The Travelers


Chris Pavone has honed his skill as an incredible writer of spy/thriller/travel/conspiracy fiction to a level of perfection. I've read both of his previous novels, The Expats and The Accident, and I was super excited to read his third offering, The Travelers, as soon as possible. I loved The Expats and enjoyed The Accident, although I didn't like it quite as much as The Expats. I was hoping The Travelers would meet or surpass the level of The Expats, and I wasn't disappointed. The book description reads:

"A pulse-racing international thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Expats and The Accident

It’s 3:00am. Do you know where your husband is?

Meet Will Rhodes: travel writer, recently married, barely solvent, his idealism rapidly giving way to disillusionment and the worry that he’s living the wrong life. Then one night, on assignment for the award-winning Travelers magazine in the wine region of Argentina, a beautiful woman makes him an offer he can’t refuse. Soon Will’s bad choices—and dark secrets—take him across Europe, from a chateau in Bordeaux to a midnight raid on a Paris mansion, from a dive bar in Dublin to a mega-yacht in the Mediterranean and an isolated cabin perched on the rugged cliffs of Iceland. As he’s drawn further into a tangled web of international intrigue, it becomes clear that nothing about Will Rhodes was ever ordinary, that the network of deception ensnaring him is part of an immense and deadly conspiracy with terrifying global implications—and that the people closest to him may pose the greatest threat of all.

It’s 3:00am. Your husband has just become a spy."

Chris Pavone has definitely hit it out of the park with this one. Although Will Rhodes isn't necessarily the most sympathetic or loveable protagonist possible, I still loved the journey he took us on through the book - filled with intrigue, spies, travel all over the world, secrets, lies, and twists and turns. Don't start this book at night - it will keep you up all night turning the pages. I literally couldn't put it down. He provides us with enough plot twists that you definitely won't be able to guess the ending - and I can usually guess the endings of most books within the first few chapters. I loved the exotic locales featured in this book, and felt like I was actually there.

The one problem I tend to have with Pavone's books is the multitude of characters he uses. Whenever I first begin one of his books, I sometimes have trouble figuring out who's who and keeping everyone straight. Once I get all of the characters figured out, however, I get completely wrapped up in the story and can't put it down.

However, this is an absolutely excellent book and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys spy novels or thrillers. I think Chris Pavone should have left editing and ghostwriting behind a decade ago to write his own books - he's super talented, and one of my new favorite authors.

I received a copy of this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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