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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
Fantastic! Loved it! Better than Clancy! My copy will be on Redlich’s desk on Monday :)
3.5ish It started off pretty slow so it took me a while to get into, but then it picked up in the last half of the book so. Fairly predictable, but I am interested in finding out what happens in the next book. I'm still not sure what the point was of the recipes at the end of each chapter...
It was . . . ok. Exciting, detailed. It was the trailer for the upcoming movie that prompted me to read it. Will I spend senior matinee money to see the movie? Dunno.
The movie doesn’t even come close to the brilliance of this book. The storyline keeps you on the edge of your seat and the characters are far more compelling.
I've read a lot of spy novels, political thrillers, and action novels in my day (spanning a number of different authors and approaches, including Clancy, Flynn, and Silva, to name a few), but this book easily bests all of them and stands alone as probably the best "modern" spy/thriller novels I've ever read. Matthews's dedication and ability to accurately—and artfully—capture the tedious tradecraft and bureaucracy that characterize modern intelligence collection, analysis, and dissemination is spot-on. Other former intelligence professionals have attempted to provide a glimpse into their world, but Matthews has excelled at showing just how complex, confusing, and fraught this world of vaults, mirrors, and masks really is. His personal mastery of the trade is reflected in the actions, thinking, and assessments of his characters, and his acknowledgements sections reflects a veritable "who's who" of intelligence professionals. At first, the recipes at the end of each chapter threw me for a little bit of a loop, but I quickly learned to love them (and highlight them; they're all getting added to the recipe box to try later). And in the end, the recipes—like every other detail and element of the story—accurately captured and gave me a palpable feel for the story, the world it lives in, and the people who make it.
This isn’t a novel I would typically pick but started to listen to it on my audiobooks in the car. I found the corruption of Russia and the action of the spies intriguing. I really didn’t care for the additions of meals at the end of each chapter but it was unique. There is a twist at the end and I’m excited to know this is a trilogy!
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As far as spy romps go, I enjoyed it as an espionage thriller. The free indirect discourse style allowed interesting insight into the side characters, and they bring this book to a much higher level. It runs into ‘females written by men’ issue, especially as it deals with the protagonists sexuality as her ‘secret self’ amongst other very sexist descriptions of women. How do you show a woman that success with the world of men - write her as mannish….
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No