Play Book Tag discussion
November 2021: First in a Series
>
The Expats by Chris Pavone - 3 stars
date
newest »
newest »
I remember thinking that this was all right but did not live up to complete expectations.
It seems really long and the pieces don't quite fit together. If I were reading it in hardcopy, I may have given up but I was listening to it.
Also a DNF on this one. Just could not find my way through it.
Wow, 2 of you DNF'd and Amy wasn't thrilled. I liked it well enough, I guess, but did not think the female protagonist was very believable. It probably helped that I have worked in both technology and finance. Luckily, I've never been a spy - I would make a terrible spy, lol.
Kate Moore leaves her job at the CIA to live in Luxembourg with her husband, Dexter. Kate has two young children and feels her job is too risky. Dexter works for himself in information security and has a contract with a bank. When another American couple arrives, Kate begins to suspect they are not who they claim to be. She thinks her husband may be keeping secrets, just as she has kept secrets from him.
This is a complicated mystery with technical, financial, and espionage components. I enjoyed the multiple layers and the setting in Luxembourg. The main drawback for me is that Kate is not believable as a former CIA agent. For a supposedly bright person, she is not very good at figuring things out.
There is a very long and dull lead-in to introduce Kate to the readers for her role in the series. The action does not take place until the last third of the book. It is more of a mystery than a thriller. The ending contains the requisite twists and turns, and a drawn-out reveal. It is reasonably entertaining but there are a few plot holes and lots of eye-rolling moments.