THE PARIS DIVERSION by Chris Pavone

A day in Paris - what is not to like about a story set against the Louvre, Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe and Notre Dame. Imagine living there and having all this at your disposal on any day? Not so on this day. A Middle Eastern looking man is standing outside the Louvre wearing a bomb vest and a suitcase strapped to his wrist; a multi millionaire investor about to reap the benefits of a huge deal he has orchestrated is missing in action somewhere with his assistant; there is a bomb threat in Mumbai. And what's with the couple in Venice?

Kate Moore was introduced to readers in 'The Expats'. Ex-CIA, but still 'active', she and her  money market investor husband Dexter, are now living in Paris.  By the way, I strongly recommend reading 'The Expats' first, as it provides a lot of background to this story, explaining how and why the Moore family is now in Paris rather than Luxembourg.

Kate now operates an off-the-radar cell in Paris, and once her children are safely in school her spy-self kicks in. Dexter is still involved in money making, and even after everything that went down is Luxembourg, he still has no idea at all what his wife is doing with her time. This is just one of the many implausible details in the story, full of implausible happenings. Despite the intricate craziness of the plot, and the superwoman capabilities of Kate the spy, it is easy to suspend disbelief and enjoy this for the thriller ride that it is. It does become a page turner as the various elements and geographical locations slowly, over the course of the day, do come together. Would love to tell more of the plot, but it is tricky to do so without giving away some of the spider's web that is created. The characters are ok, a little one-dimensional perhaps, but interesting and unusual things happen to them which makes them in turn interesting as they react to the events going on around them.

Some reviewers have panned both this book and 'The Expats'. Neither is a must-read, or is particularly outstanding in the spy/thriller genre, but as I love the spy genre, I did enjoy this. It will hold your attention on a boring day, a long flight or travel journey. And you never know, you may end up in Paris.