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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
This was an entertaining, fast-paced read even though I saw one or two of the plot twists coming. Perfect escapist fare!
I got an advance reader copy through Goodreads first reads.
Once I started to read the book I couldn't put it down. It kept me on the edge for the whole read, as each move made by any one of the characters was potentially devastating to all the others. A woman receives an anonymous manuscript and all those who come into contact with it are put at risk as the person exposed by the manuscript attempts to cover up the most desirable story in the publishing industry, the concept promised some nail biting and it delivered a great thriller. The multiple character view points and the slow reveal of the actual story and of anonymous made the tale compelling. As a matter of fact I found that the way that it was concluded left me viewing all the characters in a different light from when I started reading.
Once I started to read the book I couldn't put it down. It kept me on the edge for the whole read, as each move made by any one of the characters was potentially devastating to all the others. A woman receives an anonymous manuscript and all those who come into contact with it are put at risk as the person exposed by the manuscript attempts to cover up the most desirable story in the publishing industry, the concept promised some nail biting and it delivered a great thriller. The multiple character view points and the slow reveal of the actual story and of anonymous made the tale compelling.
Spoiler
I was disappointed by the ending but this was more due to my need for the previously anonymous narrator to be a “good” person, his actions were immoral for the right sort of reasons but I couldn’t forgive him. He wasn't the only character who lead to the book seeming even more crooked than it was initially. When Jeff is revealed to be also involved in the cover up towards the end of the book I felt personally betrayed.
I listened to this book and feel I would have enjoyed it more had I eye read it. There were a ton of characters and the plot went back and forth in time with no notice to the listener. Consequently, I had to constantly re-listen to a chapter in order to figure out who was doing what, when. The plot involves the murder of a host of people, something I also felt was far-fetched. I liked The Expats better.
(Enjoyed)^2. Not easily characterizable, obviously suspense, with elements of espionage and politics and Hollywood and domestic thriller. Now that I think about it, it's like you took one tablespoon of every type of book out right now and made a story out of it. I don't know if it was quite that calculated, but whatever, it's quite decent and a suspenseful book. Like most suspense books though, I'll move on to next thing ten minutes later, having lost nothing, and gained not all that much. It's better than many, though.
Ugh. So much worse than the Expats! There were MINOR character appearances by Kate, and she was the main reason I was there in the first place and she turned SO STUPID. Supposedly smart people kept doing really dumb things felt like a major theme here. Lots of sex and language and violence and pretty much completely different in tone from the expats too.
Oh yeah and now I hate Hayden. Thanks, author.
It gets two stars for being fast and at least readable for the most part and I finished it quickly.
I also admit, I entirely skipped reading anything in an alternate font. I hate the schtick where the author is going oh yeah, this story INSIDE my story is so completely awesome. You should check it out, it’s like, going to be a best seller.
Oh yeah and now I hate Hayden. Thanks, author.
It gets two stars for being fast and at least readable for the most part and I finished it quickly.
I also admit, I entirely skipped reading anything in an alternate font. I hate the schtick where the author is going oh yeah, this story INSIDE my story is so completely awesome. You should check it out, it’s like, going to be a best seller.
It was a slow start, but I eventually got into it. Not much of the previous heroine in here, she's more of a side character.
A nice few twists at the end there.
Full review now on Civilian Reader:
http://civilian-reader.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/the-accident-by-chris-pavone-crown.html
Full review now on Civilian Reader:
http://civilian-reader.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/the-accident-by-chris-pavone-crown.html
If I say that this is not as good as his first book, Expats, it does not mean that this is a bad book. It simply means that this isn't as good. But it kept me interested, it kept me turning pages, but so does a Harlen Coben book, or a book by Robert Crais. I think Chris Pavone is a better writer than either.
This is a thriller which takes place in the book publishing world and has the reader traveling all over, Germany, France, Switzerland. Someone has written a tell all book about a very powerful man and someone else wants to stop it from being published. I lost count of the dead bodies, there are FBI goons, there are NSA goons, there are double crosses and betrayals. It's fun and that's about all, like a movie you watch and promptly forget. Chris Pavone wasted his talents on this one. Let's hope he gives us more in his next.
This is a thriller which takes place in the book publishing world and has the reader traveling all over, Germany, France, Switzerland. Someone has written a tell all book about a very powerful man and someone else wants to stop it from being published. I lost count of the dead bodies, there are FBI goons, there are NSA goons, there are double crosses and betrayals. It's fun and that's about all, like a movie you watch and promptly forget. Chris Pavone wasted his talents on this one. Let's hope he gives us more in his next.
The Accident follows Chris Pavone’s hugely successful debut novel The Expats, and charts the severe ramifications of an inflammatory manuscript called The Accident. The action begins when Isabel Reed, one of New York’s foremost literary agents comes into possession of the document, which directly threatens Charlie Wolfe, a prominent and powerful media mogul with political aspirations. Its pages detail his involvement in the death of a young woman after a night of drunken antics while Wolfe was a college student. For many years Charlie’s father Preston, a former deputy director of the CIA, has covered up the events of that fateful night, paying off Charlie’s accomplice Dave to the tune of $1 million. However, Dave can remain silent no longer and fakes his own suicide while making sure that The Accident arrives in the hands of Reed.
Not only has Wolfe’s activity resulted in the death of a student, but his secret links to the CIA have been used to ruin many a career during his ascent in the media world. Because of its content, the document puts Isabel Reed into extreme danger too. As more copies of the manuscript start to circulate, those who come into contact with it start to die. Isabel is the sole holder of the book and she embarks on a race against time for the truth to come to light.
Set over a compressed timeline of 24 hours, The Accident reads like an episode of the TV series 24, detailing a dangerous game of cat and mouse that seems tailor-made for a mini-series of its own. No doubt influenced by true life events such as Edward Kennedy’s involvement in the Chappaquiddick incident in 1969, Pavone explores what political and social power affords the more privileged and ambitious members of American society. This is the most satisfying element of the book, with its skilful depiction of the power of the media, and the protection Wolfe has received thanks to his connections to the CIA. At the same time, he depicts some of the tawdry realities of the publishing world which is awash with laboured literature and celebrity biographies, with plenty of backroom goings-on to boot.
However, as a whole The Accident is rather hard going despite its compressed timeline and thriller structure. I did like the reprise of characters from The Expats, particularly CIA operative Kate Moore, but I didn’t fully engage with the new characters. For the most part they conform to some pretty well-worn stereotypes and fail to raise any real empathy. The Accident becomes a ‘who’s going to die next’ game as Isabel Reed and her cohorts are threatened and picked off one by one. The inclusion of excerpts from the manuscript are more of a distraction, and I saw the grand reveal at the end coming a mile off.
Despite the general acclaim and enthusiasm for this book from other reviewers, compared to the author’s marvelous debut The Accident is a disappointment.
Not only has Wolfe’s activity resulted in the death of a student, but his secret links to the CIA have been used to ruin many a career during his ascent in the media world. Because of its content, the document puts Isabel Reed into extreme danger too. As more copies of the manuscript start to circulate, those who come into contact with it start to die. Isabel is the sole holder of the book and she embarks on a race against time for the truth to come to light.
Set over a compressed timeline of 24 hours, The Accident reads like an episode of the TV series 24, detailing a dangerous game of cat and mouse that seems tailor-made for a mini-series of its own. No doubt influenced by true life events such as Edward Kennedy’s involvement in the Chappaquiddick incident in 1969, Pavone explores what political and social power affords the more privileged and ambitious members of American society. This is the most satisfying element of the book, with its skilful depiction of the power of the media, and the protection Wolfe has received thanks to his connections to the CIA. At the same time, he depicts some of the tawdry realities of the publishing world which is awash with laboured literature and celebrity biographies, with plenty of backroom goings-on to boot.
However, as a whole The Accident is rather hard going despite its compressed timeline and thriller structure. I did like the reprise of characters from The Expats, particularly CIA operative Kate Moore, but I didn’t fully engage with the new characters. For the most part they conform to some pretty well-worn stereotypes and fail to raise any real empathy. The Accident becomes a ‘who’s going to die next’ game as Isabel Reed and her cohorts are threatened and picked off one by one. The inclusion of excerpts from the manuscript are more of a distraction, and I saw the grand reveal at the end coming a mile off.
Despite the general acclaim and enthusiasm for this book from other reviewers, compared to the author’s marvelous debut The Accident is a disappointment.
Decent page turner but some items just didn't add up for me.