Chris Pavone has written another thriller in his Kate Moore series, The Paris Diversion (Crown, $27.00) and it is a beast. He previously has won the Edgar and Anthony awards for best thriller and best first novel. A former editor, the guy is no slouch.
Kate is running an open-ended CIA off–the–books enterprise in Paris and unlike your usual female spy, she’s married, approaching middle age, and has two young children. Talk about juggling work and family!
Kate drops the kids off at school and it seems to be an ordinary day, when suddenly bomb threats are called in from several prominent train stations and a man wearing a suicide vest wanders onto the grounds of the Louvre. It’s the same day a major multi-national corporation is planning a big announcement concerning a merger and acquisition. Kate’s husband is a day trader who has just happened to short the stock of the company, claiming he has inside knowledge that the shares are overvalued.
With every cop in Paris heading toward the possible terrorist sites, the CEO who was scheduled to hold a press conference that afternoon is secured by State Department employees and taken to a safe house along with his beautiful assistant. And held there long after the time he was to speak. The stock plummets.
Kate suspects that behind the apparent terrorist plot is a couple she met years before while stationed in Luxemburg. These ex-CIA operatives are planning themselves to short the stock and get rich off the turmoil they have created. But underlying these suspicions is the remote possibility her own husband is involved because he stands to profit if the stock price collapses. The plot moves fast, is complex, and ends with a nice twist.
Pavone skillfully weaves in Kate’s background and former adventures both as a spy and a lover, making you wish you had read the earlier books, which I certainly intend to do. Kate is a real-life heroine, doing her spy work while planning her son’s birthday party. You can’t get much more sympathetic than that.
I give The Paris Diversion a solid A. Unfortunately, I got the impression at the end that Kate is going to “retire.” Let’s hope not.
Steve E Clark as seen in the New York Times is Author of Justice Is for the Lonely and Justice Is for the Deserving, Kristen Kerry Novels Of Suspense. Steve is a 2017 NY Big Book Award winner and a 2018 Independent Book Awards recepient. You can purchase his books via https://steveclarkauthor.com/buy-the-book/ or request it at your local book store. Want to know more about Steve Clark, read more reviews or speak directly with Steve? Learn more about Steve at SteveClarkAuthor.com
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