Deanna

So many reviews promise spy thrillers similar to le Carre and Greene. This one does have echoes. I liked it much more than Steinhauer, whose characters I can't seem to care about. Cumming's ending wouldn't have come from le Carre or Greene (planning a series?) but this was the first thriller in a long time I wanted to listen to without a break. Another reviewer suggested it's a slow starter; but I was hooked from the first paragraph.

I couldn't be more delighted with the reader of this funny, ever heartbreaking, lushly written story. The opening chapter captures the terror, bafflement, and resigned victimhood that comprise being a little child among we thoughtless big folks better than any other author ever could or will. Just a gem, to dip into like listening to favorite music.

I really wanted to like this book, with its Baltimore setting and newspaper theme, but it is, simply, dull. The performance is fine; there just isn't enough story to make a reader care what happens.

Th young couple at the center of the story are well drawn.

Maybe it's just my provincial ears, but Davidson's accent sounds almost like a comic parody. I wish they'd use someone else for le Carre.

Not as entertaining as A Most Wanted Man, but still good le Carre.

This is the first purchase from Audible I haven't been able to finish. Endless description of characters that are unengaging (but beautiful! always beautiful!) and a plot that just doesn't advance. Too bad, I had hopes I'd discover a writer I liked.