if he trimmed down the excess jumble of them. For purposes of story, the number of characters proliferated, and some of them were stock-in-trade. On the other hand, Pavone lit up Isabel Reed, the moral center, and the author of the eponymous manuscript, who possessed a sputtering moral compass. Hayden, the black ops leader, was more intriguing when he wasn't prefigured. If it weren't for Pavone's particular choice of story, he'd intrigue me more.
My conclusion is that Pavone is an excellent writer who is writing partly in the wrong genre for his talents. His eye for detail, and observations of human behavior and motivation, as well as his scenic depictions and apt metaphors, would be more fitting in a character composition, where he could flesh out his cast, perhaps in a domestic drama, adventure tale, or bildungsroman. Or a roman à clef. He writes in the espionage genre, but that is not his forte, in my opinion. The aspirations of this story were derivative. But, Chris Pavone, I see you peeking out from hiding undercover. Write a different kind of novel and you'll hit your stride; I will be right alongside, gobbling every word.
April 18, 2014
This book is a fast-paced, exciting thriller that takes place over the course of a single day, with some extremely relevant flashbacks. The inner workings of the publishing business are revealed when a literary agent receives a manuscript for a book called "The Accident". The manuscript was hand delivered from an anonymous author. It is a biographical account of a media mogul and his involvement with both the CIA and a previously undisclosed accident. Secrets revealed in the biography would be very damaging to everyone involved. The biography is sure to be a best seller and is alluring to many people in the book and movie businesses, but it proves to be both professionally and physically dangerous to have knowledge or possession of this manuscript. The mogul and his shadowy cohorts will do anything to prevent publication of this biography. The action moves back and forth between two continents. Money is no object to either the mogul or the author of the biography as they use various sophisticated techniques to achieve their goals. It is a thrilling sparring match between two intelligent and motivated combatants.
The characters and their actions were believable, with the exception of one action by the author of the biography (which I obviously won't reveal) that I found unbelievably stupid for such an intelligent person. I loved the slow leak of facts as the contents of the manuscript are gradually revealed and the relationships of the literary agent and her friends and colleagues are explored. Attempts to keep the manuscript a secret were like trying to contain a fast spreading and lethal virus. This book grabbed me from the beginning and the short chapters propelled the story along. I kept reading to see who the "virus" would fell next and the ending was very satisfying.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
The characters and their actions were believable, with the exception of one action by the author of the biography (which I obviously won't reveal) that I found unbelievably stupid for such an intelligent person. I loved the slow leak of facts as the contents of the manuscript are gradually revealed and the relationships of the literary agent and her friends and colleagues are explored. Attempts to keep the manuscript a secret were like trying to contain a fast spreading and lethal virus. This book grabbed me from the beginning and the short chapters propelled the story along. I kept reading to see who the "virus" would fell next and the ending was very satisfying.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
April 25, 2014
I guess I had higher hopes for this book. It seems like the author tried to write a book that would probably get made into a movie one day (and ironically, the book is about a sensational manuscript that people want to make into a movie) and it's just so shallow. The book takes place in a day so the author has to spend a lot of time going into the past to explain things you wouldn't understand otherwise. I found this to be boring and took me out of the fast-paced story line so many times it was annoying. Oh, the "surprise" ending isn't much of a surprise. Ugh, this is another book that needed a good editor (and editors are characters in the book so maybe it could have dawned on the author to use one).
March 7, 2014
This review was originally published to Bookish Ardour.
It’s sad, but true; sometimes I’m going to struggle to enjoy a story. As much as I wanted the opposite I struggled with The Accident. The beginning grabbed me, but by the time the story hit the flow of the first chapter it had begun to slowly lose me.
Being an aspiring author means I’m naturally curious about stories based in the publishing world and the idea of such a mind-blowing, dangerous, manuscript ripping lives apart and involving hard-hitting government agencies piqued my curiosity. Except I couldn’t quite buy the notion once I had begun reading. The idea of a worldwide manhunt to destroy evidence from one supposed autobiography came across as farfetched and I attribute this to not really knowing much about the media mogul the manuscript is incriminating.
Charlie Wolfe, the media mogul, is a face for any overly rich, powerful, and ambitious business man. You don’t really get to know him, even though more and more is shared about him. He isn’t necessarily there to drive the story, he is the pin to hold all the threads together and eventually that’s all. I think being able to know more about Charlie Wolfe to begin with, a deep-seated fear or desire, would have helped to connect me more and created a way for me to understand the dire need for what takes place.
I personally didn’t care for any of the characters. They confused me sometimes. Isabel, the literary agent, goes from being a literary agent and then ends up realising she needs to ditch her phone, be careful of bugs, and immediately adopts skills in subterfuge to hide her whereabouts. I didn’t really see that coming, but I did guess at who the author was early on in the piece.
There was definitely far more detail than I would have liked, especially when it comes to a mystery/thriller. I ended up having to skim quite a large chunk of the writing to get through it and to keep up the pace I was hoping for. It’s funny though, I wanted to find out what happened at the end. There was definitely a hook there, making me need to know if the manuscript would survive, who would die, what would happen if the story was published, and how on Earth could they go about it.
All my questions were definitely answered by the end and I’m left with the newfound knowledge conspiracy and the publishing world together don’t cater to my tastes in fiction
It’s sad, but true; sometimes I’m going to struggle to enjoy a story. As much as I wanted the opposite I struggled with The Accident. The beginning grabbed me, but by the time the story hit the flow of the first chapter it had begun to slowly lose me.
Being an aspiring author means I’m naturally curious about stories based in the publishing world and the idea of such a mind-blowing, dangerous, manuscript ripping lives apart and involving hard-hitting government agencies piqued my curiosity. Except I couldn’t quite buy the notion once I had begun reading. The idea of a worldwide manhunt to destroy evidence from one supposed autobiography came across as farfetched and I attribute this to not really knowing much about the media mogul the manuscript is incriminating.
Charlie Wolfe, the media mogul, is a face for any overly rich, powerful, and ambitious business man. You don’t really get to know him, even though more and more is shared about him. He isn’t necessarily there to drive the story, he is the pin to hold all the threads together and eventually that’s all. I think being able to know more about Charlie Wolfe to begin with, a deep-seated fear or desire, would have helped to connect me more and created a way for me to understand the dire need for what takes place.
I personally didn’t care for any of the characters. They confused me sometimes. Isabel, the literary agent, goes from being a literary agent and then ends up realising she needs to ditch her phone, be careful of bugs, and immediately adopts skills in subterfuge to hide her whereabouts. I didn’t really see that coming, but I did guess at who the author was early on in the piece.
There was definitely far more detail than I would have liked, especially when it comes to a mystery/thriller. I ended up having to skim quite a large chunk of the writing to get through it and to keep up the pace I was hoping for. It’s funny though, I wanted to find out what happened at the end. There was definitely a hook there, making me need to know if the manuscript would survive, who would die, what would happen if the story was published, and how on Earth could they go about it.
All my questions were definitely answered by the end and I’m left with the newfound knowledge conspiracy and the publishing world together don’t cater to my tastes in fiction
March 6, 2014
**4.5 stars**
Thank you to the author and publisher for the review copy.
In New York City, Isabel Reed, one of the most respected and powerful literary agents in the city, frantically turns the pages of a manuscript into the early dawn hours. This manuscript – printed out, hand-delivered, totally anonymous – is full of shocking revelations and disturbing truths, things which could compromise national security. Is this what she’s been waiting for her entire career: a book that will help her move on from a painful past, a book that could save her beloved industry… a book that will change the world?
Having read “The Expats” on a whim a while ago and very much enjoyed it, I was looking forward to this one – and wow, it was page turning stuff!
Set over 24 hours, we follow the course of a book. Not just any book – this is “The Accident” by Anonymous, a dangerous book to be aware of, one that holds disturbing revelations that a lot of very deadly people would prefer never saw the light of day.
Isabel has read it – and understands the pitfalls. She tries to keep it as low key as possible while trying to find the right way to publish it but falls foul of several (rather alarmingly stupid and over ambitious) characters who are determined to make it their own and take all the glory. Add to that a team of people who’s one aim is to ensure that the book never gets out into the world and you have the recipe for a dizzying, adrenalin rush of a read that hardly lets up for a moment.
The thing I loved most about this one was the (possibly rather skewed? I have no personal knowledge!) insight into the publishing industry – and the many varied characters that get involved when it comes to the whole mish mash of things that have to happen before that book you want is sitting on the shelves. In my rather twisty brain I now have visions of “Fight Club” like meetings where down and dirty fistfights decide who will get the rights to a much wanted novel – either that or whoever can run away fastest clutching the manuscript in their hands whilst pushing other hapless publishing types out of the way. It made fascinating reading and and served to put you right into the story, and become just as invested in “The Accident” as Isabel was, albeit possibly for different reasons.
We get to meet Kate again (main protagonist from The Expats) which made me a very happy reader having been totally invested in her during the reading of that novel, along with an eclectic cast of new characters all extremely well drawn and enchanting – although often very dislikeable.
What Chris Pavone has done here is created a Thriller with heart – action packed but allowing for compelling character development and getting the reader invested totally in seeing this book published. Or not. Maybe you’ll come down on the side of the darker forces…who knows? Either way I half expected Jack Bauer to appear running around with his gun at some point – it was that intense (although much more realistic than 24 hours in the life of Jack who never appears to need the bathroom) and as such was a highly enjoyable read. Another 4am finish for me…
Very much recommended.
Happy Reading Folks!
Thank you to the author and publisher for the review copy.
In New York City, Isabel Reed, one of the most respected and powerful literary agents in the city, frantically turns the pages of a manuscript into the early dawn hours. This manuscript – printed out, hand-delivered, totally anonymous – is full of shocking revelations and disturbing truths, things which could compromise national security. Is this what she’s been waiting for her entire career: a book that will help her move on from a painful past, a book that could save her beloved industry… a book that will change the world?
Having read “The Expats” on a whim a while ago and very much enjoyed it, I was looking forward to this one – and wow, it was page turning stuff!
Set over 24 hours, we follow the course of a book. Not just any book – this is “The Accident” by Anonymous, a dangerous book to be aware of, one that holds disturbing revelations that a lot of very deadly people would prefer never saw the light of day.
Isabel has read it – and understands the pitfalls. She tries to keep it as low key as possible while trying to find the right way to publish it but falls foul of several (rather alarmingly stupid and over ambitious) characters who are determined to make it their own and take all the glory. Add to that a team of people who’s one aim is to ensure that the book never gets out into the world and you have the recipe for a dizzying, adrenalin rush of a read that hardly lets up for a moment.
The thing I loved most about this one was the (possibly rather skewed? I have no personal knowledge!) insight into the publishing industry – and the many varied characters that get involved when it comes to the whole mish mash of things that have to happen before that book you want is sitting on the shelves. In my rather twisty brain I now have visions of “Fight Club” like meetings where down and dirty fistfights decide who will get the rights to a much wanted novel – either that or whoever can run away fastest clutching the manuscript in their hands whilst pushing other hapless publishing types out of the way. It made fascinating reading and and served to put you right into the story, and become just as invested in “The Accident” as Isabel was, albeit possibly for different reasons.
We get to meet Kate again (main protagonist from The Expats) which made me a very happy reader having been totally invested in her during the reading of that novel, along with an eclectic cast of new characters all extremely well drawn and enchanting – although often very dislikeable.
What Chris Pavone has done here is created a Thriller with heart – action packed but allowing for compelling character development and getting the reader invested totally in seeing this book published. Or not. Maybe you’ll come down on the side of the darker forces…who knows? Either way I half expected Jack Bauer to appear running around with his gun at some point – it was that intense (although much more realistic than 24 hours in the life of Jack who never appears to need the bathroom) and as such was a highly enjoyable read. Another 4am finish for me…
Very much recommended.
Happy Reading Folks!
July 31, 2014
(2.5) Not quite as entertaining as Pavone’s previous thriller, The Expats, but enjoyable for its publishing theme. Perfect plane reading, I would say. (“A cross-continental flight provides ample reading time,” it says, in a little metafictional twist, on page 182.) In fact, I started The Accident on a plane ride back in March and then, 230 pages in, inexplicably left it unfinished for months (bonus: an Edelweiss book that didn’t expire!). That’s not to say that it was boring, just that I didn’t particularly care how the suspense plot panned out.
(Adapted from my Bookmarks summary:) The Accident, the book-within-this-book, is a tell-all biography of media mogul Charlie Wolfe; its anonymous author is in exile in Zurich. Devouring the typewritten manuscript, his New York literary agent, divorcée Isabel Reed, weighs the consequences of publishing this volatile exposé of Washington’s and Hollywood’s elites. Meanwhile, a CIA operative in Denmark is desperate to suppress the truth The Accident could reveal. The whole action takes place during one momentous day, as the book’s impending publication unearths long-hidden secrets.
Pavone worked as an editor at various publishing houses for more than two decades, so he knows of what he speaks here. I did like his passage about the excitement of dipping into a manuscript with no knowledge of what it will be like: “Picking up something, anything, at the end of the day—a nice long manuscript, or a succinct treatment, or a formulaic 120-page screenplay—and having absolutely no idea what it was: to just start reading blind...It could be anything.” I think I agree with the Entertainment Weekly critic, though, that it’s strangely old-fashioned for the plot to hinge on an author submitting a typewritten manuscript. Would that really happen nowadays, even in a desperate bid for anonymity and nontraceability?
I found the book overwritten in places: Isabel is apparently “astounded, at the enormity of the story” – except none of the revelations about Charlie Wolfe really seem all that shocking, or even particularly interesting. You also find the occasional bad simile, such as “the world returns to focus in layers, like peeling back the folded tissue paper under the gift wrapping on a professionally packaged present” and “All the assistants have coverage buddies, like kindergarteners’ hall partners” (both of those appear on the same page!).
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch predicted Pavone’s would be the thriller of the year, but I don’t really see it. Like I said, pick it up if you’re looking for a more intelligent than average plane read. [With the literary theme, you can think of it as belonging to the same camp as The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair, or perhaps replacing that one if (like me) you were put off by the sheer length (600+ pages?!) of what bills itself as a satirical crime novel.] But Pavone can surely do better.
(Adapted from my Bookmarks summary:) The Accident, the book-within-this-book, is a tell-all biography of media mogul Charlie Wolfe; its anonymous author is in exile in Zurich. Devouring the typewritten manuscript, his New York literary agent, divorcée Isabel Reed, weighs the consequences of publishing this volatile exposé of Washington’s and Hollywood’s elites. Meanwhile, a CIA operative in Denmark is desperate to suppress the truth The Accident could reveal. The whole action takes place during one momentous day, as the book’s impending publication unearths long-hidden secrets.
Pavone worked as an editor at various publishing houses for more than two decades, so he knows of what he speaks here. I did like his passage about the excitement of dipping into a manuscript with no knowledge of what it will be like: “Picking up something, anything, at the end of the day—a nice long manuscript, or a succinct treatment, or a formulaic 120-page screenplay—and having absolutely no idea what it was: to just start reading blind...It could be anything.” I think I agree with the Entertainment Weekly critic, though, that it’s strangely old-fashioned for the plot to hinge on an author submitting a typewritten manuscript. Would that really happen nowadays, even in a desperate bid for anonymity and nontraceability?
I found the book overwritten in places: Isabel is apparently “astounded, at the enormity of the story” – except none of the revelations about Charlie Wolfe really seem all that shocking, or even particularly interesting. You also find the occasional bad simile, such as “the world returns to focus in layers, like peeling back the folded tissue paper under the gift wrapping on a professionally packaged present” and “All the assistants have coverage buddies, like kindergarteners’ hall partners” (both of those appear on the same page!).
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch predicted Pavone’s would be the thriller of the year, but I don’t really see it. Like I said, pick it up if you’re looking for a more intelligent than average plane read. [With the literary theme, you can think of it as belonging to the same camp as The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair, or perhaps replacing that one if (like me) you were put off by the sheer length (600+ pages?!) of what bills itself as a satirical crime novel.] But Pavone can surely do better.
June 26, 2014
Overall, I was very disappointed that this story was so fabricated and unconvincing – especially after reading his first book, The Expats. As another reviewer indicated – it’s highly probable that this was his first book (and then he wrote The Expats). The Accident was just so forced and unbelievable. I’m not sorry I slogged through 400+ pages because I would have always wondered if it got any better. I did think it was interesting that Hayden appeared in both books – and while he seemed a little shady in The Expats, he was definitely a sell-out in The Accident. I did wonder what happened to Kate – she was sort of left dangling – though one can assume that after she left Copenhagen she returned safely to France and her “regular” life. This novel read like a 24 (television) script: very entertaining and explosive, but don’t think too hard because then the fun stops and the story cracks. I really like books that I can ponder and mull over for awhile after the story ends. That is not the case here! I feel as if Pavone deliberately made the story confusing so you couldn’t put it all together (unlike in The Expats). I don’t think most people will have the patience to stick with this ridiculous story. Who really cares that some big media mogul supposedly kills a girl in a night of drunkenness, and then goes on to manipulate people in the CIA? That happens all the time without making front page news. What influential and wealthy person doesn’t buy off people to add to his or her pocket? Not a credible story. Ridiculous premise. Flat characters. That’s what you get in The Accident.
October 24, 2018
After the success of his debut 'The Expats' (on my want to read list), this second offering is praiseworthy. The book has a high number of characters throughout though it is relatively easy yo navigate.
The premise is simple; an anonymous manuscript arrives at a publishers containing a scandalous expose of a high ranking media mogul. The mogul wants this quashed and will go to any length to achieve his goal. However, essentially the book is about loyalty and betrayal. Without looking to add spoilers, the author creates a temptation for the characters with the promise of wealth and fame to those who can successfully publish the manuscript. The characters are all forced to confront the consequences of their ambition.
This is a sophisticated page turner and a book I'd certainly recommend. It is pacey and well structured without delving into the ridiculous and unbelievable. If i have any critisism it would be the extent of jumping between charcter situations and time lines, though that would be a minor critisism to a highly well structured novel.
The premise is simple; an anonymous manuscript arrives at a publishers containing a scandalous expose of a high ranking media mogul. The mogul wants this quashed and will go to any length to achieve his goal. However, essentially the book is about loyalty and betrayal. Without looking to add spoilers, the author creates a temptation for the characters with the promise of wealth and fame to those who can successfully publish the manuscript. The characters are all forced to confront the consequences of their ambition.
This is a sophisticated page turner and a book I'd certainly recommend. It is pacey and well structured without delving into the ridiculous and unbelievable. If i have any critisism it would be the extent of jumping between charcter situations and time lines, though that would be a minor critisism to a highly well structured novel.
October 19, 2019
What a waist of time..
Not a fan of authors who "trick you" at the end of a tale to tie up loose ends that otherwise would unravel the whole plot. Weaksauce!!
Also, this author seemed to have a TON of animosity towards the characters he was writing about and the lives they lead, leaving me to wonder why he wrote about them in the first place. Maybe it was cathartic for him, but it was rubbish for moi.
Lame-O, son.....
Not a fan of authors who "trick you" at the end of a tale to tie up loose ends that otherwise would unravel the whole plot. Weaksauce!!
Also, this author seemed to have a TON of animosity towards the characters he was writing about and the lives they lead, leaving me to wonder why he wrote about them in the first place. Maybe it was cathartic for him, but it was rubbish for moi.
Lame-O, son.....
May 19, 2014
Really enjoyed this follow up to The Expats, liked that Kate and Hayden were both featured so could get a bit of closure and continuation of that storyline. Well-written thriller, figured it out fairly early but that was ok, the writing and nonstop action made up for it.
May 9, 2015
There were so many characters, so many cliff hangers and so many murders, it overwhelmed the plot. The dialogue was very nice.
March 4, 2014
This is the second novel by Chris Pavone, whose debut was the immensely successful “The Expats.” Taking place over the course of one day, it begins with publishing agent Isabel Reed finishing reading an anonymous manuscript called “The Accident.” This concerns the life story of a media mogul, Charlie Wolfe, and secrets in his life and career which threaten to expose all kinds of scandals about both him personally, and the government. Isabel’s career is suffering something of a downslide – and, in many ways, this novel has a great deal to say about the state of publishing, as well as being an exciting thriller. She passes the manuscript to her old admirer, Jeff Fielder, an editor who is keen on conspiracy theories and could also do with a huge publishing success.
The manuscript was left at Isabel’s office with her assistant, Alexis. Although, theoretically only a handful of people should know about it, it is soon apparent that Alexis has been less than closed mouthed about what she herself had read before passing it to Isabel. Social media being what it is, Isabel’s competitor, the young and hungry Camilla Glyndon-Browning, is also interested in this wonderful new work, which is causing interest without even being read. However, knowledge – or possession – of the manuscript is putting people in danger. If this is an accurate account of Charlie Wolfe and Wolfe Worldwide Media, then it soon becomes apparent that there are many people who will do anything to stop that account being published.
This book veers between the point of view of Isabel and Jeff, Hayden Gray (and Kate from the Expats) and the author, who, although anonymous, Isabel believes she knows the identity of. This is a book about many things – the cut throat world of publishing, the fact that Hayden Gray is charged with stopping the book being published at any cost and the author also manages to make all the characters (even the generally unlikeable Camilla) sympathetic. Both Isabel and Kate worry about what their careers have meant to their families – with Isabel suffering a devastating loss, which has defined her life. This is a life changing chance to publish a huge success and there is no doubt that people are willing to risk their lives to do so. The question is, will they live long enough to get the manuscript into print?
This is an exciting thriller, with lots of action and good characters, which I enjoyed very much. Although fast moving, the plot also allows you to care for the people involved, which makes this an enjoyable and interesting read. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
The manuscript was left at Isabel’s office with her assistant, Alexis. Although, theoretically only a handful of people should know about it, it is soon apparent that Alexis has been less than closed mouthed about what she herself had read before passing it to Isabel. Social media being what it is, Isabel’s competitor, the young and hungry Camilla Glyndon-Browning, is also interested in this wonderful new work, which is causing interest without even being read. However, knowledge – or possession – of the manuscript is putting people in danger. If this is an accurate account of Charlie Wolfe and Wolfe Worldwide Media, then it soon becomes apparent that there are many people who will do anything to stop that account being published.
This book veers between the point of view of Isabel and Jeff, Hayden Gray (and Kate from the Expats) and the author, who, although anonymous, Isabel believes she knows the identity of. This is a book about many things – the cut throat world of publishing, the fact that Hayden Gray is charged with stopping the book being published at any cost and the author also manages to make all the characters (even the generally unlikeable Camilla) sympathetic. Both Isabel and Kate worry about what their careers have meant to their families – with Isabel suffering a devastating loss, which has defined her life. This is a life changing chance to publish a huge success and there is no doubt that people are willing to risk their lives to do so. The question is, will they live long enough to get the manuscript into print?
This is an exciting thriller, with lots of action and good characters, which I enjoyed very much. Although fast moving, the plot also allows you to care for the people involved, which makes this an enjoyable and interesting read. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
March 24, 2014
3.5/5
.5/5
I read Chris Pavone's debut novel, an Edgar award winner, The Ex-Pats, last year.
The Accident is the title of Pavone's new book.....and it's also the title of the book within the book. Huh?
An unnamed author opens the pages of Pavone's book with the last page of his book..."Because if what you are reading is a finished book, printed and bound and distributed into the world, I am, almost certainly, dead."
This manuscript has the power to ruin - and everyone wants their hands on it - for very different reasons. From the literary agent who receives the original copy, to other agents, publishers, politicians, journalists and more, including a CIA operative. The Accident reveals more than one crime committed by powerhouse media mogul Charlie Wolfe. The race is on between those determined to bring the book to light - and those just as determined to destroy it.
Chris Pavone is a clever, clever writer. He worked for many years as an editor and it shows in his writing. His prose are tight and concise and his story draws the reader in from the first pages and slowly but surely reels them in as another piece of the puzzle is added. The Accident explores the world of publishing and seems to have an added sense of the inside track woven in.
I found the opening pages intriguing, but it took me a few chapters to get a handle on all the characters and their motivations. But once I did, I was caught up in the machinations, plotting and intrigue of those determined to have the manuscript. And bit by bit we learn what secret will be revealed if the book is published. Pavone has one last twist up his sleeve before the final pages - one I could not have predicted.
Isabel was a wonderfully likable protagonis. Kate from The Expats makes a cameo appearance as well.
Pavone has crafted another smart, sharp thriller - one that will keep the reader on their toes, with another connection or revelation made with every chapter.
.5/5
I read Chris Pavone's debut novel, an Edgar award winner, The Ex-Pats, last year.
The Accident is the title of Pavone's new book.....and it's also the title of the book within the book. Huh?
An unnamed author opens the pages of Pavone's book with the last page of his book..."Because if what you are reading is a finished book, printed and bound and distributed into the world, I am, almost certainly, dead."
This manuscript has the power to ruin - and everyone wants their hands on it - for very different reasons. From the literary agent who receives the original copy, to other agents, publishers, politicians, journalists and more, including a CIA operative. The Accident reveals more than one crime committed by powerhouse media mogul Charlie Wolfe. The race is on between those determined to bring the book to light - and those just as determined to destroy it.
Chris Pavone is a clever, clever writer. He worked for many years as an editor and it shows in his writing. His prose are tight and concise and his story draws the reader in from the first pages and slowly but surely reels them in as another piece of the puzzle is added. The Accident explores the world of publishing and seems to have an added sense of the inside track woven in.
I found the opening pages intriguing, but it took me a few chapters to get a handle on all the characters and their motivations. But once I did, I was caught up in the machinations, plotting and intrigue of those determined to have the manuscript. And bit by bit we learn what secret will be revealed if the book is published. Pavone has one last twist up his sleeve before the final pages - one I could not have predicted.
Isabel was a wonderfully likable protagonis. Kate from The Expats makes a cameo appearance as well.
Pavone has crafted another smart, sharp thriller - one that will keep the reader on their toes, with another connection or revelation made with every chapter.
August 3, 2014
My Thoughts
A book has been written about a powerful media mogul. It is loaded with incriminating stories about the mogul’s past. The manuscript has been given to a literary agent to see if she can get it published. All of the people who want to get it published are driven by a personal need to succeed. Most, for one reason or another, are at the end of their literary careers and want one last blow out of a book. All of the people who don’t want it published have millions of dollars to try and get it stopped. The chase is on!
Holy smokes! This really was the equivalent of a roller coaster ride. The story unfolds slowly as we get to meet all the players and get to understand their roles (or so we think). Eventually the pace starts to pick up and before you know it, there are twists and turns, peaks and valleys, scary gut clenching moments of terror and excitement. By the end, I was breathless.
Mr. Pavone has quite the way with words. His writing is very nuanced and because of the plot twist, the reader really needs to pay attention.
Hold on to your seats. You are in for quite a ride!
Many thanks to Crown Publishing, via Netgalley, for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.
A book has been written about a powerful media mogul. It is loaded with incriminating stories about the mogul’s past. The manuscript has been given to a literary agent to see if she can get it published. All of the people who want to get it published are driven by a personal need to succeed. Most, for one reason or another, are at the end of their literary careers and want one last blow out of a book. All of the people who don’t want it published have millions of dollars to try and get it stopped. The chase is on!
Holy smokes! This really was the equivalent of a roller coaster ride. The story unfolds slowly as we get to meet all the players and get to understand their roles (or so we think). Eventually the pace starts to pick up and before you know it, there are twists and turns, peaks and valleys, scary gut clenching moments of terror and excitement. By the end, I was breathless.
Mr. Pavone has quite the way with words. His writing is very nuanced and because of the plot twist, the reader really needs to pay attention.
Hold on to your seats. You are in for quite a ride!
Many thanks to Crown Publishing, via Netgalley, for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.
February 12, 2015
Very good. Review to come.
August 10, 2016
now THAT was a fun ride!
November 24, 2018
I started this book but didn't finish it. It was more than a little boring.
March 11, 2014
Spies, politicians, ruthless business people, the CIA
“The Accident” alternates between many characters. Each chapter is told from a different person’s perspective. It’s challenging to keep all the stories sorted out. The transitions are abrupt. About a third of the way through the book begins to flow more easily as the characters and disparate storylines come together. The vague hints start to intriguingly tie together. Even before this the story is intense but it’s hard to see how the disparate parts make a whole. One great device Pavone uses is interspersing snippets from an explosive tell all book that was written by a main character as a means to further the plot building suspense and doling out clues.
There are many things right with “The Accident”. It grabs your attention from the beginning. It reads quickly. It’s topical. Though it starts out confusingly the storylines are intense, the characters engaging especially Isabel Crane’s, the main character. The plot contains an insider’s look at big time book publishing, big business, politics, the CIA, and it’s also a murder mystery with some spy elements thrown in. The insipidness of the ending all but ruins the book however. There is one satisfying big reveal and a lesser one that the reader will no doubt have put together along the way but too much was left ambiguous. I felt let down by the denouement.
An e-copy was provided from the publisher.
(Disclaimer given as required by the FTC.)
“The Accident” alternates between many characters. Each chapter is told from a different person’s perspective. It’s challenging to keep all the stories sorted out. The transitions are abrupt. About a third of the way through the book begins to flow more easily as the characters and disparate storylines come together. The vague hints start to intriguingly tie together. Even before this the story is intense but it’s hard to see how the disparate parts make a whole. One great device Pavone uses is interspersing snippets from an explosive tell all book that was written by a main character as a means to further the plot building suspense and doling out clues.
There are many things right with “The Accident”. It grabs your attention from the beginning. It reads quickly. It’s topical. Though it starts out confusingly the storylines are intense, the characters engaging especially Isabel Crane’s, the main character. The plot contains an insider’s look at big time book publishing, big business, politics, the CIA, and it’s also a murder mystery with some spy elements thrown in. The insipidness of the ending all but ruins the book however. There is one satisfying big reveal and a lesser one that the reader will no doubt have put together along the way but too much was left ambiguous. I felt let down by the denouement.
An e-copy was provided from the publisher.
(Disclaimer given as required by the FTC.)
April 24, 2014
An anonymous manuscript is delivered to literary agent Isabel Reed. It contains an explosive tell all about a well known media mogul. The more people read it, however they acquire it, the more likely they are to end up dead. This novel takes place over the course of one day as Isabel tries to stay one step ahead of CIA operative Hayden Gray, who seeks to destroy the manuscript and all knowledge of it. Meanwhile our anonymous, cancer ridden author is anxiously awaiting for the shoe to drop in hiding in Zurich.
Quite honestly, I managed to figure out the ending quite early so that was a bit of a draw back for me. There is a great deal of espionage and conspiracy here to delight most thriller fans. For a face paced story taking place in one day, however, I found myself constantly looking to see how many pages I had left to get through. That being said I did very much want to see whether this manuscript, and its writer and readers, would live to the last page.
Quite honestly, I managed to figure out the ending quite early so that was a bit of a draw back for me. There is a great deal of espionage and conspiracy here to delight most thriller fans. For a face paced story taking place in one day, however, I found myself constantly looking to see how many pages I had left to get through. That being said I did very much want to see whether this manuscript, and its writer and readers, would live to the last page.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,543 reviews